Tone review from the original thread on Tweaks:
OK, I built the HoSo56 & 5879 OD amp. I will refer to it as the HoSo56-OD from here out.
Essentially, what I did was convert my D'Mars ODS amp to this. There was nothing wrong with the D'Mars. In fact, it has been my favorite amp that I've built. Having said that, I was very very curious what this HoSo56 & 5897 OD would sound like? And my curiousity won out. I've tried to limit myself to 2 amps and 4 guitars. So that is why I did not make another amp and converted the D'Mars instead.
They are different, I can not say one is "better" then the other one. Here are my observations after playing this HoSo56-OD for a while. IF my impressions change over time, I will update the review.
The D'Mars has a wider range of clean to OD. The clean on the D'Mars would make a great sounding jazz amp, IMO. Very full clean tone using a 12AY7 in V1. The OD on the D'Mars has more sustain, but can get a little distorted if really cranked way up. You can get great sustain on the D'Mars OD without it being cranked up. In fact, you can actually get quite a sustain with a reasonably clean sounding overdrive with the D'Mars.
The HoSo56-OD is waaayyy more touch sensitive. Play light it's a clean tone. Play moderate it's on the edge of breaking up. Play aggressively and you've got some break up & OD going on with just the clean channel alone .......... all at the same volume pot settings. Very nice harmonics. It does have a dash of chime in the tone. Very FAT tone. Ironically, I have that of the D'Mars clean being a very full tone but the HoSo56-OD is just a super lush FAT tone.
The HoSo56-OD is the most creamy smooth touch sensitive OD I've gotten out of any amp. This was very much a surprise to me! I thought it would have less smoothness then the D'Mars but I was wrong. It is significantly smoother. I was expecting the possibility of too much chime in the OD channel, but it's really a smooth tone.
However the HoSo56-OD overdrive does NOT have as much sustain as the D'Mars. Maybe 75-80% as much sustain. So it is a trade off. It was possible to get the D'Mars to sustain into feedback. This amp will not do that.
The thing I noticed about this HoSo56-OD is that even when I crank it up on clean and/or OD, .............. it continues to have remarkable note definition whether chording or solo-ing. IF I put the volume knob on the D'Mars at 7-8, the tone got somewhat gritty and had some mud in it. Not so with the HoSo56-OD. It just gives a more aggressive articulate touch sensitive tone that still has good note definition.
There is not as much of a spread or contrast between clean to OD on this amp compared to the D'Mars that had a very diverse range from clean to OD.
The HoSo56-OD sort of hangs on that edge of breaking up even on clean with moderate playing. The OD kicked in is more like a boost that adds a big dose of creamy overdrive. Still very touch sensitive and still has good note definition.
On clean, you notice a dash of chime in the tone. On OD, you notice the creamy smooth boost tone. Very nice contrast but at the core, you can tell it's still the same amp just boosted and creamier. There is more sustain on the OD channel, but honestly ....... the clean channel of the HoSo56-OD has quite a bit of sustain to it also. The OD channel is creamier, smoother and maybe more compressed/boosted.
This is a very unique amp with a beautiful tone, IMO. I think for anyone who enjoys the little nuances of playing light to aggressive and enjoys playing some riffs inside chording etc......... this could possibly be an ideal amp for that. I think for super sustain, one would need a fuzz or boost or overdrive pedal added.
Having gotten in a little more play time, the only thing I would add is the OD is more compressed then distorted. Sort of like a slightly compressed boost effect still maintaining good note definition.
Chassis layout is only moderately neat but it is VERY quiet at idle.
With respect, Tubenit
Topic: HoSo56 & 5879 OD (& Dual Pentode idea) (Read 8783 times)