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Post by groovergeorge on Jun 22, 2007 4:28:45 GMT -7
My KT45 G.A.S just seems to be getting worse, week by week. I was just browsing through "you tube" recently and came across this and was wondering if the KT45 has these type of fat clean sounds that this beautiful legendary amp has. I was really impressed by just how 3d this guys tone was when he was giving a demo. Can anyone who has owned or currently owned help me out here?
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Post by dock66 on Jun 22, 2007 8:12:56 GMT -7
Kt 45 has nice clean tone. You'll need pedals to get his tone.
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Post by myles on Jun 22, 2007 10:26:40 GMT -7
Think of the KT-45 as an amp with a lot of clean headroom at middle levels.
When you push it it can then sound like a maxed out Vox AC/50 which is pretty spectacular or even a Hiwatt which was cleaner than the Marshalls of the day.
Very very very versitile amp with a few basic pedals and it loves pedals.
It can also get great 6L6 tones even though it is an EL34 amp due to output section design of the Doc's.
My own KT-45 is one of my most borrowed amps.
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Post by groovergeorge on Jun 22, 2007 18:33:44 GMT -7
Think of the KT-45 as an amp with a lot of clean headroom at middle levels. When you push it it can then sound like a maxed out Vox AC/50 which is pretty spectacular or even a Hiwatt which was cleaner than the Marshalls of the day. Very very very versitile amp with a few basic pedals and it loves pedals. It can also get great 6L6 tones even though it is an EL34 amp due to output section design of the Doc's. My own KT-45 is one of my most borrowed amps. As always thanks Myles! Because I don't own a big, bad old fender Twin anymore, I originally wanted a KT45 to do that kinda thing, as well as a little bit more when I cranked it. I always loved the sound of those old Hi-Watts. To me a in a large gig for old school rock and big rhythms in which I draw my sound from I can't think of a better amp. When and not if I get one I am planning to match it with a pair of Weber 12 Thames alnico's and run it at 4ohms to try and get some Fane type tone going on. I managed to get myself a Z28 for my birthday, so I am focusing my energy on a KT45 for December 25th. I just can't not be excited about this amp. It's just a shame that their aren't as many out there as ghia's or Maz jr's.
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andyt
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by andyt on Jun 24, 2007 12:19:22 GMT -7
It's so subjective. Hard to say anything definite beyond that it's versatile. Very versatile in my opinion although I haven't played a ton of amps. I've had my KT-45 a few months and am not a pro...only get to play with a band about once a week at most. I don't know if this will help and you may have heard all this before but here are a few observations - yes the clean tone is a "fat" one - it brings out the best in my guitars and speakers and pedals -- it's not at all picky about any other gear in the chain. This creates a very enjoyable playing experience. Even if it's not giving me *the* tone I had in my head for some song, it's responsiveness is something I'd never experienced. It grins and takes whatever you throw at it. Asks for more actually! For me this is a big part of the appeal and is making me a happier, more relaxed player. - At our band's volume I can get it to do a clean growl with some bite but requires an Airbrake on 2 or 3 and I mainly use P-90 pickups. - it stays tight when pushed harder by my overdrive/boost pedals - my current dilemna is whether I like KT-45 or a blackface Pro Reverb for the band I'm starting to rehearse with. Both are giving me thick shimmery cleans but can be pushed to give up some (mostly clean) grit without becoming too loud. Just this week there was a 6545 head on ebay. No bids: cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290130630409&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=019 -Andy
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Post by groovergeorge on Jun 25, 2007 6:51:46 GMT -7
Thanks for taking the time to write that Andy.
I think I am really going to love the KT45. It's only a matter of when and not if, I get it.
Big, thick, shimmery cleans, like a Fender Super, without lugging that big old combo around, definitely has a big appeal. I too, am a big fan of the P90 soapbar through both my Maz and Ghia. Although I am primarily a strat player, with one of my strats loaded with a Fralin SP43(P90 type) pickup in the bridge, I still wish I had my old Les Paul TV special. I think the combination of one of those and the KT45 would nail the whole 70's rock thing perfectly.
