NAMM 2019

[aarontunes]

Dumb question, but where is the input jack for the DK24? Isn't on the front or the usual side areas (unless, for some reason, it's been Photoshopped out), so I imagine it must be tucked away on the rear somewhere (and in such a way that the cord isn't going to poke into your tummy or jewels)?

The input jack is one of the only things I don't like about them. It is a Strat top-mount jack, which has been mounted on a bevel in the back. This is a classic case of getting too creative. Please just give me a side-mount jack...like all my other guitars. That way I can just continue to use the same right-angle cable. A right-angle cable with this design is a no-go. I suppose if your other guitars are all S styles, and you're generally using a straight cable anyway, then maybe you'll appreciate this design.

 

[pscates]

Wow, that's stranger than I thought it would be. I should've Googled...I assumed it was so new that there wouldn't be lots of photography (rear shots, anyway) out in the wild yet.

I've looked at that pic 3-4 times now. I don't know if I'd like that; might take some getting used to. I guess if you're a straight cord user it could work (come out and then wrap back around your rear strap button...saves an extra bend on your cable, I suppose, as it's already pointing toward the strap button area?

That's definitely going out of your way to do something different/avoid the usual approach. I hope the designer got a free lunch or day off for his/her efforts!

I do like that rear access carving/cutaway, combined with the sharper edge radius. I'm sure it's all CNC(?) but it looks like a human got on there with some files and sanders to make those nice transitions from sharp to smooth. That area from the lower horn up to where the neck attaches looks nice with the way it's transitioned/feathered in.

 

[Rick]

@the Aaron, thank you for the communique

 

[swarfrat]

If that JCM800 studio 20w head is 6v6 I might have to sell some stuff.

 

[rgand]

That damn thing is mighty tempting, isn't it?

 

[swarfrat]

It's EL34's not 6V6's like the 4001, and it's $1300 for the head alone. Others (including Marshall) have often surprisingly discounted their lower wattage models like they were priced per watt or something. At that price point - I guess I'll just pull my JCM800 project out of the closet. While I don't think I'll ever build the cyber-800 I have designed, I might actually consider putting a buck converter on the B+ to get plate and screens down into 6V6 territory still.

Wish there were a good SMPS candidate, but to get isolation (and because buck converters are a LOT simpler than boost when it comes to managing energy storage etc..) I'll probably just use it to throttle back the big iron I already have purchased for the project.

 

[aarontunes]

If that JCM800 studio 20w head is 6v6 I might have to sell some stuff.

It's EL-34, just like the originals.

I think these new classic heads are exactly what people have been asking for, at the right price point. It's British made, EL-34. 20 watts or 5 watts, effects loop, small size. It's perfect. It ticks every box, and it says Marshall. They will sell a metric ton of these, and one of them will be to me.

OTOH, Marshall really bonked hard on the corresponding combo. A ten inch speaker, Marshall? Really? It boggles my mind that Marshall doesn't get that nobody in the world wants a 10" combo. Nobody.

swarfrat mentioned the "price per watt" misconception. The idea that because an amp is lower watt, it should have a smaller speaker is another rampant misconception. OMG. Open letter to amp designers everywhere: guitars players want 12" speakers. Only. Ever. Sincerely, The Aaron.

 

[swarfrat]

I'm quite aware that the price difference in parts for a 20 watt amp isn't much different from a 50watt amp. Yet the pricing of current tube amps clearly reflects it, because the market does.


And the originals... the ORIGINAL JCM800 15 watt amp was in fact 6V6:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L265z_eFig[/youtube]