[NSD] Quilter BlockDock 10 TC - yes, it can definitely jazz!

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I've been thinking about a BlockDock 10 since I got my OD202 head and BlockDock 12HD last summer. The 12 is fantastic, but I've gotten so used to my Blu6 and my Toobs that it now seems a bit big at about 16 x 18 x 11 and 19.5 pounds. The 10" BD is only about 13 x 12 x 11 and weighs 15 pounds with an iron magnet Celestion TF1018 in it, so it kept calling my name. MF has a used one right now for $299, which is $120 less than a new one costs. So I called my MF rep to buy it, planning to use the points I've accumulated and hoping he'd chop a bit more off the price (which he almost always does).

Guess what? First off, MF has no control over the prices of used gear - they're set by the GC store that has each piece. Second, you can't use points to buy used gear. And even worse, they charge to ship used stuff. So I called GC Boston (the location with the BD10) and they don't cut prices on used gear until a piece has been there at least a year. Since I'd never bought a used piece from MF, I did not know any of this. Fortunately, my MF rep called back to tell me he could sell me a new one including shipping for $22 more than the used one, and I could use my points. Sold!!

Here it is next to my Blu 6:



The Quilter heads fit in the back with the controls facing up, so it becomes a combo. And the 10 has a beveled back bottom edge with rubber feet so it can be tilted upward:



It's a really well made piece, as you'd expect from Quilter. It's a sealed cabinet with excellent materials and workmanship. With the stock speaker, it's a bit "hifi", and the bass is kinda boomy (especially way down on the 7th string). I suspect the stock driver will break in and soften up a bit at the top, but the boomy bass suggests that it's not a great match for such a small sealed enclosure. The smaller a sealed enclosure is, the peakier the bass response will be. I suspect the stock Celestion will sound much better in a well ported enclosure and may also do well in a open back cab. But it's not a great match for a carved archtop in the small sealed speaker cavity of the BlockDock 10.

Fortunately, I had an ace up my sleeve called a Jensen Jet Tornado Neo. My plan all along was to drop the Jet in, since it has excellent bass control and a smooth top end that I love in other cabinets. So within an hour, I had a BlockDock 10 Neo that sounds fantastic and weighs 2 pounds less in the process. I was amazed at how the Jensen transformed the sound - much less feedback, much smoother response low down, and a fatter jazzy sweetness that was missing with the stock driver in the box. It's especially nice with my laminated Ibanez AF207 strung with heavy TI Bensons. I still have to play with the amp's controls a bit more to tweak it for my carved archtops, but the sound is excellent (and the feedback tendency is significantly lower with them too).

Here are the first two things I played through it. Blackbird is the AF207 with a backing track, and But Beautiful is just a clip snipped from a long and rambling track made with Audacity running while I played with volume, gain, voicing, EQ etc. This clip (with the first settings I tried when I plugged it in) is using voice 1 ("full Q") with bass at 11 o'clock, mid and treble at noon. My first guess at settings turned out to be the best one, but of course I've been playing with the OD202 head for months now and know it pretty well. Yes the Jensen is rated for 100W and the OD202 is a 200W head. I've never needed to turn it up past about 1/4 of its rated output (the master volume is labeled in Watts), and it's mighty loud even set to 5 Watts.



Here's a solo track on my Eastman 810CE7, with several closely harmonized chords on the lowest strings (TI JS113s). Bass is again at 11 with mid and treble at noon, and the voice is #3 (which is a blackface type response curve). I had the record level a bit too hot, so there's a little fuzz on the biggest transients. But I think it does justice to the beauty of the carved archtop and floating KA pickup:



I'll work on the amplified acoustic sound and solid bodies later in the week. But it's a real winner for an old guy who gigs!

[Ronstuff]

I also have a Blocdock 10TC, which I use with the 101R head.
I just recently swapped the speaker for an Eminence Lil' Buddy.
I really like it, I get more volume from the amp, and overall I just love the tone.
The original speaker was OK, the Eminence just works really well for Jazz.
Unfortunately it adds a couple pounds, but it's still really light and portable.
The Jensen Tornado seems interesting.