V2 Amplification

Kerry Brown

Kerry Brown

Ambassador of the Great Northern Bar Jams
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Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting a local boutique amp builder called V2 Amplification

V2 AMPLIFICATION - Custom tube guitar amplifiers

His amps are sort of Marshall clones. I hesitate to call them clones because they have so many options they are not one trick ponies. I got to try a Vibe and a Caldera. The Vibe he was running at 20 watts and the Caldera at 10 watts. He can customize them for pretty much any tubes/power you want. I really liked the Caldera which is strange because I usually don't like a lot of gain and this amp is designed to sound like a JCM800 which it does very well. It also cleans up very nice. I think he was running two EL34's so at 10 watts. It was barely pushing the tubes which is why the cleans were so nice. Turn up the gain and it was full and rich in harmonics, very responsive. The Vibe also had EL34's but at 20 watts. It doesn't have quite as much gain on tap but it is way more versatile. It has three gain stages which are individually adjustable as well as bass and treble controls. You could do everything from very clean to medium high gain with lots of variation. If you are in a cover band this amp can easily cover any genre. I was very impressed with the build quality and John's knowledge of amplifier design. I was there with a friend who is a much better player and more knowledgeable about amp design than me. He was also very impressed. Any way if you're interested in a Marshall sounding amp give John a call. I didn't ask him about pricing because I'm pretty sure I can't afford one.
 
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Just checked out V2's website, and it looks interesting. But the website needs more developing. More pics and info on the products is a must. No pricing is shown either. A Bio on the owner demonstrating his or her's passion for the business would be very helpful, too.

I'm thinking of contacting V2 about one of their Mod Boards for one of my JCM800Ss. The one featuring altered gain choices. Hopefully the price is reasonable.

Looks like V2 offers basically 3 amp styles. Each one can be built with a 50 watt output that uses a pair of EL34s, or each can be built as a 20 watt amp that uses a pair of 6V6s.
 
syscokid said:
Just checked out V2's website, and it looks interesting. But the website needs more developing. More pics and info on the products is a must. No pricing is shown either. A Bio on the owner demonstrating his or her's passion for the business would be very helpful, too.
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I concur. Plus the couple of sound samples that they have up there on the site are not making me want to learn more about these amps, especially when there is a universe of great sounding Marshall-esque boutique amps out there. I don't doubt that what Kerry Brown heard was great, but it's not coming through at all in those clips.
 
I hear what you are saying about the web site. His workshop is in his basement. He has a full time job. I’m not sure if it will ever be a full time business for him. The market for high end boutique amps is pretty saturated. I don’t think I would quit a full time job to try and enter such a tough market. That said his amps are phenomenal. He did post a video of my friend Brent’s playing some blues on his Facebook page. I can’t figure out how to post a link to a Facebook video. I hope he posts Brent’s rendition of Purple Haze or some of the AC/DC he played. I was mostly a spectator but he did record me playing some Tom Petty and some blues.
 
syscokid said:
Looks like V2 offers basically 3 amp styles. Each one can be built with a 50 watt output that uses a pair of EL34s, or each can be built as a 20 watt amp that uses a pair of 6V6s.
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He has designed the amps so that just about any power tubes can used. The two I tried had EL34’s. One was 10 watts. The other was 20. He controls the wattage with the circuit design and transformer size. The 10 watt Caldera was easily loud enough for a typical bar gig. We needed ear plugs in his basement. He can adjust the wattage to whatever you want. He said he liked to use big tubes in lower wattage amps so the tubes last longer.
 
I was on m
syscokid said:
Right click on the video, and a little window should pop up where you can select: SHOW URL. Then just copy it and paste at the forums dialog window. Or... look at the URL window at the top of screen when your watching the video and copy and paste.
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I was on my iPad. I don't have those options. I'm at home now on a computer and see them. Thanks.
 
syscokid said:
I'm thinking of contacting V2 about one of their Mod Boards for one of my JCM800Ss. The one featuring altered gain choices. Hopefully the price is reasonable.
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Kerry Brown said:
Was just talking with John....
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John McDonald has been very nice to deal with, so far. I have not received the product yet, which is two of those V2 Mod Boards that I'm interested in. John gave me a nice deal for ordering two. But meanwhile we have already exchanged some info. I sent him schematics of my two JCMs that clearly shows any of the mods I incorporated. In return, he has offered some illustrations and assembly tips. I like doing business with people who show a genuine interest in your needs or GAS... :yesway:
 
Kerry Brown said:
Was just talking with John...
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Reply Part 2: Update...
I received the add-on Mod boards about a month ago. It was only yesterday that I finally got around to testing one of the mod boards in my JCM800 clone build. All went well. More testing needed at proper gigging volumes, but have concluded that this is a fine product followed by very friendly support from John McDonald (Owner of V2 Amplification). New thread with fresh Porn coming soon!

Thanks again, KB... :H5:
 
I'm still tinkering with this one amp of mine for the last 2 months. So today I emailed V2 Amps with a question and received a very informative response. Then he suggests to check out one of his latest offerings at this YouTube link:

Heavy gain with insane articulation... :dood:
 
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