NAD Quilter SuperBlock UK

[Chicago Slim]

I joined the Quilter Club yesterday, with a Superblock UK. I'm currently playing it through a PA monitor wedge, with a Celestion Pulse, 200-watt bass speaker. It sounds better than I expected. All three-amp models sound good to me. I have larger 12" combos from Bad Cat, Tone King and Fender. I like the idea of Vox sounds, without the weight, heat or design of a modern Vox amp. Now I need a small speaker cabinet (8" or 10") to pair it with. The Celestion Pulse speaker sounds okay, but is rather inefficient.

I play clean to mild overdrive and don't like speaker breakup. I have been considering the Vox BC108, Orange PPC108 or Vox Mini Super Beatle cabinet. I'm not Shure that I would get the amps potential with an 8" speaker.

Another option is buying a small combo like a Fender Rumble 40, Vox AC4, AC10 or Black Star Debut 50R, and removing the amplifier until I decide to sell the amp. I do have a selection of 10" and 12" speakers from Eminence and Celestion. What speakers have you tried and what do you recommend?

Thanks.

 

[Wooly Fox]

I had a ToneBlock 202 and used a Celestion 200W bass speaker as recommended by Zilla Cabs when they built my 1x12. Super light and easy to move and not too expensive (I imagine you're US based so someone else can chime on a decent US builder).

I tried the Quilter before I sold it in various cabs with high power speakers as I too don't like speaker breakup. One cab has EV12L and a Vintage 30 so 270W total power. Easily enough power for the Quilter (200W), the vintage 30 gives more grind to the distortion but otherwise not too far off the 200W speaker. The other cab had two JBL D120F from a 60s Twin, combined it was probably 90-120W power handling. I think they suited the Quilters profile giving a bit more presence but being Alnico magnets and at 15lbs each, not a lightweight cab at all!

 

[stormsedge]

HNAD! The DV Mark 2x8 sounds good with my Quilter 201. I often pair it with a 1x12 cab/Celestion BN12-300S.

 

[kookaburra]

I have the SBUK. I use a 1x12 cab with a Celestion Redback, and a 1x10 housing a WGS ET10. Sounds great with both. I’m playing blues and the harder edged blues rock and classic rock. Strat, and a couple of P90 guitars.

No problem with Celestion speaker breakup here.

 

[schotter611]

...move to quilter club, sorry.

 

[Jon S.]

Welcome to the club!

I love my SuperBlock US. I'm holding off on buying a Mach combo for now, though, as I want to see what Quilter produces as a "Mach 4."

When I emailed Quilter asking for the "Mach 4" to include Nuenaber-designed boost and reverb, the person responding said that's not in the works (maybe they feel it will harm their sales of the standalone pedals, though if so, why not just up the price of the "Mach 4" to yield them the same profit margin?) but to expect other new announcements in the future.

 

[cousinpaul]

12" Emi Li'l Texas in a 5E3 size open back cab. I've also tried 1X10 and 2x12 open and closed back cabs, all with good results. 1X10 can do a great Princeton impersonation with an "American" profile.

 

[TC 57]

I joined the Quilter Club yesterday, with a Superblock UK. I'm currently playing it through a PA monitor wedge, with a Celestion Pulse, 200-watt bass speaker. It sounds better than I expected. All three-amp models sound good to me. I have larger 12" combos from Bad Cat, Tone King and Fender. I like the idea of Vox sounds, without the weight, heat or design of a modern Vox amp. Now I need a small speaker cabinet (8" or 10") to pair it with. The Celestion Pulse speaker sounds okay, but is rather inefficient.

I play clean to mild overdrive and don't like speaker breakup. I have been considering the Vox BC108, Orange PPC108 or Vox Mini Super Beatle cabinet. I'm not Shure that I would get the amps potential with an 8" speaker.

Another option is buying a small combo like a Fender Rumble 40, Vox AC4, AC10 or Black Star Debut 50R, and removing the amplifier until I decide to sell the amp. I do have a selection of 10" and 12" speakers from Eminence and Celestion. What speakers have you tried and what do you recommend?

Thanks.

The JMP voicing does not sound like Marshall to me, not much different to the AC top boost setting

 

[Hoodster]

The JMP voicing does not sound like Marshall to me, not much different to the AC top boost setting

The Marshall voicing has a ton more gain than the top boost and is also quite a bit thicker. I don’t know how authentic it is, but it is different.

 

[TC 57]

The Marshall voicing has a ton more gain than the top boost and is also quite a bit thicker. I don’t know how authentic it is, but it is different.

though it's good that you can play the JMP clean without distortion. Some modelling amps in the past got that wrong.

 

[Hoodster]

though it's good that you can play the JMP clean without distortion. Some modelling amps in the past got that wrong.

