Anyone use a Univalve in church

[MLT]

I'm still searching for the holy grail of low volume rigs...

I've been using a BF Princeton with an OD pedal and a DM-2 for a few years now. It's just not quite getting it for me any more.

I'm thinking about something like a Univalve or Allen Class Act with a sealed cab.

[asatbender]

sounds like you have my dream rig. i always wanted a princeton for my church i think it wold be the perfect amp. my church is pretty small around 100 or so but it does get pretty loud.

i use a 15 watt matchless 2x10 el84 & a dod fx90 delay & it is the perfect size. my only complaint is it is too heavy apprx 60lbs to drag out on sunday & i dont feel comfortable leaving it there

i may buy a smaller amp around the same wattage that is easier to carry. here is my wish list

reverend goblin
pro junior
carvin vintage 16
epiphone galaxie10 (199 @ mf)
fender deluxe reverb
gibson ga15

i may get a behringer gm110 until i have more money. they seem to get good reviews.

[tom grossheider]

Never tried the Uni-valve Mike, but would love to give one a whirl sometime. I've got a 2x6V6 Fender circuit in a 1x12 combo cab (Champ chassis) which puts out about 18-20 watts. Perfect for church volumes (never gets above "3") but I'll probably build a Vibroverb in a Deluxe Reverb cabinet. I miss reverb and trem. If you get a Univalve, let me know because I've got a bunch of unmatched tubes that you can try in there. EL34s, 6550s, 6L6GCs, etc.

[Tim Swartz]

I've not tried the Univalve, but am very suspicious because of all the ones turing up used. I've heard that they are noisey unless you engage the noise reduction circuitry, but the noise reduction trims the top end (low pass filter?) I also question whether they have enough umph for a live situation. I've been using a Princeton Reverb for about 5 years, and used a Deluxe Reverb prior to that (the DR was actually a bit too much, yes, Tom, that Deluxe Reverb). You can put a 12" in a Princeton Reverb (or Princeton). I have an ancient Jensen PM10H and there is plenty of bottom (the alnico magnet is about the size of a shortened coffee cup). We've got horns and choir this week, so I may opt to break out a Marshall

(these 20 page Tommy Walker charts are making my head spin, oh to be a schooled musician).

[MLT]

It's not just one church either. 12 watts can be pretty darned loud. I''ve also been getting gradually dissatisfied with the tonef.

I'm thinking that something with a sealed cab and a master volume might be the ticket, hence my questions about the Univalve.

Actually, I'm thinking very seriously about buying a Lexicon Signature 284. I know two guys who rave about them and I trust their ears. I like the feature set too:
o Single channel (I hate channel switching)
o 3 watts per side
o Effects loop which can be split into each output channel (discrete parallel)

Used street seems to be about $350 for these.

Anyone care to add anything about them?

[Wanker]

Haven't played one in church, but I haveplayed one. To get the great tone out of them you have to turn them up. And yes they do get LOUD!! However that also means they don't have a lot of CLEAN headroom. It's a great amp, but it probably depends on the type of tone you're looking for. The Univalve is sort of a one-trick pony.

[PraiseCaster]

....an Epiphone all tube (2-12AX7's, & 3-6L6's) 10watt class A Amp. It got my attention! It's running the same thing tube wise as my Pignose G40V (40watts). And ya all know how much I love my lil Pignose :D ! Price seems really cool too, $199.00! I'm thinkin of gettin one for home, that way I can keep my Pignose at church where it gets it's most use.

Now, you may be wonderin; What does PraiseCaster's Pignose sound like? Well, it sounds identical too a 59 Fender Bassman: w/ the stock 10" its a lil thinner sounding, but Ive modded mine! I took an old Carvin 2/12" cabinet, done some major reconstruction, and turned it into a 1/12" x 1/10" Combo amp. I'm runnin an EV12, with the stock 10", and now I got all the headroom I want! I put it on par with some of the best Combo-tube amps out their! Once I put the finishing touches on it (covering, tilt back legs, and maybe a new grill cloth), I'll post a pic. But any ways....that Epiphone all tube 10 amp looks interesting. Maybe someone else has given it a test drive, and they can let us know.

Now, one question about that THD Univalve: Isnt it's big trick to offer the guitarist, the ability to swap out tubes, and play with the sound/tone that way? If it is, some tubes have different properties, that will either add or take away from gain, overdrive, tone, and volume. So if you got an assortment of tubes, and some time, you would probably come acrross a tube combination that would make you happy. The only thing that bug's me about the THD Univalve is that it's pretty pricey! It's basically several hundred dollars outta my neighborhood!

Well, there's my two cents worth! Sorry for going so long!

[Spanky]

MLT like I was saying in another post I think your on the right track with the Allen Accomplice or Class Act--great. great tones in small high quality package--------I usually stick to "tried and true" rigs---I use a Super Champ for some gigs or a Fender/Rivera Concert or for larger gigs an Allen Encore(wow they mike well when needed)--I generally lead toward cleaner sounds with a Digitech GNX2 for slight distortion and transparent type tone coloring on some songs--I'd stay away from the Univalve the ones of have tried run kinda "dirty" when you crank the volume past 3 --this is the reason I always lean toward a few more watts in my amp---I'm just a sucker for clean headroom and in church chapels anything that even hints of an overdriven crunchiness can soon turn into sonic mayhem rather quickly.
I think an Accomplice would be really nice or a nice Fender Vibrolux(specially if you play a Tele--like me !)

[leecow]

I use a Univalve and absolutely love it. I've experimented a bit with tubes and have 3 sets to draw from depending on what tunes we have on tap and the guitar I'll be using. Tone and touch are excellent and plays quite nicely with my effects configuration. Build quality and customer service are top drawer.

To clear up a few bits of misinformation in this thread.
*It is not noisy when the noise reduction is off
*Clean headroom thing is a total non-issue if you close mic the cabinet. My Tele/Strat "Knopfler-esque" tube combination will not break up when using the Roll channel and just begins to break up in the rock channel.
*The influx of used heads could be due to many things. Early adopter types that are moving on to the BiValve, people not wanting to tinker to find the magic, don't care for the honest (or unforgiving) nature of the amp, etc.

Anyway, find one and spend time with it because it is certainly not for everyone. I enjoy it very much and have not been in a situation where it has not performed as needed.

http://www.univalve.net - great bunch of guys as excited about the UV as y'all are about the Tele :)