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Anyone know the specifics on the differences? From what I can tell it seems the Mach 2 has slightly simpler controls?
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01-25-2015 09:01 AM
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Try the Quilter Forum at quilterlabs.com.
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I appears that they added the contour control (from the toneblock) to the clean channel. Too bad that control doesn't allow for a treble roll-off for a jazzier tone.
And now you can switch channels via the pedal, but you CAN'T switch voicings. And "Clean" has been eliminated from the voicings. Strange.
Also, some new choices in Boost voicings, and more control over Rev and Trem.
In a small carry combo I could do without the trem and wish there was some kind of chorus instead. JMP.
It seems that they're moving a little more toward a rock-based amp. I sort of prefer the original, being able to switch with the pedal from Clean with tone controls to Warm/Dirty, to Boost.Last edited by Woody Sound; 03-12-2015 at 08:20 AM.
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Originally Posted by Woody Sound
I'd say based on their videos over last year or so they have found their market and it's not Jazz. In beginning they are targeting County guitarists and even that seems to of diminished and Rock and Metal is there current target.
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Interesting. Perhaps the Aviator and Toneblock would be what they consider more geared for jazz?
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I have both the Aviator 1x12" combo and the Tone Block 200. Although these are more geared to say Fender camp of tones, they are exceptionally loud and clean (no breakup). The Acoustic Image is more nuetral/flat type of EQ for a variety of different instruments (especially acoustic) The Contour control is actually pretty powerful at sculpting the basic tone. So left is accentuated bass and treble less mids, and right adds more midrange and less highs and lows.
I've ended up swapping out the Celestion Lead 80 speaker for WGS ET90 and use a small closed back 1x12' Egnater Rebel cab w/ a Jensen Neo Tornado 12-100 8 ohms speaker for my Tone Block 200 rig.
If you lean towrads Fender Blackface Cleans this is your amp! If you want a flat eq almost like a P.A. type of rig then you should look elswhere. Hope this helps!
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On the Toneblock, how does it sound with the contour in the middle? Isn't that supposed to be a flat eq response? Originally Posted by jads57
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Yes that's what they say and suggest as a starting point. I'm running a pedaltrain jr. board w/ various effects od.dist,comp,chorus,dely,rev, and 5 band graphic eq. The graphic is nice to have to fine tune the tone!
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Three questions please: Originally Posted by jads57
- Did you get the Toneblock with the idea of running pedals in front of it, and is that what you do?
- Are you saying that the Toneblock/Egnater is the rig for Blackface cleans or that the Aviator/WGS also fills the bill?
- Is the WGS heavier than the Celestion?
Maybe that's four questions. Either way, thanks.
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Answers to above ?'s 1.) Yes 2.) Both work equally fine, the Aviator is a bit easier to dial in 3.) About the same wieght.
I think both are equally fine rgs that approach a great clean tone from slightly different directions.
They both are light weight, and have plenty of power available. The great thing about the Tone Block 200 is it fits in my Pedaltrain Jr. pedalboard carrying bag in the extra pouch. So just the bag and a light weight cab.
I prefer the WGS speaker in the open back combo cab and the Jensen Tornado Neo works great in the closed back as well. Not so sure I'd like the speakers in opposite cabs as much, plus the weight for the Egnater cab is 20lbs w/ the Tornado12.
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Thanks again jads.
I don't understand ether the old or new MicroPros very well (yet Originally Posted by Woody Sound
) but FWIW, page 7 of the Mach 2 Manual says
'... Gain 2 may be used as a "clean" preset for CH 1, ..."
The double quotes are from the manual, and it looks to me as though the roles of channel 1 and 2 have been switched in the Mach 2.
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Just from the demo and Pat Quilter Namm 2015 videos I've seen it seems as though the clean channel remains the same and channel 2 now has the Tone Block Clean w/ contour knob. It also looks as though they've upgraded the drive voicings as well as boost options. For me I just use the clean channels anyway w/ assorted pedals so I wouldn't upgrade at this point. But if you're buying a new one I might be tempted to go for one.
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Okay then; thanks. I can see you know a lot more than me about Quilter products, but I have to say that the pictures and manuals make it look (to me) like the roles of channels 1 and 2 have been reversed. If true, this detail is trivial compared with your hands on experience, but I'd still like to know what I'm missing. The fact that the whole amp has evolved doesn't make things simpler to sort out either.
OTOH I'm sure things will clear up in soon enough (whenever that is). -- cheers
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I have to say as simple as my Quilters seem to be layed out, it takes time playing them in many situations to get the most from them. Maybe the same can be said for any gear as well. All I know is I keep getting happier about the Quilters the more I gig them and am not really tempted to go back to lugging around heavy tube amps any more,lol!
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Yes they have been reversed. Ch 1 used to be the dedicated clean channel, now it's Ch 2. Originally Posted by jads57
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I’ve had a Mach 2 head for a month now and been playing it almost exclusively. I love it - especially the tone. The light weight is pretty sweet too. I’ve been running a Fender D’Aquisto Elite archtop through the Mach 2 and into either a closed EarCandy 2x8 or an open Mesa Boogie 1x12. The Boogie came with a Black Shadow, which in my cab is a tweaked, rebranded Celestion Lead 80 – the same 12” used in the Mach 2 and Aviator series.
