Quilter 101 Mini Amp Head

[Gabe]

Looks to be promising.

From the quilter website:

An incredibly potent amplifier so light, you are going to swear we shipped an empty box.
The Quilter 101 Mini Head:

Imagine being able to pack 5 of history's greatest sounding amplifiers into a package so small it can fit in the pouch of your gig bag.
Imagine a head so light you almost forgot it was there. Set up so easy it only takes a few moments.
Forgetting for a moment the problems you are used to, like bad voltage or tiny stages, you plug in and turn it up.
Snickering friends' jaws begin dropping as the power (up to 100 watts) begins to fill the room. Now they are asking where to get theirs. Welcome to a whole new world of practical and affordable tone.
Lightweight:

Your back has been waiting for this since the first time you laid hands on a heavy amp. With the 101 Mini Head, you can have glorious huge tone without lugging around unmanageable and bulky heads.
On the stage:

Real world power that can more than keep up with quirky, unreliable, traditional technologies. Unlike traditional solid state technologies, Quilter amplifiers have enormous headroom far above our published rated power. This means you get the voltage spikes, the huge transients and, more importantly, the feel and harmonic content you can't usually get without glowing bottles.
At home:

Plug in your headphones and keep it quiet as you work out parts late into the evening. The perfect missing link between your effects and your speaker while making your DAW look even more beautiful.
Get one:

Backed by a industry-leading warranty, Quilter amplifiers are setting new standards in performance amplification. Your new Quilter 101 will be far more reliable than any traditional technology and is backed by a team with a passion for music and a commitment to ensuring you get the most from your tone. Every gig, every song, every time.
Specifications:

• 50 watts of real world power with up to 100 Watts for the "clean" settings (Jazz and Surf)
• Gain, Master, Tri-Q, Voicing, and Hi-Cut controls
• 1/4" high impedance input
• Dual 1/4" Mono outputs for variable loads 16 to 4 ohms
• 1/8" Headphone out for quiet practice
• 2 Pounds
• 8 3/8"W x 3 1/8"H x 5 1/2"D
• Ultra Compact (roughly the size of a double wide effects pedal)
• Universal power supply. (Take it anywhere in the world without need for transformers or switches.)
• Standard IEC power cable (non locking)

[Klatu]

I just noticed that the suggested price is $299. It looks to be a very fair price on what may be the ultimate gig bag backup amp.

[Woody Sound]

Finally, a way to cut highs! Couldn't do that on the ToneBlock.

I couldn't find it on the web site, can you share a url? Thanks.

[Woody Sound]

Finally, a way to cut highs! Couldn't do that on the ToneBlock.

I couldn't find it on the web site, can you share a url? Thanks.

Ah, missed it at the bottom of the "heads" page, just found it.

[monkmiles]

Wow, impressive to me. If it had built-in reverb, I'd be even more inclined though.

[Jim Soloway]

Wow, impressive to me. If it had built-in reverb, I'd be even more inclined though.

I used to feel the same way but now that there are so many really good inexpensive reverb pedals on the market, I've let that one go. I'd rather be able to pick my own reverb than be stuck with an amp builder's decision.

As for the new Quilter, they may have finally put together a package that I just can't resist. I guess I won't know what I think of the sound without actually trying one but the feature set and configuration is fabulous and the price is absolute right.

[monkmiles]

I used to feel the same way but now that there are so many really good inexpensive reverb pedals on the market, I've let that one go. I'd rather be able to pick my own reverb than be stuck with an amp builder's decision.

As for the new Quilter, they may have finally put together a package that I just can't resist. I guess I won't know what I think of the sound without actually trying one but the feature set and configuration is fabulous and the price is absolute right.

I hear you, makes perfect sense. I do love the Mad Professor Silver Spring reverb pedal I have and am sure it would be better than a built-in reverb they'd get in there. The thing is for me though, with nice tiny heads like this...you add a reverb pedal, power (cables, perhaps a volto, etc) and it becomes either more to setup or a little less portable. I used to have a Tone Block and did like it but tend to prefer an all in one package type of thing, ala a combo amp. I don't know...I could see myself grabbing one of these though since it is smaller than the Tone Block is and I didn't need all the power the Tone Block has. I would only use it for very small jams anyways cause I drag my tube amps out for bigger stuff anyways.

[mr. beaumont]

Just found my xmas present. Too inexpensive not to try, at least...

[pingu]

ok now we're TALKIN'

ok whats the lightest 8"_10"
cab in the world ? (polycarbonate ?)

also wots the lightest decent speaker
(neo)
are any of the neo ones any bloody good yet ?
must be surely , there's nothing inherantly
bad sounding about neo magnets

you could get your rig down to under
10 lbs ...

