D_Malone
Tele-Afflicted
I’ve had my Mach 3 head for a little over 3 months now. I posted my first impressions here:
www.tdpri.com
After putting it through its paces live and in the studio I gotta say I’m quite pleased with it.
I criticized the dirty sounds in my initial review and I stand by those criticisms now. I have tried really hard to dial in a good dirty sound on this amp. Best I could do was to slam the input with a Naga Viper (treble booster). Not bad, but a dirt pedal into the amp set clean still sounds much better, which I’m fine with. But, Quilter needs to address this or just give it up. The dirty sounds are garbage IMO.
Aside from the lousy overdriven sounds the Mach 3 is a stellar amp. I don’t understand how an amp with such terrible overdrive can sound so good with dirt pedals. The Mach 3 just eats them up. They blend right in and become another channel, essentially.
I love all the Fender voicings, and the Top Boost voicing is nice as well. The Plexi voicing still sounds like crap to me, and nothing like any Marshall I’ve ever heard.
My impressions after 3 months;
-Gorgeous clean/edge of breakup sounds.
-Tons of available volume and headroom. I’m one of two guitarists and our drummer hits hard. I’m using a 1x12 cab. No problem.
-Channel switching between two identical channels is so great. I’m using an a/b/y to switch between two different pedal chains. So many possibilities!
-Low noise floor.
-Great effects loop.
-Decent reverb.
-Decent tremolo.
-Powerful active EQ controls.
-Sounds amazing with dirt pedals.
-Compact/lightweight.
-Relatively affordable.
Overall I’m very pleased. I have some nice tube amps that I love, but the Quilter is my go-to these days. If you’re looking for a “pedal platform” the Mach 3 is worth serious consideration in my experience. If you’re looking for an amp that delivers great overdrive I suggest you look elsewhere.
Quilter Aviator Mach 3 first impressions
The Mach 3 (head) is my fourth Quilter. I had a Mach 2, and currently own an OD202 and SuperBlock UK. After much tweaking at home, and a rehearsal with the band, I’ve got a pretty good idea of what the Mach 3’s strengths and weaknesses are, although I do plan to experiment with different...
After putting it through its paces live and in the studio I gotta say I’m quite pleased with it.
I criticized the dirty sounds in my initial review and I stand by those criticisms now. I have tried really hard to dial in a good dirty sound on this amp. Best I could do was to slam the input with a Naga Viper (treble booster). Not bad, but a dirt pedal into the amp set clean still sounds much better, which I’m fine with. But, Quilter needs to address this or just give it up. The dirty sounds are garbage IMO.
Aside from the lousy overdriven sounds the Mach 3 is a stellar amp. I don’t understand how an amp with such terrible overdrive can sound so good with dirt pedals. The Mach 3 just eats them up. They blend right in and become another channel, essentially.
I love all the Fender voicings, and the Top Boost voicing is nice as well. The Plexi voicing still sounds like crap to me, and nothing like any Marshall I’ve ever heard.
My impressions after 3 months;
-Gorgeous clean/edge of breakup sounds.
-Tons of available volume and headroom. I’m one of two guitarists and our drummer hits hard. I’m using a 1x12 cab. No problem.
-Channel switching between two identical channels is so great. I’m using an a/b/y to switch between two different pedal chains. So many possibilities!
-Low noise floor.
-Great effects loop.
-Decent reverb.
-Decent tremolo.
-Powerful active EQ controls.
-Sounds amazing with dirt pedals.
-Compact/lightweight.
-Relatively affordable.
Overall I’m very pleased. I have some nice tube amps that I love, but the Quilter is my go-to these days. If you’re looking for a “pedal platform” the Mach 3 is worth serious consideration in my experience. If you’re looking for an amp that delivers great overdrive I suggest you look elsewhere.
