I had a Top Hat Vibratrem I bought used.Over phone a few times Brian was quite generous with his time helping me tweek it to where I wanted it.He owed me nothing,the service was above and beyond.
I've owned a 2001 Super Deluxe 2x12 for years and it's a tremendously great amp. Mine however uses 7591 power tubes and is solid state rectified with a normal/soft attack switch. Using different types of tubes is not possible in mine. An important point that was missed in this video is that adjusting the treble also alters the overall gain of the amp....this is why there's a cut control. Turning the treble down increases the gain but also makes it dark sounding. Turning the cut counterclockwise will add the high end back in without affecting the gain. Doing the opposite with the treble and cut will have the opposite effect on gain and give you an overall cleaner sound. Good rule of thumb....putting the cut in the same position as the treble is a good place to start. The range of sounds achievable by using the treble/cut combo and boost switch is staggering.
Thank you very much for the detailed analysis on this amp, I've always suspected they were of good quality and sound. I really enjoyed both episodes. It would be great to have this type of analysis/critique as a series, it really demystifies all the marketing BS.
Thanks! Until I get a new computer this will be the last 4K video for a bit, but I will try to do similar in-depth videos as time allows. Even if it's "only" 1080p (which is still very high resolution).
@@snouter that's a great idea!Perhaps a few instructions on the specifics of how to take the shots to be useful, but hope that Lyle agrees, there are plenty of good amps that are not from the big 3 that we all need to know more about.
@psionicaudio you could probably just do all your vids in 1080p. The audio component is by far the most important part of your videos, I feel like. And besides, making 4K vids is so memory-intensive! I'm a huge fan, btw! 🫡 This is my favorite amp channel, and that's really saying something.
I've owned one of these models of Top Hat Super Deluxe Mk.II for about a decade and I have nothing bad to say about it. However, after watching your video, I would be very interested in modding this to have the Post-Phase Inverter Master Volume wiring. Is there any way you could do a follow up or explain how that might be accomplished? That would be very much appreciated!
Sounds great! For the money it's a steal. Nice to play something different that not everyone else is playing as well. I remember loving the Tophat Supreme 16 which is supposed to be an improvement on the Club Royale which is also really great sounding. I've noticed prices on used gear in general are starting to come down. Let's hope it continues as it was just ridiculous and wasn't making sense. Still isn't but headed in the right direction I think.
Oh man. Just found your channel and saw this. Not going to lie, I was 'rooting' for the Top Hat. One of the first really good amps I ever owned was a green TH Club Royale. This was a few eons ago, with a SS rectifier, which I don't think Brian does in any of his amps now. It was zero negative feedback AC15 style power section with a preamp that was a little throatier even than a proper AC15. At lower volumes it would chime your pants off if you EQ'd it that way, and did that in the studio beatifully, but when it got turned up it would flipping roar. Almost like one of the old Marshall 20 PA amps. It was also the loudest 15 watts I've ever heard, I used a THD attenuator on it for 95% of the club gigs I did with that amp. So fond memories there, and I was hoping it passed the Psionic test. I think Brian's amps go toe to toe with anything out there and while his rep is good I think, I don't think it's up there with Friedman or Sampson, and I think it should be. So thanks again, good sir! I enjoyed the tour.
BTW, the Mojotone “Vintage Taper” pots work great in amps. Specifically the 250k solid shaft, like a Telecaster uses. They’re in my Deluxe Reverb I built.
@@PsionicAudio Yep. I snagged a few dozen when I had the opportunity. I’m really just after the wafer, so it doesn’t matter what type or how long the shaft is. Congratulations on 10K btw! Don’t forget the little people on your meteoric rise!
@@PsionicAudio Just as an aside, there's at least one subscriber who feels with 6v6's the 4-ohm output into 8-ohm load is an optimal choice. Great amp!
I had a SD for years and it was an awesome sounding amp, especially right where it was breaking up! I have one of the original looking Ambassador 35 combos now which I prefer very slightly to the SD. Just personal preference though. Running it dual mono with a TBX ac30 is really something! And loud. Great video!
