Evans amp settings

[IanD]

Been quite a bit lately on Evans amps in the ongoing Ultimate Guitar Amp thread lately. So as not to hijack that thread I thought I would start a new one.

I own a Evans RE200 that hasn't got much use lately due to a lack of jazz gigs . Instead I have been using a much larger and heavier valve (tube) amp for general covers & blues gigs. Last week just before a gig the tube amp started making strange noises so I grabbed the Evans which I ended up using all night.

Took a lot of fiddling to get the right sound for rock/blues songs with a telecaster, but in the end it sounded very good, especially with a 12" extension speaker plugged into it.

The settings I used were:

Master - to suit; Scruff - 6; Reverb 2-3; Bass - 1; Depth - 0; Body - 7; Expand - 10; Treble - 2; Volume - 8; Input 2.

As you can see from the amount of controls, a lot of tonal flexibility is available.

I now have new found enthusiam for the amp, but it does take a lot of work. If any Evans owners are interested I will post any nice settings for jazz as I come across them.

Perhaps all you Evans users out there may care to post your own favourite settings along with the type of guitar being used?

[Franz 1997]

here's my contribution:
AE/RE series ( all have the same preamp):
-volume 5 or less, scruff 0,reverb 2, bass 1, depth 3/4 up, body 5-7, expand 5-7, treble 0

AH200 head; vol 5 or less, rev 2, buff around 5, reverb 2, bass 8, depth 3/4 up, body 8, expand on, treble 2

These settings ( rather different) give the same sound with a 335, guild nightbird or a slaman jazz junior archtop, both with flatwounds, through the same speaker, an emi deltalite 12. The ( digital) AH200 head is warmer and at the same time less bassy.

I find that if you put depth on full, even a tele neck pickup sounds fat.....try it.

Finally I mark these settings in silver marker pen on both these amps to avoid having to re-set under rushed gig conditions if the knobs get nudged in transit! maybe a bit anal, but it works for me......

[jzucker]

Thanks for starting this thread. Mine arrives on tuesday!

[Franz 1997]

well I think you'll like it. I was initially dubious about buying my AH200 ( from UK player Tony Marshall) because I knew it had a digital power amp (like the acoustic Image, and which so far I haven't been impressed with). But this amp hasn't got that digital 'sterile' sound - it's quite organic-sounding IMO & dead quiet. Also the weight ( lack of) helps. Only snag is it looks like a brick with knobs on, but you can't have everything.....

[riovine]

RE200, hybrid, no scruff:

reverb: 3-4
bass: 4
depth: 5
body: 4
expand: 0
treble: 0
master: 7
volume: 7
input: +6db

guitar vol & tone rolled off to suite,
guitars used:
campellone 17" carved top, floating pickup, 3 1/2" deep
sadowsky jimmy bruno, 15", laminate, routed bucker
gibson cs356 semi hollow

[Klatu]

well I think you'll like it. I was initially dubious about buying my AH200 ( from UK player Tony Marshall) because I knew it had a digital power amp (like the acoustic Image, and which so far I haven't been impressed with). But this amp hasn't got that digital 'sterile' sound - it's quite organic-sounding IMO & dead quiet. Also the weight ( lack of) helps. Only snag is it looks like a brick with knobs on, but you can't have everything.....

Check out this page regarding "digital" power amps.

Power Amplifier Fundamental

"Digital" Amplifiers: There really is no such thing as a “digital” amplifier, although the marketplace sometimes tends to promote certain amplifiers as being “digital”. When the term digital is associated with a power amplifier, it is often a buzz word used by the vendor that may refer to the design of the power supply and/or the design of the output stage. Some amplifiers use power supplies that are the switching type (sometimes referred to as a DC - DC converter). The term "digital" is also sometimes associated with amplifiers of the more exotic classes (class G, H, S, and especially D). Class G, H and S amplifiers use special switching circuits that try to minimize the voltage that is dropped in the output semiconductor devices (thus resulting in higher efficiency). Class D uses a totally different scheme for amplification (and is the most legitimate class to be termed "digital", although Class D is still an analog circuit design). NOTE: An amp touting itself as digital in no way means that it is inherently better at producing sound from "digital" sources such as CDs!!! Most all car stereo amps (those above about 10 watts per channel) use a switching power supply. What advantages does a switching power supply offer? For car audio (which runs on a 13.8 VDC power source) there is no way to get high power to speakers without boosting the amplifier’s power supply rail voltage to higher levels. Switching power supplies are used in some conventional (home or pro audio) amps as well. Switching power supplies use much smaller transformers and capacitors (as compared to conventional amps), and are therefore considerably smaller and lighter than an equivalent analog power supply. The concepts behind switching power supplies have been known for many years. However, until fairly recently the components necessary for switching power supplies were unable to be produced cheaply enough for consumer use. Advances in transistor technology have made the necessary devices available at a cost which permits their widespread use. (Note: ALL of the "super systems" heard in many automobiles today are powered by amplifiers using switching power supplies).
On the minus side, switching power supplies are a great deal more complicated than their analog counterparts. They work basically by first creating a "crude" DC voltage. This crude voltage is applied to a switching circuit which uses a specially designed high frequency transformer. A control circuit monitors the output voltage of this stage and makes adjustments to the switching circuit "on the fly” in order to keep the final DC output voltage as close to the design value as possible. So, the advantages of lighter weight and smaller size come at the expense of increased parts count (which ultimately might translate to less reliability if the parts are of lesser quality). Switching power supplies tend to generate a lot more electronic noise as compared to linear power supplies (discriminating audiophiles would almost never tolerate a switching power supply in the audio path). Also, switching power supplies are harder to repair if they fail.

