Anyone tried/ used/ owned a Tech 21 Trademark 60?

Beexter

I have one and it's a really nice sounding amp. The tone controls are active so can boost and cut frequencies. They are very sensitive which is why some people find it tricky to dial in. I've personally never had a problem. I would agree that the clean channel on this is where it shines - it is superb. The late Les Paul himself used to use one regularly.........For the sounds your mate is going for, it's ideal.

Because of the shared EQ, it is tricky to set up to sound good on both channels. I tended to stay on the clean channel and use pedals for dirt - it takes pedals really well. I use it with a tele, strat and a MusicMan Axis Supersport - sounds great with all of them.

Certainly plenty loud enough to get over a heavy-handed drummer un-miced but also has a Sansamp balanced DI built right in so you can go straight to the board if you need to. Proper spring reverb and a foot-switchable effects loop.

Also has a built-in boost which is also foot-switchable.

I could be tempted to sell mine - I'm based in Sussex. PM me if you're interested.

ThePrettyDamned

If he's really after something portable, the amt Stonehead 4 channels of glory! Probably.

I want one, anyway...

I didn't mind the tech 21 but thought it lacked something on the cleans the peavey bandit didn't, but it reaches slightly gritty overdrive a bit sooner on the volume dial. The peavey gets stupid loud before it breaks up! I prefer the clean breakup on the bandit too, but I rarely hear it because of that volume thing...

RocknRollDave

Thanks all.

I'd be pretty confused if my mate went from using a Mesa Boogie F50 to an amp that "lacked something on the cleans the Peavey Bandit didn't"....but each to their own, eh?


Too many comments to reply to every one but all have been noted and will be passed on.

Great stuff, chaps, appreciated!

Beexter

ThePrettyDamned said:

I didn't mind the tech 21 but thought it lacked something on the cleans the peavey bandit didn't

Not my experience at all! The tone controls on the TM60 do take some getting used to but for rich, clean tones, I personally think it slays the Bandit. Up until recently, I only ever had solid state amps and with around 30 years experience on them, the TM60 is right up there at the top of the heap for me.

There are two versions of the TM60 - the earlier ones were fitted with a custom designed Eminence speaker but they then changed over to a Celestion 70/80. As with a lot of things, the original is best IMO. My understanding is that the move to the Celestion was cost related...I can testify that it certainly wasn't for tone.

EricTheWeary

Bit of thread necromancy but have just come back from a blues jam thingy. I had a borrowed Valvetronix which was loud (2x12) but seemed singularly un dynamic ( fairly knackered amp TBH) and the other fella had a Trademark 60. With his Gibson really big sound, I thought, for a 1x12.He used the clean channel only and pedals for gain and it didn't do the crapping out thing that some SS amps can do with ODs. Wonder how @rocknrolldave 's mate is getting on?

RocknRollDave

Thanks, @EricTheWeary


Mate still hasn't made a purchase - I know he wanted to try one out at a dealer, but from what he was saying there aren't many dealers out there who stock them, so I'm guessing he hasn't been able to put one through its paces yet.

EricTheWeary

I think he'd probably have to buy off Thomann and shift it back under distance selling regs if he didn't like it. For his F50 service has he tried Trev at Tipton Amps? He used to be the authorised Boogie service guy for the Midlands (may still be for all I know), him and his anti social dog work out of his back room in Bilston so his costs are low.

Grunfeld

RocknRollDave said:

but from what he was saying there aren't many dealers out there who stock them...

DV247 used to have them, dunno if they still do.  I had a TM30 which was great.  Only sold it on because I needed the look of a half-stack on stage at the time.  But the reality was the Tech21 sounded great.

monquixote

Beexter said:

There are two versions of the TM60 - the earlier ones were fitted with a custom designed Eminence speaker but they then changed over to a Celestion 70/80. As with a lot of things, the original is best IMO. My understanding is that the move to the Celestion was cost related...I can testify that it certainly wasn't for tone.

It wasn't primarily cost related. The mark one version has a funny shaped cab meaning it can't take a standard depth speaker and the custom Eminence is designed to have less than standard depth so it fits. They had lots of complaints that you couldn't change the speaker so they redesigned the cab and changed it for a Celestion. 

Tech21 claim they use a cheap speaker because the amp has permanently engaged cab modeling which means different speakers don't sound especially different.

Catthan

an old teacher of mine used to gig with one, proper Robben Ford jazz blues guy. First heard the amp with a strat in an outdoors bar gig unmic'd with a fairly heavy handed drummer and it sounded really professional. rich body, sustain and plenty loud. no gain for that guy as he's primarily a jazzer but being able to pull it off I think says smth about the amp (and the player). if I were on a budget and relied on pedals for dirt I'd most likely own one myself.

Danny1969

The dirt that's in the Tech 21 is kinda the point of having one, it's a great overdrive that sounds very valve like. 

One thing to note though, I remember one coming in for repair and fair enough some of the stuff was sm but that's not a prob. However there was one IC intergrated on the actual PCB wafer so some faults will render the amp BER. 

Beexter

 

RocknRollDave said:

Thanks, @EricTheWeary


Mate still hasn't made a purchase - I know he wanted to try one out at a dealer, but from what he was saying there aren't many dealers out there who stock them, so I'm guessing he hasn't been able to put one through its paces yet.

My Tech21 TM60 is for sale if he's interested. I'm not around for a couple of weeks from tomorrow so it won't go anywhere until I'm back. If he's interested, send me a PM and we can try and work something out....

Beexter

Catthan said:

an old teacher of mine used to gig with one, proper Robben Ford jazz blues guy. First heard the amp with a strat in an outdoors bar gig unmic'd with a fairly heavy handed drummer and it sounded really professional. rich body, sustain and plenty loud. no gain for that guy as he's primarily a jazzer but being able to pull it off I think says smth about the amp (and the player). if I were on a budget and relied on pedals for dirt I'd most likely own one myself.

Les Paul himself was a notable TM60 user too.......

mani

Danny1969 said:

The dirt that's in the Tech 21 is kinda the point of having one, it's a great overdrive that sounds very valve like. 

One thing to note though, I remember one coming in for repair and fair enough some of the stuff was sm but that's not a prob. However there was one IC intergrated on the actual PCB wafer so some faults will render the amp BER. 

I've owned mine for a while now, since 99.  Over the years I've had lot's of compliments on the sound, clean or with amp OD.  It's one of those amps you just get on with making music, that's why I kept hold of it for so long.

I think a new board is around £100 or so iirc, the early versions can easily be adapted by adjusting the baffle size for standard 12" speaker, the front cloth/weave is velcro'd on.

I have some live recordings of it on my cloud, some single coils and humbuckers.

thomasw88

I tried one once and really didn't like it.. Seemed to take ages to dial in a good sound which is always a big no no for me.

I did play an orange cr120 at a festival a couple of weeks ago and that was a very nice amp. Had a nice clean on it as well as a very good drive channel. If I was going ss I'd look at one of them.