A friend of mine has an older TopHat Club Royale. Very similar amp except the Club Royale uses two EL84s cathode biased, a la Vox AC15. It's one of the best sounding lower power amps I've ever heard.
Thank you very much for this informative video. I am presently beginning to use this amp as my main giging amp and am learning how to drive the front end at outdoor concert volumes without the preamp getting that squashed,mega grainy, enveloping and buzzy sound when pushed with a tube screamer style overdrive. I now am going to try different flavors of boost style pedals and that will be all I will need. Don’t get me wrong, I want access to insane amounts of unholy distortion when needed,but must be able most of the time to get a big,bold and fat driven sound as if Angus Young was trying to sound a bit like Jerry Garcia during a live performance . I WILL get with this beautiful musically inspiring amp.👌🎸
Thank you so much for digging in to the boost circuit. There are other ways of accomplishing the same sort of thing, such as a voltage divider in the signal path. Bright puts a small cap in parallel with the top resistor, Fat shunts the top resistor. But I do prefer bypassing the cathode resistor with a large cap (fat) and very small cap (bright) as that's a better candidate for a footswitch (low impedance).
Hey Lyle, im curious about what you said about cathode stripping specifically in an amp i built. You said its not an issue in guitar amps but this amp isnt like most amps so im still concerned it might be an issue in my case. The amp is basically a Champ AA764 minus the "vibrato" circuit and tube rectifier (uses SS rectification). I also designed it to have a switchable output section, either 6V6 or EL84. And that is where my concern stems from Both of the output tubes are always installed and i borrowed the switching idea from the Mesa Blue Angel series of amps. So its basically switching the output tubes with a cathode lift switch. And everything else for the output tubes is wired in parallel (except the cathode resistors for bias and the tube sockets have seperate grid stoppers so i could get them as close to the sockets as possible). So my concern has always been with cathode stripping happening on the tube that isnt being used. I naturally use both tubes pretty evenly as i really like the charictartistics of both. But if i were to use just one or the other for an extended period of time would cathode stripping become an issue with the one thats powered on but not conducting? The amp would function perfectly fine with only one output tube installed at a time but i really like being able to just throw it in standby and hit the output tube switch to change the power section characteristics on the fly. If you took the time to read that and answer thanks in advance. Seriously love the channel btw!
Thanks Michael. You shouldn’t have any problems. Lots of amps do “half power” by lifting cathodes. If you’re really worried you could also switch screen connections but that’s much harder on switches (which are rated for high AC not high DC). A better approach would be to use relatively high value resistors so the cathodes are always “connected” but one tube is just barely getting a trickle. Like a 10K across the switch. The tube won’t be fully “off” but it won’t be doing much. But I think that’s probably overkill.
@@PsionicAudio Wonderful, thats exactly what i was looking for and I feel better about it now. I suppose ill continue using the amp as is and if i decide in the future i want to squeeze every last bit of possible life out of the output tubes ill use the 10k across the switch as you suggested for some extra peace of mind. Thanks again!
I’ve built amps that can use different output tubes, of my own design even. I went through the effort and expense of using switches to change the bias resistors though. It gets cluttered and cramped pretty quick, with very limited tonal change. It’s just not worth the effort, in my opinion. Pick one type and maximize its potential. That being said, this is a pretty cool amp. It sounds and looks great. I like the simple bypass cap type fat boost, it sounds very natural and “tubey”.
have you checked out the Infinium series of amps from Bugera the guitar amp brand by Behringer? you can use any power tube you want according to the manual. the bias is self adjusting for each individual tube so you can mix and match. pretty sweet setup if it really works. they also claim to get 150w RMS from 4 tubes. i have the 1960 Infinium 150w head with el34s in it. the amp is brilliant it stands up to my vintage Marshalls and my Friedmans.
@@truescotsman4103 I’ve worked on a dozen or so of the Infinium equipped Bugera’s. It’s a voltage regulation circuit on the grids of the output tubes. Nothing special really and it’s got the same problem as the Tophat. No one tube is biased perfectly. The gap between the EL/KT and beam type output tubes is rather large. The circuit often bricks the amp too. It’s not really a big deal though. It’s simple to add a traditional fixed bias negative supply. You just have to actually bias the amp for the tubes it’s using. And yes, they sounded good. Especially for the price.
