Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Oct 25, 2008 14:07:48 GMT -7
I've been meaning to say a few words about the 45 for a while now. I just got done playing mine (at very low volume) for an hour with my Grosh RC and Room Mate reverb into the Z-Best while Amy was in bed with a migraine headache, and it inspired me.
The KT-45 (along with the Delta 88) is a pretty rare Z amp, and as such I think there could be some misconceptions about it held by some who haven't heard it.
My biases up front: I love "clean" playing even more than "distortion" these days. Don't let the fact that I just bought an Ibanez JS1200 and a Satchurator fool you ;D Or that Fulltone Robin Trower OD... ;D Or that container full of Cusack, Keeley, and other OD and distortion pedals, much less that SRZ-65 I love SRV's clean stuff (Lenny, Rivera Paradise), Knopfler, Jimi's cleaner stuff (Castles Made of Sand, Little Wing, etc.). That's what I play most of the time.
The KT-45 has been tagged with the "loud" label by many players (myself included) because it can get extremely loud. The other side of the story is that thanks to Doc's design (things like the EF86, the EL-34's, simple circuit, etc.) the KT sounds extremely good at low volumes. The harmonic complexity and sustain at low levels is amazing. The "other" short box heads (Z28, 66 and 88) all share this trait, but the KT is a little different. The KT is by far the "cleanest" amp of all the Z's until you crank all the controls, at which time you get "Live At Leeds". However, at low to moderate levels you get an awesome clean sound that, as Myles has said, somehow covers "Fender" bases easily. The 45 has a unique midrange (especially for a Z). It's very "neutral" (I hate that word though) without being "hi-fi" in the least. This gives it an incredible articulation and definition. I hadn't run the 45 that low in a while (treble at 2:00, bass maxed, volume at 9:00) with the guitar's volume at 5. The clean sound at this level was a blast to play, with tons of sustain and a great attack. Of course when you turn it up it just keeps getting better and better. The bass always tight and rock solid, and the highs sparkle with harmonics like only an EL34 amp can.
The other great thing about the 45 is that it takes pedals extremely well ("11" on a 10 scale, as Myles said). That, the low volume complexity, the "neutral" mids and great definition make the KT-45 the *perfect* pedal platform. It's like the highest quality blank canvas you could buy on which to paint your masterpiece. It's probably the most versatile Z amp ever made because all Z amps do overdrive well, and a lot have great clean sounds, but the KT has enough clean headroom for almost any gig as well as that chameleon-like character with good pedals, and that "Live At Leeds" overdrive at high levels (you do have an Airbrake, don't you? ;D)
The only caveat is that it does reveal every nuance of your playing and picking technique, so your chops had better be decent
Curt once told me that he thought the KT might have the best neck pickup Strat sound he's ever heard and that SRV would love the amp. I couldn't agree more but I also have to add that because of the KT's midrange response and dynamics, it **kills** on the "notch" positions of a Strat. I've always been envious of Strat players like Knopfler that have "position #2 and #4" pickup sounds that make notes just pop out of the speakers. I've never gotten sounds like these out of any of my Strats with any amp until now. There's just something about the KT that accentuates the "out of phase" positions.
Like I said, KT-45 you complete me!
The KT-45 (along with the Delta 88) is a pretty rare Z amp, and as such I think there could be some misconceptions about it held by some who haven't heard it.
My biases up front: I love "clean" playing even more than "distortion" these days. Don't let the fact that I just bought an Ibanez JS1200 and a Satchurator fool you ;D Or that Fulltone Robin Trower OD... ;D Or that container full of Cusack, Keeley, and other OD and distortion pedals, much less that SRZ-65 I love SRV's clean stuff (Lenny, Rivera Paradise), Knopfler, Jimi's cleaner stuff (Castles Made of Sand, Little Wing, etc.). That's what I play most of the time.
The KT-45 has been tagged with the "loud" label by many players (myself included) because it can get extremely loud. The other side of the story is that thanks to Doc's design (things like the EF86, the EL-34's, simple circuit, etc.) the KT sounds extremely good at low volumes. The harmonic complexity and sustain at low levels is amazing. The "other" short box heads (Z28, 66 and 88) all share this trait, but the KT is a little different. The KT is by far the "cleanest" amp of all the Z's until you crank all the controls, at which time you get "Live At Leeds". However, at low to moderate levels you get an awesome clean sound that, as Myles has said, somehow covers "Fender" bases easily. The 45 has a unique midrange (especially for a Z). It's very "neutral" (I hate that word though) without being "hi-fi" in the least. This gives it an incredible articulation and definition. I hadn't run the 45 that low in a while (treble at 2:00, bass maxed, volume at 9:00) with the guitar's volume at 5. The clean sound at this level was a blast to play, with tons of sustain and a great attack. Of course when you turn it up it just keeps getting better and better. The bass always tight and rock solid, and the highs sparkle with harmonics like only an EL34 amp can.
The other great thing about the 45 is that it takes pedals extremely well ("11" on a 10 scale, as Myles said). That, the low volume complexity, the "neutral" mids and great definition make the KT-45 the *perfect* pedal platform. It's like the highest quality blank canvas you could buy on which to paint your masterpiece. It's probably the most versatile Z amp ever made because all Z amps do overdrive well, and a lot have great clean sounds, but the KT has enough clean headroom for almost any gig as well as that chameleon-like character with good pedals, and that "Live At Leeds" overdrive at high levels (you do have an Airbrake, don't you? ;D)
The only caveat is that it does reveal every nuance of your playing and picking technique, so your chops had better be decent
Curt once told me that he thought the KT might have the best neck pickup Strat sound he's ever heard and that SRV would love the amp. I couldn't agree more but I also have to add that because of the KT's midrange response and dynamics, it **kills** on the "notch" positions of a Strat. I've always been envious of Strat players like Knopfler that have "position #2 and #4" pickup sounds that make notes just pop out of the speakers. I've never gotten sounds like these out of any of my Strats with any amp until now. There's just something about the KT that accentuates the "out of phase" positions.
Like I said, KT-45 you complete me!