Yes, I think the JMP voicing provides a really sweet big fat clean tone.

 

[TC 57]

I have the SBUK. I use a 1x12 cab with a Celestion Redback, and a 1x10 housing a WGS ET10. Sounds great with both. I’m playing blues and the harder edged blues rock and classic rock. Strat, and a couple of P90 guitars.

No problem with Celestion speaker breakup here.

I have the UK SB too. They retail for $299, a bit overpriced, though some may disagree. You say it can push a 12" ? I use a 10" but maybe 2 x 8" would sound good.

 

[kookaburra]

I have the UK SB too. They retail for $299, a bit overpriced, though some may disagree. You say it can push a 12" ? I use a 10" but maybe 2 x 8" would sound good.

It pushes a 12 just as any amp of similar wattage might. I’ve pushed a 4x12 with it. Used it at a gig with an 2x12. Even if it isn’t 25 tube watts, as Quilter claims, there’s plenty there.

Why do you think it’s overpriced?

 

[TC 57]

It pushes a 12 just as any amp of similar wattage might. I’ve pushed a 4x12 with it. Used it at a gig with an 2x12. Even if it isn’t 25 tube watts, as Quilter claims, there’s plenty there.

Why do you think it’s overpriced?

I was comparing it to small combos from Orange, Vox, Black star, etc. I guess you need to compare it to boutique pedals the price is on that level. If it was anywhere near 40 watts or more, it would need a larger box, a vent and larger heat sink. I have an old Roland 40 cube, I've looked inside that and I can feel it has more volume and presence than the Quilter both with a 10" speaker. Tone wise, the Quilter is very good for it's size and it has the FX loop ..

 

[kookaburra]

It’s an amp, not a pedal. As to 40 watt amps, I’m not sure where you’re going there. It’s marketed as a 25 watt solid state amp*, although it is noted as being “pedal size”.

I’ve played Roland amps, they’re fine, but IMO the older ones, which I’ve owned or played, don’t compare in terms of sound to a Superblock.

*There is debate whether Quilter’s claim of “25 tube watts” is valid, but that’s another discussion

 

[JDB2]

IMO the SBUS is as loud subjectively as the 22 watt 2x 6v6 Fender Super Sonic I used to own, but also cleaner.

Quilter has made class D into a wondrous thing.

 

[TC 57]

It’s an amp, not a pedal. As to 40 watt amps, I’m not sure where you’re going there. It’s marketed as a 25 watt solid state amp*, although it is noted as being “pedal size”.

I’ve played Roland amps, they’re fine, but IMO the older ones, which I’ve owned or played, don’t compare in terms of sound to a Superblock.

*There is debate whether Quilter’s claim of “25 tube watts” is valid, but that’s another discussion

what I was getting at is, if the superblock put out anything like 25 tube watts, as some suggest, then the unit would have had to have been larger and higher rated, more like 90 watts or more, and you wouldn't have the option of running it off a 9v battery at any volume...you say you've pushed a 4x12 with this, it must have sounded a bit thin, a bit anaemic compared to hooking up to a larger amp ?

 

[kaludjerko]

what I was getting at is, if the superblock put out anything like 25 tube watts, as some suggest, then the unit would have had to have been larger and higher rated, more like 90 watts or more, and you wouldn't have the option of running it off a 9v battery at any volume...you say you've pushed a 4x12 with this, it must have sounded a bit thin, a bit anaemic compared to hooking up to a larger amp ?

Not necessarily (for the 2nd statement), it has been known that Marshal MS micro amp series can sound quite respectfully serious through 4x12.

 

[11 Gauge]

I guess you need to compare it to boutique pedals the price is on that level. If it was anywhere near 40 watts or more, it would need a larger box, a vent and larger heat sink.

Since a class D power amp is a switching amp, it doesn't generate heat like your typical class AB design does.

I have a 101 Mini that when cranked was really brutal to a speaker like a Celestion Seventy 80, so I had to upgrade to either an Eminence Swamp Thang or Celestion BN12-300S.

IMO/IME, the 'Quilter watts' are on-par with 'tube watts', however one wishes to loosely define that. I think that many current bass amps also utilize a class D power amp, because of the need for lots of power.

 

[TC 57]

Since a class D power amp is a switching amp, it doesn't generate heat like your typical class AB design does.

I have a 101 Mini that when cranked was really brutal to a speaker like a Celestion Seventy 80, so I had to upgrade to either an Eminence Swamp Thang or Celestion BN12-300S.

IMO/IME, the 'Quilter watts' are on-par with 'tube watts', however one wishes to loosely define that. I think that many current bass amps also utilize a class D power amp, because of the need for lots of power.

another example of what I was saying is the Tonemaster Deluxe reverb, also a class D amp. It emulates the 22 Watts of the tube original, but for that the output of the amp is 100 watts