@@matthewf1979 thank you for the response. i paid $549us shipped to my door overnight on payments with no credit check from Zzounds. i was going to send it back but i fell in love with how it sounds. in some ways it sounds better than my vintage marshalls. it has breadth in the middle where it counts for single note runs and just enough compression so all your notes stand out doing full chords without getting dull and flubby. it has great dynamics its just a great amp.
I've owned this amp for a few years now. It's amazing. The best thing about it is it's very responsive to adjustments. Unlike many others that I've owned or played.
Gotta give him credit on how he overspecs by multiple 360° lead bends and protects neatly laid wires with felt to reduce vibrations. What a jaw dropper....
I'm curious as to what the broader function of the "cut" control is. I know it cuts highs as you turn it up, (duh) but when there's also a tone stack, what does it do? A more global EQ after the other tone controls? I seem to remember that it was implemented in the power amp section, like a presence or resonance control.
It's on the output tube grids (right before the grid stoppers). While a very different circuit, most guitarists can just think of it as a backwards "presence" control. It's more dramatic with EL84s which are brighter/spikier than other tube types.
PS it originated on the early Voxes that had no tone stack. And it's the only tone circuit that affects the Normal and Vib/Trem channels on TB Voxes. As used in this amp it is a way to get "Presence" without using negative feedback. It can be a nice addition to a 5E3 build.
suspending a capacitor or other signal wire or component across the inside of a chassis with long leads is like asking for sympathetic vibration to be added to your signal path.
@@PsionicAudio the mass and length of the leads will determine the fundamental frequency of that part. its still susceptible to vibration of all frequencies. tap on it with a stick or maybe pluck it like a string. i made a pedal once that had an external diode circuit to test clipping diodes. i only had solid core wire for the loop and it ended up being very microphonic.
IDK if there's any cathode follower stages in that amp but russian tubes' cathodes don't hold up well with elevated voltages. The cathode ends up shorting to the heater and then HUM...
When you turn down the master volume you need to readjust the treble/mid/bass/cut controls to optimize the sound. Also are you sure you would make the bright or fat switch footswitchable without a popping sound?
Or if it had an improved MV you wouldn't have to keep fiddling with the other knobs. PS those adjustments don't sound the same as the phase inverter overdriving. Footswitch would work just like the panel switch. No popping.
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Brian and his wife are super sweet people and his amp business is as honest as it gets...
I had a Top Hat Vibratrem I bought used.Over phone a few times Brian was quite generous with his time helping me tweek it to where I wanted it.He owed me nothing,the service was above and beyond.
I've owned a 2001 Super Deluxe 2x12 for years and it's a tremendously great amp. Mine however uses 7591 power tubes and is solid state rectified with a normal/soft attack switch. Using different types of tubes is not possible in mine. An important point that was missed in this video is that adjusting the treble also alters the overall gain of the amp....this is why there's a cut control. Turning the treble down increases the gain but also makes it dark sounding. Turning the cut counterclockwise will add the high end back in without affecting the gain. Doing the opposite with the treble and cut will have the opposite effect on gain and give you an overall cleaner sound. Good rule of thumb....putting the cut in the same position as the treble is a good place to start. The range of sounds achievable by using the treble/cut combo and boost switch is staggering.
There were a couple of times you played some chords and I was immediately hearing The Pretenders and Tom Petty. What a usable classic sound.
Thank you very much for the detailed analysis on this amp, I've always suspected they were of good quality and sound. I really enjoyed both episodes. It would be great to have this type of analysis/critique as a series, it really demystifies all the marketing BS.
Thanks! Until I get a new computer this will be the last 4K video for a bit, but I will try to do similar in-depth videos as time allows. Even if it's "only" 1080p (which is still very high resolution).
@@PsionicAudio 4k is more than my eyes can appreciate. Your words come through fine at 1080! Great video as always! 😎👍
@@snouter that's a great idea!Perhaps a few instructions on the specifics of how to take the shots to be useful, but hope that Lyle agrees, there are plenty of good amps that are not from the big 3 that we all need to know more about.
