Raezer's Edge Sol Amplifier

[Wildcat]

I have a 1965 model for sale right now. $1700 For JGF members.
The amp came with a Utah 1973 orange label speaker. I put a Weber 12F150 in it. Basically No playing time for both. Bought as a follow up my 1966 Fender Princeton nonreveb.
Right now I bought a 1966 Utah speaker, reconned, to install in it. Period correct, but not orginal.

Remember the Fender Deluxe Amp from 1963-4 (no reverb, no logo) .. one of the sweetest amps ever ...

[339 in june]

The ab763 comment was mine. He's not advertising this as an AB763 amp as far as I know. It's based on the fender AB763 preamp design but he isn't claiming this is a fender clone.

Why do these threads always have to be so contentious?!?

Taken from Raezer's Edge site (link in my previous post) :

"The Raezers Edge Sol 18/40 is a tube amp really like no other. This is a 1×12, 18 or 40 watt tube amp. The stand-by switch in the bottom position designates 18W and in the upper position designates 40 watts.

Loosely based on the AB763 circuit.

Featuring a 3 band EQ (Lows, Mids, Highs) near exactly to the Fender tone controls players have come to love since the 50’s. Hand wired in Wisconsin with high quality parts parts and a proprietary power transformer. Comes loaded with a Jensen Jet Tornado 12 or Eminence EM12 speaker."

But loosely can mean a lot ..

Anyway, thanks for drawing our attention on this amp whose specs look attracting (at least to me)

I can't figure how he can achieve such a low price with such features !

[jzucker]

Geoff needs a much better grade chassis and faceplate to house that beautiful PTP wiring. That soda can metal does not inspire confidence.

I shared your comments with Geoff and he assured me that no soda cans were harmed in any way in the manufacturing of his chassis'!

He said they are using 18 guage rolled steel and they make the chassis' and faceplates in house and of course they stand behind the durability of their products!

[jzucker]

Right but Geoff made no claim that this was an "old one". According to your quote, loosely based on AB763 is about right. It's just a description to give folks an approximate idea of what to expect from the amp. Having owned over a dozen blackface fender amps over the years, i would say (even though Geoff never made this claim) that the amp is right in the ballpark with other blackface amps I have played through. And while fender never made an AB763 amp with a SS rectifier, they did make the AB165 bassman circuit which is very close to AB763 and probably close to what Geoff is doing. Not responding to you 339, but in general why do folks feel the need to be snarky? Geoff's a great guy trying to provide a service aimed at jazz guitarists who constitute of teeny, teeny niche. Let's encourage, not discourage!

Taken from Raezer's Edge site (link in my previous post) :

"The Raezers Edge Sol 18/40 is a tube amp really like no other. This is a 1×12, 18 or 40 watt tube amp. The stand-by switch in the bottom position designates 18W and in the upper position designates 40 watts.

Loosely based on the AB763 circuit.

Featuring a 3 band EQ (Lows, Mids, Highs) near exactly to the Fender tone controls players have come to love since the 50’s. Hand wired in Wisconsin with high quality parts parts and a proprietary power transformer. Comes loaded with a Jensen Jet Tornado 12 or Eminence EM12 speaker."

But loosely can mean a lot ..

Anyway, thanks for drawing our attention on this amp whose specs look attracting (at least to me)

I can't figure how he can achieve such a low price with such features !

[leroydobbs]

[QUOTE=Sam Sherry;975074]IMR there has never been a Fender circuit combining solid-state rectification with a two-tube combined preamp and phase inverter.

If you look at only the “normal” channel, meaning no reverb and vibrato, there are several from the blackface years, including AB763 TR, that are diode rectified and use one twin triode each for the preamp and PI stages. FWIW.

Agree with everything else you said.

All the best!

Lee

[vinnyv1k]

Sweet amp ! I love simple.

[Cunamara]

I also find that in comparing it to my fargen blackbird and vintage sound 40 , that there is a purity of sound to the simple design that is missing from the other amps with the extra gain stages.

Interesting point. I think that might contribute why I prefer my 5E3- another simple circuit- to "modern" amps like my Egnater. The Rebel 30 is a fine amp, sounds good/lots of tones to tweak/built like a tank but somehow the 5E3 has an immediacy and presence, an openness to the sound.

[Woody Sound]

Nifty cover material too.

[jzucker]

using it on a gig tomorrow night. I'll post some clips.

[Greentone]

I have played both the blackface Deluxe and the Deluxe Reverb amps. (Princeton and Princeton Reverb amps, too.) I love them all. FWIW, though, the simpler amps--i.e., the Deluxe and Princeton blackface amps are just a bit better sounding and have a bit more headroom, in my experiences.

