Wharfedale amps. wow!!!

Manfred-Klose

at first i was a bit sceptic about a guitar amp made by wharfedale, but to be honest i am blown away.

I was lucky enough to test the TCT100head through a 4x12cab.
all i can say is clarity.

anyway here is the link:
http://www.amps.wharfedale.com/Products/Series/tabid/82/PID/1/Default.aspx

has anyone else had a go on this amp?

matta

Hey Manny,

Thanks for the heads up, be worth looking into. They seem excellent value for money and LOOK great (well looks are relative I guess..).

It seems the line was designed/developed by Steve Grindrod who was responsible for the Vox AC30/AC15 reissues and was head of R&D there and also worked over at Marshall as their head designer for a few years (decades?), so he is no new-comer to the arena of amp building, having spent 30-40 years building/designing and repairing valve amps.

I checked in with Audiosure, the local agents and the smaller 35W Combo RETAILS for R8995.00 inc VAT, that is full retail so I'm sure there is some wiggle room, not bad for a portable 2 channel amps with some serious features, prob best bang for buck, would love to look inside and see how it has been constructed... HMMM... I'll see what I can do....

Cheers

Matt

inflames

Looks cool, but let me be the stick in the mud:

I will never trust them to make guitar amps.
There audio speakers is cool, but still don't trust their amps.

Gearhead

And, Inflames, because of the likes of you the guys who do buy'em will be cheaper off... Seems to be becoming the eternal debate around here: branded or non-branded.

matta

Gearhead wrote:And, Inflames, because of the likes of you the guys who do buy'em will be cheaper off... Seems to be becoming the eternal debate around here: branded or non-branded.

Agreed! I reserve all judgment as I haven't heard the amps myself, but I'm basing my opinion on the DESIGNER, Steve worked at Marshall for YEARS, and helped Vox get back on the ground with the reissue AC15-AC30s, both the PCB and Handwired versions... so this guy is no newbie.

Wharfedale have NEVER built a guitar amp until now, they only formed a musical instrument division in 2008, and the amps only came to light early this year and have been available in some territories since May, they are also one of the older speaker makers in the world forming back in 1932 I believe (though I stand corrected).

I have no doubt these amps are made in China, infact Wharfedale started making goods there first and then Vox moved there, the Vox and Wharfdale are made in the same factory, or at least were from my understanding.

I still think it is quite a feat to get a FULL valve amp to market for that price, with that sonic modularity, even if built/assembled in China.

At the Nashville Amp Show earlier this year their 100W head and cab came in at just under 3dB vs the LOUDNESS amp in a test conducted in the 200-300W amp range, and it is 100W amp! It has to tell you something about efficiency of both the amp and cab and how they work together.

Again, I reserve all judgment till I HEAR the amp, but I just wanted to present the facts...

Cheers

Matt

Manfred-Klose

Matta give me a call if you ever come through to the northern suburbs again, i can arrange for you to test it out.
The head and a cab is standing at Muzone in brackenfell.

inflames

And, Inflames, because of the likes of you the guys who do buy'em will be cheaper off... Seems to be becoming the eternal debate around here: branded or non-branded.

Did not try and step on toes here, or start a flame war! So my apologies if I offended you Gearhead.
I have my reasons for not trusting them. I did not say the amp suck or that I would never give it a chance.

Take a brand like Bugera, not a huge brand name, but I like their amps.

Manny, will visit you at Muzone and listen to the amp.

Gearhead

inflames wrote: Did not try and step on toes here, or start a flame war!

Then why are you called Inflames? ?

inflames wrote: So my apologies if I offended you Gearhead.

You didn't at all, I should have put a 'sigh' smiley with my post ?

I have my reservations as well (worried about the tone of the speakers they use in the amps), but to use the wording 'don't trust' seems to suggest you have had bad experience with them, which can't be the case.

matta

inflames wrote:Take a brand like Bugera, not a huge brand name, but I like their amps.

