Any candidates for a backup to my old Acoustic Image Clarus?

[Bouviour]

Hello!
As my trusty Clarus ages I was wondering whether there is a consensus on a fairly similarly voiced amp head?
I've been looking at Raezer's Edge Luna, and not completely convinced by the videos but hard for me to test as I'm all the way in Australia.
Can anybody possibly make some recommendations for me? Thank you so much!
-Ben

[sgosnell]

I have an old Clarus, one of the original models, and while it mostly lives in the closet, I pull it out now and then. The closest sound I know of is my Quilter Soundblock US, which sounds noticeably better to me - livelier sound, built-in reverb, and much smaller and lighter. Not quite the power, but enough. I have little or no personal experience with other heads, although I have coveted the Luna. I have a GK MB200, but its sound is very different from the Clarus. I would like to sell both my Clarus and the GK, but the market is small and the hassle is large. They just sit in the dark.

[jasguitar]

Maybe a Henriksen head/combo or an Evans head/combo?

[Gitterbug]

Luna, like many other current Class D amps, has been built around the 200W (@ 4 ohm, 100W @ 8 ohm) IcePower power source/power amp module. Its response curve is arrow-straight from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Milkman and Seymour Duncan, for example, use IcePower modules of different wattages. What separates these amps is the preamp section and effects. Having owned a Luna 200R for several years now, I'm not overly impressed. The sound is clean all the way but lacks character. Not very loud, either. Although I have never heard a Quilter Tone Block 202 live, I'd expect it to be more versatile in all respects. With one of those in the gig bag, the Clarus might well find itself in the backup role - busy as the Maytag repairman. Quilter has broad shoulders and a great reputation for service. My first two Lunas were defective, and getting a decent one to my neck of the Taiga took months. Of course, I have no clue about the Oz sales and service network for any given brand.

I've been advocating the TC Electronic BAM200 for those who don't need an on-board reverb. Warm and round, loud enough even if not very dynamic. I've been wondering if there's a difference between the US and 240V versions, because the BAM seems to be more popular on my side of the pond. That and the Quilter SuperBlocks are the most popular amps among my Toob and Metro customers, who obviously favor small and lightweight amps.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

The big question is whether you just want a backup amp in case of failure or if you want a potential replacement when the Clarus dies. If all you want is a backup, buy a used Superblock, BAM, etc and stash it in your gig bag. I have 2 Quilter Microblocks I bought used, and they’re excellent.

But if you want a replacement, the big little Quilter heads (Toneblock 202 and OD202) are fabulous amps that do everything from flat to thunk to woody to screaming’ demon. I have an OD in a 12” BlockDock, and it’s truly the equal of the mid ‘70s original Boogie 1x12 that I bought new & used for decades. I love its clean tone - rich, warm, and gorgeous with my archtops but fat and glassy with smooth, controllable breakup at any volume for blues & fusion with my solid bodies.

It’s a little big to sit on a 6.5” Toob, and I have smaller amps for that. But it sounds great through any speaker I’ve tried it with, and it’s a true keeper. So if you want a replacement, I’d go with either 202 Quilter. They’re both great clean, and they’re similar in character. The basic o/d function in the TB is excellent. But the OD202 goes the extra mile. It won’t do a fully driven Boogie tone, but it’s pretty close. Lower OD settings come close to a Dumble ODS sound. I love mine!

[Stringswinger]

Quilter, Henriksen and Milkman all have amps that could back up your Clarus or even replace it.

I have amps from all three of those makers and I found that my Clarus was no longer of use to me, so I sold it.