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I hate when that happens. I have had UPS put a sticker on my door and literally run for the truck without knocking or ringing the door bell. I heard them, but by the time I got the door open the truck was moving and of course the driver was looking the other direction. This especially sucks when it happens on a Friday and the courier does not deliver on weekends.
The UPS guy here has delivered so many times to my house and knows that I work from home so he never misses a delivery here. If he is in a crazy hurry he rings the door, leaves the package, quickly goes back to his truck and just waits there to make sure he seems me open the door, waves at me, and he's off.
So quick review .
In a word this amp is Amazing!!!!!!!!
The eq points are perfect, although 6 db is not extreme it is the perfect amount of tone sculpting for me. The tonal spectrum is even from bass to treble. Nothing is weak or too out front . For someone looking for a slap tone you will need an outboard eq or pedal. From Motown, country, and rock this is a perfect match .
Massive . Massive. Absolutely massive clean head room . I ab'd against my Mesa strategy and it definitely has more power (although I still love my Mesa) and is a different tonal beast.
I tested it with 5 basses. 2 jazzes one active, one passive with darkstars, a Roscoe Beck, Ric 4003 and a Fodera Monarch. Each bass kept it's original tone and worked perfectly with the Siegmund, with each bass being replicated exactly. What you put in is what you get out.
I did swap out the JJ ef806 with a Telefunken which made the od much more to my liking but my goal is clean power
Once warmed up I took some time to go through each eq point and swept the gain and master from zero to maximum. There are some settings that can get noisy but they are so extreme you would never intentionally use those settings.
The fan is a little loud when you are not playing and I'm going to mod it with an on off switch . Not so loud that u hear it playing, but louder than the fans on my other amps. The airflow through the amp is exceptional and the fan would probably only be needed outdoors in the sun.
Setting the bias was super easy even for me and I'm not electronically inclined at all lol.
Using a barefaced 810 and a big twin 2 the tone was smooth, even and fat!!!!!! I absolutely love the tone . It is so even and versatile! !!!!!! Everything I asked it for it gave me!!!!!!
I spent almost 5 hours playing and admittedly need more time and to play it with 2 guitarists and in a full band setting. I will give you an update then .
For anyone considering a Siegmund, reach out to Chris .He is super knowledgeable and soooooooo easy to work with!!!!!!! I would happily recommend him to anyone and I am working on something else with him already.
In a word this amp is Amazing!!!!!!!!
The eq points are perfect, although 6 db is not extreme it is the perfect amount of tone sculpting for me. The tonal spectrum is even from bass to treble. Nothing is weak or too out front . For someone looking for a slap tone you will need an outboard eq or pedal. From Motown, country, and rock this is a perfect match .
Massive . Massive. Absolutely massive clean head room . I ab'd against my Mesa strategy and it definitely has more power (although I still love my Mesa) and is a different tonal beast.
I tested it with 5 basses. 2 jazzes one active, one passive with darkstars, a Roscoe Beck, Ric 4003 and a Fodera Monarch. Each bass kept it's original tone and worked perfectly with the Siegmund, with each bass being replicated exactly. What you put in is what you get out.
I did swap out the JJ ef806 with a Telefunken which made the od much more to my liking but my goal is clean power
Once warmed up I took some time to go through each eq point and swept the gain and master from zero to maximum. There are some settings that can get noisy but they are so extreme you would never intentionally use those settings.
The fan is a little loud when you are not playing and I'm going to mod it with an on off switch . Not so loud that u hear it playing, but louder than the fans on my other amps. The airflow through the amp is exceptional and the fan would probably only be needed outdoors in the sun.
Setting the bias was super easy even for me and I'm not electronically inclined at all lol.
Using a barefaced 810 and a big twin 2 the tone was smooth, even and fat!!!!!! I absolutely love the tone . It is so even and versatile! !!!!!! Everything I asked it for it gave me!!!!!!
I spent almost 5 hours playing and admittedly need more time and to play it with 2 guitarists and in a full band setting. I will give you an update then .
For anyone considering a Siegmund, reach out to Chris .He is super knowledgeable and soooooooo easy to work with!!!!!!! I would happily recommend him to anyone and I am working on something else with him already.
