creitone express

[guitargodad]

anyone have one? Id love to know how they sound. Clean headroom, is there any?

[doctord02]

uh, you do know what an Express sounds like, right? Clean headroom is not how they are usually described... Maybe do a search for clips...

[Rob Livesey]

anyone have one? Id love to know how they sound. Clean headroom, is there any?

I have one. It's a great amp and dealing with Nik at Ceriatone was a pleasure too. Clean headroom is subjective and one always should ask, compared to what? When compared with a Super Reverb or a Twin or many other single channel amps, then no, it doesn't really have any. You can't spank this amp and expect a clean tone. But, if you roll back the guitar volume and play lightly then you can get a great clean sound but you certainly won't be able to hammer out shimmering clean chords.

It's a rock & roll machine and that's where it really shines.

Rob.

[sliberty]

Just to be clear, the comments about the lack of clean headroom has nothing to do with Ceriatone. That is how a Trainwreck works. All TW's are gainy agressive machines. But you can get really great cleanish tones by using your guitar volume. Also, there are ways to tame the circuit somewhat (pre PI master volume for example) if you really want to.

[ericb]

I haven't heard 1 person ever say this about their Expresses, Ceriatone or other clones, or the real thing, BUT I have a Ceriatone Express and if you barely turn the volume on , i.e. up to about 1 , its CLEANS are absolutely gorgeous.. At that volume , you turn the bass way up (when cranked, you turn the bass down) but you get a GORGEOUS Fender mixed with old Marshall or Vox clean .. It's NOT loud this way , but when you use something like a clean preamp (like a ZVex Super Hard On pedal) into the Ceriatone Express dialed in clean , you get a VERY VERY VERY NICE clean on the verge of break up tone ,full of harmonics.

I'm shocked noone uses this amp this way , but I tend to discover all the settings I like on all my amps, and this was pretty easy to find on the Express.. Once again, it's MY Ceriatone Express and I have no clue if others react the same way.. Once you turn it up past that point though you get into to the chunky, chewy gain . Up to that point it's BEAUTIFUL CLEAN and even better with the ZVEX Pedal or something like that.

I have 20something amps and some are ok amps, some are excellent and some are great, and used this way the Express is definitely in my 'great' category. That way also you can use a DELAY or REVERB IN FRONT of the amp ..... Otherwise, with it gained out, no way . .


Just my observation, and though noone ever mentions this, it's a great tone to me, no ifs, ands or buts!

Eric

[sliberty]

WHat youa re describing is normal, but if the tones you like are with the amp on 1, you are a little limited (although not with 19 other amps to chose from).

Most people play the Express on about 4-7, and there really isn't much clean available in that range unless you work the guitar's volume. The Express was mainly designed to be a lead amp, so clean chords never entered into the equation.

Mine (not a Ceriatone) has a master volume in place of the 1M resistor at the front end of the PI. This gives me more clean and more range before things get crazy - not that crazy is a bad thing. I can always max the MV if I want it to behave like a more normal Express.

The key is that it is a great amp. It is super responsive to your pick attack, very sensitive to your guitar and its settings, and just always sounds wonderful.

Enjoy!

Steve

[guitargodad]

I have played an express clone that was done at 18 watts. I thought the clean tone was good albeit quiet, and the overdrive was quite amazing. But an express should be 36watts right? I was presuming that at that power level you could get some clean headroom before things got super saturated. Even at 36 watts I dont think this is the amp for me, i need a little more versitility. but the komet, at 60 watts should break a door down even before you get it into overdrive territory, right? It also might break down my bank account.

[ericb]

WHat youa re describing is normal, but if the tones you like are with the amp on 1, you are a little limited (although not with 19 other amps to chose from).

Most people play the Express on about 4-7, and there really isn't much clean available in that range unless you work the guitar's volume. The Express was mainly designed to be a lead amp, so clean chords never entered into the equation.

Mine (not a Ceriatone) has a master volume in place of the 1M resistor at the front end of the PI. This gives me more clean and more range before things get crazy - not that crazy is a bad thing. I can always max the MV if I want it to behave like a more normal Express.

The key is that it is a great amp. It is super responsive to your pick attack, very sensitive to your guitar and its settings, and just always sounds wonderful.

Enjoy!

Steve

Mine kills with the gain below 1 just before it gets real gainy with the preamp pedal like a PSIONIC Audio Triad or ZVEX SHO going in to that. . That is not the only way I play it.. I also play it up to 10 with the treble and mids cranked and bass down and presence either up or off depending on which speakers. NO problems either way , but I will just BET YOU most Ceriatone Express owners don't know about my secret where you can use the preamp INTO it turned low and that way you can use reverb or delay and get a great Hiwatt/Voxy on the verge of breakup or clean tone that is up there with the best. ONCE AGAIN , I am NOT any type of EXPRESS expert.. I've heard some clips and only owned 1 and it's the STOCK CERIATONE... Though I modded a treble cap on my LIverpool , haven't touched the Express yet..