Owned and built by Behringer... on moral principle I won't support a company that has an R&D department that just steals it's ideas from other companies, not just borrows, STEALS!

Matt

inflames

Owned and built by Behringer... on moral principle I won't support a company that has an R&D department that just steals it's ideas from other companies, not just borrows, STEALS!

Agreed Matta, I still think their tone for a Behringer brand is good. Their morals might be wrong and most people will bash Behringer in a second ?

Manfred-Klose

i went to the dealers evening tonight.

The Wharfedale guitar amp was changed to "Albion" amps. Cant find much info on the net.
Its still looks pretty much the same and still sounds awesome.

just an update.

Found the website now:
http://www.albionmi.co.uk/

TomCat

inflames wrote:
Owned and built by Behringer... on moral principle I won't support a company that has an R&D department that just steals it's ideas from other companies, not just borrows, STEALS!
Agreed Matta, I still think their tone for a Behringer brand is good. Their morals might be wrong and most people will bash Behringer in a second ?

+1000.....I will not touch Behringer products....Apart from the moral principle...the local support for the brand is almost non-existent. If it breaks....throw it away...

Sidecar

Something about "Wharfedale" written on a guitar amp just doesnt feel right.

Keira-WitherKay

TomCat wrote:
inflames wrote:
Owned and built by Behringer... on moral principle I won't support a company that has an R&D department that just steals it's ideas from other companies, not just borrows, STEALS!
Agreed Matta, I still think their tone for a Behringer brand is good. Their morals might be wrong and most people will bash Behringer in a second ?
+1000.....I will not touch Behringer products....Apart from the moral principle...the local support for the brand is almost non-existent. If it breaks....throw it away...

but thats the advantage of brands like behringer and warfdale ......... they cheap ..very cheap but built to a spec which may be stolen from other designs....... but offers us working muso's the gear to do the pro gigs...... at low cost and yes if it dies........ replace it .......

but you will have earned the purchace price 50 times over if not more by the time it dies.........

cos i think that if a venue is only paying x amount per show .... one should not need to spend x to the tenth or much higher degree on gear to do the gig .......

and sure no one is saying i would use behringer gear to do a huge show.......... but how many of us really do huge shows regularly and when we do then we hire in a rig from a pro audio company or the festival organiser does........

but for the small venue pro muso... brands like behringer and warfdale offer incredible value for money and do not break down as often as one is lead to believe they do........ i can't understand the bias...... and sure they not for the audiophiles amongst us ........ but then who has 30 - 60 K to spend on a HK system to do a pub /restaurant gig ....and still make a profit from the gigs.......... some of us do this for a living ?

so to sum up .......is this gear the best . hell NO but behringer and warfdale gear offer great specs to the working muso at low cost and literally is so cheap it is virtually disposable

AlanRatcliffe

Sorry Keira, I've got to disagree with you there. Not only will the cheaper gear degrade sound quality, but the issue of reliability should be a major issue for any pro. Sure the cheap stuff is inexpensive to replace, but I'd rather have an Allen and Heath desk, Crown power amp and EV speakers (or similar). Then I have something that not only will sound far better but, bar some routine maintenance, will work flawlessly night after night for the next 20 years. Venue owners/promoters rely on you and similarly you have to be able to rely on your gear completely. Nothing kills your chance of a repeat gig more than unreliability, whether it be you or your gear...

