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Anyone have an Elmwood Modena 60?


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Posted

I have a 90...very different animal. That being said, it is an absolutely amazing amp. Both channels have a vol control boost and a gain boost so it is essentially a 4 channel amp. It also has 2 master volumes so you can really get a ton of sounds out of the thing. This amp has...hands down...the most *useable* gain I have ever heard in an amp and the low end is the size of an aircraft carrier. I shit you not, the thing is an absolute monster.

I will say this about them though. I got mine used for around $1500 and I consider that a steal. New these are *really* expensive and IMHO they are not worth that kind of money. Here is why I say that...

When it comes to sound they are worth every penny of the price they charge...however, I was less than impressed by the inside. I am not one of those PTP snobs. PCBs are fine by me *but* the layout better be right. In the Elmwoods the powertube sockets are mounted to the PCBs. IMHO that is a major no-no and I have already had the amp in the shop once for this. The other thing is their proprietary cable used for the footswitch. Mine went bad and if it does you are SOL at a gig. Luckily I had an OD pedal to get me through the gig until I could get a replacement from Elmwood. On the positive side, they sent me a cable free of charge...huge Kudos for that. If you plan to gig with it, call Elmwood and get a backup cable or make sure you carry a pedal with a sound you can live with for the night.

One more thing...not sure about the M60 but the M90 puts massive juice on the powertubes. You will need to do one of two things with it. Either get a good set of NOS powertubes to handle the juice or make sure to carry spare fuses and tubes. The transformers on these things are massive. I went out and retubed it with NOS RCA 6550s and they have been rock solid for the past few years. I would be stunned beyond belief if a modern tube could hang that long. Keep in mind I gig several times a month and this is my practice amp as well as my gigging amp.

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Posted

Thanks for the info! I just bought a slightly used M60. I actually get it later today. Can't wait to check it out. I'll take your input and keep some extra fuses around. I have ton of NOS tubes to play with. Do you have any info on biasing? Hard to get to inside?

Posted

Biasing is easy but getting to the bias pot is a *little* bit of a PITA.

The bias pot is under a small pcb board that is elevated above the main PCB. All it requires is to remove one of the two screws that hold it onto the main board and then swing it aside to expose the bias pot. After that it is the same as any other amp. It isn't difficult at all it is just a little weird.

You'll love this thing. Think of the biggest baddest nastiest Marshall you have ever heard....and then multiply it by 10. That will get you in the ballpark.

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