Quilter Back-up Surprise

[BoogieMKIIA]

Had a gig last night. The other guitar player uses various old tube amps, slightly modified for guitar. The old PA amps and mono amps. Tubes were knocked and one power tube was loosing vacuum. I offered my Superblock US that I carry as a backup. He wasn’t keen at first because it is not tube, but the trip back to town was too long. Gave him a few pointers and he dialed it in, driving his 2x10 cab with Jensens.

Well, he was pleasantly surprised with the tone and volume. Great pedalboard sounds and clean sounds.  Power matched well with the tens. Said he was going to get one, will see if that holds. It did sound quite good. His experience matched mine as you can’t turn the treble past 9 o’clock.

Has anyone used the Reverb 101 and any compare to the SBUS? You get rid of a power brick and get more power. Wondering how the tone stack compares?

 

[crunchee]

20 minutes ago, BoogieMKIIA said:

Had a gig last night. The other guitar player uses various old tube amps, slightly modified for guitar. The old PA amps and mono amps. Tubes were knocked and one power tube was loosing vacuum. I offered my Superblock US that I carry as a backup. He wasn’t keen at first because it is not tube, but the trip back to town was too long. Gave him a few pointers and he dialed it in, driving his 2x10 cab with Jensens.

Well, he was pleasantly surprised with the tone and volume. Great pedalboard sounds and clean sounds.  Power matched well with the tens. Said he was going to get one, will see if that holds. It did sound quite good. His experience matched mine as you can’t turn the treble past 9 o’clock.

Has anyone used the Reverb 101 and any compare to the SBUS? You get rid of a power brick and get more power. Wondering how the tone stack compares?

 

What happens when you turn the treble past 9 o'clock?  Or is that only as far as the control will go?

[geoff_hartwell]

Dude!

I have actually replaced my tube stage amps for my ABB Tribute with a Quilter ToneBlock 202. It sounds awesome as a platform for a couple of dirt pedals and an FlyRig in front, weighs three pounds and fits in a backpack, and has more than enough power. (Now sits on the stage underneath a 1x12 Egnater cab on a tilted stand.)

My backup Quilter MicroBlock 45 ($90 on Reeeverb) does not sound awesome on its own but has plenty of power (like laughably loud through a 4x12, etc), and sounds fine with two dirt pedals and a FlyRig in front. It brings into sharp contrast the positive affect in feel and tone that the later models with the Limiter and 3-band eq offer.

The SBUS is a great middle ground and I am looking for an excuse to buy one…

[topekatj]

@geoff_hartwell Why place the head beneath the cabinet— because the cab tilted back?  That’s what HD Velcro is for!

Edited August 16, 2025 by topekatj

[BoogieMKIIA]

1 hour ago, crunchee said:

What happens when you turn the treble past 9 o'clock?  Or is that only as far as the control will go?

It is very bright to my ears. Higher treble settings work, just too much for me.

[geoff_hartwell]

11 minutes ago, topekatj said:

@geoff_hartwell Why place the head beneath the cabinet— because the cab tilted back?  That’s what HD Velcro is for!

Literally just because I set it and forget it lol, I don’t really need to mess with it once it’s on. 

Edited August 16, 2025 by geoff_hartwell

[django49]

IMO, the Reverb 101 and their other miniheads are all good. I did have the Superblock, but decided I liked the other options better. (There is the Mach III, but that is a bit of a different animal and another story). Since I build my own cabinets, it is easy to match speakers to the amp selected. As much as I love tubes, products like the Quilters do a real good job as an alternative.....Not NECESSARILY just as a back up.

[BoogieMKIIA]

I used it as my main amp on one gig. Had a 1x12 cab but ran the line out (speaker emulation) to the board. The sound coming out the front was pretty good. Used it for backup purposes a few other times. I carry a speaker cable with a jack on one end so I can connect to the speaker of the NG amp.

I suppose I should wring it out with my current pedal board so I’m ready to go if needed, or just to try it again as the main rig. 25 watts seems plenty for most places and when everything is mic’d up using in-ears. The weight reduction is very nice. I would like it better if it wasn’t so bright. I’ll try it with a Cannabis Rex and a 40/40 Tone Tubby.

The other thing I tried was using it for the amplifier only with a Sarno Revelation pre amp. Just didn’t seem to fit together as well as an ART SLA2, Maybe a more powerful model would do better. 

