More bad news...ClassicTone transformers goes out of business

[gordo]

I think the subject says it all.  I've installed a number of transformers in repair amps and these were always my favorites.

[thesmokingman]

They were my favorite by far ... I thought their 40-18031 was a beast of a transformer for single-ended amps

[Stomptown]

What a bummer.  They were my favorite as well. 

[danfrank]

Yes, very good transformers at a reasonable price. I was so sad hearing about this. I wonder how much was because of the pandemic or if it was an inevitable conclusion...
Why couldn't it have been M.M.; their transformers are complete overpriced shite...

[gordo]

I get the impression it was a bit of both but Covid sped up the process.  They claim that they're seeing a decrease in tube amplifiers (??!!).  Great company and really sad to see them go under.

[playpunk]

I get the impression it was a bit of both but Covid sped up the process.  They claim that they're seeing a decrease in tube amplifiers (??!!).  Great company and really sad to see them go under.

Well, I know that in church music world a sizable minority, if not a majority, of the players use a digital solution. I haven't had a tube amp since 2017 and honestly haven't missed it much.

A Kemper, Iridium, or Axe FX can do the direct in job at least as well as a fancy amp, costs less, and is easier for sound techs.

[gordo]

Agreed.  I'm one of the holdouts I think.  I have a full isolation box loaded with a 1x12 Orange cab and an SM57 off axis.  I get to run a 6505MH without any grief and run effects into the front and thru the loop.  The other guitar player has the same setup with a 30w Orange head.

Depending on the tunes for the particular Sunday I'll change out to a Lab Series L5 (head conversion) or even a JMP50.  The 6505 can cover SO much ground with nothing more than a boost and compressor in front that it sees the most duty.  Surprising little amp that has a killer clean tone.

[sjaustin]

FWIW, switching to Helix is what convinced me buy a new tube amp. Being able to experiment with tons of different sounds led me to absolutely love Vox tones. So I bought an AC15, which I never would have considered before! That said, I'd guess that on the whole, the explosion of modeling has not been kind to the amplifier industry.

A sad occurrence in any case. 

[peAk]

I love me some digital

that said, I still prefer tube amps almost every time. Yes, they are expensive, heavy, and can be a pain in the ass but there are still sounds IMO that digital simulations can't touch. They just react different overall.

Hopefully enough players continue to enjoy tube amps so they, and their components, stick around for long long time.

[gordo]

I sort of wandered off into a self serving diatribe but I guess the point I was going to make was that I've really been looking at the Helix stuff lately because everyone else in the praise band world seems to be going digital.  I used an original L6 POD for a while but just didn't get the feel I could get from a real amp.  Plus I tend to lean in on a not quite so clean sound and work around that.  Most likely close to a slightly driven Vox or Marshall.  The thought of plunking down a board and plugging into FOH is appealing though.

I can't afford a AXE-FX or Kemper so I was sort of poking around the idea of a Helix Stomp.  Is it that good that I could live without tubes?

[playpunk]

I sort of wandered off into a self serving diatribe but I guess the point I was going to make was that I've really been looking at the Helix stuff lately because everyone else in the praise band world seems to be going digital.  I used an original L6 POD for a while but just didn't get the feel I could get from a real amp.  Plus I tend to lean in on a not quite so clean sound and work around that.  Most likely close to a slightly driven Vox or Marshall.  The thought of plunking down a board and plugging into FOH is appealing though.

I can't afford a AXE-FX or Kemper so I was sort of poking around the idea of a Helix Stomp.  Is it that good that I could live without tubes?

I'm pretty sure the HX stomp is all over the more recent Elevation albums. Alex Strabala has a great YouTube and is a Helix user.

I have an Iridium (had a Kemper for a couple years, too) and really like the iridium with pedals. Sometimes I think about getting an Axe FX, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[Govmnt_Lacky]

Mneah, hate when this kind of things happen!

Standby for payload......

[davent]

Mneah, hate when this kind of things happen!

Standby for payload......

New transformer company to solve all your transformer issues, slices, dices...

[aion]

Can a mod delete the #11 post above? It's 100% astroturfed SEO spam with only the most basic topical context to avoid deletion.

[madbean]

done