Keira-WitherKay

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Sorry Keira, I've got to disagree with you there. Not only will the cheaper gear degrade sound quality, but the issue of reliability should be a major issue for any pro. Sure the cheap stuff is inexpensive to replace, but I'd rather have an Allen and Heath desk, Crown power amp and EV speakers (or similar). Then I have something that not only will sound far better but, bar some routine maintenance, will work flawlessly night after night for the next 20 years. Venue owners/promoters rely on you and similarly you have to be able to rely on your gear completely. Nothing kills your chance of a repeat gig more than unreliability, whether it be you or your gear...

alan yes sure you may disagree ?

but i have never had a problem in all my years with the "cheaper gear" maybe i'm lucky and sure i don't abuse the gear and look after it ..........

and as you know i do pro gigs fulltime up to 6 times a week and no one has ever complained about sound quality and as you know i work in many 5 star hotels....... and restuarants....... where if the sound is dodgy they will complain ...........

maybe acoustic music is easier on the gear and of course i never drive them to the limit ........

and as for reliability thats why i favour powered speakers if one dies the show goes on...

at moment i use 2x powered tops and a powered sub and no problems and great sound with next to no noise ........ i think the new era of "cheap" gear is much more reliable than it was say 5 - 10 yrs ago.........

and by the way ...... i recently bought a pair of behringer eurolive 550D ( i forget the full model number ) 550W powered speakers for tops and a warfdale powered 12 for sub ( i only need a hint of sub ) and 2 x new stands as mine were looking a bit tatty for a 5 star hotel and all 3 speakers bought brand new .... with discounts of course from my friendly music store......... the total cost will be recouped in the 1st month pay cheque from my gig ( i'm doing a hotel residency) and the sound is excellent and clean ........ so to me thats good bussiness.

but each to their own ?

ps i still use my 70's pawn shop yamaha with laminated top bought for R600 as my main gig guitar sure fitted with a LR baggs but it sounds awesome ...and i didn't need to spend 30 K on a concert classical ....... and i challenge anyone to say i get a bad tone outa that guitar .

so maybe it's in my nature not to want to spend on gear ... cos i truly get the top jobs done with "budget" gear and i stay in work consistantly like you all know so it's not influencing my career any ..... and when like i said i do bigger shows theres always sound hired in by the organisers.........

but maybe i'm just lucky ........

Gearhead

Keira WitherKay wrote: so maybe it's in my nature not to want to spend on gear ..

nice quote from someone who once bought a custom shop strat new from a store ?

Keira-WitherKay

Gearhead wrote:
Keira WitherKay wrote: so maybe it's in my nature not to want to spend on gear ..
nice quote from someone who once bought a custom shop strat new from a store ?

yes those were the days that i was still gear crazy hehehehhehe and by the way i bought it in dubai at a sale at 50% of the asking price and was NOT impressed enough with it ...in fact it was a real dog of a guitar ........but sold it for a profit ......... made me realise just cos gear is expensive or has a label does not make it the "holy grail" i've grown since then

my idea's have changed to that of one needs good gear up to a point , that it can do the job but beyond that it's the musician that gets and keeps the gig not the gear ... too many musicians spend too much money on gear just to do the same gigs as before....... and forget it's about the skills .......

singemonkey

But, as is my familiar argument, sometimes these things are not cheaper because they're cutting corners, sometimes they're cheaper because their name isn't worth money. So you make the saving there, irrespective of quality.

For example, when a friend was thinking of getting a Chinese AC30, he discovered very consistent complaints about QC. Now if a "no-name" like wharfdale (in guitar) can do as well, or better, they're still easily going to be cheaper because you're not paying for a VOX AC30. So what I'm saying is, you're not necessarily getting an inferior product because its cheaper. The Yamaha Pacifica guitar line is a clear example of how that can work.

Btw, what's the deal with Behringer and stealing ideas?

Slight tangent: I'm still GASsing big time for the Egnater Rebel20. Was ogling them on ebay. Saw one going for $650 with cab and $300 shipping. Wicked, wicked GAS. ☹

BMU

singemonkey wrote: Slight tangent: I'm still GASsing big time for the Egnater Rebel20. Was ogling them on ebay. Saw one going for $650 with cab and $300 shipping. Wicked, wicked GAS. ☹

Just do it.

There, did I help? Haha. Those Rebel20 things look real interesting.