| Amplifier Models *coming soon! Information Ordering Your Revelation Amp Contact Revelation |
FAQQuestions you should be askingQ: Why do you not supply power ratings for Revelation amplifiers? A: I don't supply power ratings for Revelation amps because they are somewhat meaningless for a guitar amp. There is no real standardization in the guitar amp industry on how exactly power ratings are measured. Regular audio amplifier rating methods don't make sense because they rate only "clean power" and don't anticipate intentionally running an amplifier all the time with audible distortion. Q: So if you won't tell me the power rating, then how can I compare it to other amps? Is it going to be loud enough? How loud is a given guitar amp anyway? A: "How loud" an amplifier will get is a function of a lot of factors that are really not related to the power rating. The main factor is how clean you want to play the amplifier. So for example, the 72 amplifier's overdrive channel will get much louder than the normal channel in the very same amp. The reason is because it simply drives the power stage a lot harder. How loud an amp will actually get with something like a "clean" tone is very different from how loud it will get if it's overdriven. You can see how this is a complicated topic. Nevertheless here are some general guidelines:
Q: Most of the sound clips of your amps have them in a band-mix setting, while many other amp makers post clips of their amps played by themselves. Why do you put sound clips with the amp in the mix? A: Very simply, it's very easy to make an amp sound very good all by itself. I hear this all the time from players who say they went down to Guitar Center and played this amp and it knocked them out in the showroom, but they take it on a gig or into the studio and it just didn't work in the mix for some reason. Most of the time an electric guitar amp is going to be used in the mix with other instruments. It's much more challenging to build an amp that sounds good and feels right playing with a band and in a mix. So I feel like posting clips of the amp in a mix is a much more telling "real world" scenario for the amp. The other thing is, as a recording engineer and producer, I can tell you with authority that 90% of the time, if it sounds great solo, it will NOT work in a mix. So really I think listening to guitar amp samples without the context of a mix really is misleading. It is a lot more work to make clips with a mix. It would be much easier to just post noodling clips of just the amps with no context. I might even sell a lot more amps if I did that but I prefer to present the amps in the toughest, most important setting, which is inside the mix. Q: Speaking of your clips ... they really sound great. What kinds of studio tricks are you doing to make those recordings? I mean, you have some killer pro players on those tracks, and all kinds of high-end gear and a great room and all that, right? A: I am playing all of the instruments on my clips. Some of them are recorded in a pro studio but mostly not in the "big room" or the "good room", but in the booth (The Olive Tree Studio in Round Rock TX). I intentionally avoid using any kind of high-end stuff. I try and stick to the kind of gear most of us will have access to when we record or play live. SM57s and the like on the guitar cabinets, basic mic pres (nothing too exotic), and no high-end effects or compression. This is home-studio class of gear. Some of the clips are recorded at my house often with the amp out in the room or in the closet, with an SM57, SM58, or some other cheap mic that happens to be sitting around, using my little Roland Micro BR digital 4-track. It can be very challenging to get a crummy instrument to sound good on a recording, but great instruments are super easy to record and get to sound good. My favorite amp to record with is a Serena. By the way, when I go play studio gigs, I bring a Serena. Q: I heard your amps are kind of "British voiced". Is that true? What is the difference? A: It all depends on what you mean by "British voiced". I think when most people hear my amps and think they are "British" sounding, they are really identifying the lack of the pronounced "midrange scoop" of black-face era amplifiers, coupled with the use of British-styled speakers. Q: Will you build me a clone of a <insert someone else's amp design here>? A: No, but I can refer you to a number of other amp builders who specialize in building amps based upon or identical to certain vintage amps. Q: Aren't your amps really just clones of other vintage amps? A: No, they are not. However, there's nothing wrong with reproductions of old vintage amps. See the previous question. Q: What speakers do you put in your amps, and why? A: I use Eminence speakers for the most part, and for a variety of performance reasons. Normally there is more than one speaker choice for each amp and I identify which one I am going to use for a particular amp based on how the player is going to use the amp, their tone preferences, and what speaker works best with the amp. Q: Will you put a <insert make/model of speaker> speaker in the amp for me? A: Our amps are voiced with a particular speaker choice or range of speakers in mind, so the answer is "not likely". However, maybe your favored speaker is on our list of recommended speakers. It can't hurt to ask, but don't be surprised if we say "no". Q: I want one of your amps but with some very specific mod (effects loop, reverb, TMB tone stack, master volume, relay channel switching, etc.). Will you build it like that for me? A: Very unlikely. The reason is because my amps are carefully balanced and what may appear to be a simple mod really likely has major tone consequences. I don't want to painstakingly try and work out your one-off mod only to find later that the amp doesn't sound right and I'm reading a bad review for it on Harmony-Central. You can present your idea to me and we can talk about it, but the odds are, it's not going to happen. You should note, however, that every amp is built custom for the individual so there is always some flexibility in the design. There may also be some well-known or advertised mods that are applicable to the amp in question. Q: I heard you have other models of amps you can build besides those on the web site. What are they, and can I order one of those? A: I have a few ideas on the drawing board that maybe I haven't fully settled on yet, or maybe I think they are too special-pupose to build in any kind of quantity. This is kind of "black box" stuff I guess. If you are interested in something special, then feel free to ask. However, these "black box" amps don't come with the normal terms. They have to be paid in full up front and all sales are final. The warranty is kind of like this: "if it blows up, I'll see what I can do to make it work again". If you're adventurous, maybe this is right up your alley. Q: I heard you build custom effects pedals too, and also modify effects. Is this true? How do I order one? Can I send you my TS9/DS-1/SD-1/TR-2/wah/etc. for some mods? A: I have been known to tinker with effects for friends and relatives from time to time, and even make some full-blown pedals with painted cases and the whole bit. However at this time, none of these are available for general sale. I may, in the future, begin offering select effects pedals if I find they fit a niche in the market that is not filled by another product, or they are particularly well-suited for use with Revelation amps. Q: I heard you have done mods and repairs to existing amps for some people. Can I send you my <insert amp you would like to mod here> and have you do some mod to it or fix it for me? A: This is another one of those "friends and relatives" kinds of services. Sorry. |