Section for the review of Top Hat Amps..

Please State Model and Gear You Use....

Testing Teddy's software, 1-2-3!

I own a 2001 King Royale with Celestion G12-H30 speakers.I was looking for a AC-30 tone and this amp fits the bill.35 watts class A all hand wired.The amp is a 2 channel non channel switching amp.The 2nd channel is derived from a AC-30 Top Boost,Vol-Treble-Mid-Bass-Cut-Master Vol.There's also a 3 position boost switch,fat-off-bright.This varies the gain in the pre-amp section with "Off" and "Bright" having a lower gain structure than the "Fat" mode.To my ears the King Royale has a better low mid grunt than the AC-30.The master volume is really usable.I'm able to dial in a nice tone at a reasonable volume.
The second switch labeled "Clean" also has three positions, Channel I-Normal-Channel II. This allows the player to clean up either channel of the amp.Like most TopHat amps the mid control is very flexable.10 o'clock is where the Vox tones are and 3 O'clock and above are where the Marshall tones are.The first channel, with simple volume and tone controls, is derived from a classic Vox AC-30.There is a single tone control that to my ears shifts the mids.I'm not as crazy about this channel as I am about channel 2.I wish they had of offered a treble and bass control.Still channel 1 is very usable.

I play strats,teles and Les Pauls and they all sound great with the King Royale.I've owned alot of amps over the years and this is one of my favorites.I've since changed the tubes to EI EL84's and EI 12AX7'S.To my ears this is the best sounding tube with this amp.

In the studio this amp is a beast.It really loves the mic. The treble control on channel 2 starts to shift at around 1.This is where you can dial in the Classic Vox Chime.I just did a session for a country singer and ended up using the amp for the whole session.

A added bonus is the customer support.You will be hard pressed to find a more helpful company than TopHat.Brian and his wife are awesome.

If your looking for the Vox sound with sonic improvements and flexiblity then check one out.

If it ain't broke,fix it anyways.

SUPER DELUXE 2X12 COMBO

I was going to wait until after my gigs this weekend, but I am prepared to review this amp now after the success I had at my New Year’s Eve gig.

General Description: Class A, cathode biased, rated for 33 watts. Black tolex with Gold grill cloth and gold piping. It has One Celestion Vintage 30 and One Celestion G12CH30 - which is a Top Hat re-labeled G12H30. According to the guys on the Top Hat forum, this speaker has not been tweaked. (So why re-label it…?). Black control plate with off-white chicken head knobs. Hi and Lo input jacks, power switch, standby switch. Green jewel power lamp. This amp does not have reverb or an effects loop. External speaker jack that will support 4, 8 or 16 Ohm extension cabs.

Stock Tubes: V1 - EH 12AY7, V2 & V3 - Ei 12AX7’s, V3 & V4 - EH6L6’s. Solid State Rectifier.

Controls: Master, Bass, Mids, Treble, Cut, Volume. Other control features: “Normal” and “Soft” rectification switch under the chassis. Bright/Normal/Fat switch on the top control panel. It also has a polarity switch under the chassis.

Gig Rig (1st Night): Fralin loaded Strat & Tele => Loop Master A/B => Skreddy Dual Loop Switcher – Keeley Compressor in the “clean” loop, TIM OD => BJF Dyna Red in the “dirty” loop. => Digitech Digidelay => Barber Launch Pad (clean boost) => Top Hat Super Deluxe.

Observations: I play mostly modern country gigs and for those not too familiar with the genre, it requires everything from pristine clean to heavily overdriven tones so I have to cover a lot of sonic territory in a night. The first night I gigged with this amp I did so with it completely stock. I wanted to hear what Brian Gerhardt, the designer/builder intended this amp to sound like when it went out into the world. The amp sounded great, and I made sure I ran all of the controls through their paces so I had a good understanding of what each was capable of. The eq controls are all centered in very useful, musical ranges but as with most high end amps, you won’t find huge variations in the tone controls even when seeping from one extreme setting to another. The amp is voiced beautifully to begin with and the eq is there to refine the tone, not drastically alter it. But there was plenty enough control to optimize the tone for my rig. I found lots of great tones that first night but it took me a while to dial up one that I was really happy with because there were so many possibilities – a nice problem to have with an amp, imho. One other drawback that first night is that I was at a venue where I was not able to put quite as much volume on it as I would have liked, but I don’t see that as a significant factor because the little extra I would have used would have had a minimal affect.

The Bright/Normal/Fat switch was interesting and provided lots of those tonal options. As usual, the Bright setting was not one of my favorite sounds, but it is a fairly subtle enhancement and not nearly as spiky as most Bright switches I have heard. I could see this as possibly being useful with a humbucking guitar or a guitar that is naturally dark sounding but was of no use with my guitars. The Fat setting shifted the mids to a spot a little lower in the frequency range and also increased the overall output level. I found this setting to be the most useful with the vintage style single coils I use as it helped round out the edginess of those pickups. But I spent most of that first night playing around and trying different settings and never really settled on one that I would call “my tone”.

