GD review, very in depth!! I am also a Triamp mklll owner. I've had it for over a year now and I noticed it sounded cold and sterile at times. To help w that I've put a Boss eq200 through the preamp section and it really brings this amp to life!! I've also added an MXR 10 band eq in the effects loop with my delays and reverb. It sounds amazing!! To add a little spice I've changed out the power tubes with kt66/kt88/6550. The high gain channels are brutal!! This amp should get more credit than it does. BTW I'm running it through a Mesa Boogie 4/12 w vintage 30s.
Interesting description. I can see exactly what you mean. I do like the more combo feel this amp has and the high gain channels are really well done. I think the coldness you're referring to would be the excessive midrange this thing has, at least from my point of view. I don't think TAD tubes do this amp any favors for the high gain channels. I run the amp through a Palmer PDI-06 to attenuate the amp for the TC Cab since it's so bright and crunchy. It really smooths it up and helps control volume.
These complicated amps frighten me because the potential for cost repairs. I'm very interested in how reliable the Triamp II was? Did you have any repairs? Could you estimate the number of hours you've put on the Triamp II? I'm assuming you're a professional musician.
In the 11 years I owned my MKII I had no repairs. It was incredibly reliable and sturdy. The only problem I had was I started blowing the occasional fuse when I started messing around with my power tubes. I am no professional, and I have no idea how to calculate my usage of it in hours, but I did use the MKII for 11 years heavily. Gigging almost every weekend, recording, and countless hours of practice. It can be frightening and the more complex something is the harder it can be to fix. I guess it all depends on the risk you're willing to take.
I used a Triamp mk2 from 2011 to 2019. Most used channel was 2A, which to me was like a tight, clear 2203. 3A I used soley for leads and 3B for the odd song that required a super heavy tone. The only channel I found lacking was 2B: compared to 2A, it lacked crispness and tightness. The Bogner Ecstasy blue channel (current main amp) combines the clarity of 2A and girth of 2B but with more elasticity and grind. That said, I really miss the verstility of a Triamp and this new one seems to address anything I found lacking in the mk2 (2b, independent eq's).
I felt exactly the same about my MKII. 2A was awesome. Your Bogner sounds like 2B on the Mark 3. And yes, it is really nice having the independent EQ for each channel AND the ability to control the power amp section with the tube selection.
@@mmagoon67 Ya, it seems like a pretty amazing amp. May have to pick one up if the price is right. Unfortunately, Mk2's did not hold their value well. Pity, because they really are killer amps. If 2b is as you describe and with the new switching and channel capabilities, I think I would really dig it.
I’m surprised to hear that the Clean section goes through V1, V3, and V9 as opposed to just both sides of V1 onto V9. Does V3 contain a tone stack driver or something?
I'm really not sure. I was able to find a chart that listed the tubes used for each channel and that's how it was listed. Are you referring to 1A or 1B? I do know that V1 is simply for the input staging and is active on all channels and it doesn't surprise me to see another tube in there before the phase inverter.
I’ve been meaning to. Only problem is I’m not looking forward to the amount of time and work because my SD card for the camera I use is only 8G and the computer I use is an ‘09 MacBook with ‘09 iMovie lol. It doubles recording and editing time.
I too ad the mk2 Alex Lifeson and now have the mk3. The mk3 is awesome but has a lot of highs especially on 2b. I managed to tame them by throwing in some vintage Telefunken tubes for that channel in particular. Currently using a Marshall 1960a with vintage 30's and gt75's in an X pattern. I absolutely love this amp! Been thinking about changing the power tubes. I bought this 2nd hand and in there now is Mullard el34's, tung sol 6l6, and mesa 6l6. Been thinking about trying some kt 66 or 88's. Any thoughts on those?
