What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo?

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What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - Jay M - 6-:22 -0-09-20

If any one can shed some light please on my new amp.
I went to get speakers today and finding that for $250 you don't get
much I decided to sell my Fender amp combo and go all in, go hog wild
and get my first real kick ass amp.

Keith Adams would be proud, or perhaps he would not..
He always bashed me for owning cheaper amps.

http://12string.hostei.com/tophat/tophat.html
Can any one tell me what tubes those are?

Please chime in and let me know because all I know is the amp is
PERFECT shape.
Looks brand new.

I have not had much chance to get it dialed up and setup yet..

Re: What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - Nil - 6-:22 -0-09-20

On 22 Jun 2009, Jay M <jaymark1921@gmail.com> wrote in alt.guitar:

> http://12string.hostei.com/tophat/tophat.html
> Can any one tell me what tubes those are?
>
> Please chime in and let me know because all I know is the amp is
> PERFECT shape.
> Looks brand new.
>
> I have not had much chance to get it dialed up and setup yet..

According to the specs at the Top Hat web site,

<http://www.tophatamps.com/club.htm>;

They should be EL-84s.

Congratulations. I've heard that those are VERY nice sounding amps.
They are certainly handsome, and the construction looks top notch. Good
price, too.

Re: What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - Jim - 6-:23 -0-09-20

Jay M wrote:
> If any one can shed some light please on my new amp.
> I went to get speakers today and finding that for $250 you don't get
> much I decided to sell my Fender amp combo and go all in, go hog wild
> and get my first real kick ass amp.
>
> Keith Adams would be proud, or perhaps he would not..
> He always bashed me for owning cheaper amps.
>
> http://12string.hostei.com/tophat/tophat.html
> Can any one tell me what tubes those are?
>
> Please chime in and let me know because all I know is the amp is
> PERFECT shape.
> Looks brand new.
>
> I have not had much chance to get it dialed up and setup yet..

20W. Rectifier, two EL84 (aka 6BQ5), three 12AX7.

A 1x12 just went for under $900 w/ shipping on eBay, but you paid a fair
price (especially if the road case came with it).

Two 16 ohm speakers wired parallel gives you 8 ohms. Use 8 ohm jack.

British Greenback reissue (NOT Chinese). Look for a two digit number
followed by two letters to properly date the speaker.

Clean design, point to point terminal strip construction by human hands.

Sometimes less is more.

Re: What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - Sac Dave - 6-:23 -0-09-20

"Jay M" <jaymark1921@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:d363f183-0942-4428-94c1-f99b060c8491@m19g2000yqk.googlegroups.com...
> If any one can shed some light please on my new amp.
> I went to get speakers today and finding that for $250 you don't get
> much I decided to sell my Fender amp combo and go all in, go hog wild
> and get my first real kick ass amp.
>
> Keith Adams would be proud, or perhaps he would not..
> He always bashed me for owning cheaper amps.
>
> http://12string.hostei.com/tophat/tophat.html
> Can any one tell me what tubes those are?
>
> Please chime in and let me know because all I know is the amp is
> PERFECT shape.
> Looks brand new.
>
> I have not had much chance to get it dialed up and setup yet..

NICE AMP a steal at $1100 .

Re: What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - Don Evans - 6-:23 -0-09-20

"Squier" <squier@strats.net> wrote in message
news:230620090212595790%squier@strats.net...
>> Jay M <jaymark1921@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> If any one can shed some light please on my new amp.
>> I went to get speakers today and finding that for $250 you don't get
>> much I decided to sell my Fender amp combo and go all in, go hog wild
>> and get my first real kick ass amp.
>>
>> Keith Adams would be proud, or perhaps he would not..
>> He always bashed me for owning cheaper amps.
>>
>> http://12string.hostei.com/tophat/tophat.html
>> Can any one tell me what tubes those are?
>>
>> Please chime in and let me know because all I know is the amp is
>> PERFECT shape.
>> Looks brand new.
>>
>> I have not had much chance to get it dialed up and setup yet..
>
> that's a really nice amp. A seriously nice amp.
> You're all set to go.
> But --- here's the thing -- if you can't get some
> seriously good tones from that amp -- you are now officially
> way beyond blaming the amp for any shortcomings.
>
> Here's another thing (which is obvious but sometimes
> the obvious doesn't work into actual application).
> It is not a Fender amp. Let that amp tell you how
> it wants to sound its best. And good tones will roll out.
> If you fight with it and want it to sound like something
> else - it's on you. Not the amp.

Think Vox AC15 or AC30 tones as a starting point. Agreed ... very nice amp
.... good score, IMO!!!

