Spudman said:
That thing has some toanz. Tell us more about that amph. I've never heard of it.
Thanks gents.
Weighing in at around 30lbs, the Rotten Johnny is a sweet little grab & go 112 combo with big attitude. Despite it's small open back cab, it has very full sound...neither thin nor boxy. At 15 watts, it's a great studio/bedroom/practice/light rehearsal/small gig amp. It ships with a
Warehouse Guitar Speakers "Green Beret", although mine came with a Heritage Series Celestion G12M. I like the 20watt Greenback, although I'm guessing the amp may sound a tad louder with the 25watt WGS and it's slightly higher speaker efficiency rating. Don't know. Never compared them. It has an 8ohm speaker "out", so I may experiment with an extension cab later.
The circuit was designed and built by Paul Sanders of
Nolatone Ampworks USA. A stand-alone mid control is the largest factor in shaping the overall character of the tone. You can easily coax Fender, Vox and Marshall type sounds from the amph as you adjust the mid, "bottom" and "top" to get specific types of tones, or to work with certain guitar/pickup combinations.
The "top" is a like a Vox cut control, wired backwards (turn it up for more highs), and the "bottom" is a 6-position clicker, which doesn't load the circuit and provides better harmonic content, as Paul explained.
Pre and Post gain knobs control how hard you drive the second gain stage and the phase inverter. Lots of flexibility with gain options. Plus, there's master volume.
If you need some extra punch with lead tones, a footswitchable mid boost adds volume and a lot of meat in the low/mids too.
No reverb, but I might run a pedal through the effects loop. But to be honest, I really do not miss reverb with this amp.
Right now, it's powered by a pair of JJ 6V6s, RCA 12AX7 in the preamp, and a JJ for the phase inverter. Solid state rectifier is standard, although it will take a tube. I may experiment with that one day.
It's got a vintage "TV" cosmetic, with two-tone tolex, built by
Mather Cabs.
