Reviews of the Lindy Fralin (VVT) Model
Amp
Tonequest Report: Lindy Fralin Model Amp Top ?
Excerpted from the ToneRequest Report, V8. N2. Dec '06
“Fralin and the two founders of VVT spent months working on various
prototypes, which involved several rounds of experimentation with custom
transformers built by Mercury Magnetics. Once the basic layout was determined,
different caps, resistors, tube configurations and speakers were tested,
and work continued until Fralin finally heard the sound and feel he
had been craving in his head.
The result is a remarkable 30 watt, 1x15"
cathode biased beauty that can run on dual 6L6’s for maximum headroom
or 6V6's for slightly faster breakup. Features are simple and straightforward
with just a bright switch, volume, treble, bass and reverb controls.
We ran the Fralin through its paces with...”
Click
here to check out the spectacular review of our Lindy Fralin Model in
the December issue of the Tonequest Report.
Excerpted from 20th Century Guitar Magazine Fralin Amp
Reverb fills out the sound with a pleasant
mix behind the dry signal. Throughout its range, the effect is very
complimentary and doesn’t send your playing out to sea even when
dimmed. For the dirty stuff, cranking the chicken head to the red(!)
produced a bubbly, organic and throaty overdrive with real honest to
goodness preamp / amp interaction. Very sweet with gobs of sustain.
Doing a quick swap to the matched pair of 6V6s morphed the amp into
a kind of Blackface Deluxe vibe with breakup noticeable at lower levels.
The bottom felt a little less tight with a bit more perceived glassiness
in the top end.
Whereas the 6L6 bottles speak “tux and bowtie” the 6V6s
are more “t shirt and jeans” - not quite as complex but
with a grittier and nice fat tone.
Also VVT Amps’ attention to detail gets a big thumbs up for the
extra long line cord and groovy little spare fuse holder inside the
back of the amp.
The collaboration between VVT Amps and Lindy Fralin has turned out to
be a winning combination. The VVT Lindy Fralin Model’s beautiful,
three dimensional tones are equaled only by its straight forward and
no nonsense design.
XM Radio uses VVT amps in studio.
Vintage Guitar Magazine: Lindy Fralin
Model Amp Top ?
by Phil Feser, June 2006 // Excerpted from the Vintage Guitar Review
“We were immediately impressed with the amp's complex overtones,
its round, punchy low-end response, and its snappy highs. It didn't
take much noodling or knob tweaking to realize that the tone controls
on this amp, along with its Bright switch, are exceedingly well-voiced.
From a player's perspective, that means it's easy to find likeable sounds.
The Bright switch compensates nicely for the slightly darker sound of
mini- or full-size humbuckers, while the wide sweep of the Bass control
keeps its frequencies full and punchy with single-coils.”
Excerpted from VG Nov 07
Rick Derringer Model Hyperdrive
Quad-6V6 Hoochie-Koo
The VVT Rick Derringer Hyperdrive
the high-quality components and con¬struction we’ve seen in
other VVT amps. Including point-to-point wiring, Mercury Magnetics transformers,
carbon composition resistors, and an aluminum chassis.
Hyperdrive’s overdrive channel offers a thick, harmonically rich
overdrive with plenty of classic rock crunch as well as a plentiful
amount of gain. Even when the Gain is dimed and Level set to 10, the
amp’s high-end response never becomes harsh or buzzy and the low-end
stays firm, maintaining its clarity while sustaining single notes and
rolling into controllable, singing feed¬back with the mid-boost
engaged. The well-voiced Tone controls need be used only sparingly—between
2 o’clock and 10 o’clock—to adjust for the output
of humbuckers or single-coils. The clean channel produces a usable,
sparkling clean sound, and the amp’s abili¬ty to switch between
a shimmering clean and blistering overdrive is handy, but given the
Hyperdrive’s excellent front-end dynamic response, the majority
of the players would really need only to roll off the Volume control
on their guitars. The integrated/footswitchable Boost circuit essentially
eliminates the need for a drive/distortion pedal, and adds just the
right amount of gain and midrange to make single notes pop. A pleasant
surprise is how loud and in-your-face the Hyperdrive’s gain can
be without causing significant ear fatigue; its abundant natural overtones
make it much less trashy-sounding than typical high-gain amps.
The Rick Derringer Hyperdrive, with its well-conceived design, harmonically
rich tone, and cool vintage aesthetic, is an outstanding addition to
VVT’s lineup.—Phil Feiser
Protect your VVT amp with custom made amp covers from CoverAmp.