I honestly wish I could comment on the KT66s or the KT88s but I've never used them before. All I can say is what I've heard and that is the KT88s are very thick and powerful...beefy (66's being the lower power tube and the 88's being a high power tube). If you're dealing with a lot of high end...Mullard, Tung-Sol & Mesa tubes would actually be the tubes I would't start with. I think all of these have an aggressive high end. I like JJ tubes in mine. I'm currently running the TAD EL34 (for a nice high end and a crunchy 1B), JJ 6L6, and JJ 6CA7 (to drop some of the mids if desired while still getting a 6L6 sound). I actually found if you are able to attenuate the amp a little (I use a Palmer PDI-06) it can help control those unwanted highs, but I didn't have any issues with the Vintage 30's. The X pattern sounds like something I want to try.
@@mmagoon67 I started with the pres and got it to where I wanted. It really is such a versatile amp. Btw the redbox is great for live IMHO. For recording I'm not a fan. I'll use it for live recording at home with the band but there are so many great vst's out there it's hard to justify going through the process of mic and amp to record. Would love to see a Sim of the mk3 though.
@@LunchboxMods I've gone through using Mics, direct signals and plugins for recording. As far as that goes, I prefer micing my amp and backing it with my Palmer PDI-03 in the studio. It gives a really nice depth and both are different sounds. For live stuff I always use a direct line. Which brings me to the Redbox; I really don't like it on the Mark 3 in any situation. It's way too crunchy and fuzzy for me. I like smooth and rich distortion. I am trying to think of a good way to do a demo. I really want to give this amp a good demo; I don't like a lot of what I see on RUclips. I'm thinking of making a song and switching trough the channels. I will consider involving the Redbox somehow, even if it's its own demo. What did you mean by "Sim"?
Amp Sims like overloud THU or stl tonality. They are both great. Thu has rig player that is profiler just like a Kemper. It sounds really good as the tones are pretty much mix ready. Just wish they would do a profile of the mk3. I can certainly get a good sound off of a single sm57 for recording purposes but Sims are a nice option to have also.
Totally jelly!!!! I want that 3b beast!! Def do some sound demos. Congrats and enjoy man! Thanks for posting.
GD review, very in depth!! I am also a Triamp mklll owner. I've had it for over a year now and I noticed it sounded cold and sterile at times. To help w that I've put a Boss eq200 through the preamp section and it really brings this amp to life!! I've also added an MXR 10 band eq in the effects loop with my delays and reverb. It sounds amazing!! To add a little spice I've changed out the power tubes with kt66/kt88/6550. The high gain channels are brutal!! This amp should get more credit than it does. BTW I'm running it through a Mesa Boogie 4/12 w vintage 30s.
Interesting description. I can see exactly what you mean. I do like the more combo feel this amp has and the high gain channels are really well done. I think the coldness you're referring to would be the excessive midrange this thing has, at least from my point of view. I don't think TAD tubes do this amp any favors for the high gain channels. I run the amp through a Palmer PDI-06 to attenuate the amp for the TC Cab since it's so bright and crunchy. It really smooths it up and helps control volume.
These complicated amps frighten me because the potential for cost repairs. I'm very interested in how reliable the Triamp II was? Did you have any repairs? Could you estimate the number of hours you've put on the Triamp II? I'm assuming you're a professional musician.
In the 11 years I owned my MKII I had no repairs. It was incredibly reliable and sturdy. The only problem I had was I started blowing the occasional fuse when I started messing around with my power tubes.
I am no professional, and I have no idea how to calculate my usage of it in hours, but I did use the MKII for 11 years heavily. Gigging almost every weekend, recording, and countless hours of practice. It can be frightening and the more complex something is the harder it can be to fix. I guess it all depends on the risk you're willing to take.
I used a Triamp mk2 from 2011 to 2019. Most used channel was 2A, which to me was like a tight, clear 2203. 3A I used soley for leads and 3B for the odd song that required a super heavy tone. The only channel I found lacking was 2B: compared to 2A, it lacked crispness and tightness. The Bogner Ecstasy blue channel (current main amp) combines the clarity of 2A and girth of 2B but with more elasticity and grind. That said, I really miss the verstility of a Triamp and this new one seems to address anything I found lacking in the mk2 (2b, independent eq's).