[Gabe]

Love Quilters.

 

At the moment at home I am using a Quilter DirectAmp going out to the effects loops of a Quilter Mini101 into a Quilter 10"cab and a Quilter SBUK into an Orange 8" cab loaded with a Celestion TF0818 (with dummy plugs in the Effects send jacks.

 

And Quilter's customer service is top notch (if you ever need it).

 

Gabe 😀

[Rich_S]

Back in spring of ‘24 I started gigging regularly with a band after a 40-year layoff.  I quickly decided that lugging my 40-pound DIY 18 Watter clone (combo with a Celestion Classic Lead 80) was too much for my 65-year-old back.

After consulting a couple of forums, I bought an Emi Texas Heat Neo, put it in a DIY 1-12 cabinet and powered it with a Quilter Superblock UK.  I use the “plexi” voicing, run the line out to PA with the built-in cab sim, and get more stage volume than I’ll ever need through the 1-12 cabinet.  I couldn’t be happier with the sound and the new rig weighs 1/2 what the old one did.

[hamerhead]

I had a Crate PowerBlock for a gig backup and sold it after trying the Quilter MicroBlock. It is surprisingly loud, warm and clean for such a tiny package, and takes pedals very well. I have 2 now and they go to every gig.

[Jakeboy]

I used both an SBUS and an SBUK for the church gig. Per typical, the US didn’t work for me unless I was on the tweed setting. The UK was magic. If I was still playing on a church praise team, I’d buy on in an instant. 
 

My musical collaborator and Rumpel Pickup owner AC uses the US as his main jazz amp. He p,ay is some SERIOUS jazz projects and he makes the US sound amazing.

[jwhitcomb3]

On 8/16/2025 at 1:57 PM, BoogieMKIIA said:

Well, he was pleasantly surprised with the tone and volume. Great pedalboard sounds and clean sounds.  Power matched well with the tens. Said he was going to get one, will see if that holds. It did sound quite good. His experience matched mine as you can’t turn the treble past 9 o’clock.

 

The Quilter Superblock has active tone controls (boost and cut), so setting the treble to noon is akin to diming the treble on an amp with passive tone controls (cut only).  Same goes for the MicroPro, Mach 3, and others. Great amps - just gotta get use to the way they work! They can really nail an edge-of-breakup Fender Deluxe tone (my bread-and-butter). 

[bruce919]

A longtime friend of mine plays in two cover bands switched to a Quilter Cub last year. He has always played Princeton or Deluxe Reverbs. He gets a great sound out of it live and enjoys the lighter weight. 

[santellavision]

I'm also a big fan of Quilter stuff. I've had a bunch over the years. My fav is the older Overdrive 200. It just has some nice magic inside. The SB UK also rocks.

[BoogieMKIIA]

Had a side gig with some friends on Saturday. The instruments were an acoustic guitar, dobro and me on the Tele. Singer/songwriter and country stuff. To save weight I used the Superblock US and a 1x12 cab.

What surprised me was how it took my pedal board, specifically the black Tchula. I was concerned it would be too bright but it was not. Treble at 9 o’clock which is about where it sounds good to me plugged straight in. Also, the boost from the Tchula did not introduce much clipping at all. Between the Tchula, gain and limiter I got a very juicy tone with just a hint of breakup. 

 

 

[velorush]

Love my Black Tchula! I think that is the exact scenario for which it was created wasn't it - into a clean amp? 

[cmatthes]

I kinda grabbed a used UK version a few years ago for a ridiculously low price…and still bagged in the box.  I’ve had great experiences using that to drive a 2x12 AC30 aux cab I had lying around.  It’s got serious volume and sounds like a VOX or Marshall combo…if you were blindfolded.

[BoogieMKIIA]

On 12/1/2025 at 12:49 PM, velorush said:

Love my Black Tchula! I think that is the exact scenario for which it was created wasn't it - into a clean amp? 

I believe that is correct. I get more grind with it driving my Boogie MKIIA, maybe the input volume is up a bit. Same for my Marshall. The character of the Quilter with the Tchula seems different and I like it. 

The Quilter is very Fendery but is it's own thing. Getting the UK version sounds like an inexpensive way to experience the Vox and Marshall things - I don't need more gear!

[stobro]

2 hours ago, BoogieMKIIA said:

I don't need more gear!

Blasphemy!