NAD: Meep Meep.

octatonic

Picked up a Blackstar Fly as my workshop amp.
Perfectly fine for what it is.

I also bought something else- I wandered up to Coda (something that never fails to be expensive) and tried a bunch of amps.
I really wanted to try out a Carr Rambler and the Tone King Imperial II.
They were both fine amps but not exactly what I was looking for.
In passing Doug mentioned Louis Electric- a brand I was not very familiar with and I tried the Road Runner.
What an amp!

Is is basically a Princeton style circuit but with an added mid control.
I've had a bunch of Princeton's- mostly Fender reissues and the Roadrunner is an order of magnitude better.
Much better at taking pedals, better reverb and trem- it sounds gorgeous.

Really light too- will be my main home and small gig/rehearsal type amp.

usedtobe

Wow, that looks so cool!

GavRichList

Looks the part. Hideously expensive? 

guitars4you

I had not heard of them either - but just checking out their site and spec etc - looks nice and my type of amp - 6V6's - No gain, so choose your overdrive pedal accordingly - I might prefer a 12" over the 10" but that is an unfair statement without actually hearing one - Looks a mighty fine boutique puppy - Enjoy it

mgaw

lovely that been thinking about getting it to replace the Louis Electric Columbia...its a bit too loud

Strat_a_tat_tat

Very nice.

octatonic

GavRichList said:

Looks the part. Hideously expensive? 

Er....

guitars4you said:

I had not heard of them either - but just checking out their site and spec etc - looks nice and my type of amp - 6V6's - No gain, so choose your overdrive pedal accordingly - I might prefer a 12" over the 10" but that is an unfair statement without actually hearing one - Looks a mighty fine boutique puppy - Enjoy it

They do a 12" version with more power called the Columbia but...

mgaw said:

lovely that been thinking about getting it to replace the Louis Electric Columbia...its a bit too loud

... this was my concern also.
If I only wanted an amp for gigging then I'd have bought the Columbia but the Road Runner is loud enough for most things I do that aren't high gainy.

Strat_a_tat_tat

@octatonic... how would you compare it with the Rambler and Imperial you tried?  What were the main differences in terms of tone etc?

I'm very familiar with the Rambler and the Mk1 Anni Imperial (but not the Mk2. I think they tamed the treble a bit on the Mk2)... so it would be great to hear your take on the Roadrunner.

I must say... at 27lbs, my back is interested in the Louis Elec. Do you think it would be loud enough to gig pubs? (That said, I normally mic up... so it'd only have to be loud enough for me to hear over an enthusiastic drummer!)

Thanks (and that colour scheme does look rather handsome)

octatonic

Strat_a_tat_tat said:

@octatonic... how would you compare it with the Rambler and Imperial you tried?  What were the main differences in terms of tone etc?

I'm very familiar with the Rambler and the Mk1 Anni Imperial (but not the Mk2. I think they tamed the treble a bit on the Mk2)... so it would be great to hear your take on the Roadrunner.

I must say... at 27lbs, my back is interested in the Louis Elec. Do you think it would be loud enough to gig pubs? (That said, I normally mic up... so it'd only have to be loud enough for me to hear over an enthusiastic drummer!)

Thanks (and that colour scheme does look rather handsome)

The Rambler- I found underwhelming- it was kinda spongy sounding and a bit loose in the low end.
Even with Bass on 1 it was too flubby for me.
The Impala was a better amp imho but still not quite right.

The Imperial was brilliant- I'll definitely have one at some point but not right now.
I needed something home-friendly as well as gig-friendly and the Tone King was LOUD.
I know it has an attenuator but still.

The other thing is the gain channel on the Tone King but a lack of an effects loop would mean I'd have to significantly rework my pedalboard.
I know the Louis doesn't have an effects loop but the Tone King has such a good gain channel that I'd feel I was slightly wasting the amp to not use it but then what do I do with delays etc?

The Road Runner is clearly a Princeton type of amp- it is a more direct version of a Princeton than either the Carr or the Tone King are a version of some other amp, which allows me to treat it basically the same way I would a Fender but it is a bit more pedal friendly, the build quality is better I like that it is a less common amp.
It is a simpler thing to use- I just plug into the pedalboard, plug the board into the amp and turn it up.

The others felt more complex but no more rewarding.
I think the main thing about the Road Runner is it made me happy to play it.
It just felt right.

Lebarque

Congrats, @octatonic. Cracking amp I'm sure. I've played a Columbia, but not the Roadrunner. The Louis Electric amps have the amazing ability to sound OLD! I'm also impressed and amazed with your rationale and logic for choosing the Roadrunner over forum faves such as the Rambler and Columbia - it's almost like you won't regret the purchase and need a new amp in two months. In fact, I'm not sure you fit in on this forum... :0) Nice observation about the Impala too. Did i mention i have one for sale?

Strat_a_tat_tat

@octatonic. Interesting read. Thanks for the info. In recent years, the amps I've gigged with most have been a Rambler and a Mk1 Anniversary Imperial (the handwired one).... so it's interesting to hear how the Louis compared on your visit to Coda.

Thanks... food for thought.

BTW... the gain channel on the Anni Imperial isn't particularly inspiring - so far I've never used it on a gig. Maybe they sorted that on the Mk2.... or maybe I need to dial it in on my Mk1 Anni.

merlin

mgaw said:

lovely that been thinking about getting it to replace the Louis Electric Columbia...its a bit too loud

Would you care to trade for my Louis Electric KR12....? 
Just a thought...

octatonic

Strat_a_tat_tat said:

@octatonic. Interesting read. Thanks for the info. In recent years, the amps I've gigged with most have been a Rambler and a Mk1 Anniversary Imperial (the handwired one).... so it's interesting to hear how the Louis compared on your visit to Coda.

Thanks... food for thought.

BTW... the gain channel on the Anni Imperial isn't particularly inspiring - so far I've never used it on a gig. Maybe they sorted that on the Mk2.... or maybe I need to dial it in on my Mk1 Anni.

I had the 20th Anni and the Mk 2 side by side- they mostly sound the same, the main difference as I could see it was the ability to have the clean unaffected by the attenuator.
That was very cool.

mgaw

merlin said:

mgaw said:

lovely that been thinking about getting it to replace the Louis Electric Columbia...its a bit too loud

Would you care to trade for my Louis Electric KR12....? 
Just a thought...

no sorry i am going to put 6v6 in the Columbia which will calm it down a bit and to be honest i am getting so much enjoyment with it that its unlikely i would sell it, 

octatonic

merlin said:

mgaw said:

lovely that been thinking about getting it to replace the Louis Electric Columbia...its a bit too loud

Would you care to trade for my Louis Electric KR12....? 
Just a thought...

Is yours the one that is on Gumtree at the moment?

merlin

octatonic said:

Is yours the one that is on Gumtree at the moment?

Yes, quite possibly. It's also listed in the amps section here....

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/91252/louis-electric-kr12/p1

octatonic

merlin said:

octatonic said:

Is yours the one that is on Gumtree at the moment?

Yes, quite possibly. It's also listed in the amps section here....

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/91252/louis-electric-kr12/p1

Yes, those are the same pics as on gumtree.

merlin

There can't be too many Merlins selling a Louis Electric KR12!