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THE BIRTH OF A MODERN CLASSIC |
The AAE SUPER REVERB was born out of a lengthy collaboration between electronics engineer Theo Argiriadis and guitarist Jonathan Crick to see what they could come up with if they started afresh. Their aim was to evaluate whether guitar amps might be designed differently, taking into account the accumulated knowledge and experience of all that has gone before. Theo and Jonathan wanted to see if a different approach would conjure up a modern classic that had little or nothing in common with all the other amps out there. |
One early focus of their discussion quickly centred on distortion. What is happening when a guitar amp goes into distortion? Why do musicians prefer the way valves distort compared to solid-state? Furthermore, even valve amps distort in a way that can be very “unmusical”, especially when presented with a range of frequencies, such as when playing any chords other than ‘power chords’. |
Every rock guitarist knows only too well that you have to keep your chords simple when your amp is well into overdrive or you can quickly generate some pretty horrible sounds. This effect can still be present even at much more subtle levels of distortion – and so dramatically affect tone, even though more complex chords become possible at lower distortion levels. What if an amp could be designed to give the characteristically smooth valve break-up, but in a manner that was more musical to the ear? This could improve the quality, or the musicality, of the amp’s tone for all styles of playing at all settings. |
This is where Theo’s advanced knowledge of electronics and sound came to the fore. After involved discussions about ‘high frequency inter-modulation products’ and the way the vast majority of valve amp designs reject the more musical low order even harmonic distortion, discussion centred on designs that didn’t suffer these setbacks. The only products in the current market that came close to the criteria they were seeking were single-ended designs, class-A by definition, but these were pretty much all very low-powered studio amps with very basic control features. |
So Theo set about trying to come up with a design that met Jonathan’s suggested criteria of an amp with advanced levels of tonal control combined with an output that would enable it to be used in a live environment, such as a club venue. There are few amps, if any, in today’s market that meet this specification. |
From this discussion evolved the amplifier that we see today. It represents a complete ‘back to the drawing board’ approach to guitar amplifier design – and musicians who have tried it are finding that the results are simply stunning. |
From the basic design approach, other requirements were added to the specification. It had to be built to the highest standards of robustness and durability. It should have a high quality spring reverb built-in. Theo’s experience over the years of fixing many a design fault in some famous brand amplifiers proved invaluable. Furthermore, unusually for such a highly subjective field, Theo has a refreshingly objective approach to amplifier design. This approach resulted in an amp with a range of controls that enables the musician to dial in their exact requirements regardless of genre and instrument type. So rather than impose a sound on the musician, as many amps do, it enables the musician to blend different operating characteristics to achieve their own desired sound. |
The results are hugely rewarding. The amp seems to bring out the innate characteristics of any guitar you plug into it. The sounds are very much ‘of the instrument’ but amplified in a way that gives real character to one’s tone. For a full description of the range of controls and how they operate it’s well worth taking a close look at the detailed operating guidelines. |
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