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I have a 101 mini reverb that’s great but I would like to have more control of the brightness at times (into an Eminence cannabis Rex 12 speaker/dv mark 112 cab ).
While researching this online I’ve read some posts stating that upgrading to a 202 tone block with the added full q voicing and active eq for treble /bass really made a difference in controlling brightness while one post stated there wasn’t really a huge difference enough between the voices to justify an upgrade.
I haven’t heard these differences regarding the super block US and the 101 reverb and know that superblock has active eq as well as the added tweed voicing which is less bright.
Can anyone who has experienced both these amps confirm there is a significant difference and improvement in the tone especially for warmer clean tones if I were to purchase the superblock ? Or will it be similar to the 101 mini reverb?
Incidentally, I’ve watch the one YouTube video comparing these two (the one playing Misty ) but wasn’t able to tell from that video .
Thanks !
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04-16-2022 03:16 PM
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I think forum member Jim Soloway has experience with 101 & SuperBlock. Hopefully he can chime in. I know that he sold the 101 a few years ago and bought the SB recently. He seems to like the SB very much.
I had an Aviator 8, which is about the same vintage as the 101. I needed an EQ pedal to get happy. I replace the Aviator with ToneBlock 202 when it came out a couple years ago. I am much happier now, and no longer need the pedal. This points to the more powerful EQ on the newer Quilters.
I A/B'd the Aviator and the 202 through a C.Rex. Major difference between amps, and noticeable diff between different voices of the 202.
I think the "misty guy" on youtube has eq'd the 2 amps to try to approach a similar sound: the one that he likes. Without seeing where the knobs are at on the SuperB it's hard to compare what it is capable of.
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Did I really sell a 101? A ridiculous amount of stuff has come and gone and I honestly don't remember that one at all. I do like the Superblock US though.
Originally Posted by ccroft
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Thank you! I appreciate your response. Yes I also had an Aviator 8 at one point, changed the speaker, liked it but didn’t quite bond fully with the clean sound then liked the limiter, size and flexibility of the 101 mini reverb format with different sized speakers (as well as having my deluxe) so I sold it. Originally Posted by ccroft
Funny enough, I was told during an email from Pat Quilter that the Aviator 8 had active EQ and was the “full q” voicing in that amp w more mids vs the different “ vintage “ voicing of the 101r but I didn’t like it as much probably because of the limiter and speaker /cab size. I am not sure if the “full q” voicing on the 202 is different nowadays from what it used to be back then on the aviator 8 and if it has been revoiced or modified for the newer models.
I thought upgrading to the 202 from the 101r as well but the price is making me hesitate especially if it is pretty similar to the 101 reverb (which seems like it to be up for debate).
A deluxe is about as loud as I need to be so I think the superblock volume would work fine for me. I do like the power cable of the larger blocks vs the laptop style cords however.
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I think you did Jim : link to post in 2015. I think I remember other posts from you about it here and there. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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Well like I said in my post, I had both at one point and I can say that they are very different. I don't remember my Aviator having a FullQ option though. Maybe there were a couple of iterations of that amp? Originally Posted by Geetar
There's a few posts here like this one for EG:
Originally Posted by jazzkritter
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I have no experience in US Block but I had the the 101R but suffered it’s trebliness.
So I sold the 101R when the TB202 came and now I have two TB202s!
Very different amp than 101R. I play my jazz and rock with them.
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Not more of the same. Less power in fact (but enough for a sensitive 10"-12" speaker), far more voicing options and very pleasant mild overdrive. The earlier Quilters reflect their designer's affection to Western swing, country, surf, steel and generally Fender-y tones. I agree with Herbie about 101R's over-trebliness.
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That's really embarrassing. I don't remember that at all. There has been so much chaos and so much gear since then that it's really hard to even keep track of where I was over those years, never mind what gear I owned. Originally Posted by ccroft
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I guess it was a pretty forgettable amp :-) Water under the bridge. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
The only reason I remembered it was due to me reading everything I could find about Quilter in jazz around 5 years ago when I first got interested, and then again when 202 came out. At that time the general consensus was the 101 is a bright amp, just as it is now. I read that from a lot of folks here.
There's been quite a procession of amps from Quilter since then. The first 101 no reverb with the 'unique' tone controls, the 101r with 'normal' tone controls. Then 200 series and now SuperBlock in 2 versions after a variety of pedal type amps. And that's not even touching on the combo amps that've come and gone.
I think they've been listening to feedback and perfecting. Might be a case where newer is better. Due to your postings I keep thinking about trying a SuperB....
