|
 After a month of solid practice, gigging and recording, GEARED offers a verdict on the SEYMOUR DUNCAN TWIN TUBE CLASSIC.
I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of getting all of my tone off the floor. The ability to leave your amp in the practice room and play through any old rig is a handy one, and I’ve pursued this ideal a lot recently. Not being particularly fond of digital emulation, my attention has been turned to tube pedals/preamps. The Twin Tube Classic, by Seymour Duncan, is one such device, and after extensive Internet research, I concluded it was the most cost-effective tube stomp box available, and ordered it in.
Notable Features
The TTC is a dual-channel, tube ‘preamp’ and overdrive pedal that features premium, mil-spec, subminiature, USA-made Phillips-Sylvania 6021 dual triode tubes. These puppies represent the height of vacuum tube technology when it peaked in the late ‘60s. They’re designed for long service life under conditions of severe shock, vibration, high temperature and high altitude – like being used in spacecraft for instance. The tubes aren’t easily removable, but they are designed to last a lifetime under normal conditions. The best thing is that unlike a lot of similar pedals, the TTC runs a full 16V current through the tube selected, making for a greater dynamic range and killer harmonics.
The dual channels mean you can get both Rhythm and Lead tones off the floor, which is really handy. The tonal controls govern both channels, which means they’re more for tapering your tone to the amp you’re currently using, rather than being a dedicated EQ. This can be a problem if your amp/pedal/DI EQ options are limited.
Sound Quality
The sonic range of the TTC is quite impressive. From fully clean, to light break-up, to psychedelic sustain, the pedal does it all pretty well. The tone is fairly dry on the Rhythm channel, so don’t expect Class A sparkle from it, but it’s nice enough. Personally, I think I prefer the diode clipping of my MI Audio Blue Boy Deluxe for bluesy break-up, as it has a more ‘metallic’ feel to it, while the TTC can produce tones that sound imbued with static at times.
Similarly, the Lead channel is absolutely drenched in harmonics, and can easily overload other pedals (especially analogue delay), smaller amps and ill-suited microphones. The Lead tone is a more luscious than your standard amp overdrive, and much more volatile. It seems the compression doesn’t match the increased power exertion, and the result is an organic fuzz that really trashes your signal in all kinds of positive (but unwieldy) ways. This certainly isn’t a pedal designed for metal, hard rock, or prog shredding (for ‘modern’ sounds check out the Twin Tube Mayhem), as clarity is lost fairly quickly with increased gain and sustain. The business end of the Lead channel is all about psych, garage and shoegaze belligerence. The errant harmonics make insinuating your guitar lines into a band context quite easy – you’re producing so many different notes at once it’s hard to fail.
Build Calibre
The solid steel chassis provides the right amount of protection from most breakage hazards. The chicken-head knobs are plastic but sturdy – like any amplifier – and the switches are of the standard steel true bypass variety. The sides have some serious plastic vents, and bottom has a striated panel that prevents slippage. In other words, the TTC is built and finished really well.
Overall
I like the TTC, it delivers tube tone off the floor with little fuss and much fuzz. It shouldn’t be considered a preamp, due to the lack of 3-band equalising and the unit’s want to colour your signal, nor would I say it eclipses Class A or AB1 amplifier tone. The Clean channel can be a somewhat scratchy at times, and never quite sparkles; while the Lead channel’s harmonics can easily kill any semblance of clarity if not effectively accounted for. For this reason, it will never replace a decent valve amp in your ideal tonal set-up, but rather compliment your rig, and be a viable stopgap when borrowing backline. If you have a realistic view of what this affordable, well-built pedal should do, it’s quite a satisfying piece of kit.
Pros:
Well-built
Tube tone off the floor
Crazy harmonics and sustain
Quite cheap for what it is
Cons:
Not enough EQ options
Won’t replace amp tone
Thus shouldn’t be considered a preamp
Memorable Quirks:
Remember to warm the tubes up before you play for the best tone.
Similarly, pull the cord out when you’re done, as there’s no power switch.
Put delay pedals in front of the TTC, unless you’re after a choked tone.
Set the Gain low and crank the volume on the Clean channel to push your amp into a natural break-up at any volume.
Overall
7/10
I picked up my SEYMOUR DUNCAN TWIN TUBE CLASSIC from The Guitar Shop, 40 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington. RRP is $449, but they reduced that to $360 without any prompting. It took three days to order the unit in.
|
| Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged. |
|
Be first to comment on this article
