EMERY SOUND MICROBABY recording guitar amp

[echo unit]

Good Day,

Is there anyone who is using these small low watt recording designed amps and can answer a few questions?

1. Do you like the way it sounds?

2. Can it sound like a Vox AC15/30 using the right combination of tubes?

3. How loud is it in a room when the amp is set for a great clean sounding tone?
When turned up to maximum volume and set for the lowest wattage how loud
is the amp?

4. How much noise and hiss does it produce? Is it a quiet amp when idling?

5. With it's low 1-2 wattage, a user will require a lot more gain from the mic preamp. These aren't going to produce the normal volume of regular guitar amps. Are there any problems with a poor signal to noise ratio in the recordings?

6. How happy have you been with the results using the Microbaby?

[themaidsroom]

i think i'm about to buy one of those or the super baby........
i have a good feeling about those amps.......
i've talked with their maker a couple of times......

eventually, due to my sickness, i may have to buy
both......


be well

- jack

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

i think i'm about to buy one of those or the super baby........
i have a good feeling about those amps.......
i've talked with their maker a couple of times......

eventually, due to my sickness, i may have to buy
both......


be well

- jack

Almost the same thing here. Chris has answered all my stupid questions and has ben a real pro so far. I am looking for a low wattage power stage for my new RM4.



I would love to hear some feedback to echo unit's questions as well.

[BrianBrian]

I am extremely interested in these amps too. I go to school very close to where Emery Sound is located, so hopefully I can get over there and try the Microbaby out. I am seriously fiending for a super low-wattage tube amp right now, and have heard mostly positive things about the EmerySound amps.

That tube mad scientist kit looks pretty interesting too.

[Ruudman]

Originally Posted by echo unit

2. Can it sound like a Vox AC15/30 using the right combination of tubes?

I doubt it can nail the imperfection of the old AC's.
Some of the MOJO comes from cheaper parts with a high tolerate grade
(>5%), and every one sounded slightly different.
An old AC, gain on 2 o'clock, a bit underbiased with ghostly subharmonics.
Mmm, love it thumbsup

The Emery can be a beauty, though.

ruudman

[BrianBrian]

Have you guys seen this page?

http://www.emerysound.com/TubePage.html

Has some interesting "tube recipes", and suggests these setups for Vox-like tone:

small vox- 5Y3, EL84, 12AX7 (loose)

big vox- 5R4 or 5AR4, EL84, 12AX7 (loose)

Have no idea how close this setup would sound to an AC15/30 though, but it does seem like a pretty damn versatile amp, capable of a lot of different tones through the tube and voicing customization.

From what I have heard about it, it isn't the best choice for loud clean tone, because there is not that much headroom on a 2 watt amp.

[echo unit]

How loud do you think this amp is in a room when set for a tone that is just beneath the break up point.

If this amp isn't loud enough to get a decent tone then maybe my Vox AC30 with a hot plate on it would be better?

Any opinions of the hot plate? I was thinking that the Emery would be a better choice than getting into the hot plate on a Vox but maybe not?

[Ruudman]

I would have tested the Emery, always felt that something's wrong when
I've used attenuators.
I understand the idea of low watt amps, but the room itself
is an important element of how the amp sounds and behaves.
With louder amps, obviously, the room makes more impact.


ruudman

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by Ruudman

I would have tested the Emery, always felt that something's wrong when
I've used attenuators.
I understand the idea of low watt amps, but the room itself
is an important element of how the amp sounds and behaves.
With louder amps, obviously, the room makes more impact.


ruudman

I am sure you would agree that this can be a negative impact as well as a positive one. For me my guitar tracking room is just this side of okay so a low wattage amp might help me to take the room out of the deal and get a better guitar sound.

Also it is important to remember that many of the great guitar sounds of rock history were low wattage amps, Supros, Champs etc.

[kevinc]

Count me in as well.

Seriously cool looking little amp.

How many watts is the Super Baby ?
Is it 5 ?

That might be a little more realistic for me personally.

2 Just seems a little too low. I guess if you stick the mic right on the grill it`s all the same really but something about it scares me. If somebody accidently whispered on the other side of the room it`d be louder than the amp !

