Quilter Amp Head + Cab vs. Fender (tube) Pro Junior IV

[Cunamara]

Just want to warn folks not to paint all Quilters with the same brush. My TB202 in BlockDock 12 is a very different amp than the Aviator 8 I had before it.

I needed an Empress Para to get happy with that Aviator. I'm happy going straight into my current rig.

And I'd guess the 202 is completely different than the 101 in my cab. The 101 and Avi 8 are about the same vintage. The newer Quilters aren't the same amps.

I haven't been paying any attention in the past year or so. The SBUS and SBUK were the last big changes at Quilter that I noticed. What has changed?

[ccroft]

I haven't been paying any attention in the past year or so. The SBUS and SBUK were the last big changes at Quilter that I noticed. What has changed?

Not much since then AFAIK. Don't know when Mach3 came out. I've been using Quilters for something like 9 years. The big change was around 2019 for me. The tone controls became way more powerful. Meaning the brightness that many complained about in the 101 / Aviator era isn't the problem that it was.

My main point is that not all Quilter amps released over the last ten to twelve years are the same. If somebody didn't like the 101R, they might like a TB202. Or the SBUS. Or the Cub. Or not. You know how we are about gear...

[213Cobra]

I had a Mesa Mk IV for 35 years. A Mesa Blue Angel for 30 years. A Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 Reissue for 30 years. And numerous other Mesa, Fender and Carvin tube amps for 20 years +. I never had a service matter to address on any of them, and while I did make some NOS tube changes electively, the original tubes still tested as new or near-new when I sold them all four months ago.

Similarly, I've been using tube amps in hifi for the past 60 years, with only a very few (one-hand count) non-catastrophic failures easily rectified by tube replacements. In the aggregate, guitar and hifi, I've had more transistor-related failures than tubes-caused dysfunction, by far.

Phil

[Alter]

For me the Fender pro junior is a clear winner, my main gigging amp nowadays . A small tweed type fender amp, perfect for blues and jazz, responsive, real etc..

For home, the best small tube amp I've had was a Victoria 5 watt 508 amp. Liked it better than the Fender champ cause it had a slightly bigger cabinet and it was the only small tube amp that wasn't weak on bass even played at a really low volume. But it's pretty pricey.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

now I have the DV Mark which also sounds excellent. I have never tried the Quilter 202 but I suspect that would have been an excellent option for me.

From our interaction here, I suspect that our tastes and needs are very similar. I bought a Quilter OD202 about 2 years ago when MF had one on sale. A BlockDock 12HD with Celestion BN12-300 had found its way under the piano when I wasn’t looking, so adding the OD202 was a no brainer. This combo is pretty much the equal of the original hunree Boogie I used for decades and sold when I no longer needed the power or wanted the weight. With the 202, I have the power again in a combo that weighs about 24 pounds. No pedals or effects are needed.

The ToneBlock 202 is very similar, but the OD has an excellent and very versatile “overdrive” channel with great sustain. It’s not quite as smooth as the Boogie’s cascaded gain stages when opened up. But set right it does a pretty convincing SSS and a low gain ODS. The EG250 is a bit warmer for clean fat jazz tone, but the clean 202 settings are mighty close and I've used it on many jazz gigs because I’d rather grab one bag than 2. I bought a BlockDock 10 last year to use with the OD202 when I need power and versatility in a smaller package,

I’ve always kept pairs of amps, so I had backup if one failed. The EG250 and OD202 are my big guns. The Blu6 and BAM/Metro are my little guys. I mix & match as needed / desired, and these do everything I could ask.

I still have a Twin and a Princeton Reverb - but they haven’t left the house in a long time. The EG250 sounds as good to me as my Twin through the open back BlockDock 12HD.

[vernon]

I was an early Quilter adopter with the Aviator head, then the 101 mini and the 201 tone block. I played the 101 through a Raezer’s Edge New York 8 for years and loved the way it sounded. I also had a Fender Pro Junior for 2-3 years. I really got tired of the el84 tubes. Too grainy sounding for me. If those were your two options, I’d definitely go with the Quilter. The only amps I have now are vintage Fender tube amps of the 1964-1965 variety… a Princeton NR, Deluxe Reverb, and a Pro Reverb… this is my happy place

[JWMandy]

All of this is very helpful thanks! to one and all. Bottom line at this point, I'm still buffaloed and tabling a decision until I move out some of my other stuff aka "waiting on a check or two". So this is going to happen but not quickly, but as my wife used to say, "Proper order of things" but fairly, that's not my usual as I typically find it easier to move the old stuff out if I've already got the new gear coming in.

My heart (definitely not my head) thinks it'd be great to get an actual tube sound. Simple amp. And some of Carl's Custom Amps has a Princeton clone with a couple of mods and either with his implementation of London Power Scaling or an attenuator which might give the thing legs after the day comes when I'm back in an apartment... geezer that I am. That said, these things are pricey compared to a Pro Junior IV or a Supro Delta King 12 even. Might be value there anyway.... but letting time pass and stewing sufficiently before a "rash" decision to go spendy upfront vs. chasing rabits down a hole for a different tone and even possibly spending more.... is kind of a hard one to gauge short term. Is it that much more upfront? Objectively - yes even if gauged on the basis of prsumed discount for resale.... but then again, how much is the interim use and pleasure valued at? Priceless? How many coffee cups out at wherever does that amount to? Not sure.

Will let you guys know what happens when and if the trigger gets pulled. THanks!

