Trainwreck vs. Alessandro

[Paul86]

Hello everyone,
I'm new to the forum. I've been lurking for some time now, and I'd like to know if anyone here has ever done any kind of A/B test between a Wreck (clone or original) and an Alessandro Bloodhound.
Thank you all.
P.S. I love this forum!

[HeeBGB]

I have played both and the Allessandro amps are NOT as aggressive as the Express amps (one REAL express and some clones) that I have played. I am not really sure which Allessandro models I have played though. Someone brought one to the last ampfest I hosted and I also played one at a local GC a few years back. They are REALLY nice amps in their own right, but different animals as far as I can tell.

I don't think you can compare the two really.

[Allynmey]

I have played both and the Allessandro amps are NOT as aggressive as the Express amps (one REAL express and some clones) that I have played. I am not really sure which Allessandro models I have played though. Someone brought one to the last ampfest I hosted and I also played one at a local GC a few years back. They are REALLY nice amps in their own right, but different animals as far as I can tell.

I don't think you can compare the two really.

The one at ampfest was a Beagle. 18 Watt style with Octal Pre's. It sounded very good. Not like the express at all. Very nice clean sounds though.

Allynmey

[Paul86]

Thank you guys,
The thing I like most about my Bloodhound is that I sometimes "forget" I have an amp. I can totally concentrate on my playing once the amp is set the way I like (which by now is very quick). It reacts very well to picking dynamics, pickup selection, the guitar's volume pot etc.
New let me be a pain in the ass and pester you guys for some more info.
Are the Wrecks "better" in this category (i.e. a 'transparent' amp, as I described above)? How would you describe (yeah, I know) the tonal differences of the two amps?
Thank you all very much.

[Paul86]

P.S. I forgot to say why I'm asking these questions. I've been thinking of either building a Wreck clone or having someone like Paul Ruby build it for me. I just would like to know if I would end up with two very similar sounding amps.

[Allynmey]

P.S. I forgot to say why I'm asking these questions. I've been thinking of either building a Wreck clone or having someone like Paul Ruby build it for me. I just would like to know if I would end up with two very similar sounding amps.

Hi Paul, The Trainwreck is kinda an Over-the-top gain monster. It is very responsive and NOT an amp for an unexperienced player! I commented on the forum before that the amp is so quick, it startled me the first time I played it loud. It seems as if you can hear the pick rake the strings even as you slam a power chord. The world goes into slow motion and you hear everything! One other thing. The sound seems to come out of the speaker before you finish hitting the chord. It was really freaky the first time I played mine. I felt naked to the world! Anyone else experience this? Oh, and BTW...anything you have Paul Ruby build is worth it!

Allyn

[Zippy]

I'm still new to these gain monsters and a lil' intimidated by them (and those who use them so effectively). I would guess that detuning the third stage would be the "obvious" place to start. If I adjust plate and cathode values of the third stage, am I just going to end up with a gutted amp that has no voice or is this a reasonable approach?

I guess I'm still stuck in the mode of wanting one amp that can gleefully accept playing rhythm and has the tone and guts to step up for lead. I'm also hoping to discover the secret of making one of these sufficiently stable to put in a combo format.

Apologies up front to the purists.

[philmanatee]

I play rhythm 80% of the time on my express clone and it's awesome. I ride the volume and tone controls on my guitar and crank the volume up fr leads. I don't have to use abox to boost the leads like I did on my jtm-45. I can't believe how far down you can turn your guitar volume and get great sounds with an express. Phil

[mikeyg]

I owned a Bloodhound a long while ago. I had a Komet 60 at that time for direct compare. I now have an Express clone too.

I like the Komet 60 cleans better than the Express clone. I like the BH cleans even better than the Komet 60 (although it was only a slight improvement).

I don't know circuits at all, but a friend who has owned both, and builds his own amps, says that the Bloodhound is very close to an Express, but with more of a low-mid emphasis, as opposed to the Express upper-mid emphasis. Much more bottom end, too. The BH is a gain machine too, big time. It may be viewed as less aggressive due to the lack of a comparable 'searing' top end of the Express, but it's still a gain machine.

Alessandro has a background in hi-fi, and it shows in his amps. They have some of the best cleans available, IMO.

[Paul86]

OK Guys, here's the deal. I used to play with a weekend warriors type of band, and I'll never forget the first time I cranked the BH up! Unfortunately now I live in an apartment, am happilly married with two kids, you get the picture - there simply isn't any space in my life right now for that kind of volume. When I first thought of a TW clone was thinking of having one built with a Power Scale mod. Now my question is, has anyone here tried this mod? I remember seeing (not hearing) an Alessandro with a full-blown Power Scale modification, do you think this is the way to go?
Please hit me with your opinions.