>
> Wow. did I say that's a really nice amp ?
>
> I don't have personal experience with the amp (I do have
> with the Portly Cadet but that's a completely different type of amp)
> Anyways - Top Hats are almost always spoken well of
> and considered great amps. The one you have is the
> antithesis of a blackface Fender. Welcome to EL84 world
> where the land of the greenback makes for nice creamy speaker breakup
> and singing EL84 sustain. You might not like the sound of
> that amp really cranked up at home (it's not like a Fender sound)
> - but that Greenback breakup and upper mid accentuation actually
> sits really nice in an actual live volume band mix. (imho)
> Some people say the 25 greenbacks really belong in a closed
> back cab but again YMMV. If you play that amp cranked up
> and feel the 25 watter breaks up a little too much or loses
> a little too much bottom end - just replace with G12H30 Anniversary (75hz
> cone)
> and stand back. That might be a better all around speaker for that amp
> for
> a mix of rhythm and lead playing and will stay tighter higher up
> the volume/wattage ladder before it too will give a thicker shade of
> breakup.
> 25 Greenback in open back = crunchy malted cream soda with a little fizz
> 30 watt G12H30 75hz in open back = chewy thick milkshake with
> crunchy nut topping appearing near the 18 watts dimed out.
>
> ps. the only complaint people have with Top Hats is that
> the preamp section is really particular about what pedals
> you put in front of it. With an amp like that you might
> not need any pedals or perhaps only a few. So YMMV.

Re: What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - Squier - 6-:23 -0-09-20

> Jay M <jaymark1921@gmail.com> wrote:

> If any one can shed some light please on my new amp.
> I went to get speakers today and finding that for $250 you don't get
> much I decided to sell my Fender amp combo and go all in, go hog wild
> and get my first real kick ass amp.
>
> Keith Adams would be proud, or perhaps he would not..
> He always bashed me for owning cheaper amps.
>
> http://12string.hostei.com/tophat/tophat.html
> Can any one tell me what tubes those are?
>
> Please chime in and let me know because all I know is the amp is
> PERFECT shape.
> Looks brand new.
>
> I have not had much chance to get it dialed up and setup yet..

that's a really nice amp. A seriously nice amp.
You're all set to go.
But --- here's the thing -- if you can't get some
seriously good tones from that amp -- you are now officially
way beyond blaming the amp for any shortcomings.

Here's another thing (which is obvious but sometimes
the obvious doesn't work into actual application).
It is not a Fender amp. Let that amp tell you how
it wants to sound its best. And good tones will roll out.
If you fight with it and want it to sound like something
else - it's on you. Not the amp.

Wow. did I say that's a really nice amp ?

I don't have personal experience with the amp (I do have
with the Portly Cadet but that's a completely different type of amp)
Anyways - Top Hats are almost always spoken well of
and considered great amps. The one you have is the
antithesis of a blackface Fender. Welcome to EL84 world
where the land of the greenback makes for nice creamy speaker breakup
and singing EL84 sustain. You might not like the sound of
that amp really cranked up at home (it's not like a Fender sound)
- but that Greenback breakup and upper mid accentuation actually
sits really nice in an actual live volume band mix. (imho)
Some people say the 25 greenbacks really belong in a closed
back cab but again YMMV. If you play that amp cranked up
and feel the 25 watter breaks up a little too much or loses
a little too much bottom end - just replace with G12H30 Anniversary (75hz cone)
and stand back. That might be a better all around speaker for that amp for
a mix of rhythm and lead playing and will stay tighter higher up
the volume/wattage ladder before it too will give a thicker shade of breakup.
25 Greenback in open back = crunchy malted cream soda with a little fizz
30 watt G12H30 75hz in open back = chewy thick milkshake with
crunchy nut topping appearing near the 18 watts dimed out.

ps. the only complaint people have with Top Hats is that
the preamp section is really particular about what pedals
you put in front of it. With an amp like that you might
not need any pedals or perhaps only a few. So YMMV.

Re: What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - Tony Done - 6-:23 -0-09-20

Re: What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - WB - 6-:23 -0-09-20

Jay M wrote:
> If any one can shed some light please on my new amp.
>
>
A 18w mini Marshall. Should be able to dial in some sweet overdrive.

Re: What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - Jay M - 6-:23 -0-09-20

Wow, great words, Im so happy I got a great amp finely at last.

For effects Im going to start with my 1979 TS-808 and its matching
1979 Ibanez EQ.
After that I have a Maxion PUE5 tube multieffects with bypass loop
and also its own bypass.
The maxon has its own tube gain, think tube king that is driven by a
TS-10. Then chorus and delay.

On the bypass I put a rather neat digital unit.

I found an art pro MPA tube pre amp that is pro quality so Ill make
some tone check MP3 but will take some time due to the dropping down
of the $1100.

> ps. =A0the only complaint people have with Top Hats is that
> the preamp section is really particular about what pedals
> you put in front of it. =A0With an amp like that you might
> not need any pedals or perhaps only a few. So YMMV.

Re: What is this amp TopHat Club Royale 2x12 Combo? - Derek - 6-:23 -0-09-20

Top Hat makes a wonderful amp.

Not my cup o' tea, but they are very nice amps.

Congrats, and enjoy.

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