[dave-G]

I've worked with the SuperBaby on a number of occasions.. Kurt is a swell guy, and puts a lot into these things.

Great little amps, IMO.. and not as quiet as you might think... They bark pretty decently, and are very recordable.

-dave

[echo unit]

What kind of clean tones does the superbaby produce? Is it more on the side of a Fender or more like a Vox?

I prefer the sound of a clean Vox and was wondering if these are going to get even close to a sound as good as that.

My other option is to get the Hot Plate for my AC30.

Any opinions would be grand since you have had experience with the Curt Emery Amp.

Hey, when clean, how loud is the superbaby? Can a it give good tone at low room volume?

Thanks for the help bro

[kevinc]

Originally Posted by echo unit

What kind of clean tones does the superbaby produce? Is it more on the side of a Fender or more like a Vox?

I prefer the sound of a clean Vox and was wondering if these are going to get even close to a sound as good as that.

My other option is to get the Hot Plate for my AC30.

Any opinions would be grand since you have had experience with the Curt Emery Amp.

Hey, when clean, how loud is the superbaby? Can a it give good tone at low room volume?

Thanks for the help bro

I`m not Dave and I`ve never tried it but just looking through some of the reviews and testimonials it seems like you can get a pretty wide range of sounds out of it just from swapping different tubes in and out.

I bet with the right combo you could find something close to what your looking for but again I`ve haven`t tried one yet.

[u b k]

Originally Posted by not_so_new

For me my guitar tracking room is just this side of okay so a low wattage amp might help me to take the room out of the deal and get a better guitar sound.

i don't subscribe to that notion... ime a signal at low volume in a crappy room produces the same direct:crap ratio as a signal at loud volume.

i've experienced this time and again with everything from classical guitar to nearfield monitors. my conclusion is that the room is an equally important factor regardless of volume.


gregoire
del ubik

[Ruudman]

Originally Posted by not_so_new

I am sure you would agree that this can be a negative impact as well as a positive one. For me my guitar tracking room is just this side of okay so a low wattage amp might help me to take the room out of the deal and get a better guitar sound.

Also it is important to remember that many of the great guitar sounds of rock history were low wattage amps, Supros, Champs etc.

Agree. If you got a bad room, or a room that interacts in a bad way;
low watt is the ticket. Or to get different sounds than with big amps.
But a Champ can be loud too

ruudman

[84K]

Also check out:


http://swartamps.com/home.htm

http://www.dividedby13.com/jrt915.html

http://www.alessandro-products.com/amp-english.html

http://www.alessandro-products.com/amp-beagle.shtml

http://www.mavenpeal.com/DZ44.html

They are all great!

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by u b i k

i don't subscribe to that notion... ime a signal at low volume in a crappy room produces the same direct:crap ratio as a signal at loud volume.

i've experienced this time and again with everything from classical guitar to nearfield monitors. my conclusion is that the room is an equally important factor regardless of volume.


gregoire
del ubik

We agree to disagree then.



I don't record a nylon string guitar from an inch away and I don't put my ear up against the grill of my near fields. In both examples you give the room is a very important part of the whole deal but a 5 watt guitar amp is a different kettle of fish.

I tend to record most but not all electric guitar sounds from about a inch away from the grill, maybe a bit more maybe a bit less. Low wattage amps are still hefty, I have a 10 watt Supro that is surprisingly loud.

A 100 watt Marshall takes some work to distort the power amp section and for the record, if anyone has ever heard a really and I mean really cranked 100 Marshall the tone is not coming from the over loaded input stage, it is the power section where that last little bit of tone comes from. To get a 100 watt head to sound like that you are setting up all kinds of nodes in you recording environment and because the amplitude of the original signal is so strong the reflected signal is producing deep nodes that can be very unflattering even back to the mic 1 inch away from the grill.

A 5 watt amp will go into power section distortion much easier (obviously) but the amplitude of the source is such that the first reflections are not strong enough to make a dent in the mic. I know because I have recorded both high wattage amps and low wattage and I have had great success with low watt amps in bad rooms.

As I said we agree to disagree and YMMV for sure.

[dave-G]

Originally Posted by echo unit

What kind of clean tones does the superbaby produce? Is it more on the side of a Fender or more like a Vox?

