In the continuing saga of employing my new VHT Special 6 low wattage, hand wired tube amp head, I continue to be amazed when I am working on my blues guitar at the amazing sound quality of this small amp. Having played and recorded with the BOSS overdrive pedal, I was longing to hear the sweet sounds of my Fender Tele played directly through the VHT Special 6 Head and 12 inch speaker cabinet. The experience is delightful!
I set the power to 3 Watts, pulled out the drive/gain on the volume control (works also with the foot switch), set the volume on 8 1/2 or 9 and the tone knob on 7. Playing my tele through the VHT on these settings gives me a wonderful, full sounding clean tone. It is pure and reproduces the Fender sound so acurately. It is a sound that reminds me of early electric guitar recordings and performances I heard as a boy in the sixties. Bright and clear, yet also warm, round notes of guitar heaven. If I crank up the volume to the max on the guitar, I will get a very nice breakup when I strike the strings with moderate firmness.
You can get a great overdrive/distortion that is reminiscent of the tube amps of the likes of Hendricks, Albert King and Buddy Guy. I am not looking for a metal or crunch-- I want the warmth of the tubes with a breakup when it is called for from the dynamics of the song. I plan to get a reverb/delay pedal to add a touch of echo to this guitar adventure. I still have a few items to sell on Ebay before I can aquire a good spring reverb sounding pedal.
In conclusion, the VHT is best plugged straight in, guitar to amp. I guess you might call me a "clean" freak! Try a VHT-- you will be pleasantly surprised at the tone, even without effects.
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