[jads57]

Again, It’s not that I don’t like tube amps,especially great examples from Fender,Marshall,Mesa Boogie,etc.
Its just they are limited by their technology from the 1940’s -60’s

They certainly can be wonderful sounding for their intended purposes,whether it be studio or large stages.
But their practicality from weight,dependence on wall voltage,and available tubes, is a factor.
I would wager that digital direct alternatives are probably now getting to a point where it is your best bet.

But I’m 68 years old and have gigged in many situations over the last 50 years. I also like having my amp as a monitor.
I will say again for all things considered my Quiter Aviator amps 1x8” & 1x12” combos as well as a TB202 are my overall favorites of any amp I ever owned. And that’s a lot of great tube amps from Fender,Marshall,Dumble,Mesa Boogie,Carvin, Hiwatt, Ampeg,Sundown, Music Man, and so on,Lol!

[JWMandy]

So revisiting the Quilter idea.... in part because finding a tube amp increasingly seems spendy to be worthwhile and then there's the backbreaking thing (cause some that I've been suggested to give a look at for full featurs also come with very, very full poundage). So I'm wondering the appeal in the separate speaker cab + head versus the Aviator Cub? Yes I get the appeal of the Combo, but spliting things up lightens the load and might also give more life to the mix. Emphasis on might.

ToneBlock 202 (200W @ $720 new) vs Superblock US (25W @ $320 new) vs 101 Reverb (100W @ $530 new): I like the idea of Reverb in the amp which holds for all 3. Think I'm looking at cabs and the differences between these are significant. Raezer's Edge has a number that would work and it looks like $300 or $400 gets it done there.

So I'm mostly an at home player, and come to it with this in mind, but could be a TB202 at low volume would work just fine. The other two units might be better, but folks here seem to be unimpressed (in terms of "tone" I think). Possible that has a bunch to do with the speaker cab so for those using these things, I wonder what your opinion is. Yes the Aviator Cub.... but FWIW, my SeQuel's been so good I'm pretty impressed with the Raezer's Edge cabs. Any thoughts?

[jads57]

Again especially since you’re not gigging out,find a used gen 1 or 2 Quilter Aviator 1x8” combo. You will not regret it!

And if you choose to play louder just add another small cab. But remember this is just a Clean Platform Fender like amp. No real bells and extra whistles..

[Sigmund451]

I really like the dispersion of a 10 or 12 inch speaker. Im not suggesting an 8 cant do the job but rather than go the wrong way and be sorry I opted for a bigger at home speaker. I did 12 but 10 might have been the smarter choice. Since I didnt have both to compare I wont know so I just plug in and dont worry about it.

[JWMandy]

I really like the dispersion of a 10 or 12 inch speaker. Im not suggesting an 8 cant do the job but rather than go the wrong way and be sorry I opted for a bigger at home speaker. I did 12 but 10 might have been the smarter choice. Since I didnt have both to compare I wont know so I just plug in and dont worry about it.

So how did you choose the SBUS/SBUK vs Toneblock 202 or others? Just curious.

Separately, I'm wondering USED vs. NEW and whether there's any value per se to warranty... though in many respects admit my default is "not worth the extra".

[jads57]

I used think the 1x8” Aviator Combo wasn’t able to sound full enough. But after doing many gigs with it in many different venues and genres of music,I was pleasantly surprised!
it’s a closed back design with a 100 watt Celestion P.A.speaker. I even tried to upgrade the speaker and found the original Best!

This little amp is louder than a Fender Deluxe and stays Clean at loud volumes. If you want it even fuller and louder,just add a Clean Boost pedal in front or the effects loop and Wow!
Also for gigs the direct out is amazing!

[JWMandy]

jads57 - Yeah, after some back-and-forth with the Quilter folks, I understand where you're coming from on this. They said thje 101Reverb and Tubeblock202 are really much closer to Blackface Fenders than either the Tweed or Blonde. Carl of Carl's Custom Amps was gracious enough to give me a bit of his time and suggested his version of a Blonde as closer to filling the range I'm thinking about, but then I'm afraid we're starting to make things heavier and more complicated than they need to be.

Candidly I suppose the range in volume is between a quiet living room or maybe adventurously playing out with friends. Gigging? Not so much. And YES it would be nice to have a choice of multiple amp sounds in one package... which I think is the intent of the Quilter Superblocks and Aviator Cubs. Aviator Cub says its equivalent to 50W of tuibe power while the Superblock rates 25W of the same. Raezer's Edge NY8 handles up to 200W and would likely be overkill.

So perhaps a more pertinent question is less about whether the Quilters are loud enough (your answer is "yes they are") and more one of whether they can play with full sound quality - like with overdrive, cranked gain, etc. - at relatively low volume (as though with power scaling or an attenuator or similar).

Again, I'm assuming the answer is "yes" as well. Thoughts?

[jads57]

Always better to have more power than less imo. Especially when it comes to solid state amps and your car getting onto the freeway,Lol!

[John A.]

So perhaps a more pertinent question is less about whether the Quilters are loud enough (your answer is "yes they are") and more one of whether they can play with full sound quality - like with overdrive, cranked gain, etc. - at relatively low volume (as though with power scaling or an attenuator or similar).

Again, I'm assuming the answer is "yes" as well. Thoughts?

The answer is “yes,” the Aviator Cub’s master volume acts like an attenuator. All the tone shaping and overdrive is in th gain and tone controls; the master volume just scales the loudness up and down (except to the extent that speaker color is affected by volume).

[JWMandy]

John: Perfect. THanks!