[jzucker]

right klatu but there still is a sound that I associate with class d amps that seems to be common to them. I"m hoping the evans breaks that mold.

[Greco]

.......but there still is a sound that I associate with class d amps that seems to be common to them.

Could you please expand on this a bit. I assume that they have an overall (or specific) tone/sound that is not totally pleasing to you.

Many thanks.

Cheers

Dave

[Klatu]

right klatu but there still is a sound that I associate with class d amps that seems to be common to them. I"m hoping the evans breaks that mold.

I love my Evans with one caveat: mine is an older 1x12 model which was built over 10 years ago. I don't know whether it's class D or not.

[Franz 1997]

Evans introduced class D power amps 2 or 3 years ago, I understand. Amps before that have a conventional power amp. The preamps are basically the same, with the odd tweak, as they were 5 or more years ago.
I understand from a tech that Evans now use a class D power module from a well know manufacturer; it should be reliable, as it's been adopted now for many similar applications.

Previously to this Evans head I owned an AI clarus head, which is also class D, and found it rather sterile & '' processed'' sounding'. I can't speak for jzucker, of course, but I guess he might mean something similar.... .

I find this Evans AH200 warm rather than sterile, and having pretty much the same sound as the conventional Evans power amps ( ie pre - 2007/8)- owning both kinds, I can compare them side by side.

[Greco]

Franz 1997.......Many thanks

I'm looking into the Evans AH 200 locally.

Cheers

Dave

[Klatu]

Has the change in power amp altered the sound in any way?

[JohnW400]

Evertime I check out their website and watch the video I jump up and down and say "that's what I want!!"


But reality creeps in as I look ath the three amps in the music room (4 if you count the one I gave to my brother in law) and tell myself I have to wait until I sell something or get more gigs thna the handful a year I get now

[Franz 1997]

Has the change in power amp altered the sound in any way?

Klatu, if you're referring to my comparative post above - yes, if one takes the amp overall ( ie preamp + power amp), the conventional power amp at bass on '2' sounds the same as the class D amp on about 7, in terms of bass response into the same speaker. Also the class D's treble response seems different in terms of the shelving point of the treble control. But these variables could well be due to tweaks/ component variables in the preamp rather than the power amp, which I assume is intended for flat response in both cases.

One factor that persuaded me to buy the AH200 amp unseen is that a well known UK pro- not the seller- whose taste I respect compared it to his tube head for 'warmth''.

I think the point I was trying to make is that to my ears both conventional and class D Evans amps DON'T have that ''processed'', sterile sound that I have previously associated with class D in the past. Of course, it could simply be that class D technology has improved recently.

I'll be interested to see what jzucker thinks

[Greco]

Franz 1997.......Many thanks

I'm looking into the Evans AH 200 locally.

Cheers

Dave

Just an update for any Canadians interested in this amp.

Our local music store recently brought in two Evans combo amps and sold them. I contacted the store regarding the AH 200 and according to them, at present, there is no Canadian distributor for Evans and Evans will not sell within Canada until a distributor has been selected/organized. They had no idea as to when this might happen.

Cheers

Dave

[jzucker]

[edit]

Well, duh...After playing it some more, I decided to sell the markbass setup. I think the evans amp gets the closest to the el hombre pat martino sound of any amp other than a vintage fender. The tone controls are perfectly placed. What a pleasure. I was able to plug in my semi-hollow and dial in a big fat bottom end that wasn't boomy at louder volumes. Then, when I plugged in my Heritage 550 it was too boomy. Voila, I dialed the bass down until it sounded like body-talk era george benson. Plugged in my tele and goosed the treble for some funk rhythm and it's right there. No (silly) 10k treble control placement like on most of the other jazz amps...

Really cool sounding.

[Klatu]

I'm glad you wound up digging it. I first read your post when you hadn't been convinced it was worth keeping and thought that the experience would at least serve to reinforce your faith in the Henriksen.

One of the Evans' wonders is that is so versatile. It can be used for any jazz application I can think of, dial up the treble and you've got yourself a funk and pop amp, and put a good overdrive pedal in front of it to turn it into a rock amp.

[jzucker]

I'm glad you wound up digging it. I first read your post when you hadn't been convinced it was worth keeping and thought that the experience would at least serve to reinforce your faith in the Henriksen.

One of the Evans' wonders is that is so versatile. It can be used for any jazz application I can think of, dial up the treble and you've got yourself a funk and pop amp, and put a good overdrive pedal in front of it to turn it into a rock amp.

Yes and unlike my markbass setup, I don't have to carry around a separate preamp and reverb pedal. It's very cool.

[va3ux]

Just an update for any Canadians interested in this amp.

Our local music store recently brought in two Evans combo amps and sold them. I contacted the store regarding the AH 200 and according to them, at present, there is no Canadian distributor for Evans and Evans will not sell within Canada until a distributor has been selected/organized. They had no idea as to when this might happen.

Cheers

Dave

The Steel Guitar guy over in the Belleville area used to carry Evans amps. I guess that's out the window now after reading this. It's a small, specialty, low-volume market for amps like these.

[Klatu]

I don't know it it's relevant to this forum, but my Evans takes overdrive pedals better than any other solid state amp I've tested. It even sounds better with an overdrive pedal than my Fender Concert Rivera. The same cannot be said of my Acoustic Image Clarus.