Comparisons?

[fusionbear]

Anybody know of any threads or sites that have compared some of the TW inspired amps out there. I'm thinking Fuchs, Komet, Allesandro, Ruby, Ceriatone. The reason I'm asking is I wrestle between attempting to make my own vs. buying one from a respected builder who has done it "right" or both buying one and building one to learn how to tweak and learn to make one right. Any thoughts, reco's?

[Tubetwang]

I don't know if you have any build experience but, building an amp is a lot of fun but can also be extremely frustrating...

Great way to learn but!

So my humble recommendation f.w.i.w. is : buy an amp if you want to play. Buy a kit if you want to learn and play. Buy an amp and a kit if money is no object...

[leaveitalone84]

I picked up a Ceriatone because I wanted to 'play" and not be fooling around with the amp to get it right. While it is pretty close to the real deal it needs some tweaking. I'll be adding a mod or two as well.

IMHO; From just reading the problems people had with builds I just wanted to get something finished, and concentrate on my playing.

[UR12]

Here is a couple of comparisons. Between a real express owned by Glen Kuykendall and a Cerriatone and a scratch build by Richie. I might be mistaken but I am thinking Richie still has the amp from the clips and he might be talked into letting it go.

https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.ph ... ichie+glen

Looks like TGP killed the cerriatone thread ....Sorry

[muchxs]

I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to offer my opinion about anything. My opinion:

Anybody know of any threads or sites that have compared some of the TW inspired amps out there. I'm thinking Fuchs,

A lot of amp for the money. Not exactly "boutique" in execution but I can't argue with the results. Andy builds stuff you can beat with a hammer, the amp will deliver the goods night after night. A lot of boutique builders guess a lot more than they'll admit, where other builders have questions Andy has answers.

Komet,

KILLER amp! Bring money. Quite a bit of money.

Allesandro,

NOT a Trainwreck. Nice amps. Allesandro has his own ideas about what an amp should be. I can't say that I agree with all of his ideas, quality-wise I can't fault Allesandro. Like I said, nice amps. Not my cup of tea.

Oh yeah. Bring money!

Ruby,

Very VERY nice amps. PM Paul for prices and availability. Again, a lot of builders know HOW. Paul knows WHY. WHY is a very handy bit of knowledge, HOW will only get you so far.

Ceriatone.

No thanks. Just my opinion but Ken Fischer worked his entire life to bring us this design, it's a legacy and I feel we should honor that legacy. I can buy a Hyundai that looks a lot like a Jaguar from a certain angle but it sure isn't a Jaguar.

The reason I'm asking is I wrestle between attempting to make my own vs. buying one from a respected builder who has done it "right" or both buying one and building one to learn how to tweak and learn to make one right. Any thoughts, reco's?

A genuine Trainwreck is the culmination of one man's skill, knowledge, art and craft. They're a sensitive beast, consider Ken as an animal trainer. He trained the animal but it's still an animal. To get it right requires a certain level of knowlege and skill, some say that the only "real" Trainwreck is a genuine Ken built and Ken tweaked amp.

My vote for Keepers of the Flame goes to:

1) Andy Fuchs, (fuchsaudio) for the best Trainwreck type amp value per dollar. Sounds good, looks good, does what you want, doesn't break.

2) Allyn M, (allynmey) for the most authentic Trainwreck replica. Pay your money, get in line, SMILE. Looks like you spent $35k for it. Sounds like you spent $35k for it.

3) Paul Ruby. Flawless quality but not exactly a replica. It's like the difference between Gibson and PRS. You can't buy a Les Paul from PRS.

Honorable Mention:

Mark Huss builds killer amps but it's my impression he's not crankin' 'em out for public consumption. Mark, correct me if I'm wrong.

Jeremy Ledford will build you a Trainwreck if he's not busy with something for various Detroit grind bands. Monster handwired amps for reasonable money.

Steve Liberty. Authentic Wreck tone without the hype.

Apologies to diligent and knowlegable builders omitted from the short list.