It has a bit more than 200 watts, but last time I looked at Reeves, they were asking $2700 for their (60lb) Custom 225. Great amp, but I wouldn't want to tote one around...
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Anyone talking about this Tube head?
- Thread starter BassGreaser
- Start date
It has a bit more than 200 watts, but last time I looked at Reeves, they were asking $2700 for their (60lb) Custom 225. Great amp, but I wouldn't want to tote one around...
You made me watch it!... I do like using loops for comparison, thought the "Amp" DI sounded best and wonder if they had the tweeter turned off on the 112?...
Well, I'm done with buying amps now, but if it had been released 2 years earlier I could have bought it, although I'm just an amateur bassist and I don't deserve it.
- Jad Freer Audio = pure excellence. I own JF Capo and JF Sisma, both expensive compared to the rest of their respective markets, but worth every penny. The sound is awesome, every detail is very well thought out, and the build quality is impeccable.
- The power / weight ratio is a big selling point. I would never lug arround a 30 kg amp, so 13 kg makes all the difference.
- It's a modern tube amp. I'm not nostalgic of hiss and hum. I like modern amps when they are completely silent and reliable. And all the extra features like full featured DI out, the ability to record silently in standby mode, the speakon connectors, etc.
Yes, I agree it would be a great amp on top of the BF Three10
. But I would also like to try Jad Freer cabs, even though I'm a big Barefaced fan boy.----------------
OK, it's not for everyone, it's a niche product. But the price is not so crazy for a quality boutique tube amp.
I don't think it would be stupid for a professional bassist to spend 4.000 €, compared to the price some of them are ready to pay for a basses.
I hope it will succeed, because I find it positive to see an innovative company like Jad Freer bringing the legacy of tube amplification into the 21th century.
I wonder what happens when it needs servicing....
If they are like Effectrode, then the customer pays for round-trip shipping....
I would hate to pay for a even a one-way ticket...
If they are like Effectrode, then the customer pays for round-trip shipping....
I would hate to pay for a even a one-way ticket...
mehI know this is an extremely luxury tube head but man does it hit all the right boxes for me.
Preorder VOLTA | Jad Freer Audio
jadfreeraudio.com
200 watts
Smaller sized
Runs at 2/4/8 ohms
Extremely simple EQ
This would be the best head for my BF Three10 plus One10 set up.
I’m taking donations towards funding this if anyone wants the tax write off
Well, I'm done with buying amps now, but if it had been released 2 years earlier I could have bought it, although I'm just an amateur bassist and I don't deserve it.
- Jad Freer Audio = pure excellence. I own JF Capo and JF Sisma, both expensive compared to the rest of their respective markets, but worth every penny. The sound is awesome, every detail is very well thought out, and the build quality is impeccable.
- The power / weight ratio is a big selling point. I would never lug arround a 30 kg amp, so 13 kg makes all the difference.
- It's a modern tube amp. I'm not nostalgic of hiss and hum. I like modern amps when they are completely silent and reliable. And all the extra features like full featured DI out, the ability to record silently in standby mode, the speakon connectors, etc.
Yes, I agree it would be a great amp on top of the BF Three10
----------------
OK, it's not for everyone, it's a niche product. But the price is not so crazy for a quality boutique tube amp.
I don't think it would be stupid for a professional bassist to spend 4.000 €, compared to the price some of them are ready to pay for a basses.
I hope it will succeed, because I find it positive to see an innovative company like Jad Freer bringing the legacy of tube amplification into the 21th century.
I totally agree fully with everything here. Most tube heads are too wide for the BF three10 and this head is just perfect for what I’ve been looking for in a modern tube amp.
It’s also interesting that you can completely bypass the eq section (I may be wrong here)
Kudos to the marketing department and ad copy writers.
The "classic" James style 2 band bass amp tone stack originated in the Ampeg B-15 and it uses large bottle 6SL7GT preamp tubes. Later, larger Fender amps used the miniature EC83/12A*7 family and a much different tone stack.
KT88s will definitely produce a big, ballsy sound with great extension at both ends if they have a sufficient OPT to power them.
The "classic" James style 2 band bass amp tone stack originated in the Ampeg B-15 and it uses large bottle 6SL7GT preamp tubes. Later, larger Fender amps used the miniature EC83/12A*7 family and a much different tone stack.
KT88s will definitely produce a big, ballsy sound with great extension at both ends if they have a sufficient OPT to power them.
Everything looks good about it except the cost... $4k is very steep for what it offers.
But, there's people out there buying $5k and up basses, so this might be for them.
But, there's people out there buying $5k and up basses, so this might be for them.
Just for fun, here's a Three 10 with a LeSuire Avalanche Head
That head is also very lightweight thanks to SMPS.
300 W and 10.5 kg - the power / weight ratio is even better than in Volta.
The price is also even higher (4.700 €)
Powerful EQ features: 4 band active EQ including 2 semi-parametric mids, and an interesting "EQ Vol" control
Made in Germany
Also looks good on top of a BF Three 10 IMHO
That head is also very lightweight thanks to SMPS.