Great review. Sounds like an awesome amp. Do you plan to post any sound or video files?
If you don't already have a suitable stash, better start hunting down a few more Telefunken EF86s. They are not getting any less rare.
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Just ordered a new mixer and I'll post some clips as soon as I can make them.
Also . I have a couple of Telefunken ef86's and a Bugle Boy as well . But I do want to get a few telefunken ef806s as well.
If anyone knows where there is a stash of good ones let me know
Just ordered a new mixer and I'll post some clips as soon as I can make them.
Also . I have a couple of Telefunken ef86's and a Bugle Boy as well . But I do want to get a few telefunken ef806s as well.
If anyone knows where there is a stash of good ones let me know
Take a look at KCANOS. EF86/6267/EF806 | KCA NOS Tubes & Amplifier Repair
They have some Telefunkens but I don't know if they are the model you want. Keep in mind many of their tubes are good pulls instead of NOS.
Also you might find the reviews at the Tube Store useful.
www.thetubestore.com - EF86 / 6267 Tube Reviews
I generally shop around between The Tube Store, Tube Depot, Tubes & More, TC Tubes, Dougs Tubes, and KCANOS.
Thanks for the tips.......I buy a lot from the tube store, they are 35 min away from me
As you may or may not know, EF86’s are very prone to failure. Last I recall reading, the JJ’s are newer and sturdier construction. I haven’t heard them myself, but keep them (or other spares) with you if the amp leaves your studio.
Lovely beastly lookin thing, I’d love to hear it in person.
Lovely beastly lookin thing, I’d love to hear it in person.
So. Another update
Installed a Telefunken ef806S and a pair of 1950s Mullard 12dw7s .
Dead silent. No hiss. No noise. No microphonics . Alllllllll tone!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like you dream a Tube amp would!!!!!!!!!! At least in my dreams lol
Installed a Telefunken ef806S and a pair of 1950s Mullard 12dw7s .
Dead silent. No hiss. No noise. No microphonics . Alllllllll tone!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like you dream a Tube amp would!!!!!!!!!! At least in my dreams lol
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They are half 12ax7 and half 12au7.....the old SVT's had them. I don't think they are interchangeable but I could be wrong......
Oh yeah, if one side of the tube is 12AU7 they probably wouldn't work that well in a circuit expecting an AX tube. The gain difference there is pretty substantial.
Do you know what function the DW7s perform in your Seigmund head?
It depends on the function of each half of the tube. In amps like the old V4 where the 12AU7 side was being used as a cathode buffer and the 12AX7 side as the phase splitter a 12AX7 can be substituted without issue. In the SVT the circuit had to be modified to accept 12AX7 in the place of 12DW7 for most of the amp, there's an old MTI technical document which specifies the resistors.
Direct from Chris Siegmund
12AT7 12DW7 12DW7 EF86
Phase EQ Driver FX Loop Input Gain
The 12DW7 for the EQ driver can also be substituted with 12AT7 or 5751 or 12AX7. It will all sound and feel differently. The 12DW7 is unique. It’s a hybrid of ½ 12AX7 and ½ 12AU7 dual-triode. Perfect for cathode-follower EQ circuits, when high-gain is needed (12AX7) followed by low-impedance unity-gain (12AU7) for a low-load and low-loss EQ driver.
Also ideal for a parallel FX loop with a low-impedance driver for pedal inputs and the Jensen XLR transformer and the high gain for the Return jack recovery stage.
EF86 for input hey? Interesting! I think that’s a pentode tube (VS triode). More akin to power amp tubes. Massive gain available, if I understand right.
Yes that's the one. They can be fickle and some of them are microphonic or can be pretty easily. From what I have read on the guitar forums and tgp they can vibrate and go bad quickly.
BUT, they sound fantastic. The old Vox amps used them. I put the auralex pad between the head and cab and tested several ef86 and ef806's and the telefunken ef806s and the tung sol ef806s are both dead quiet...........I just started tube rolling but the results are well worth it ........
Just an update almost a year later. Been using this amp every week and it hasn't let me down yet . It still sounds incredible . I've found the right mix of the smaller tubes . Still in the honeymoon phase for sure.