I’m comparing the Mach 2 to an SWR California Blond and a Mesa Boogie TA-30 head. In brief, each rig is beautiful and has its points, but the Mach 2 is as good as it gets – certainly for the jazz tone I want – plus it’s lighter and more flexible than the others. Having never played a Micro Pro 200, I can only compare them to the Mach 2 based on literature. Comparisons aside though, I also got some very generous help from Pat Quilter in understanding details of how the Mach 2 routes signals - information which has been helpful to me, and which hopefully will help some of you. So with all that in mind, here are some observations about the Micro Pro 200 and Mach 2 ...
We’ve talked about the roles of Channels 1 and 2. The roles are switched in the Mach 2 series, but Channels 1 and 2 in the Mach 2 are not exactly comparable to Channels 2 and 1 in the original series. The channels are switched in the sense that Channel 1 is now the “full service guitar channel” and Channel 2 is the more general purpose channel.
There have been some questions about how the Mach 2 “clean channel” compares with the original Micro Pro 200. I can’t say much about the original 200, but after corresponding with Pat, I can tell you something about how the Mach 2 “clean channel” works. Note that “clean channel” – meaning Channel 2 in the Mach 2 – is in quotes because either Mach 2 channel can be played cleanly and with plenty of headroom. That said, here are the two scenarios that interest me and that I have used with the Mach 2:
>Case 1: If you plug into Channel 2 and set CH 1/2 to 1, then your Channel 2 signal path will be
>Gain 2 > EQ 2 > Reverb.
Note that Voice is not in this signal path, nor is there a master volume. However, you obviously need an AB pedal to play both channels this way with one guitar, which is not very elegant.
Case 2: If you plug into Channel 1 and set CH 1/2 to 2, then Gain 1 is replaced by Gain 2, Bass/Mid/Treb is replaced by EQ 2, and Master is pegged at 100 percent. The resulting signal path has a lot in common with Channel 1:
>Gain 2 > EQ 2 > Boost > Lim > Trem > Reverb > Hi Cut > Phase Switch > Master = 100% > Voice
Your mileage may vary, but for me this architecture is fine - at least for my jazz needs if not more generally. First off, both channels have tons of headroom, and I myself am not looking for a sterile or PA-like sound for my archtop. (BTW, my guitar does not sound sterile in either Case 1 or 2, and beyond that I can’t comment on how flat or colorless Channel 2 may be. For one thing, I haven’t run the Mach 2 through an FRFR speaker - but see jads57’s post #6). Second, while there is less channel independence in Case 2, Boost, Lim, Trem, and Reverb are still foot-switchable, although admittedly, switching all of them at once might not be convenient in performance. One last thing about both cases: FWIW EQ 2 is more useful than I would have imagined for shaping the tone.
Other differences that I noticed are:
- Trem is now adjustable for both speed and depth.
- Reverb is no longer flexibly assignable.
- A High Cut control replaces Presence.
- Channel 2 does not have a master volume.
I’ll add more if anything big pops out at me. Meanwhile, I hope this information helps owners and prospective buyers alike. I was looking for great tone in a lightweight package, along with more power and flexibility than I expect to need. I'm happy to say that for me, the Mach 2 delivers nicely.
EDIT #2: Please disregard my first edit if you even saw it. Something led me to question my original remarks, but it turned out to be a false alarm, so I restored the original post.Last edited by HighSpeedSpoon; 03-11-2015 at 11:08 PM.
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I have a MP200 10" Combo.
The blackface tone I enjoy is with channel 2.
Gain @ 50%
Bass/Treble @ 60%
Mid @ 40%
Limiter @ 0%
Presence @ 100%
I'd be curious to hear from others -- this does a really nice Les Paul style electric jazz tone. Kind of swingy blackface style jazz to my ears. I use a tele style mostly and love it.
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I have to say after trying out the new Mach 2 Quilter, they have scored a homerun! If you are looking for a versatile clean and overdrive in one amp,this is it! And at an extremely light weight as well.
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i was never able to get a good clean jazz tone out of the original quilter they made. It was always nasally. Have they fixed this? Originally Posted by jads57
and when I say clean, i mean something along the lines of benson, martino, kreisberg, not talking about semi-distorted swing
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Used my original MP12 last night for the first time with a loud modern big band. Normally bring a Pearce combo that I built. The MP had plenty of juice to spare. Had it tilted up toward me behind my left. Sounded FAB for most rhythm parts, but got a little muddy with feedback problems (Sadowsky JB) on loud solos. Obviously will have to tweak the tone and position a bit. Other than that it worked out great. I've been thinking of swapping the tone cap on the Sadowsky, so that might help with that too.
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Wow. Too many knobs on those for this fool. Why can't they just make a high quality small lightweight amp with excellent headroom and one time knob?
all I need is volume and a high pass filter and I'd be happy.
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This might be for you: Originally Posted by TheGrandWazoo
It's puts out up to 200 watts of clean headroom by adjusting the master. Turn the tone knob (contour) to the right and you have your high pass filter. Weight is 4 pounds and the footprint is roughly 7" x 3" x 8". Price = $399. If by "time knob" you mean delay or reverb, then you might need to add a pedal. Still, it seems to address your requirements.
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I know -- leave that for the pedal board... Originally Posted by TheGrandWazoo
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Me likey that time block. And I did mean tone not time. Interestingamp.
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you could fly the space shuttle with this. Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
I know -- leave that for the pedal board...
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