@psionicaudio you could probably just do all your vids in 1080p. The audio component is by far the most important part of your videos, I feel like. And besides, making 4K vids is so memory-intensive!
I'm a huge fan, btw! 🫡 This is my favorite amp channel, and that's really saying something.
Amen! He likes it. I don’t own one but I love the occasional praise. Lyle you’re an amazing source for us holy grail crusaders.
There's something about a cathode biased amp with no negative feedback in the top end that is just wonderful.
I've owned one of these models of Top Hat Super Deluxe Mk.II for about a decade and I have nothing bad to say about it. However, after watching your video, I would be very interested in modding this to have the Post-Phase Inverter Master Volume wiring. Is there any way you could do a follow up or explain how that might be accomplished? That would be very much appreciated!
Sounds great! For the money it's a steal. Nice to play something different that not everyone else is playing as well. I remember loving the Tophat Supreme 16 which is supposed to be an improvement on the Club Royale which is also really great sounding. I've noticed prices on used gear in general are starting to come down. Let's hope it continues as it was just ridiculous and wasn't making sense. Still isn't but headed in the right direction I think.
The new camera setup produces noticeably improved video quality. A lot more detail. Looks great!
Oh man. Just found your channel and saw this. Not going to lie, I was 'rooting' for the Top Hat. One of the first really good amps I ever owned was a green TH Club Royale. This was a few eons ago, with a SS rectifier, which I don't think Brian does in any of his amps now. It was zero negative feedback AC15 style power section with a preamp that was a little throatier even than a proper AC15. At lower volumes it would chime your pants off if you EQ'd it that way, and did that in the studio beatifully, but when it got turned up it would flipping roar. Almost like one of the old Marshall 20 PA amps. It was also the loudest 15 watts I've ever heard, I used a THD attenuator on it for 95% of the club gigs I did with that amp. So fond memories there, and I was hoping it passed the Psionic test. I think Brian's amps go toe to toe with anything out there and while his rep is good I think, I don't think it's up there with Friedman or Sampson, and I think it should be. So thanks again, good sir! I enjoyed the tour.
Thanx Lyle... that was truly a pro review...
The only thing I wonder about is can you recommend a typical PPIMV I could check out?
Thanx again
Thanks for validation of my purchase. I have the same amp, only I have 6L6WGB output tubes and a Celestion Alnico Cream.
BTW, the Mojotone “Vintage Taper” pots work great in amps. Specifically the 250k solid shaft, like a Telecaster uses.
They’re in my Deluxe Reverb I built.
That's a J taper. Ish. I use both Fender branded and regular CTS J Tapers. Used a lot of MTs too, though they've been out of stock this year.
@@PsionicAudio Yep. I snagged a few dozen when I had the opportunity. I’m really just after the wafer, so it doesn’t matter what type or how long the shaft is.
Congratulations on 10K btw! Don’t forget the little people on your meteoric rise!
@@PsionicAudio Just as an aside, there's at least one subscriber who feels with 6v6's the 4-ohm output into 8-ohm load is an optimal choice. Great amp!
I had a SD for years and it was an awesome sounding amp, especially right where it was breaking up! I have one of the original looking Ambassador 35 combos now which I prefer very slightly to the SD. Just personal preference though. Running it dual mono with a TBX ac30 is really something! And loud.
Great video!
Love this amp and great breakdown of its merits and faults.
A friend of mine has an older TopHat Club Royale. Very similar amp except the Club Royale uses two EL84s cathode biased, a la Vox AC15. It's one of the best sounding lower power amps I've ever heard.
Thank you very much for this informative video. I am presently beginning to use this amp as my main giging amp and am learning how to drive the front end at outdoor concert volumes without the preamp getting that squashed,mega grainy, enveloping and buzzy sound when pushed with a tube screamer style overdrive. I now am going to try different flavors of boost style pedals and that will be all I will need. Don’t get me wrong, I want access to insane amounts of unholy distortion when needed,but must be able most of the time to get a big,bold and fat driven sound as if Angus Young was trying to sound a bit like Jerry Garcia during a live performance . I WILL get with this beautiful musically inspiring amp.👌🎸
Thank you so much for digging in to the boost circuit. There are other ways of accomplishing the same sort of thing, such as a voltage divider in the signal path. Bright puts a small cap in parallel with the top resistor, Fat shunts the top resistor. But I do prefer bypassing the cathode resistor with a large cap (fat) and very small cap (bright) as that's a better candidate for a footswitch (low impedance).
