In developing the upcoming Black Tooth, we just couldn't wait until next year to share some of the really smokin' features of the new Black Tooth with you, so meet "Rotten Johnny", a little amp with BIG attitude.
It borrows some of the preamp features from the upcoming rock machine and puts them together in a somewhat scaled back but still ultra flexible package that is easy on the back AND with a street price of $1399, easy on the wallet!
The dual gain control scheme from the Junebug is carried into this model, and paired with a post phase inverter master volume, the control over gain staging is second to none.
In addition to great control over gain staging, the pre and post gain control is very useful in getting the most from your pedals in front of the amp (not that you NEED dirt boxes with the RJ!). The Pre Gain control determines how hard the second stage is driven, and the Post Gain control determines how hard the phase inverter is driven. Manipulate these controls in conjunction with your overdrive/distortion pedal controls to dial up what you want to hear in great detail.
The Rotten Johnny has three tone controls but you'll sense there's something very different about them.
The bass control (RJ calls it "bottom") is a 6 position clicker that sets the bass rolloff.
The mid control is completely stand alone and not part of a typical "tone stack", which tends to also limit their functionality. This mid control, when dialed down, allows the bottom and top to seem extended and really transforms the sound into something much more "Fendery". Add a serial effects loop standard so you can plug in your favorite reverb pedal. Also, we have a "mid lift" switch that provides a nice boost for solos or just over the top crunch. This is also footswitchable!
The top control is a Vox style cut control wired backwards so when you turn it down, it gets less bright.
We use this approach to tone shaping on this amp because it delivers more harmonically rich and complex tones, while at the same time offering much better flexibility for dialing up different tones.
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Power
Tubes: 2 x 6V6, cathode biased. EL84's also available on request at no extra charge.
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Preamp
Tubes: 2 x 12ax7/ECC83
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Mercury Magnetics Transformers
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12" 25 watt Warehouse Green Beret (Greenback)
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Speaker
outputs: 8 ohm speaker + 8 ohm extension cab
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Channel
switching footswitch jack
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Weight and Dimensions: 28lb, 18" x 16" x 9.5/10.5" (slant front)
Options:
Series (unbuffered) effects loop: $50
Fat Switch: $50
The Fat Switch allows two different voicings for the first preamp stage.
One position gives rounder "American" voicing, and the other gives a tighter "British" voicing.
Bedroom Switch: $50
The bedroom switch essentially moves all the control range of the master volume to the
first half of the sweep giving much better control of the volume slope. Crank up the preamp,
and gradually dial up the master to the desired level, and let her rip without a visit from
the Authorities!
Custom Color: $50
