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Ditched the Splawn Quick Rod

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  • Ditched the Splawn Quick Rod

    I know that this will probably shock some of you and I'm not exactly proud of it, but I ditched the Quick Rod on Saturday. And when I say "ditched," I mean that I sold it for a price that will have me kicking myself for some time to come and it will also reenforce something I've said for years: "NEVER BUY AN AMP YOU HAVEN'T PLUGGED INTO, YOU IDIOT."

    As pissed as I am about the screw-job deal I took for it, I'm still happy to have it gone and out of my house, and the fact that I recouped "some" of the money I spent on it. I've learned over the years that I decide very quickly if I'm going to like a piece of gear or not in the long term. In this case it was a "not."

    So without further ado, here are the reasons I got rid of it:

    Midrange, midrange, MIDRANGE: There's nothing wrong with mids, but are you kidding me?!?!?! This thing was like taking a Marshall, turning the Bass and Treble down to zero and the Midrange on 10, then adding a mid boost. As someone said in another thread, that tone gets annoying after a while and you can't dial it out. Yes, it's a very smooth midrange, but WAY too much of it.

    Stiffness: This amp had the Drop B+ option, and it was still way too stiff for my taste. As I discussed with jgcable in another thread, I didn't find it "unforgiving" because I'm a very precise type of player. I just found it STIFF as all get out. No warmth and not a lot of character. I softened it up with a boost in front, but it still felt very clinical. I get the impression that what they're going for is a super, hyper clarity. Well, it has that in truckloads but it achieves it at the cost of feel and warmth, in my opinion. It's very precise but in a clinical sort of way. I can get mega clarity out of a Marshall with a GE-7 EQ, but not at the expense of warmth and responsiveness.

    Clean channel: What clean channel????? This was a 2014 model with the supposed "improved" clean channel. If that's the case, then I don't even want to hear what the older ones sounded like. This clean channel was about on par with the JCM 800 I sold a few years ago, meaning that it sucks donkey balls. And..... I couldn't use the effects loop with the clean channel, because when I did, the overdrive channel bled over into it so I was getting this weird effect of "cold clean" with overdrive combined. So I e-mailed them and they sent me a replacement effects loop board. I replaced it and the original problem went away, but then it got this weird "fizz" sound in the cleans. So in short, no useable clean channel.

    Effects Loop Master Volume/Volume Spike: As someone said elsewhere, the volume is either "full blast or off." I think this is ridiculous. It reminds me of the old Peavey solid-state stuff from the 80's; one second it's barely audible, but then you bump the volume knob the width of a mosquito's ass hair and BAM! The windows are shaking. And before anyone says it, yes, I can tame the volume of ANY amp for bedroom levels, regardless of wattage. But my complaint isn't the volume output, it's the overly sensitive volume knobs(s). So instead of addressing this problem, they add the Effects Loop Master Volume. Does it work? Yes. But it also means that you now have to balance out the volume of your effects in this mix if you're running any.

    Weirdness: Honestly, I just think this amp is weird. The footswitch is weird, the EQ is weird, and the "gears" thing is a bit out there. You can only access Overdrive 2 with the footswitch, not on the amp. And speaking of the gears, I didn't think that the difference between them was all that earth-shattering. I also think that the footswitch is very non-intuitive. Here's a radical idea: How about having three buttons, where one is labeled "Channel 1," the next is labeled "Channel 2," and the third is labeled..... wait for it...... TADA!..... "Channel 3!" Imagine that.

    I don't mean to disrespect the amp in general; it's built like a tank and it was quite beautiful.

    But SOUND is what I care about. And I've learned to be honest with myself very quickly. I won't try to force myself to love a piece of gear just because I'm "supposed" to, or because everyone else does, or because I paid a lot of money for it. It either works for me or it doesn't.

    The final kicker was when I realized that my Vetta actually sounds better to me.

    So, I'm back to looking at Marshalls and possibly an EVH. I would love to compare those two back to back if a JVM ever appears again at my local GC.

    Excuse me while I talk to myself for a second. "NEVER BUY AN AMP YOU HAVEN'T PLUGGED INTO, YOU IDIOT."
    Member - National Sarcasm Society

    "Oh, sure. Like we need your support."

  • #2
    Ah, yes, the infamous 'try it before you buy it' line.
    Kids today are in for a world of hurtin with all of this internet shopping they do.

    Try it, like it, buy it. Then you don't need to worry about the 4th option return/sell it.

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    • #3
      Damn it. That sucks. I thought you had found what you were looking for, but at least you didn't force it. You know, after your first post about the Quick Rod, I got real interested. I actually found one in my local Music go round for a pretty fair price. It was missing the pedal, but with some creative pedaling, you could access the OD's. I went down there fully expecting to bring this thing home, and I hated it. Seemed lifeless to me. Many of the same reasons you mentioned. It was a very early one, so I chalked it up to maybe being that, but now... Again bummer man, but you'll find it.
      "I have so much gayness at times. My wife walks in my music room, and there I am, in my undies, listening to "Sister Christian" while lighting fireworks..doin' blow." - Bill Z

      "I leave off the back plate and pinch my forskin between the tension springs. That may not work for everyone. But I find that the people love it. Half the tone is in the pud." - Bill Z

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by pianoguyy View Post
        Ah, yes, the infamous 'try it before you buy it' line.
        Kids today are in for a world of hurtin with all of this internet shopping they do.