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Keep in mind that when I got the 101 (according to my post) we were living Burnaby (in Vancouver). Then we moved to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, then 6 months traveling in Mexico ... then back to Vancouver Island for a few months (where we lived in two apartments) ... then back to Mexico for two years in Guadalajara (where we lived in three apartments) ... back to Canada for almost two years (where we again lived in two apartments and a house) and all the while getting older and older and continuing to churn gear. (BTW, my latest amp purchase lasted less than 24 hours. I brought it home at 5pm yesterday, sold it this morning and and just finished packing it to ship out tomorrow). But I do like my SuperBlock and after trying a couple of alternatives lately, I think it stays at least for now. Originally Posted by ccroft
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That’s encouraging! Certainly makes the 202 TB an enticing option as well. The Aviator 8 had 2 channels but only had 1 voicing which was the Full Q. Originally Posted by ccroft
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Thanks ! Your posts and Jim’s rave reviews were the original ones that made me curious to try it out. Especially since you noticed an improvement over older generations that were already good. Originally Posted by Gitterbug
Thanks to all your responses you all have convinced me to try it! I ordered it on Sweetwater and will see how it compares.
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I know you've been busy Jim, but I didn't realize just how much or for how long.
Just in case you forgot me in all that dancin' around: I'm the guy that drove up to Nanaimo and met you on the street to buy the Swopper when you were lightening up for the move south. Since Covid started me working from home I'm on that thing like 6 to 10 hours a day. Still goin' strong. Thanks again.
24 hour amp turn-around. Nice!
charles
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Glad to know that thing is still serving you well. It did wonders for me for a long time. And it's actually been even longer that we've been on this journey. It really started when we sold our home in Portland Oregon in 2013 and moved back to Canada. I like to believe that we've finally settled in for good now in Dartmouth. We're certainly living like this time it's for real but I've said that way too many times in the last 10 years to assume anything now. Originally Posted by ccroft
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Any other thoughts on this amp in relation to the 101R? Does it have the same brightness problem as the 101R or is it more tweakable? I've just researched this one and I really love the form factor and the fact that the "standby" switch cuts the speaker out but leaves headphones on.
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As noted above, I really don't remember the 101 Reverb but I have owned (and sold) the SB US twice. It's a nice amp. The tones are good and it is tweakable but it is very bright and both times I sold it because I ultimately found the brightness too hard to tame in some circumstances. I now have a Princeton Reverb Tone Master and I find it a lot more manageable. Originally Posted by chris32895
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The SBUS is bright, without a doubt, but turning the treble control way down works. I owned the 101 for awhile, and I was unable to tweak it to get a sound I liked. The Q system just doesn't work for me, and the 101R is no better. They seem to be aimed at rock players, not jazz. The SBUS has standard tone controls, which are effective. The reverb is usable, if kept at a very low level. I do think that my taste in reverb is a lower level than most, though. The limiter works fairly well for helping to tame brightness in the initial attack, and seems better suited for semi or solid bodies, IME. Originally Posted by chris32895
TL;DR: The 101 is a terrible sounding amp, but the SBUS sounds very good. At least to me.
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Not an exact answer to the OP, but here goes ...
I have an Aviator Cub US, which is the same pre-amp as the SBUSA and more a powerful power section (Pat Quilter says it's the same power section as the 101R, incidentally). I've also tried the 101R through a Block Dock 10. I think the ACUS sounds better, full stop, than the 101R. My understanding is that the 101R was intended to sound like a BF Fender, but I don't think they nailed it. I could not get a sound l liked out of it. The SBUSA and ACUS 65 (BF) setting gets a lot closer to the real thing. I still don't think it's exactly the same (the real thing has a little extra something going on in the very top of the top end, as does the Tonemaster DR), but it's very close. Close enough that I'm selling my '78 Princeton Reverb.
As to the "overly bright" thing, I honestly don't hear either as overly bright. I hear them as being bright in the same way a BF Fender is bright, and requiring the same sort of adjustment and adaptation. In other words, turn the treble down and turn the mids up, the same way you have to on a BF/SF Fender at low volume to get some warmth. But if you do that, to my tastes anyway, the 101R sounds meh and dull without any of the Fender magic in the highs, while the ACUS sounds good with more in the way of harmonic, tubey, tastiness. The other thing is that the ACUS has the tweed and blond settings. To my tastes the Tweed input sounds great. So far, I'm not finding the blond all that useful.
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Hello,
How is headphone output on SBUS?
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It's the best I've heard on an amp.
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I ordered a Superblock US and got it yesterday and while waiting for my Toob 6.5GP go come in I just went ahead and tried this thing via headphone out. This headphone out is definitely the best I've heard and is really great for clean playing. It's the quietest I've ever heard, I can hardly pick up any hiss or hum (playing with humbucker, btw) playing through my Ibanez PM35. I find I have some preferences for the cab sims and voices but really I just pick the one with the least noise, which is most of them. The only minor gripe I have is I wish the headphone out were louder but I'm not sure if that would introduce more noise, in which case it is fine as is. Originally Posted by torta
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