I also have a Ceriatone Liverpool that I like MORE than the Express for the hi-gain cranked almost blowing up stuff. ALSO my Liverpool cleans up better with the guitar's volume pots.. I don't really like the Express much cleaning up compared to other amps I own that clean up a bit better (Thd's, the LIverpool,etc) .. I'm not saying all Liverpools are better than Expresses OBVIOUSLY (DUH!) but mine is! I have lots of amps for different things as I'm a veteran guitarist and even more veteran diehard gearhead and this is fun stuff These are INCREDIBLY cool amps.... AS for being 36 watt and LOUD, etc, well that totally depends on PERSPECTIVE.. I have certain Marshalls and Oranges,etc that are WAY LOUDER... I have other amps that are lower or the same for the 30-40 watt range.. To me these are an Excellent volume and not too loud. I don't like attenuators, and tend not to use 4x12's (I have a couple of 4x12's ) but prefer 2x12's for most stuff.. If you want LOUD CLEAN HEADROOM , neither is the amp for you , but if you follow my advice in the way I mentioned how to make the amp sound better than a Deluxe or Vibrolux Reverb and sound like a nice Hiwatty/Voxy/Fendery clean , try the lo-gain and preamp method... . Rock on

ERIC

[ericb]

I have played an express clone that was done at 18 watts. I thought the clean tone was good albeit quiet, and the overdrive was quite amazing. But an express should be 36watts right? I was presuming that at that power level you could get some clean headroom before things got super saturated. Even at 36 watts I dont think this is the amp for me, i need a little more versitility. but the komet, at 60 watts should break a door down even before you get it into overdrive territory, right? It also might break down my bank account.

NAH, if my Ceriatone Express is an indication of other EXPRESSES , NOPE it's not designed for clean headroom ... Right around 1 on the gain pot the gain kicks .. You have to dial it in carefully BELOW that (Believe it or not!) to get the excellent clean , as mine gates out basically below a certain point.. There's a VERY VERY limited sweet spot for GLASSY/HARMONICALLY RICH Cleans. Then it turns into a very gainy amp , that it's designed for. I have many amps from a 1971 Superlead to an old THD Plexi to JTM 45' s, etc that you gradually turn up and jthey get very loud before gain kicks in , but not the Express that I have (once again mine is a Ceriatone, and definitely not the real thing)

Eric

[Dave Lotek]

Has anyone ever tried a non linear volume pot in place of the original on a Ceriatone? Some Hammond Organs used non linear pots on the expression pedals so you could move into full volume with a slower taper. It seems this would help tune in different sweet spots. What about Bournes 10 turn pots? Just a thought...

[hot_tube_tone]

The Ceriatone and other Express amps don't have a linear volume pot. They have an audio pot. The Middle and Presence controls are the only linear pots in the Express.

[benoit]

How easy/worthwhile would it be to tweak an express for more clean headroom?

[HiGain]

Guys.... A PEC has a more gradual taper. Mind you, it will not give you more clean headroom. It will just give you more subtle control of the lower gain spectrum.

I toyed with getting more headroom...

some ideas... Jackie Treehorn recommended increasing the tail resistor in the PI. This works a bit, and also increases low end. Another option is to use a 47PF bright cap and turn down the treble and mids. This will provide a nice chimey clean and a beefed up blackface tone, with added headroom due to the scoop in mids (less mid frequencies overdriving the stages). Another option is to mess with the .002/150K RC combo ahead of the third stage. Try a larger cap with a (much) lower resistor, or with a voltage divider.

I've done all these... But then I realized that if you follow the info here closely, you will have an amazing high gain amp that cleans up simply from soft pick attack (get's cleanish). The tone and feel has a sweetness to it, and there is an elegance to the brutality. It is not simply a charged up marshal tone. You can play a note and alternate between 3 different harmonics with your finger. This is not from volume alone, and can be done even when using PPI master volume. In short, build the express for these qualities. If you want more headroom, build the liverpool, or better yet the rocket.
Just my two cents.

Jake

[castor]

Daer Higain, so do you suggest to make these tweaks on a normal wreck clone? I'm very satisfied with my clone, but I'm tinking to change all pre values according to a mk amp. I'll not have the same sound... voltages are very different so behaviour of the amp is different.
Did you try something similar? What do you suggest to do with an Express clone in order to keep the gai and quality of sound but try to have more clean and more response to picks attack?

[hot_tube_tone]

Guys.... A PEC has a more gradual taper. Mind you, it will not give you more clean headroom. It will just give you more subtle control of the lower gain spectrum.

Were is the best source for the PEC potentiometers in the US?