HOVERCRAFT amps...real talk

[frigid midget]

Yeah,but that´s also an idea i like: Having the tone of an Pedal-Boosted OR120. One pedal less in front of the amp. This is what attracts many people, including me,

Why though? Why you no like pedlols

[Ancient Astronaught]

Fun fact:

I asked for these mods of the JCA50h towards a Falcon, you guys were answering recently.

AND: I´m not one of these guys that can´t afford the real deal. I own a Matamp Gt2, a Verellen Skyhammer, a 70s Orange OD 120.
I don´t like the toyish and cheap look of the Hovercrafts. It´s just that i can get this JCA for veeeery cheap and liked the idea of having an Orange/Matamp-ish amp as a backup, or as an amp i can leave at some jam places that are not that safe. You get the point? ;-)
it´s not always about the doom hipster that can´t afford the original ,haha

A Hovercraft amp labeled as "Matamp / Orange" inspired is not and will not be close without a baxandall tonestack, a new PI and a total rework of the power section. Which according to the posted above gutshots, is NOT what happens. And having played with a band the weekend before christmas that used a Falcon, I can tell you that (at least this particular one) it did not sound anything like an Orange or Matamp, and actually got farty and loose (in a bad way) at high volumes. And for reference I've owned a GT200, currently own a custom Matamp based amp, owned another Matamp based custom head (gt120 preamp in Model T poweramp) and have played through original and reissue OR / OD 120's. The Falcon would be closer to your Skyhammer, a basic high gain head with increased low end in comparison to most commercially available heads.

But hovercraft selling them as "Matamp/Orange " style...and the users say they sound like them.

I'm just gonna say it.... atleast 90% of the people who say they sound like them, have never played a real one therefore are going off of horribly recorded youtube demo's for comparison. Most people buying Hovercrafts are buying them because they can't afford the real thing, if they've never owned or really played through a Matamp / Orange for more than 5 minutes at a store at low volumes then they don't know what the amps truly sound like. And THAT is his target audience.



Now if you say its Model T inspired that is more believable and within the realm of possibility because they have similar tone stacks (and well preamps over all) and the phase inverter isn't a too drastically different type, the only missing component (and what gives the Model T is super clean super loud sound) is running the power in UL with 6550's. Which is something I haven't seen Hovercraft do.

You can make a milkshake, dye it Green but put in vanilla flavoring and tell people its a lime milkshake, and miraculously some people will still claim its a lime flavored shake. Doesn't mean it is though.

[ALLisNOISE]

I'm really neither here nor there on the argument behind these amps, but I can tell you I almost peed myself when I saw this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/hovercraft-dwar ... 4d2898dd5e
The big, burly doom man in me was like, "cool"
However, the little girl in me went:
SQUEEE!!!

[Derelict78]

$2000! WTF!
It is cool and even at that price it crossed my Mind to pick it up for my sister (30yo hello kitty freak) but yeah $2000!

[whoismarykelly]

Its a JCA 20 with pink tolex and stickers. The custom voicing he is talking up is probably just a mod to a SLO preamp. If someone actually buys that instead of... I dont know... an actual Soldano, I will be speechless.

[Gone Fission]

Its a JCA 20 with pink tolex and stickers. The custom voicing he is talking up is probably just a mod to a SLO preamp. If someone actually buys that instead of... I dont know... an actual Soldano, I will be speechless.

The 20 can't really go full SLO like the 22 with the lead/overdrive channel can, and the guts do look distinct from most SLO-flavored mods and the Friedman "Brown Eye" mods. I will fully trust that his mods are original, but I know too much to believe what he says they are otherwise. And I don't give a shit about the cosmetics, since I try not to hear through my eyes, although I could maybe see payin $500 for the HK one. Fuck two large, tho.

[ALLisNOISE]

Yeah, the price is ridiculous.
For $2000, I'd buy a wall of Peavey's and use the left over money to buy a Hello Hitty sticker pack from Claire's.

[patdcp]

Fun fact:

I asked for these mods of the JCA50h towards a Falcon, you guys were answering recently.

