Quilter Aviator Cub US

[John A.]

I picked up a used Quilter Aviator Cub US from Guitar Center about a month ago. Since then, I've used it a jam session that got reasonably loud and a gig with a bass, sax, guitar trio in a bar/restaurant. I've also played it a bunch at home, using all three of the inputs. I bought it with the intent of using GC's 45 day return window to evaluate it vs. my '78 Princeton Reverb and decide whether to stay with the PR and return the Quilter or keep the Quilter and sell the PR. I've played the two amps side by side a bunch.

The Quilter is a great sounding amp. I especially like the tweed input. I have to say that in the Fender realm, I've come to prefer tweed sounds over BF/SF. Within that lineage, the Princeton is actually the least BF-y and most tweed-ish of the lot, and that is probably the main reason I like the way it sounds so much. Nevertheless, it's too heavy for me to schlep comfortably (at least without a cart), can be a bit boomy sounding (I generally leave the bass all the way down), and its sweetspot (at 3-4 on the volume knob) can be too loud for some settings.

So, under the right conditions, I think it's the best sounding amp I've ever owned, but those conditions can be kind of particular. The Quilter solves all those problems. It's a lot lighter, the tone controls and different input options make it easier to tailor it the environment, the master volume works very well for retaining a tone and degree of OD at different volumes, and the 12" speaker is less boomy than the PR's 10 (as is usually the case with 12's vs 10's). It can also get louder while staying fully clean.

All that said, I will say that the PR does actually sound a tiny bit better than the Quilter's BF setting, and on all settings it has a certain extra bit of harmonic complexity in the high frequencies. But I found that over the last few weeks, the Quilter was the amp I wanted to play because I really like the tweed input and I found it easier to get the sort of rich edge-of-break-up sounds I prefer at reasonable volumes (both home and gig). So the verdict is that the Quilter is a keeper, and I've sold the PR on to a friend.

EDIT: I should mention that some people have commented on the Superblock USA and some of the ToneBlock amps being very bright. I don't find that to be the case with the Aviator Cub. The tone controls give a usable range of sounds. I do roll the trebles off somewhat below flat, but I've generally had to do that with Fender amps, too. Having played the AC along side a ToneMaster Deluxe Reverb a vintage Princeton Reverb, the brightness strikes me as in the same neighborhood as those. I think maybe people are forgetting how bright BF and SF can be. I had a similar reaction to the 101R I tried (which I didn't much like, but not because it was too bright).

[rpjazzguitar]

Congrats. Any time a player finds a more pleasing sound, congratulations are in order.

[sgosnell]

I'm not sure I understand the problem of the amp being too loud, wherever the "sweet" spot is. Almost every guitar has a volume control. I once built an instrument with no volume control, and quickly regretted it, for multiple reasons. For years after that I've been doing what Jimmy Bruno recommended in some video I saw - turn the amp up way louder than I intend to play, and turn the volume control on the guitar down. I do like the tone full up, and my main guitar doesn't even have a tone control. That gives a tone I prefer. With the SBUS in the bedroom, I run it with the volume almost maxed, and the gain at 1 o'clock or so. The guitar's tone control is way down, to whatever volume I want at the time. I've tried having the guitar volume full up and the amp down, and I don't like it as much. I've also played my Vibrolux Reverb in the bedroom, with the volume well up and the guitar volume down, and that sounds better than the guitar wide open and the amp down below 2, which is needed in that situation. But in the end, it's up to personal taste, so if you prefer the guitar full volume, then you do you, and I'll do me.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I'm not sure I understand the problem of the amp being too loud, wherever the "sweet" spot is. Almost every guitar has a volume control. I once built an instrument with no volume control, and quickly regretted it, for multiple reasons. For years after that I've been doing what Jimmy Bruno recommended in some video I saw - turn the amp up way louder than I intend to play, and turn the volume control on the guitar down. I do like the tone full up, and my main guitar doesn't even have a tone control. That gives a tone I prefer. With the SBUS in the bedroom, I run it with the volume almost maxed, and the gain at 1 o'clock or so. The guitar's tone control is way down, to whatever volume I want at the time. I've tried having the guitar volume full up and the amp down, and I don't like it as much. I've also played my Vibrolux Reverb in the bedroom, with the volume well up and the guitar volume down, and that sounds better than the guitar wide open and the amp down below 2, which is needed in that situation. But in the end, it's up to personal taste, so if you prefer the guitar full volume, then you do you, and I'll do me.