Better than any amp demo could ever hope to be.
Beautiful amp! Sounds great too.
Hey Lyle, im curious about what you said about cathode stripping specifically in an amp i built. You said its not an issue in guitar amps but this amp isnt like most amps so im still concerned it might be an issue in my case. The amp is basically a Champ AA764 minus the "vibrato" circuit and tube rectifier (uses SS rectification). I also designed it to have a switchable output section, either 6V6 or EL84. And that is where my concern stems from Both of the output tubes are always installed and i borrowed the switching idea from the Mesa Blue Angel series of amps. So its basically switching the output tubes with a cathode lift switch. And everything else for the output tubes is wired in parallel (except the cathode resistors for bias and the tube sockets have seperate grid stoppers so i could get them as close to the sockets as possible). So my concern has always been with cathode stripping happening on the tube that isnt being used. I naturally use both tubes pretty evenly as i really like the charictartistics of both. But if i were to use just one or the other for an extended period of time would cathode stripping become an issue with the one thats powered on but not conducting? The amp would function perfectly fine with only one output tube installed at a time but i really like being able to just throw it in standby and hit the output tube switch to change the power section characteristics on the fly. If you took the time to read that and answer thanks in advance. Seriously love the channel btw!
Thanks Michael. You shouldn’t have any problems. Lots of amps do “half power” by lifting cathodes. If you’re really worried you could also switch screen connections but that’s much harder on switches (which are rated for high AC not high DC).
A better approach would be to use relatively high value resistors so the cathodes are always “connected” but one tube is just barely getting a trickle. Like a 10K across the switch. The tube won’t be fully “off” but it won’t be doing much.
But I think that’s probably overkill.
@@PsionicAudio Wonderful, thats exactly what i was looking for and I feel better about it now. I suppose ill continue using the amp as is and if i decide in the future i want to squeeze every last bit of possible life out of the output tubes ill use the 10k across the switch as you suggested for some extra peace of mind. Thanks again!
It really is a crime about the Master’s placement before the inverter. It sounds great cranked up… How tough would that be to mod?
Great analysis!!!
Treble should be always below master on Brian’s amps.
I’ve built amps that can use different output tubes, of my own design even. I went through the effort and expense of using switches to change the bias resistors though. It gets cluttered and cramped pretty quick, with very limited tonal change. It’s just not worth the effort, in my opinion.
Pick one type and maximize its potential.
That being said, this is a pretty cool amp. It sounds and looks great. I like the simple bypass cap type fat boost, it sounds very natural and “tubey”.
have you checked out the Infinium series of amps from Bugera the guitar amp brand by Behringer? you can use any power tube you want according to the manual. the bias is self adjusting for each individual tube so you can mix and match. pretty sweet setup if it really works. they also claim to get 150w RMS from 4 tubes. i have the 1960 Infinium 150w head with el34s in it. the amp is brilliant it stands up to my vintage Marshalls and my Friedmans.
@@truescotsman4103 I’ve worked on a dozen or so of the Infinium equipped Bugera’s.
It’s a voltage regulation circuit on the grids of the output tubes. Nothing special really and it’s got the same problem as the Tophat. No one tube is biased perfectly. The gap between the EL/KT and beam type output tubes is rather large.
The circuit often bricks the amp too. It’s not really a big deal though. It’s simple to add a traditional fixed bias negative supply. You just have to actually bias the amp for the tubes it’s using.
And yes, they sounded good. Especially for the price.
@@matthewf1979 thank you for the response. i paid $549us shipped to my door overnight on payments with no credit check from Zzounds. i was going to send it back but i fell in love with how it sounds. in some ways it sounds better than my vintage marshalls. it has breadth in the middle where it counts for single note runs and just enough compression so all your notes stand out doing full chords without getting dull and flubby. it has great dynamics its just a great amp.
