VHT Special 6 Combo Owner's Club

[MashBill]

I thought this amp deserved it's own club, so I am starting this thread. The Special 6 Combo represents one of the best values in an all-tube, handwired amplifier.

From the VHT website:

"Boutique amp players will love the Special 6’s combination of handwired tube goodness, unique features and unparalleled value. The mod-friendly Special 6 is easy to customize for home amp builders and tube amp enthusiasts.

The Special 6 gets its powerful tube sound from one 12AX7 preamp tube and one 6V6 output tube. It boasts a footswitchable Gain Boost feature that significantly expands its range of tones -- it's the only amp in its class that excels at both clean and overdriven tones, and it's the only amp in its class to offer a footswitchable boost. With the Gain Boost, players can instantly toggle between clean rhythm tones and overdriven leads, essentially duplicating the footswitchable functions of a 2-channel amp in an all-tube, handwired, simple, 2-knob package.

To further expand its range of tones, the Special 6 also features a High/Low power switch that enhances low-volume tones with extra-smooth richness (when in half-power mode). It's a great feature for recording, or for low-volume "bedroom" players. In high-power mode, it's one of the few amps in its class that is loud enough to compete with a strong drummer. The Special 6 combo is outfitted with a special high sensitivity 10" VHT Special Design speaker.

* 6 Watts
* One 6V6 Output Tube
* One 12AX7 Preamp Tube
* Volume and Tone Controls
* Footswitchable Boost Mode
* High/Low Power Switch
* 10” VHT High-Sensitivity Speaker
* 4, 8, and 16 Ohm Speaker Jacks
* Mod-Friendly Eyelet-Type Board
* Hand-wired In China

Model: AV-SP1-6"

The schematic is available here: http://www.vhtamp.com/pdf/VHT_Specia...ic_5-17-10.pdf













Here is the Modification thread here on TDPRI:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/shock-bro...od-thread.html

I just received my amp today. Given the limited time I have used it, I would say it's a winner!

[hooch1]

I got mine yesterday.

This is a nice little amp for the price.

[sputnik0069]

Got mine yesterday, as well. Raucous little amp that reminds me alot of my beloved old Bedrock 1202. It's not quite as 'juicy' as the 'rock, but I can stand to be in the same room with it without blowing my head off. Great price, too-I love it!

[Kestrel]

I tried one of these VHT's yesterday and I really liked it. For the money it's a steal. I'm thinking of geting one myself, but I have a question. Do the VHT Special 6 combos come with footswitches? At the shop where I tried it at I was told they didn't come with any.

[MashBill]

Mine included a foot switch.

[hooch1]

Originally Posted by sputnik0069

Got mine yesterday, as well. Raucous little amp that reminds me alot of my beloved old Bedrock 1202. It's not quite as 'juicy' as the 'rock, but I can stand to be in the same room with it without blowing my head off. Great price, too-I love it!

I'm starting to rethink keeping mine for this reason. I don't play outside the house and it is loud. I find in 3 watt mode, I just have to crank it to get the same breakup that I had in 6w mode and by that time its just as loud.

[Kestrel]

I finally got one of these VHT Special 6 amps. It does come with a footswitch which was a surprise to the salesperson who initially told me it didn't. Go figure. Anyway, this is an impressive little amp and can get really loud for it's size. Much louder than I originally thought. It takes pedals very well, although I love the cleans you get with this amp. I like it's simple layout/design and more importantly I like it's sound. Indeed, it's a very nice little amp for the price.

[richey88]

It's next on my want list, y'all post some clips so I will GAS harder,,,,

[xStonr]

I've had one for a few months now. I like using it with a Tech 21 Liverpool pedal I have for some sparkly cleans. Overdriven I find it sounds muddy for my tastes. So clean with a pedal in front is the way to use this amp.

[baldy5000]

Well, it comes with stock sovtex 12ax7 and a 6v6 that simply says "Made in China"

It was sounding OK and totally great for 200 bucks.

I swapped in a set of JJ tubes -ecc83s (european 12ax7) and a 6V6. total of 32 bucks including priority mail shipping. This thing is really awesome now. I got to sit down and play around with it all afternoon last weekend at my girlfriends cabin in the wood of wisconsin, so I could crank it with no complaints. It gets loud for such a little guy. And the JJ's really brought it to life. I really love this little amp. I hooked up a visual sound GarageTone overdfrive pedal and it is great with that. Also, it only has a tone and volume knob. The volume knob is a push pull pot, that is set to boost when pulled out. In this position you can use the included footswitch to swith bettween the normal and boost channels. Also, there are high and low inputs, and even has a standby switch. It switches between 6 and 3 watts. Also, it has a handwired board that makes modding really simple (Although I haven't modded anything yet except tube swap). I may delve into modding with this setup (Any hints or tips TWANG?????). Oh and it also has 3 outputs for 4,8, and 16 watt cabinets. Since my yamaha combo amp has 2x12 celestion vintage 30's, I may try using that combo as a cab, I have to get a coupler, and radio shack only has it in stereo not mono, so online ordering is next.

For the price, this amp is really really amazing, and the quality is on par with the Blackhearts. I say go for it, this thing is LOTS of fun.

[RomanS]

I've had mine for a while - also put in a JJ ECC63S. Use it mainly as a clean home practice amp, but yesterday I took it to my band's rehearsal room to try it out cranked - WOW!

[HarpNinjaMike]

I got one this week. Put a Tung Sol RI and JJ 6V6 in....terrific little harp amp. I ran it through the cab of my HarpGear HG50 1210 (Cannabis Rex and 10A125-0). It sounded amazing! Currently I am looking into a better speaker.

I got the amp for $189 shipped and spent $35 on the tubes (shipping killed me)...worth every penny.

[Kestrel]

I haven't considered replacing the valves yet, but as is I'm delighted with this amp.

[cbucki]

New member as of yesterday. JJ12AX7 and a Tung Sol 6V6. Great amp that compliments the Marshall Class 5 beautifully.

Very nice cleans, and surprisingly good OD. An Overdiven sound that destroys any small-ish Fender I've owned. Stands-up to a Les Paul like a Champ-ion; No tube rattle, no cab rattle, no build issues. Would be justified at far more than $200.

At the price, it's a must if you need something Fender-esque.

[yonie]

Joining in! I've got the amp for a month now and have been very impressed with the sound I can get out of it, stock.

Might replace the tubes one day but I'm not sure what that would do to the sound.

[Will Chen]

I've got a Sovtek 12AY7 in it which allows for more clean space on the dial (at the sacrifice of a bit of volume). Great amp.

[skinner]

Ordering mine tomorrow. Haven't played one, but based off of what I've seen on it on here, it sounds like it will fit me just fine.

[skinner]

Finally got the Special 6 in yesterday. All I can say is there is a lot of clean in this amp, which is not all that bad. Is there a tube swap I could do to get just a tad more cruch at lower volumes though?

[xStonr]

What you should probably try is to run a OD pedal in front of the amp. This amp likes pedals.

[Chicago Slim]

When I firat got my Special 6, I didn't like the sounds other than the High Input, Full power, with the Boost on. I have since removed the chicken wire from the back. Replaced the speaker with an Eminence Legeng 105-16. Replaced the tubes with a GT 6V6 and a NOS GE 6681. The amp now has more of the tweed sound, that I like. I can use the Low input and Half Power, to control the level of the clean headroom. It's much more home friendly, with even more volume than before. I lost some of the blackface sparkle, but I now have a more controlable tweed sound.