Silktone Amplifier KT66 Hardwired 12w
Output: ~12 W/~0.5 W switchable @ 8 ohms
Controls: Vol, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb Dwell & Mix, Tone switch for Chiffon (EQ Mode) and Raw Silk (Bypass EQ, Boost)
Tubes: 1 x 12AX7, 2 x 12AT7, 1 x KT66 , 1 x 5AR4
Transformers: Soursound
Speaker: 12" Silktone Ceramic
Dimensions: 21.25” x 18.5” x 10.75” @ 41 lbs
Harmonic retention and ultra-low noise are the stand-out design feats with this one - allowing all of the good nuanced stuff that is lost on other amps to really come through in focus. The overdrive is soo thick and textured and the cleans are sweet and full even at lower volumes.
A huge range of tones are available with the silktone amp - “Chiffon” mode offers a variety of refined tones from it's TMB tone stack with wide-range Mid control. Cut the mids way back and you get a nice spongy American scooped tone – push the mids and your tone fattens up to the stylings of a bold & dynamic JTM. Push the volume to break up and get a harmonically complex & musical overdrive. “Raw Silk” mode bypasses the tone stack for a huge gain boost – you'll get an incredibly sweet and transparent sound at lower volumes showing off the nuances of your guitar and pedals – push the volume and you can get anything from raw crunch to thick fuzz-like distortion. All of this with a tube driven spring reverb that is as rich as it is versatile. With the combination of the 'Dwell' and 'Mix' controls you can get anything from a smooth & gentle echo to a huge drippy surf effect.
The amp comes stock with a true KT66 power tube (some modern KT66 are just rebottled 6L6s), I think this tube is grossly underrated and bears all of the great qualities of the more common output tubes. It's more balanced and full than a 6L6, as airy and pretty as a 6V6 and as sweet and thick in the mids as an EL34 and has the most complex and musical overdrive out of the bunch. From top to bottom it is just better sounding. To each their own, though, and thanks to the cathode biasing you have the option to use a 6V6 or 6L6 output tube as well - without ever needing to re-bias. A 6V6 will reduce power output to 5-6 Watts.
After trying all of the big well known high end transformer brands we ended up going with paper layer vintage style transformers rather than the more common plastic wound modern offerings. We find natural insulators offer a more pleasing musical sound overall and in these custom Soursound transformers it was a bigger improvement than we ever hoped for - they just crushed the competition musically.
Possibly the most important part of voicing a combo amplifier is speaker and cabinet selection - this can make or break an already good amp. After trying 20 or so off-the-shelf speakers from various companies we ended up co-designing with WGS and came up with a perfect fit. It has an American style seamed cone but with more smoothness than a typical American voiced speaker thanks to the little tweaks we applied like paper insulated voice coils. The cabinet was also painstakingly optimized for the tone I was going for – the dimensions allow the 12” speaker to breath and sound really full with minimal bass cancellation. Zero-void Baltic Birch was used for a really dynamic and balanced sound. The combination produces a very open and smooth sound while still having a solid bottom and good growl.