AND: I´m not one of these guys that can´t afford the real deal. I own a Matamp Gt2, a Verellen Skyhammer, a 70s Orange OD 120.
I don´t like the toyish and cheap look of the Hovercrafts. It´s just that i can get this JCA for veeeery cheap and liked the idea of having an Orange/Matamp-ish amp as a backup, or as an amp i can leave at some jam places that are not that safe. You get the point? ;-)
it´s not always about the doom hipster that can´t afford the original ,haha

A Hovercraft amp labeled as "Matamp / Orange" inspired is not and will not be close without a baxandall tonestack, a new PI and a total rework of the power section. Which according to the posted above gutshots, is NOT what happens. And having played with a band the weekend before christmas that used a Falcon, I can tell you that (at least this particular one) it did not sound anything like an Orange or Matamp, and actually got farty and loose (in a bad way) at high volumes. And for reference I've owned a GT200, currently own a custom Matamp based amp, owned another Matamp based custom head (gt120 preamp in Model T poweramp) and have played through original and reissue OR / OD 120's. The Falcon would be closer to your Skyhammer, a basic high gain head with increased low end in comparison to most commercially available heads.

But hovercraft selling them as "Matamp/Orange " style...and the users say they sound like them.

I'm just gonna say it.... atleast 90% of the people who say they sound like them, have never played a real one therefore are going off of horribly recorded youtube demo's for comparison. Most people buying Hovercrafts are buying them because they can't afford the real thing, if they've never owned or really played through a Matamp / Orange for more than 5 minutes at a store at low volumes then they don't know what the amps truly sound like. And THAT is his target audience.



Now if you say its Model T inspired that is more believable and within the realm of possibility because they have similar tone stacks (and well preamps over all) and the phase inverter isn't a too drastically different type, the only missing component (and what gives the Model T is super clean super loud sound) is running the power in UL with 6550's. Which is something I haven't seen Hovercraft do.

You can make a milkshake, dye it Green but put in vanilla flavoring and tell people its a lime milkshake, and miraculously some people will still claim its a lime flavored shake. Doesn't mean it is though.

Actually, after some time of thinking about it,you´re right ;-)

[D.o.S.]

But hovercraft selling them as "Matamp/Orange " style...and the users say they sound like them.

I'm just gonna say it.... atleast 90% of the people who say they sound like them, have never played a real one therefore are going off of horribly recorded youtube demo's for comparison. Most people buying Hovercrafts are buying them because they can't afford the real thing, if they've never owned or really played through a Matamp / Orange for more than 5 minutes at a store at low volumes then they don't know what the amps truly sound like. And THAT is his target audience.



Now if you say its Model T inspired that is more believable and within the realm of possibility because they have similar tone stacks (and well preamps over all) and the phase inverter isn't a too drastically different type, the only missing component (and what gives the Model T is super clean super loud sound) is running the power in UL with 6550's. Which is something I haven't seen Hovercraft do.

You can make a milkshake, dye it Green but put in vanilla flavoring and tell people its a lime milkshake, and miraculously some people will still claim its a lime flavored shake. Doesn't mean it is though.

[fuzzonaut]

What about those BISON bass amps? Are they modded somethings as well?
It's the same guy "making" and selling them, as far as I can tell.

[whoismarykelly]

What about those BISON bass amps? Are they modded somethings as well?
It's the same guy "making" and selling them, as far as I can tell.

At least some of those are still modded Jet City amps.

[Puck5862]

I recently bought Baltar V2 No.6. This amp freaking crushes it. 2 channels. The clean side is amazing. I've been running a re-issue Rat and a Colossus. either/or = awesome . The high gain side...just as good. Since I bought this thing, the riffs have been falling like rain. Every time I plug in, something new comes out. It's musical (the best quality of any amp) and versatile. There's gobs of tones in this thing. I dialed in a decent facsimile of the brown sound this morning, just for fun. And of course it does doom really, really well. All this for $875...and it looks cool as shit. No brainer. Btw, I bought it based on the Youtube vids. yeah, not HD...lowfi...but I instantly heard something good. I like it.

[whoismarykelly]

Anyone see the stuff on facebook about build quality and unconnected parts in these amps?

[aralim4311]

Yeah I was following that thread. Crazy shit.

[odontophobia]

GOOP?

Prices are about to skyrocket.