Robben Ford Discussion

[magvike]

After listening to Robben and Larry Carleton for awhile, I was struck by how much money I've paid chasing that tone, when it is available for a lot less, but only if I pay it all at one time.....so I bought a Fuchs modded Twin from Overland Express Guitars and OH MY GOD....instead of struggling to find that sound, that sweet expressiveness, that most inspirational outpouring of ungodly tone, I had it ALL NIGHT LONG!!! If you folks want to come close to Dumble land without paying an arm and a leg, buy one of these....of course, I bought the only modded one I found, but I'm sure his own Fuchs models are just as great'. they're the same except mine uses the original Fender transformers...I got mine from Overland, but there may be dealers near you, too. (not that Overland is near me, I'm in San Diego and he's in Kansas...) Check it out....you won't be sorry. Now, anyone in the market for a Dr. Z Route 66 or Maz 38 Studio Deluxe or maybe an Ampeg V2 or a Boogie MKIV?
Mike.

[Aeolian]

Glad you are liking it. We Fuchs'ers have to stick together against the onslaught of Two Rocks, led by our good captain

Seriously, it's great that we have these expressive tools available at slightly less stratosperic prices than chasing down a Dumble and then getting Howard to rework it.

Just as every person will find a guitar that just clicks with them, and lets them express the sounds they like without fighting with it, there's an amp out there that fits as well. Sounds like you found one. I've found that these amps work for me as well.

Just a tidbit, the production amps and the mods are slightly different. The production amps have evolved in to slightly warmer and easier to break up on the clean channel than the mods. I actually had my factory built one tweaked so that it's somewhere between the voice of the new ones and my old mod. Course with the factory amps you also get the top notch transformers, aluminum chassis and the most dialed in internal layout.

It'd be great if you could post some clips and share your new found voice.
_________________
There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
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[juspasinby2003]

Hey! No need to put down the Fuchs conversions to praise his production amps. Andy may use Mercury Magnetics transformers on the production amps, but he is quick to note the stellar qualities of the over-sized "moose," Rivera-designed transformers that you will find on many of his Fender conversions. They run ultra cool (never hot too the touch) and provide a huge, tight bottom and a 3D clean tone. Those transformers are, however, just too heavy for the aluminum chassis of his production amps to bear the weight.

To my ear, the production amps have a more refined, hi fi overdrive than the conversions, but I happen to prefer the more raw and aggressive sounds of most of his conversion overdrives. Although, Andy can voice either his production amps or his conversions any way you like.

[Aeolian]

Opps, I wasn't trying to put down the mods. I have one of each. It's just that they use different circuit designs. A friend sent back his Boogie mod to have it redone so it sounded more like Scott L's production amp. When I ordered my production amp, after trying one, I tried to get it more like my mod. We both found out that the boards and designs are different. As he grows his company, Andy is moving away from customization. At the moment he isn't doing any more mods and then he's only taking in certain chassis for future orders when he gets caught up. The fortunate thing is that the more common options are getting integrated as standard on both mods and production amps, instead of tacking them on. More features for less money. Either way I wholeheartedly agree with magvike as to what a revalation it is to play an amp this responsive and clear. Even without the gain channel. Last night I let this guy Chris Andersen play my rig. He is touted as the wiz-kid from Norway and will be touring with Musslewhite this fall. He plays a traditional/swing style in the Robbilard groove (although I've heard him bust out everything from Wes to Hendrix). He sounded wonderful on the clean channel. Different than the vintage tweeds he normally plays. Really round and clear. Sustain, but not the gainy sustain, just rich full tone as if he was playing quietly but he was actually digging in really hard, right at the bridge. What can you say about an amp that covers so much ground?
_________________
There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com

[magvike]

Well, I get to use it at another gig on Saturday night and I must say, I'm looking forward to it. I was playing through it everyday until my wife and I decided to change my music room into the larger back room.....now all my stuff is either stacked up or in the road cases so I have to wait until Saturday when I can unpack it all. Dave at Overland Express Guitars, where I bought the amp, said that it was one of his favorites and he really likened it to being almost a Dumble with reverb. I've never played through a Dumble, but I have played through just about every other amp I could afford and none of them sound like this one. I'll keep you posted on my journey!!!
Mike.