I was a little disappointed that while my pedals sounded good, they didn’t sound as good as usual and the overall characteristic of the amp, even at gig volume, was that it was a little too clean – even for what I needed. The TIM was providing all the grit for my low gain sound and this amp, like all good tube amps, will always sound best when the amp is approaching clip itself. This is where the Volume and Master controls became useful and even under these circumstances I was able to get the amp closer to a natural breakup by dialing the Volume a bit higher and the Master lower. But my overall impression was that the amp was a little too tame at these levels and I had to do something to rectify that before my next gig.

Gig Rig (2nd Night): As a result of my first night out, I decided to scale back my pedalboard: Fralin loaded Strat & Tele => Loop Master A/B => TIM OD => BJF Dyna Red => Digitech Digidelay => Barber Launch Pad (clean boost) => Top Hat Super Deluxe.

I decided to exchange the 12AY7 in V1 with a NOS GE JAN 5751. 12AY7’s have a gain structure of approximately 44%, 12AT7’s have 60%, 5751’s have 70%. 12AX7’s, by comparison, have 100%.

My thanks again to Troy T Blues for providing the gain structures for the preamp tubes. That was a big help in figuring out which was the most appropriate for me.

I was reasonably sure the 5751 would be about right for my needs and that a 12AX7 might be a bit too gainy. The 5751 would move it from where it was to about halfway up to where it would be with a 12AX7. I had several of the NOS 5751’s and slapped one in just before the gig started. This change was pivotal and I was rewarded with what was unquestionably the best tone I have EVER obtained from ANY amp I’ve owned, bar none.

That 5751 made such a HUGE difference in both tone and texture and completely eliminated the few minor reservations I had about the Super Deluxe. I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing - it was that dramatic of a change. As noted above, I chose to eliminate a few pedals on the 2nd night too. Gone were the Dual Loop Switcher, the Keeley Compressor and the Baby Blue overdrive. A BJF Dyna Red was substituted for the BBOD and that proved to be a MUCH better match for this amp. The Baby Blue is a rounder, smoother pedal at higher gain settings and the amp is very similar in that it also exhibits a smoother characteristic than other amps I’ve owned. As a result, the Baby Blue/Super Deluxe combination didn’t have quite the graininess I like to hear when using my heaviest overdriven lead tone. The Dyna Red, on the other hand, did that in spades and the first time I stepped on it, I found instant gratification. The tones, whether clean or dirty, were very inspiring.

Naturally, going with a gainier tube in V1 reduces the amount of clean headroom. But that’s exactly what this amp needed and I still found there to be more than enough clean headroom at gig levels. And my overdrive pedals (including the TIM) sounded much better the second night too (whew!). I intend to put a JJ 12AX7 in V1 tomorrow night just to hear the difference, but I think the 5751 is going to provide the right amount of input gain for my needs. An added benefit was that in addition to the enhanced drive quality, the basic tone was better too and I found it much easier to find “my tone” on the second night. Later in the night after I quit messing with it, my bass player said to me "Well, your settings will be easy to remember." I looked at the amp and everything was straight up at 12:00! I ended up tweaking the "Cut" control to compensate for the tonal differences between the Tele and Strat, but everything else remained where it was. I probably should have rolled the Bass back a bit because it was a little bottom-heavy at times (neck pickup, mainly), but it still sounded amazingly good and I decided to leave it where it was until the bass player complained about it. He never did. Oh yeah… the rectifier was set for "Soft" and the Bright/Normal/Fat switch was set to "Fat". The tone at these settings was definitely (and surprisingly) approaching Vox AC-30 territory with a touch of Fender clean mixed in, but I would not call the tone a clone of either. The Midrange control on this amp is wonderful!

I was a little nervous about taking the Keeley off the board, but I am EXTREMELY happy to report that there was not one single moment throughout the entire night that I missed it, thought about it or wished it was there. In fact, I’ve sold it already! The "feel" of this amp is incredible despite having a solid state rectifier and I have to give props to Top Hat for developing such an effective rectifier circuit (i.e., the Normal/Soft switch). It retains most of the dynamics but imparts a very natural sag and bloom feel when you dig in a bit. It is very responsive to attack and as happens with any good amp that does this, I found myself playing the amp almost as much as the guitars. It sounds and feels far more natural than any compressor pedal I’ve played, and I’ve played most of the big names. I am happy to be in a position (finally!) that I can do away with them.

To say that I simply like this amp would be a gross understatement. I should mention that I really liked the five Dr Z amps I’ve owned. But in comparison, there clearly is a refined musical quality to the Top Hat Super Deluxe that encompasses everything – tone, touch and dynamics – to an extent that even the Z’s did not.

I am cautiously optimistic that my satisfaction will last far beyond the end of the honeymoon phase.

Let me know if anyone has any specific questions.

"Muddy Waters INVENTED electricity!" -Willie Brown, Crossroads

Tone Doggy! Man, what an asset you are to this forum, and all of us who live here! THANK you, Sir, for your insights and your time. I wish you would gig out here--I'd stand right in front, applaud like a maniac, and buy you the beers of your choice.

"Flourescent lights engage/Black birds frying on a wire/Same birds that followed me/To school when I was young/Were they trying to tell me something?/Were they telling me to run?" Neko Case, "Things That Scare Me"