Blues Jammer    from Mark Ratcliffe,  Stafford, Texas

(1)  Over the years I have tried Bassmans (re-issues only), Blackface Vibrolux, Black Face reverb deluxe, band master, Music Man, Sunns, modeling units and a few Marshalls.

I'm not trying to brag, it was just that I could never find what I was looking for my guitars (Tele and Les Paul). The closest is my 93 Blues-Deville. I took a gamble and, yea paid the price. But at least I don't have to look anymore.”

“Yes, and I'm having some good fun! I am speechless! One hot little amp

that's for sure. After all these years and so many amps, I've now got a

real keeper.”

(2)  First thing is the style, I loved the look and the workmanship that went into the cabinet. The top controls and text were facing the the front of the amp, I don't have to crook my head to see what I'm doing. It's the little things that add up. Very easy to use, turn it on and go! No pre-amp outs, no foot switches to mess with. No channel switching patches. Just an amp to make you concentrate on your playing and your tone. Tone is every thing, not gimmicks that mask.

Now for the sound. I am still experimenting but I have all the tone (treble, mid and bass) controls on 6, maybe a touch more bass. The volume and master volume on 7 or 8. I can get any note to sustain with a wonderful, warm sense of distortion. With a little bit of vibrato from ones finger action it will go on forever. Sweet tone all the way. The sound is huge and commanding  and very responsive coming out of one 12 Eminence GB12.8 speaker. When you want you can turn the volume down on the guitar (I used a Les Paul Custom) and you get the warmest tone ever. Almost creamy. Perfect for a Jazz flavor if you like.

I then switched to my 71 tele and a little rockabilly, fun stuff. It responds to your playing like no other amp I had without going overboard.

Very, very clear! I was amazed! I now think my Blues Deville sounds muddy in comparison.

The reverb is set on 1 and has a wonderful room effect, I'm not into the big echo sounds. I use the 4 ohm speaker jack as opposed to the 8 ohm one based on Conrad’s suggestion. I like the looseness of this a little more. Over all a perfect 10.

The only thing I think I will do is have him build me a matching 1X12 cabinet if he's willing. Thanks Conrad for a great amp!

                              

Blues Jammer     from David Kelly,   San Jose, California

Very loud 28 watts (2x6L6), Weber Blue Dog Alnico speaker that sounds already broken in, reverb but not surfy, and a very cool master. It likes the volume and master volume balanced with each other - you can dime one or the other (you'd be arrested for diming both), but it seemed happiest with the master at about 1pm, volume at 11am or noon. It loved every guitar we threw at it, but Jeff's (hawkeye's) Les Paul 'Beaut most of all. Easy to overdo it (and way fun to overdo it!). Cleans up with the volume knob (on the guitar) beautifully.

It has an 8-ohm speaker but Conrad recommends plugging it into the 4-ohm tap for a little darker, a little faster breakup. Oh yeah. A bit saggier feeling too. Great both ways and I need to play some more with that. We also plugged it into a big Fane in a big 1-12 semi-open cab, and that was heaven too - bigger and thumpier. But I see no reason to overthink it - just use the amp's own speaker and there's much joy.

Bill Chapin (Chapin Guitars) described it as being like a tweed front end into an Ampeg power section. I am a simple plain-spoken man so I have no idea if that's right, I just know that you start grinning right quick and don't think about the amp any more, you just bathe in the big fat mean righteous tone bellowing out of it and play every rock and blues riff you ever heard.”

(2)  “Yeah, yeah, honeymoon and all. No argument. But oh my, what a sound comes outta that thing! I'm still smiling!”

It's pretty exciting. The clean is as rich and warm as any I've ever heard, but the best way to get it really is to bump up the gain and volume and then back down the guitar volume knobs. And that has the added benefit of letting you dig in or dial up the knobs to get the meanest blues distortion you could want.

It loves pedals - COT50 is especially sweet - and it has a very pleasing cut to the tone so you can actually hear it in a mess of other instruments. I'm really knocked out.

When Bill Chapin sez he's jealous of me because of this amp, I gotta feel like I'm on the right road! It's a total gas to play through.  It just gets more fun to play every time I plug it in.”

3. (3) “Jammed it again tonight and oh my! What a killer amp! Birch-o-caster and the Keef. Oh yum! And the COT50 in front is godlike.”
   

4. (4) “It's a killer 1-12, 28 watt, grab'n'go, control-the-breakup-from-your-guitar, what-the-heck-IS-that?? amp of your dreams.”
   

5. (5) “I think I'm the only guy around who has one, but the Conrad Amps Blues Jammer is the #1 blues amp I've ever played with.  Conrad Sundholm founded Sunn Amps in the 60s. Now he's making amps up in Portland and he's been bringing the proto for this one around town to the blues jams, where people really do go nuts over it.  Incredible touch sensitivity, everything from a surprisingly yummy clean to mean snarl all with your fingers or your guitar's volume knob. Not exactly like any other amp, but maybe closest to a Supro in early Led Zep mode?  And it does have a master vol, so you can tune it to the room you're playing in, even if it's the bedroom.”
   

                          

C-4 Tube Bass Pre-amp        from Andy Clapp,   Portland, Oregon

"I've tried various tubes and tube emulators including the Line 6 Pod, ART D-I/O and the Blue Tube.

The Conrad C4 Bass pre-amp is the 1st tube pre-amp that gave me everything I was looking for.  I can achieve consistent levels with all styles of playing.  I really love the warmth of my tone.  I get a mouthful of sound – very tasty.

In the studio I’ve had great success with the Conrad C4.  I get a great Bass sound.  I’ve even used it for Guitar and believe it or not, vocals.

The Contour Control is awesome.  For a Funk tone put both the Bass and Treble on 10 and the Contour Control on a low setting.  For Jazz and Rock tones all three tone controls are set to about 5.

 I Love this thing.  I have clean power and great sound.  When I purchased the Conrad C4 Bass Pre, I scrapped my Line 6 Pod.”

                           

C-4 Tube Bass Pre-amp     from Colby Hendricks,   Vancouver, Washington

“Holy cow!  You really hit the nail on the head with this one!!  That is the perfect tone, and loud!  I love the vintage look of it. I love the contour feature. I can't thank you enough.  People are going to freak out over this bass pre-amp.

We cut the final bass tracks (Shrinking Violets) with your C-4 Bass preamp last night. It was awesome! It brought everyone in the room's energy up. We are all so excited! Eveyone is grinning over the incredible tones!”

Sunn Restorations      from Doug Pratt

“First off I'd like to say that amp (2000S restoration) sounds magnificent!  Unbelievable!  I have some guitars and basses hanging on the wall in the basement where the SUNN is.  The first time I played my P-Bass through it, a bunch of them started playing themselves!!  Sympathetic string vibration I guess.  It was pretty funny.  Yep, the furniture shifts, the throw rugs crawl, all the pictures on all the walls upstairs and downs were akimbo.  Stuff on shelves shifted. 

POW-ER-FUL!!  The craftsmanship, the detail, the cosmetics.......ALL EXCELLENT!!  I love that behemoth!  Thanks again for doing the restoration.”