I prefer the sound of a clean Vox and was wondering if these are going to get even close to a sound as good as that.

My other option is to get the Hot Plate for my AC30.

Any opinions would be grand since you have had experience with the Curt Emery Amp.

Hey, when clean, how loud is the superbaby? Can a it give good tone at low room volume?

Thanks for the help bro

In terms of tones, it's tough to directly correlate my experience with the huge variety of Fender or Vox amps and the Emery amps in a way that would mean anything outside of my own head... And besides, as an engineer, most of my experience with amps (besides my own) is in reacting to the sounds with the guitar player and collaboratively working with the controls and positioning to get results that makes everyone grin.

So, not to duck out on your question ... but to get really in-depth, you really should call and talk to Curt himself... I'm sure it would be enlightening.

What I can tell you is that the times I have used it, I've found it to be really easy to get a sound going, and just sit back and let the player fly with it.

-dave

[jigsawlogic]

An alternative to buying a new amp specifically for the purpose of low-volume recording:

http://www.ultimateattenuator.com/home.html

Supposedly, unlike the THD hotplate, this one does the job without noticeable tonal degredation. Haven't had the chance to use one yet, just read the raves about it (check out harmony-central).

[threm]

Originally Posted by 84K

Also check out:


http://swartamps.com/home.htm

http://www.dividedby13.com/jrt915.html

http://www.alessandro-products.com/amp-english.html

http://www.alessandro-products.com/amp-beagle.shtml

http://www.mavenpeal.com/DZ44.html

They are all great!

And a few more;

West Labs Guitar Amp "Pico-Fire",
will be available in finished form or kit
http://westlabs.com/Products.HTML

Vintone Circuits SimpleX
http://www.vintone.com/simplex.html

PIERSON 5F1, TWEED DELUXE 5E3 REPLICA
http://www.tubecellar.com/champ/index.html

New 5w amp by Mark Sampson (Matchless etc)
http://www.supersoundmusic.com/star.html
http://www.larrymorganmusic.com/new_page_81.htm

NEW FARGEN MINI PLEX
http://www.bostonguitar.com/Merchant...y_Code=AM-FARG
http://www.fargenamps.com/

Dr. Z Amplification Mini-Z
http://www.drzamps.com/

Mill Hill. Summer amp. 3.5 watts. 1x8 combo. $625 list. 12V6 power tube
http://www.amptone.com/millhillsummer.htm

If you can do some very basic soldering;
Gilmore Jr Kit $249.
Two Watt Converter $19
http://www.guytronix.com/pages/1/index.htm
http://www.gerhartamps.com/products.htm
New Ardmore 8 Watts 2xEL-84 Kit $299

"Best 5watt amp" (Check the pics of the Vintone SimpleX )
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...5&pagenumber=1

[Foldedpath]

I'm really trying to stay away from amp lust these days, but if I had $2k burning a hole in my pocked I might get one of these:

http://carramps.com/mercury.html

It's 8 watts with built-in attenuation down to 2, 1/2, or 1/10 watt. I haven't heard one, but I'd love to try it. It's sort of ugly too, which I like. Some of the boutique amps are way too pretty for my taste.

[echo unit]

I think I am going to get an attenuator for my Vox AC30 to keep the volume down.

Any recommendations on which attenuator is the best one?

I have read a lot of bad comments regarding the Hot Plate by THD Electronics.

What are the alternatives?

[jigsawlogic]

Try the Ultimate Attenuator. That one has the best reviews of any I've seen. Scroll up to my previous post for the link.

[toneguru]

There is one attenuator that I can recommend... that is the Microbaby...

Its a wallet attenuator, shrinks the size of your wallet but sounds great!

[drBill]

Originally Posted by toneguru

There is one attenuator that I can recommend... that is the Microbaby...

Its a wallet attenuator, shrinks the size of your wallet but sounds great!

My wallet is smaller too toneguru.. But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my microbaby. Best recording amp I've recorded for anything less than earbleeding shred. I've got it going into a 12" 16ohm celestion greenback that came out of a 60's 4X12 cab. It's sitting in a deluxe that's blown up right now, but the MBaby is happy to make that celestion sing it's heart out. Seriously great amp.