Of course, Fender reverb circuits are absolutely gorgeous sounding. Ultimately, which way you want to go depends upon how wedded you are to reverb.

I gig a lot without reverb, and I find that the venue provides all of the reflected sound that I need. For me (YMMV), the simpler circuits are attractive. This RE amp looks like a winner.

[Mike Moss]

I have played through one. Great for jazz. Clean, clean, clean. Light weight doesn’t hurt at all.

[marcwhy]

using it on a gig tomorrow night. I'll post some clips.

Hey Jack,
How did it work out on the gig?

[jzucker]

Hey Jack,
How did it work out on the gig?

worked great but I was using it in stereo with a luna. It doesn't have enough headroom on it's own for my louder gigs (and neither does a fender bassman or vibrolux reverb).

you can hear demos of it at Jack Zucker
- YouTube

[lawson-stone]

Right but Geoff made no claim that this was an "old one". According to your quote, loosely based on AB763 is about right. It's just a description to give folks an approximate idea of what to expect from the amp. Having owned over a dozen blackface fender amps over the years, i would say (even though Geoff never made this claim) that the amp is right in the ballpark with other blackface amps I have played through. And while fender never made an AB763 amp with a SS rectifier, they did make the AB165 bassman circuit which is very close to AB763 and probably close to what Geoff is doing. Not responding to you 339, but in general why do folks feel the need to be snarky? Geoff's a great guy trying to provide a service aimed at jazz guitarists who constitute of teeny, teeny niche. Let's encourage, not discourage!

Well said there at the end, Jack. I think some people who have invested a lot of study and analysis into things like amplifier circuits and feel seriously involved with every detail have a hard time with the language of approximation. I know being a specialist in the Bible and ancient history and archaeology, there are people who just won't watch a movie with me if it's one inspired by the Bible or some ancient narrative. I sit there and nit pick, say "Nah it didn't look like that" etc. I"m a total PITA with those kinds of movies. But... I'm in recovery! I have actually sat through a few recently and just enjoyed the story and left my scholarly analytical nature at home. People who feel really invested in the exact details of these great amp circuits have a hard time with ball-park language.

These guys who are trying to build these amps and serve such a small market have really stuck their necks out. They are assuming tremendous risk and though I probably will never own one of these amps, I appreciate that they are out there. They set a standard, establish a bench mark, and raise the level of every one else's amplifier game.

Sorry for the rambling... its late in the day and I just got me "You're Eligible for Medicare Enrollment!" letter.

[KirkP]

.. And while fender never made an AB763 amp with a SS rectifier, they did make the AB165 bassman circuit which is very close to AB763 and probably close to what Geoff is doing. ...

Just a nitpick, but the mid-60’s non-reverb Fender Bandmaster, Showman and Concert all had SS rectifiers and were AB763 circuits.

Based the photo of the guts, I suspect it’s much like my Bandmaster, except deleting the “Vibrato” channel (saving a bunch of weight) and adding the Fender mid control. The normal channel of the Bandmaster only has two triodes ahead of the PI instead of the three used for Fender reverb amps. But deletion of the photo-resistor makes up for most of the gain lost by omitting that 3rd stage of amplification. I wonder what transformers are used. The PT looks about the size of the Bandmaster.

[marcwhy]

Jack, have you tried 6L6's and 5881's on this yet (since it takes either)? I know you're wanting more headroom, so I'm guessing you're sticking with the 6L6s ..

[jzucker]

Jack, have you tried 6L6's and 5881's on this yet (since it takes either)? I know you're wanting more headroom, so I'm guessing you're sticking with the 6L6s ..

I have not tried any other tubes. I'd like to though but I'm not sure how you bias it? I don't have a manual.

[jads57]

I would think if you could fit KT66 tubes and bias it correctly, you might get more Clean Headroom.
I'm just done with tubes for the most part. I would think your Quilter 202 would have solved your quest Jack Z. Maybe try a Xotic EP or Sweet Boost in front your Quilter.

[jzucker]

I would think if you could fit KT66 tubes and bias it correctly, you might get more Clean Headroom.
I'm just done with tubes for the most part. I would think your Quilter 202 would have solved your quest Jack Z. Maybe try a Xotic EP or Sweet Boost in front your Quilter.

KT66 tubes draw too much current. The quilter 202 is a great amp but nothing sounds like a tube amp.

[cmajor9]

@JackZucker - I realize this thread is a bit old, but I'm curious whether you're still using the RE Sol, and if you feel as positive about its sound as in your first post?

Are others using the Sol amp, and are you satisfied with it?