I had a Super Deluxe 212 combo about 10 years ago and thought it sounded best with 6L6's. And I am an EL34 guy
Isn't the master volume out of the circuit when fully on? Like jumpered?
Ive never had any luck with Tung Sol tubes. They have always been noisy for me.
I've owned this amp for a few years now. It's amazing. The best thing about it is it's very responsive to adjustments. Unlike many others that I've owned or played.
It's a very good amp.
Gotta give him credit on how he overspecs by multiple 360° lead bends and protects neatly laid wires with felt to reduce vibrations. What a jaw dropper....
The >270 wraps are not a plus. When you exceed mil spec you violate mil spec.
Has anyone ever figured out whether the amp operates at its best with 6l6's, el34's or 6v6's (i.e. with the bias closest to where it should be)?
Is the Master volume actually a master volume since there is no other volume control on this model?
It has input volume (“gain”) and a MV.
@@PsionicAudio Gotcha! I have this amp in a 2x12 configuration. Which power tubes would favor the cathode resistors more in your opinion?
Sorry, this amp was here over a year ago. I don’t have specific memories beyond what’s in the video(s).
But contact Brian at Top Hat. He’ll steer you right.
@@PsionicAudio Thanks Lyle. I appreciate your channel immensely. As a hobbyist amp builder/tweaker, you have taught me much!
Have you considered a buck/boost for your bench power.
Nah. I have a Variac. Next I just need some Tesla coils and Van de Graaff generators...
@@PsionicAudio How about using a SOLA or similar constant voltage self regulating transformer for your bench power?
I'm curious as to what the broader function of the "cut" control is. I know it cuts highs as you turn it up, (duh) but when there's also a tone stack, what does it do? A more global EQ after the other tone controls? I seem to remember that it was implemented in the power amp section, like a presence or resonance control.
It's on the output tube grids (right before the grid stoppers). While a very different circuit, most guitarists can just think of it as a backwards "presence" control.
It's more dramatic with EL84s which are brighter/spikier than other tube types.
PS it originated on the early Voxes that had no tone stack. And it's the only tone circuit that affects the Normal and Vib/Trem channels on TB Voxes.
As used in this amp it is a way to get "Presence" without using negative feedback.
It can be a nice addition to a 5E3 build.
suspending a capacitor or other signal wire or component across the inside of a chassis with long leads is like asking for sympathetic vibration to be added to your signal path.
Depends on the mass of the part.
@@PsionicAudio the mass and length of the leads will determine the fundamental frequency of that part. its still susceptible to vibration of all frequencies. tap on it with a stick or maybe pluck it like a string. i made a pedal once that had an external diode circuit to test clipping diodes. i only had solid core wire for the loop and it ended up being very microphonic.
IDK if there's any cathode follower stages in that amp but russian tubes' cathodes don't hold up well with elevated voltages. The cathode ends up shorting to the heater and then HUM...
I think I've said that exact same thing in a few hundred videos. ;
Heyboer will email you the datasheet for that transformer if you ask them for it.
😎👍
When you turn down the master volume you need to readjust the treble/mid/bass/cut controls to optimize the sound.
Also are you sure you would make the bright or fat switch footswitchable without a popping sound?
Or if it had an improved MV you wouldn't have to keep fiddling with the other knobs. PS those adjustments don't sound the same as the phase inverter overdriving.
Footswitch would work just like the panel switch. No popping.
If you haven’t already seen it, Pete Thorn’s interview of Brian Gerhard, @ about the 18:25 mark, he discusses his philosophy for the pre-PIMV.
Too bad they didn’t use a dress nut on the bright switch to allow the lettering to be better seen. 😐
Whats yuor problem with Morgan amps thank you.
It was pretty clear from his video.
Just don’t make the footswitch mod and accidentally plug your guitar into it….
Looks a little bit like a Valvetech amp inside.
If Valvetech knew how to use a drill and a screwdriver and understood grounds.
Those are horrible bad joke amps.
@@PsionicAudio hehehe, yeah I couldn't comment on that I just saw the general way the components were placed in like a narrow strip.
@@PsionicAudio say it ain't so! My Hayseed sounds so good!
Quite excellent, not very excellent :-)
what the fuhhh