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andyt
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by andyt on Jun 25, 2007 10:47:38 GMT -7
A couple more thoughts, again just my experience and I do keep the amp pretty clean.
First is kind of a repeat from above. The KT-45 nicely presents the character of other components in my chain (speakers, pickups, fingers, tone of the guitar, pedals). For lack of a better word it's a great "platform" to build on. This can cause some frustration too -- it exposes the weakest link in the chain which is often me.
Second it is pretty loud. Myles says 60 to 65 watts. I'm playing with a louder than average drummer and so far finding clean sounds I like without being too loud. But it's not for every situation.
Oh yes, Les Paul with P-90s into KT-45 is a rockin' sound. I get to do this for some songs in the current band. I hope you get to try the amp soon!
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Post by Curt on Jun 25, 2007 10:48:51 GMT -7
Schwing...P-90's>KT45
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andyt
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by andyt on Jun 25, 2007 11:04:39 GMT -7
Yup. The P-90s can add some nice bite to a clean amp as long as the amp can handle it. The Z's I've tried are Z-28 and KT-45 and both can certainly handle it. My Lollar P-90s into a Vibrolux Reverb caused too much gain and compression (for me). But those Lollars into the KT-45 make for a strong sound and seem to get me to the edge of crunch at lower volume.
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Post by groovergeorge on Jun 25, 2007 16:43:31 GMT -7
What are you putting in front of the KT45 to drive it? A Germanium based pedal like a treble booster or Silicon? I hope I'm not beginning to sound like a tosser here, I'm not going to ask what brand of N.O.S carbon 9 volt anyone is using but even though I have a few stomp boxes including an AC and BB I think this amp would really benefit from something really old school and Germanium based to warm it right up if needed especially if playing a Tele or Strat.
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Post by taswegian on Jun 25, 2007 17:06:20 GMT -7
Yep, I have a Tonefactor Hellbilly which is a Germanium boost. I generally use it for fuzz duties with my 66 but I can just HEAR it through the KT45. Warm, fat and articulate, I bet. That 6545 on ebay was SCREAMING at me. And our dollar is hot at the moment too! AAAHHHHH
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andyt
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by andyt on Jun 25, 2007 17:47:03 GMT -7
I'm not doing anything you'd call fuzz or even distortion. I run it pretty clean right now. Just getting it to breakup a bit either straight in or with a Fulldrive II. Amp's tone controls (love them) and Airbrake can help fine tune the amount of gain. I just shoot for the edge of breakup so I can add some grit using attack and guitar volume.
I can't wait to eventually get into boost pedals but not there yet. Don't even own a decent boost. My "clean boost" for solos is a Boss EQ stompbox. Actually to my ears and with this amp, it gets the job done which surprised me. I probably just don't know what I'm missing though (that was the case with speakers and amps for a long, long time until recently).
Oh, put in a Keeley Rat for kicks and it stayed tight, articulate even with higher gain. It's not a picky amp.
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Post by skydog958 on Jun 25, 2007 17:47:55 GMT -7
I use a Rangemaster with mine occasionally with 'buckers. The tone is smokin' but it cuts like a knife!
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Post by Jan on Jun 28, 2007 22:08:38 GMT -7
groovergeorge, there is a KT-45 on ebay right now. No relation, just an ebay cruiser.
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Post by groovergeorge on Jun 29, 2007 5:48:42 GMT -7
groovergeorge, there is a KT-45 on ebay right now. No relation, just an ebay cruiser. No comment
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Post by taswegian on Jun 29, 2007 5:56:06 GMT -7
Come on mate! What's better than a Z for your birthday? Why, two Z's of course! ;D
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Post by dock66 on Jun 29, 2007 8:04:25 GMT -7
Yep...there is a nice on on ebay.
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Post by groovergeorge on Jun 29, 2007 17:26:30 GMT -7
Come on mate! What's better than a Z for your birthday? Why, two Z's of course! ;D You're a bad, bad man! And just as I am writing this JET are on "JTV" playing through one of a Hi Watt with a ES-335
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