        Try it, like it, buy it. Then you don't need to worry about the 4th option return/sell it.
        Yep. That's simple and very accurate. I get so frustrated by never being able to actually plug into anything around here. My local GC hasn't had a new JVM in stock since 2008 and I haven't found one, new or used, within 300 miles of me. I don't live in the middle of nowhere, either.
        Member - National Sarcasm Society

        "Oh, sure. Like we need your support."

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        • #5
          Originally posted by veemagic View Post
          Damn it. That sucks. I thought you had found what you were looking for, but at least you didn't force it. You know, after your first post about the Quick Rod, I got real interested. I actually found one in my local Music go round for a pretty fair price. It was missing the pedal, but with some creative pedaling, you could access the OD's. I went down there fully expecting to bring this thing home, and I hated it. Seemed lifeless to me. Many of the same reasons you mentioned. It was a very early one, so I chalked it up to maybe being that, but now... Again bummer man, but you'll find it.
          It's good to know that others share the same opinion. And I think you nailed the key word: lifeless. The first time I fired it up I thought, "Yeah, this will work for me." But the more I played it the less I liked it. I think that the stiffness just really turns me off.

          I tried a new 5150 III 50-watt in GC recently and it sounds good, but it's not quite the "magic" I'm looking for. But yeah, I do think I'll find it eventually.
          Member - National Sarcasm Society

          "Oh, sure. Like we need your support."

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          • #6
            Not sure if you've tried or thought about the Randall's but I love mine. Went from a TSL100 to Splawn to Carvin CV3 to Randall RM100 and have stopped there. I did re-tube mine after reading on the randall forums and man what a dif it made. Anyway after reading your review on the Splawn it reminded me of why I ditched it besides being so loud (which it needs to shine). Anyway good luck!

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            • #7
              Originally posted by z1n View Post
              Not sure if you've tried or thought about the Randall's but I love mine. Went from a TSL100 to Splawn to Carvin CV3 to Randall RM100 and have stopped there. I did re-tube mine after reading on the randall forums and man what a dif it made. Anyway after reading your review on the Splawn it reminded me of why I ditched it besides being so loud (which it needs to shine). Anyway good luck!
              I haven't tried a Randall in a bazillion years. The last one I tried was back in the 80's. It was a solid state head and I really wanted it, but couldn't afford it at the time.

              I think I need to revisit them, and thanks.
              Member - National Sarcasm Society

              "Oh, sure. Like we need your support."

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              • #8
                As someone still interested in the QuickRod, how much does a used one go for anyway?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Bert View Post
                  As someone still interested in the QuickRod, how much does a used one go for anyway?
                  It varies. GC has one on their Used gear website for $1499.99, and a 4x12 cab for $799.99, which is ridiculous since it's $800.00 plus shipping brand new.

                  I don't know how they'll price mine once it goes up.
                  Member - National Sarcasm Society

                  "Oh, sure. Like we need your support."

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                  • #10
                    Do yourself and your ears a favor. Buy a Soldano SLO-100 and be done with it.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by 87jackson View Post
                      Do yourself and your ears a favor. Buy a Soldano SLO-100 and be done with it.
                      This isn't the first time I've heard this......

                      Believe me, if I could plug into one and the price was respectable, I would be all over it. But this experience has cured me, once and for all, from buying ANY amp I haven't plugged into.
                      Member - National Sarcasm Society

                      "Oh, sure. Like we need your support."

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                      • #12
                        Hopefully, given the newness of it, GC gave you a little more than their standard used gear pricing formula would dictate. Otherwise, that's a big ouch.

                        Need a place where you can rent some of these high dollar amps for the weekend or something.
                        Jackson KV2
                        Jackson KE1T
                        Jackson KE1F
                        Jackson SL1

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Larz View Post
                          Hopefully, given the newness of it, GC gave you a little more than their standard used gear pricing formula would dictate. Otherwise, that's a big ouch.

                          Need a place where you can rent some of these high dollar amps for the weekend or something.
                          Trust me, it's indeed a big ouch.

                          But for some reason, I feel good today. I think it's because I went ahead and got it off my chest instead of tormenting myself further over it. Sure, I took a bath on it. But at the same time, there's no negotiating with idiots on eBay, no dealing with people on craigslist wanting to come to my house and demo it, etc.....

                          It's done and out of my hair. I'm officially de-Splawned and I won't be buying another one.

                          I like your idea about renting a place and trying some amps, but I doubt there's any such place around here.

                          This teaches me further to listen to my inner voice and trust my instincts more.
                          Member - National Sarcasm Society

                          "Oh, sure. Like we need your support."

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                          • #14
                            Hey PowerTube, if your ever in San Antonio your welcome to try my SLO's in a wet/dry setup

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by 87jackson View Post
                              Hey PowerTube, if your ever in San Antonio your welcome to try my SLO's in a wet/dry setup
                              Thanks. I'll doubt I'll be heading that way, but I appreciate it.

                              I already know that I can get the sound I like from a JCM 800 because i used to have one, but honestly, I don't want to buy something that old. Plus, I want a good clean channel. Once I can try a JVM, that might change everything.

                              Member - National Sarcasm Society

                              "Oh, sure. Like we need your support."

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