Re: Mosrite Amp at Los Angeles guitar show....

[Deke Dickerson]

Aw, now I feel bad when I go back and look at all the posts I missed about the Mosrite amp when I was on tour a few weeks ago. I didn't mean to come off so flip about it.

MosriteCustomShop and MosriteTexas, you want my suggestions for a cabinet design? You're about 70 percent there. The amp needs to have a slope at the top like the originals, mainly. Without the slope there is nothing to differentiate the amp from a Crate or a Peavey or whatever. That's the individuality of the Mosrite amp design from the 60's. I'm talking about the slope of the front of the cabinet that starts right where the control panel begins.

Secondly, as mentioned, lose the chickenhead knobs and get some Chinese foundry to cast the Mosrite top hat knobs. Without the Mosrite top hat knobs you lose the other main factor of the Mosrite amp individuality.

Thirdly, it should have more of a cabinet shape like the old amps. The prototype I saw was squared off, about 18X18 if my memory serves me right, and the cabinet was too deep, probably close to 15 inches deep. Those sort of cab dimensions just make it look like a modern amp. To have that "retro" look you should copy the cabinet dimensions of the original amps, maybe the model 400.

There's my two cents worth on the subject. I didn't mean to tear the amp down on first impression, especially after reading how much work went into making the prototype available for the guitar show.

See, it's possible to express your opinions without slandering somebody....be nice people!

Deke

[zarfnober]

I agree with Deke on this. I do recall the maker saying he was working on a cab supplier if they move forward with this, let's hope he makes some changes visually.

Rocco

[thunderhead]

Deke, you echoed what a lot of us have been saying. Go for the real retro vibe!!! I would be really fired up if they had gone back to the old models. I have a 1968 BG-500, a BEAST of and amp. I would have loved to see them go in that vain except smaller and more portable but with the 15in. Speaker. Lets remember that the members of this forum are a big part of the market for a "New Mosrite Amp". Also the price point is getting way out there. Take the lead from Hallmark and get the cool stuff out there at a decent price point.

[Roger D]

They could even injection mold the M knobs with a high quality plastic and flash chrome, vacuum chrome or now they can even triple plate plastic like ie. http://www.4chrome.com up in New York does. There's probably someone in L.A. or Dallas that does it too. Any knob should definately have a set screw. I think Deke hit it on the head about needing the sloped front. My model 500 is only 11 1/2 inches deep and it has the D130 15" speaker in it & there's still a lot of clearence behind the speaker.

Roger D

[MosriteCustomShop]

Hey Guys!
Thanx for the positive feedback on the new tube amp! I really do dig hearing ways to make it better.

The cabinet is actually a really nice solid pine w/finger-jointed corners from Will Dyke at Armadillo Amp Works (http://amprestoration.com). I realize that once you cover 'em in vinyl/tolex they all look the same, but it really is a well built cab;-) We took the dimensions from Greg's Mosrite amp (Model 400, I think.) We did add an inch to the depth (my idea) for a bigger-sounding cabinet and more bass. I also wanted to try a single large panel on the back for a semi-closed/ported cabinet sound. We also took the chassis dims from the old Mosrite. I thought a 3" tall chassis was too much, but Greg wanted to keep the old look/proportions wherever we could. We are thinkin' about that stuff. We didn't slant the cab or chassis to make the build easier/faster. Y'all have a very good point about the square cabinet making the amp look a bit "generic". I'll see what I can do to get the slant in there in a later model.

I'm really glad folks are diggin the TONE! I know whatcha mean about the trem being a little too fast, I thought so too. We'll slow that down in the next round of tweaks.

Greg and I are still talkin' about the knobs. What kind, where to get 'em, etc. I also would like to see cool, old school knobs. We just couldn't get 'em in time for LA.

Here's some questions for y'all:
Would you like the bigger, bassier sound of a semi-closed/ported cab or would you rather have a more open-back sound?
What kind of speaker would you like to see? Perhaps we can offer some options or upgrades for the 12".
Would you like to see a couple new features/controls? Like a mid knob (treble-mid-bass tone controls)? Or a dwell control for the reverb?

I feel like we're walkin' a fine line between a "vintage reproduction" and a really NEW amp. I have a lot of respect for Mosrite and the Mosrite faithful and I really wanna do something that everybody really digs! I feel like we have a chance to do something that has the feel we liked in the 1st place, and then kick it up a notch. Something that won't turn off Mosrite junkies but will also stand up to anything on the market and have an appeal beyond just the faithful.

Keep them cards and letters comin'!
Thanx!

[thunderhead]

Thanks for a true willingness to listen to true Mosrite Players Great Idea to add the Dwell control for the Reverb, that would be Awesome A closed back cab or open could be a buyer option? How about an option for a Weber 15 in Speaker?

[Strat-o-rama]

If you're going for deep reverb, and nice swampy tremolo, you're leaning more towards the clean side. Maybe try Eminence Red, White and Blues as a starter for options?
As for the retro distinction; I go along with Deke and the other guys. Retro is marketable!

[Dennisthe Menace]

MosriteCustomShop:

Like a mid knob (treble-mid-bass tone controls)? Or a dwell control for the reverb?

NOW WE'RE TALKING!!

[mosritetexas]

It was modeled after the M-200
The 200 was 21.5"x20.5"x 9"
the new one is 21.5"20"x10.5"
Yes we left off the slant.
Yes we are taking down all input,you bet.

thanks

[mosritetexas]

http://picasaweb.google.com/glewis9302/ ... 3151735682
http://picasaweb.google.com/glewis9302
Here are some photos of the LA guitar show