Depending on how the guitar is wired, the volume pot setting can have a dramatic affect on frequency response. There are several different ways to wire up a pickup, its pots and its capacitor(s). Each method creates a different kind of RC filter that has its own effect on the frequency response of the output compared to the pickup's raw signal. And each has a different frequency response to changing the volume setting on the guitar. The pot's resistance is also part of the pickup's circuitry and its setting affects the resonant peak(s) of the pickup. SImilarly, there are many ways and locations to insert gain and tone controls into an amplifier's circuitry, and they too respond differently. Some tone controls interact, others do not. Some control the volume of a specific band of frequencies. Others change the overall frequency response within their named region (high, mid, low, etc). And some amps have a lot of interaction among the volume and tone pots while others do not.

Many guitars and amplifiers have specific frequency responses at certain settings of volume and EQ that are preferred by a given player and are considered by him or her to be "sweet spots". Interaction with the speaker and cabinet can also affect this, so finding that exact combination of settings can be a tedious search. It's often at a specific output level, and with some guitar/amp combinations it's easily lost just by changing the guitar's volume setting from the "right" one. It's real - but it's not really a useful concept for most of us.

Reducing the guitar's volume pot shunts more signal to ground, and that shunt runs through the pot's resistance. Most builders use a 250k pot for single coils and a 500k pot for HBs because the lower resistance of a 250 allows more highs to be bled to ground, taming the brightness of SCs. The higher resistance pot used for HBs does not bleed as much high frequency signal to ground, so it preseves more of the highs to help HBs sound less dark. So switching from SC to HB can ruin the sweet spot even at the same SPL from the speaker.

As a practical measure when performing, I and many others set our amps to the loudest we need for the gig with the guitar's volume pot all the way up. Trying to modulate your volume with precision in the middle of the pot's range during a show is very difficult. Even trying to read the markings on the knob against a pointer, it's very hard to get the exact setting you want. It's easy to go too loud if you follow the recommendation to turn the amp up "way louder than [you] intend to play". You will not endear yourself to your band, whatever artist you're supporting, or the audience that way.

If you have a sweet spot for volume with your guitar / amp combination, it's not going to be useful unless you're the star of the show and/or there's a sound guy to provide and set reinforcement for you to let you stay at your preferred volume no matter what. If you're playing without sound reinforcement or you're just a sideman, it's almost impossible to set your amp the exact same way regardless of venue. I don't personally get that picky anyway.

[John A.]

I'm not sure I understand the problem of the amp being too loud, wherever the "sweet" spot is. Almost every guitar has a volume control. I once built an instrument with no volume control, and quickly regretted it, for multiple reasons. For years after that I've been doing what Jimmy Bruno recommended in some video I saw - turn the amp up way louder than I intend to play, and turn the volume control on the guitar down. I do like the tone full up, and my main guitar doesn't even have a tone control. That gives a tone I prefer. With the SBUS in the bedroom, I run it with the volume almost maxed, and the gain at 1 o'clock or so. The guitar's tone control is way down, to whatever volume I want at the time. I've tried having the guitar volume full up and the amp down, and I don't like it as much. I've also played my Vibrolux Reverb in the bedroom, with the volume well up and the guitar volume down, and that sounds better than the guitar wide open and the amp down below 2, which is needed in that situation. But in the end, it's up to personal taste, so if you prefer the guitar full volume, then you do you, and I'll do me.

With my (former) PR:
Guitar full up, amp on 2: sounds great, completely clean; loud enough for drummer-less group (or maybe brushes)
Guitar full up, amp on 3-4: sounds even better (my ideal tone); more sustain and warmth; tiny bit of break up if I dig in; loud enough loud enough for reasonably loud group (maybe even too loud with the guitar full up)
Guitar full up, amp on 5: pretty crunchy; workable for Sco-type sounds (or maybe even Grant Green style), but probably not for clean chords
Guitar full up, amp on 6 or above: I didn't know the Allman Brothers played this tune.

Yes, you can turn the guitar volume down to keep it from hitting the first gain stage as hard (or use input 2), which will make 2 too quiet and shift the point of getting too distorted up maybe one number on the volume control. So yes, there is a sweet spot (or a sweet range) for the particular kind of sound I prefer on the PR. The Aviator Cub has more power, and more ability to dial in that kind of tone at different volumes because the more active tone controls, MV, and limiter.

[sgosnell]

There are multiple ways to wire a guitar, and some are better than others. The ones which change the tone a lot by reducing the volume are inferior IMO, and I rewire those if I happen to get one, but I currently have none. My guitars change tone very little with volume reduction, but I know not all do. I just can't live with those. If the tone changes a lot with volume, and you have to keep the guitar volume full up, or near, you're not getting the best possible use of your gear. But as I said, it's an individual preference, and everyone is free to adjust any of the controls to whatever position they prefer.