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  #1  
Old 08-07-2018, 07:40 AM
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KevWind KevWind is offline
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Default Anyone play or listened to any "3rd Power" amps or "Port City" amps?

So having been diagnosed as being infected with Amp fever or GAAS ,,,over a year an half ago .

I am alway on the lookout for interesting and often boutique type amps. And recently stumbled across these two small amp companies. Which seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum .

3 RD Power which offers multi funtion/voicing amps (somewhat along the lines of the higher end Mesa Boogie's with multiple switching options ) and even multiple tone stack options in a single amp with the option of American and or British type flavor in a single unit with blending . They also produce a second amp line under the name " Wooley Coats" a somewhat less price point offering
Originally having produced a number of amp options under 3 RD Power they have just as of this year gone to one amp in the line called " The Kitchen Sink"
Also they offer and interesting proprietary "triangled" baffled speaker design
http://3rdpower.com/


Then there is Port City which offers only two very simple stripped down mostly said to be "very clean" amps and also has a different angled baffling cabinet design .

https://www.portcityamps.com/

I am seriously thinking about Port City (perhaps 3 Rd Power) and was just wondering if anyone here may have played or heard either of these companies offerings , Kev
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  #2  
Old 08-07-2018, 07:53 AM
roylor4 roylor4 is offline
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Kev,

I know nothing of the two lines mentioned, but I will tell you this - if you want CLEAN tones, do yourself a favor and check out the Vox MV50 Clean. Super clean tone and only grows a tiny bit of hair at extremely high volume.

No reverb or trem, but seriously great tone at a budget price. Several people on here gig with both the AC and the Clean and they can be plugged straight into a pa sans cabinet.

& yeah, true tube watts - not weak sounding SS watts.
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Old 08-07-2018, 03:36 PM
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+1 to the Vox MV 50 (thanks roylor! It’s been an outstanding addition to my live board, allowing me to save stage space). Added to your fav board it makes a killer “live rig”.

In addition the Egnater Tweaker offers FANTASTIC tones. It houses the Fender, Vox and Marshall tone stacks as well. I run my 15 into 2 - 1x12 Egnater cabs.

I love both of these amps so much that I’ve put the cover on my 65 TRRI.
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Old 08-07-2018, 05:33 PM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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I saw Joe Walsh on his Analog Man Tour in 2012. He had heard of 3rd Power, contacted the builder, and had him build an American Dream combo and British Dream combo for the tour. The American Dream offers brownface and blackface sounds in one package and the British Dream offers JTM-45 and Vox AC-30 sounds in one package. Joe really got some tasty tones out of them. You can see the two in the center and in front of the drum riser.



I read an interview with the builder where he described Joe as being a great, straightforward, paying customer. That's the second amp builder I've heard it from: Joe and I share another amp builder who built Fender 5E3 clones for us.

Bob
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Old 08-08-2018, 07:00 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Womack View Post
I saw Joe Walsh on his Analog Man Tour in 2012. He had heard of 3rd Power, contacted the builder, and had him build an American Dream combo and British Dream combo for the tour. The American Dream offers brownface and blackface sounds in one package and the British Dream offers JTM-45 and Vox AC-30 sounds in one package. Joe really got some tasty tones out of them. You can see the two in the center and in front of the drum riser.



I read an interview with the builder where he described Joe as being a great, straightforward, paying customer. That's the second amp builder I've heard it from: Joe and I share another amp builder who built Fender 5E3 clones for us.

Bob
Thanks Bob , I saw Walsh listed among " Customers" on the 3 RD Power web sight.
Apparently the builder has now as of NAMM this year, scaled back the product line up to 4 amps, three under the Wooley Coats label, and one amp under the 3RD Power label called "The Kitchen Sink" that has all 4 of the circuits of the 3 Wooley Coats amps in one box offering 4 flavors= British AC, British Plexi, American Blackface , American Tweed.
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Last edited by KevWind; 08-08-2018 at 07:17 AM.
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Old 08-08-2018, 02:35 PM
tippy5 tippy5 is offline
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I bought a Port City OS 12" extra wide cab for atmospheric, stereo time based effects. Haven't tried their heads.

The utube reviews.... The Wooly Coats model sounds nicely thick.

I have a 2006 Tone King Meteor II (20 Watt) wide cab 1X12" combo. 3 knob reverb 3 knob trem. I call it my magic carpet ride.
The new TK designed models featured at this years NAMM have morphed by Mark Bartel designer extraordinaire leaving the company.
Mark has amazing amp designs. cost is large.... $4.5k. A lot of great reviews and sales. Bartel Amplifiers. I recommend Mark for his CS and making 3D tone that melts your heart.

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/in...hange.1785931/

Wish full thinking after 50 years of amplified guitars. A few potent amp tones that I have never had, but I wish I had:
A Soldano 100, Marshall 50 and 4 12's, and maybe a 63 VOV AC30?

I never got AAS (Amp Acquisition Syndrome) but on TGP there are many amp owners there. Hard to deny why. The amp is key to a lot of tones.

I think there should be an amp club where you can use some low number of different amps a year on temporary loan. See if the connection is strong. Hard to judge in a GC amp room what would work for 100 dB gigs.

Last edited by tippy5; 08-08-2018 at 02:42 PM.
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Old 08-08-2018, 06:45 PM
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Tippy5 thanks for the reply
I suspect there are a number of boutique amps that are of really good quality and sound .
Just looked at the Bartel Amps website and yes indeed they look to be pretty special , but a bit out of my price range. As is the new 3 RD Power amp as well . I agree the Wooley Coats line by 3 RD Power looks like a good amp at a more moderate price point.

But as of now ..... Realizing I am firmly in the clean with headroom ( pedal platform) camp of personal preference, I am now seriously looking at a Port City Pearl 50 watt amp, and Port City 2 X12 OS Wave Vertical cabinet. I just this morning exchanged some e-mails and had a short phone chat with the owner/builder Daniel Klein, and was impressed with his punctuality of reply and personable business ethos. I may even sell my Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special 1X12 combo, and perhaps even my Supro Titan with matching Extension cab to fund the purchase . And focus for a while on one amp & one guitar and very few pedals .
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Last edited by KevWind; 08-09-2018 at 06:39 AM.
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  #8  
Old 08-28-2018, 11:27 AM
rockabilly69 rockabilly69 is offline
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Played a Wooly Coats Spanky Mark II a few days ago and it was great. Fender cleans with some nice overdrive when pushed, with more mids than a typical blackface. I also played a British Dream at the same guys house and it sounded great too. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these options!
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