I felt exactly the same about my MKII. 2A was awesome. Your Bogner sounds like 2B on the Mark 3. And yes, it is really nice having the independent EQ for each channel AND the ability to control the power amp section with the tube selection.
@@mmagoon67 Ya, it seems like a pretty amazing amp. May have to pick one up if the price is right. Unfortunately, Mk2's did not hold their value well. Pity, because they really are killer amps. If 2b is as you describe and with the new switching and channel capabilities, I think I would really dig it.
I’m surprised to hear that the Clean section goes through V1, V3, and V9 as opposed to just both sides of V1 onto V9. Does V3 contain a tone stack driver or something?
I'm really not sure. I was able to find a chart that listed the tubes used for each channel and that's how it was listed. Are you referring to 1A or 1B? I do know that V1 is simply for the input staging and is active on all channels and it doesn't surprise me to see another tube in there before the phase inverter.
thanks dude for the very informative overview. please do a full length demo. you totally sold me hearing you rap about channel 3 at full throttle!
I’ve been meaning to. Only problem is I’m not looking forward to the amount of time and work because my SD card for the camera I use is only 8G and the computer I use is an ‘09 MacBook with ‘09 iMovie lol. It doubles recording and editing time.
What happened to the lights on it? Dead?
I had them off. Not sure why I would have done that.
I too ad the mk2 Alex Lifeson and now have the mk3. The mk3 is awesome but has a lot of highs especially on 2b. I managed to tame them by throwing in some vintage Telefunken tubes for that channel in particular. Currently using a Marshall 1960a with vintage 30's and gt75's in an X pattern. I absolutely love this amp! Been thinking about changing the power tubes. I bought this 2nd hand and in there now is Mullard el34's, tung sol 6l6, and mesa 6l6. Been thinking about trying some kt 66 or 88's. Any thoughts on those?
I honestly wish I could comment on the KT66s or the KT88s but I've never used them before. All I can say is what I've heard and that is the KT88s are very thick and powerful...beefy (66's being the lower power tube and the 88's being a high power tube). If you're dealing with a lot of high end...Mullard, Tung-Sol & Mesa tubes would actually be the tubes I would't start with. I think all of these have an aggressive high end. I like JJ tubes in mine. I'm currently running the TAD EL34 (for a nice high end and a crunchy 1B), JJ 6L6, and JJ 6CA7 (to drop some of the mids if desired while still getting a 6L6 sound).
I actually found if you are able to attenuate the amp a little (I use a Palmer PDI-06) it can help control those unwanted highs, but I didn't have any issues with the Vintage 30's. The X pattern sounds like something I want to try.
@@mmagoon67 I started with the pres and got it to where I wanted. It really is such a versatile amp. Btw the redbox is great for live IMHO. For recording I'm not a fan. I'll use it for live recording at home with the band but there are so many great vst's out there it's hard to justify going through the process of mic and amp to record. Would love to see a Sim of the mk3 though.
@@LunchboxMods I've gone through using Mics, direct signals and plugins for recording. As far as that goes, I prefer micing my amp and backing it with my Palmer PDI-03 in the studio. It gives a really nice depth and both are different sounds. For live stuff I always use a direct line. Which brings me to the Redbox; I really don't like it on the Mark 3 in any situation. It's way too crunchy and fuzzy for me. I like smooth and rich distortion. I am trying to think of a good way to do a demo. I really want to give this amp a good demo; I don't like a lot of what I see on RUclips. I'm thinking of making a song and switching trough the channels. I will consider involving the Redbox somehow, even if it's its own demo. What did you mean by "Sim"?
Amp Sims like overloud THU or stl tonality. They are both great. Thu has rig player that is profiler just like a Kemper. It sounds really good as the tones are pretty much mix ready. Just wish they would do a profile of the mk3. I can certainly get a good sound off of a single sm57 for recording purposes but Sims are a nice option to have also.
@@LunchboxMods My next video is going to be a mic comparison between the sm57 and the Audix i5.
Man i never see this amp used wish i could find one
I got mine on ebay. They seem to have a few used on guitarcenter.com