300 W and 10.5 kg - the power / weight ratio is even better than in Volta.
The price is also even higher (4.700 €)
Powerful EQ features: 4 band active EQ including 2 semi-parametric mids, and an interesting "EQ Vol" control
Made in Germany
Also looks good on top of a BF Three 10 IMHO
Last edited:
@gtirard
Those boutique tube amps are really something! The Reingold and the Lesuire. However, an Ampeg SVT, a Fender Super Bassman or even a Reeves are a deal compared to them
.
Please note that I find a new Ampeg, Orange, Reeves or Fender too pricey for my budget but I understand I am not the target for these boutique amps anyway!
Me like my old hissy and hummy vintage tube beasts
Those boutique tube amps are really something! The Reingold and the Lesuire. However, an Ampeg SVT, a Fender Super Bassman or even a Reeves are a deal compared to them
. Please note that I find a new Ampeg, Orange, Reeves or Fender too pricey for my budget but I understand I am not the target for these boutique amps anyway!
Me like my old hissy and hummy vintage tube beasts
Jad Freer have been making some very interesting gear , it’s a small shop , and you will pay more for something handmade in Italy. The reviews I’ve read of their earlier amps have been very positive. They’re finding a niche in the marketplace. This should prove to be exquisitely designed , and sound gorgeous. I’d expect nothing less from Jad Freer.
You pay for that. You get something special.
You pay for that. You get something special.
Working in a high-end fine art gallery for a few years left me with the belief that the astronomical price of a piece always held part (sometimes a large part) of the perceived value. Having said that, even at those prices the most successful and amazing artists weren't making all that much per hour once all of their time was factored in. So, are boutique amps like this one really that much better than those made by some of the big companies? Or is it more that the production and sales volume of the larger companies affords them the ability to sell comparable quality at much lower price points? Of course, at the end of the day the valuation of any art form is purely subjective, so the mootness (if not downright futility) of any discussion of such is built in. I also wonder how likely it is that anyone is going to be able to tell the difference between this $4000-plus amp and another in a blind test, let alone in a mix. Eric Johnson maybe? 
Super-expensive boutique stuff of any kind always reminds me of a quote from George A. Romero's 1978 "Dawn of the Dead":
"The only person who could miss with this gun is the sucker with the bread to buy it."
Super-expensive boutique stuff of any kind always reminds me of a quote from George A. Romero's 1978 "Dawn of the Dead":
"The only person who could miss with this gun is the sucker with the bread to buy it."
I fully agree, it's pretty obvious because economies of scale, the law of diminishing return etc.Working in a high-end fine art gallery for a few years left me with the belief that the astronomical price of a piece always held part (sometimes a large part) of the perceived value. Having said that, even at those prices the most successful and amazing artists weren't making all that much per hour once all of their time was factored in. So, are boutique amps like this one really that much better than those made by some of the big companies? Or is it more that the production and sales volume of the larger companies affords them the ability to sell comparable quality at much lower price points? Of course, at the end of the day the valuation of any art form is purely subjective, so the mootness (if not downright futility) of any discussion of such is built in. I also wonder how likely it is that anyone is going to be able to tell the difference between this $4000-plus amp and another in a blind test, let alone in a mix. Eric Johnson maybe?
Super-expensive boutique stuff of any kind always reminds me of a quote from George A. Romero's 1978 "Dawn of the Dead":
"The only person who could miss with this gun is the sucker with the bread to buy it."
That said I bought a tube boutique amp, you may think I'm stupid, and I don't think so.
I wasn't looking for the best "bang for the buck", I was looking for a super lightweight tube amp that sounds great looks cool and I wasn't looking for a good return on investment, nor a good resale value etc. I'm perfectly aware that the audience won't hear any difference, and I don't care. I wanted to treat myself, like others would buy a super pricey watch. I didn't fool myself and I'm happy with my purchase.
Oh, no. I wouldn't think anyone stupid for buying something they like. For all I know, if I played through a Volta, I'd have to have it. I'm sure it sounds amazing, and it looks badass. Kinda looks like something that might have been in a rack in a nuclear missile silo in the 50's. (
"The Volta is the bass amp for the new frontier.") I was also pointing out that artists of any kind, including boutique shops like Freer put so much time in that even at what seems like an exorbitant price they're probably not making any massive profits.When I was gigging on ships we happened to be in St. Thomas. I had lost my sunglasses and went into a Sunglass Hut there to buy some. I was trying on a bunch of $40 pairs, looked up and happened to see these Revos that looked just like them for $160. I asked the woman behind the counter: "Why would anyone pay $160 for those, when they can get this pair that looks just like them for one quarter of the price?" She just smiled and said: "Try them on." I'd been trying on all these inexpensive ones, put on the Revos and it was as though my eyes said "Ahhhh...". Needless to say, I handed her my card and walked out wearing those Revos along with a big smile and no regrets.
When I was discussing the purchase of a top-of-the-line hand plane with a friend, I was hemming and hawing over the price.
He asked me: "Have you EVER said to yourself: 'I wish I'd gone for the cheaper tool.'?" I still hear that question all of the time and it usually inspires me to buy the best. Although I doubt that I'm ever going to drop $5K on someone else's take on a Jazz Bass. I'd probably draw the line at $3K.
Last edited:
Why would I spend so much more money on an outdated, inferior technology? (tubes)
