VHT Amp

Bill Bassett · From: Papamoa New Zealand

A friend of mine has a small quirky music shop in a small quirky town. He has an amazing inventory of small quirky items. But among all that he has been carrying a couple of high end, hand made, point to point wired boutique tube amps. None of his touristy customers are interested in dropping several hundred bucks for one but...I'm not a tourist. I've been using it this week with my Sierra. After toning down the high freqs, I'm really pleased.
From what I've read, this VHT Standard 18 is very much like a British amp, VOX or Marshall, or Park. Only 18 watts but surprising how loud it want to get. In the clean channel it is very clean indeed but channel two offers a sweet sustaining overdrive.
I'll play through it on a couple of other gigs before I drop several hundred on it.
Just curious, anyone used one of these? Or the other British style amps for that matter?

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

A Vox amp seems to be quite different from a Marshall, to me? "Jangle" and "chime", as compared to howl. And a Park amp is a Marshall, if I remember rightly. But the Marshall amps which made for great steel amps were the earlier NO-master-volume ones and the earliest, mid-70's simple-master-volume ones. I've owned an early-70's 50w Marshall, and had the opportunity to play through the other "famous" ones, the '69 Super Lead, the some-thing-some-thing -45. The early Marshalls were basically just drastically overbuilt Fender circuits, but I liked their midrange better than Fenders IF (and ONLY-IF!) you used good speakers, JBL's, Altec-Lansings etc.; NOT the stock Celestion 30's, "greenbacks" they were maybe called sometimes. Clapton and Hendrix, Led Zepp used the Celestions, Duane Allman the Altecs, Santana the JBL's.

The Marshall model numbers and names seemed to be specifically designed to confuse me though, and as more than a few have said, EVERY Marshall sounded different anyway. And once Jim Marshall figured out that everybody was just going to turn them up to "10" no-matter-what he began designing them to overdrive, and the charm wore off. If "charm" is the right adjective to use for a +130db howl.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Bill, I used VHT amps for years with my pedalsteel. They are really great amps. If it sounds good to you after playing through it for a bit you may have real winner on your hands.
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Bob

ajm · From: Los Angeles

Be careful and specific when you are talking about VHT amps.

The IMO "real" VHT company was sold a few years ago to another firm. They are using the VHT name, and make mostly smaller wattage amps, but IMO they are not a "real" VHT that made its' name in the 90's and 2000's.
The "real" VHTs are being made under the name Freyette, which is the name of the owner/designer.

The real VHTs were primarily known as a rock amp, and they never really caught on for some reason (same as Rivera).
Guitar players being creatures of habit and wanting what everyone else is using (Fender, Marshall, Vox)?
Price? (The top of the line models were pricey.)
Something else?
I have never read a bad review of the real VHTs.

It should be noted that one of their products that everyone regardless of genre had high praise for was their stereo tube power amps.

A couple of the more well lnown VHTs from the real days are the Pittbull and Sig-X.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I used the 2/90/2 power amp and pittbull VHT that Steve Freyette built before he sold the company. I have not used the new ones.
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Bob

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I have a 2/90/2 VHT amp and it is great for steel.
Erv

Bill Bassett · From: Papamoa New Zealand

I appreciate the input. After 4 nights, I rather like it. The lack of on board reverb is strange, not since my Bandmaster days in the early 70s have I played without springs in the signal path. I'm using a ZOOM multi effects pedal with a little verb, delay and comp. I backed off the compressor and now I'm quite pleased. Subtlety is the key I guess, all things in moderation, including reverb.

Oh, this VHT is a Standard 18. Single 12 Celestion. Built in California on November 12 2012.

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

Funnily enough, I came across one of these for the first time last Thursday at my regular jam night. In the dim light I thought it was a Vox at first (a deliberate styling choice no doubt). The girl who was using it was part of a young 3-piece punk band. When I saw there was no bass player (just 2 guitars and drums) I wondered how they would sound, but she was combining the roles of bass and rhythm guitar and it sounded thunderous. I went from sceptical to impressed in about 4 bars.

Couldn't say if was an old or new model as of course I had no reason to ask.
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James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

I still have and use a VHT 2\90\2 power amp.....I also have a 50 watt Pitbull combo w/a 12 inch speaker......They are both GREAT sounding pieces of gear with plenty of power....Jim

James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

I still have and use a VHT 2\90\2 power amp.....I also have a 50 watt Pitbull combo w/a 12 inch speaker......They are both GREAT sounding pieces of gear with plenty of power....Jim

Bill Bassett · From: Papamoa New Zealand

After a few weeks, I have to say I'm very pleased. The one odd thing to me is that I'm not accustom to using an outboard reverb. I've tried a couple with very much the same result which is that for sustained chords or legato picking it works and sounds fine but seems to dry up if I'm playing staccato or speed pickin'. Not complaining because it's actually kinda intuitive but it's not what I expect.

Oh, is there an advantage to effect in front of volume pedal or behind? (I usually have the VP at the end of any effects chain).

Thanks again for your comments,

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I've often heard that reverb should be the last in the string just ahead of the amp. Very Happy

Erv

George Redmon · From: Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.

Bill, does the VHT have an effects loop? Most of those older VHT had one i'm thinking, so was just wondering about yours?

So is it a keeper bill?

Bill Bassett · From: Papamoa New Zealand

This amp is so old school it smells like chalk board and a faint hint of sour milk. Actually no. No effects loop or line out. No reverb or term either. Just robust tone. Yeah, I bought it.

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