Here we have a custom amp that I finished right at the beginning of 2011 for O Pioneers!!! guitar player Eric Solomon. The goal with his “Stressed 200” was to have the most obnoxiously loud clean amp possible, what we ended up with is a unique design I am very proud of. We did a custom front panel design for Eric using his screen printing company’s logo.
The circuit was devised starting with the power section and working our way back to the front end. Four KT88 power tubes deliver 200 watts through 4, 8 or 16 ohm facilities through two quarter inch jacks. Three 12AX7s make up the pre-amp and phase inverter sections. Like most of the amps I build I incorporated a half power switch, which definitely comes in handy on this beast. I figured his bandmates and future F.O.H. engineers would give small thanks for that. The amp features easy-to-use bias monitoring jacks and adjustments for all four power tubes.
I’ve employed this power amp circuit in several of my bigger custom builds and although not quite as sophisticated as the Steamroller 200 circuit, it really delivers the goods. The KT88s are exceptional with their tremendous bandwidth and clarity. The pre-amp here is quite a departure from my typical design process, utilizing four gain stages for a very lush clean sound. My favorite high gain design only used three…!
Despite the staggering amounts of “gain on tap” from that many stages the circuit is very quiet and pristine. Two volume controls allow amplification in two voices – one very bright (Brilliance) and one very dark (Volume). Each volume control has its own boost switch associated to different parts of the circuit to add more treble or more bass. These switches aid in getting a little more crunch and thump out of the pre before making your ears bleed. Treble, Mid and Bass controls allow fine tuning of the frequency response from there.
No master volume circuit is featured here, as again the name of the game is CLEAN. Your ears will be bleeding by the time this guy crunches, although I think Jimi and Pete would be impressed.
O Pioneers! has gone on tour with the Stressed 200 three times already, and I’m very happy to see it still in good health, despite UPS’s best attempts to destroy it shipping it across country and back. Just a few months after getting his amp, Eric ordered a matching speaker cabinet taking our detuned cabinet designs to a new extreme. His custom 6×10 is a true brute, loaded with three varieties of custom made Weber speakers. The punchiness and clarity of that many tens hearkens back to two of my favorite amps of all time – the Fender Super Reverb and the Fender Super Six.
O Pioneers! played their last show at the Transitions Art Gallery at the Skate Park of Tampa, FL on December 10th, 2011. RIP.
I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR! We’re excited to celebrate 3 years as a company this month with many more to come. We are working on two new product designs in the lower wattage arena perfect for studio and small venue performance, so stay tuned! Also, we are taking orders for custom high gain amplifiers … set up an appointment and come play the prototype – it sounds amazing.
Capt Jake