[Steve Z]

Nice. Seems like adding a balanced direct out (to sound board) would nice... Like AI Clarus, Trademark 60, etc.

[jzucker]

I used to feel the same way but now that there are so many really good inexpensive reverb pedals on the market, I've let that one go. I'd rather be able to pick my own reverb than be stuck with an amp builder's decision.

not me. I want minimal setup when I go to a jam session which is the situation I'm most likely to use a one-hander in. Nothing's worse than going to a jam and fussing with speaker cables, pedals and ac adapters for digital pedals.

Devil's advocate to your position would be to say that digital reverb circuits are so easy and cheap these days that there is little excuse not to have one built in. And rather than be "stuck" with an amp builder's decision, you can just turn the mix knob to zero and use a pedal if that suits you.

[Bach5G]

Any suggestions of suitable cabinets?

[entresz]

What a cool amp. The only thing it's missing is reverb. The price looks very reasonable too.

[neatomic]

reverb! reverb would have added another 1/2 lb…who wants to lug a 50 watt head that weighs more than 2lbs around!! haha


cheers

[neatomic]

ok now we're TALKIN'

ok whats the lightest 8"_10"
cab in the world ? (polycarbonate ?)

also wots the lightest decent speaker
(neo)
are any of the neo ones any bloody good yet ?
must be surely , there's nothing inherantly
bad sounding about neo magnets

you could get your rig down to under
10 lbs ...

what used to require 4 pounds of alnico magnet to do in a speaker, can be done with just ounces of neodymium..extremely high gauss…drawbacks are alnico has shown to hold magnetic charge well over the years and in various conditions…neo is still relatively untested as far as vintage and is very sensitive to certain conditions, such as heat etc ?

this company -telonics- is on the leading edge of lightweight cabs using neomag speakers…they are very big with the steel guitar crowd..who are looking for high clean output and easy transport..their pedal steels are problem enough to haul! hah

the above quilter and a 15" cab come in under 10lbs!!

[marcwhy]

Any suggestions of suitable cabinets?

I have a custom 2x8 cab from JDesign Cabs -- very light! This mini-head would be cool!

[entresz]

reverb! reverb would have added another 1/2 lb…who wants to lug a 50 watt head that weighs more than 2lbs around!! haha


cheers

Hahaha! in saying that, there are so many good reverb pedals out there it's not an issue. I just like the convenience and simplicity of having no pedal at all.

[pingu]

thats just the speaker
which looks good , thanks

the cab is birch ply
22 lbs ....

[bmw2002]

For those so inclined, here's a link to the user manual.

http://quilterlabs.s3-us-west-1.amaz...ead_manual.pdf

[Longways to Go]

OK I want one! just the fact that they put in a "jazz" setting with extra power is very promising.
Looks like Quilter is upping their game -- which is already quite good IMO . . .
Gotta love the "who cares what the impedence of the speakers is" approach.

But . . . I would prefer this little head stuffed into a micro combo with reverb too.
I may have to wait a few months just to see if Quilter is planning to expand the 101 line. . .

[Bach5G]

Or you could buy an Aviator. A bit more expensive but more power and they throw in a speaker and a cabinet.

[jads57]

I like that it suppose to have 100 watts in Jazz and Surf modes!

[Jim Soloway]

Or you could buy an Aviator. A bit more expensive but more power and they throw in a speaker and a cabinet.

No matter what amp you consider, however good it may be, there will always be an "or you could buy" option available. No amp is ever going to be all thing to all players. In fact, for most players, no single amp will be all things even just for them. But for some of us (and I do include myself in this) a very small and portable head with a lot of different voices that can be used with a variety of cabs on a mix and match basis is a useful option to have available (especially at this sort of price).

[Woody Sound]

No matter what amp you consider, however good it may be, there will always be an "or you could buy" option available. No amp is ever going to be all thing to all players. In fact, for most players, no single amp will be all things even just for them. But for some of us (and I do include myself in this) a very small and portable head with a lot of different voices that can be used with a variety of cabs on a mix and match basis is a useful option to have available (especially at this sort of price).

Well said. This little amp is very attractive to me, except for one thing. And it always seems to come down to one thing. With this one, it's no channel switching. So it would be a great amp to have, but I couldn't use it for performances where I need that capability.

[Bach5G]

I guess I forgot to include a in my comment.

I get the small head, separate cab idea; I have a Fender jazzmaster ultralight. maybe not quite as portable as the Quilter mini head and one is more or less locked in to the matching bottom. Each to his own.