Coming Soon: Milkman Hybrid 250W x 2 Amplifier

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 27 Feb 2014 5:56 pm

I have been working on a new amplifier model and I am going to leak a few specs and pictures here today. I plan on making these amplifiers available starting in the spring.

Basically, what we have here is a Milkman tube preamp with EQ and tube spring reverb married to a dual 250W Class D power supply. The preamp is built with the same quality as my other tube amplifiers, and I found a very good manufacturer of power amplifiers to join the preamp with. The result is a lightweight package with a heap of power.

I will be making 2 versions of this amplifier to start - one will fit into the Milkman "Mini" footprint the other will fit into the Milkman "Pedal Steel Amp" footprint. Either can ship as a head or combo (either 12 or 15") or even as a loaded chassis (got a heavy Twin? Put this and some Telonics speakers into it!)

The amplifier can power its internal speaker with 250W, and a second external speaker (4 ohms) with another 250W. You'll finally be able to win the volume war for good.

Weight is just under 33lbs in a combo. A head would be even lighter.

I am not certain of a street price as of yet - but I can say that the goal is to sell for about half the price of my 100% tube amplifiers.

There is a lot of testing and tweaking to do, and a lot of tube amps to build, but please keep an eye out for sound samples and proper pictures soon.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 27 Feb 2014 6:10 pm

Wow !

Daniel Morris · Post by **Daniel Morris** » 27 Feb 2014 7:34 pm

Wow is right! That thing should be able to take down skyscrapers! Best of luck, Tim!

Rick Contino · Post by **Rick Contino** » 27 Feb 2014 8:00 pm

Tim,

It's so interesting you're going the class D route. Can you tell us more about this particular power amp and how it differs from others on the market?

John Dowden · Post by **John Dowden** » 27 Feb 2014 8:26 pm

If you need any fiddler beta testers, I'm your guy

John

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 27 Feb 2014 9:14 pm

Rick Contino wrote:It's so interesting you're going the class D route. Can you tell us more about this particular power amp and how it differs from others on the market?

Rick - for me it's all about options. I could never deliver this much power in a lightweight amp using tubes alone. Plus, it's got a different tone/feel than an all tube amp.

The class D section is just a power amp. There is no preamp of any kind, and it uses a linear type power supply which is much more robust than what you'll find in the micro class D amps which often use both class D amplifiers and class D power supplies. With a linear supply, there is a large transformer but it's fairly light as you can see in the photo with the amp on the scale.

The goal is to make something unique for steel players, and I think the hybrid is a good idea - marrying two things we can all agree on: tubes sound good, but we also want to go overboard with power and defy gravity

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 28 Feb 2014 8:34 am

I like it!!!!

DALE WHITENER · Post by **DALE WHITENER** » 28 Feb 2014 9:25 am

Great Idea!!

Charlie Thompson · Post by **Charlie Thompson** » 28 Feb 2014 9:25 am

Tim Marcus wrote: linear type power supply which is much more robust than what you'll find in the micro class D amps which often use both class D amplifiers and class D power supplies. With a linear supply, there is a large transformer but it's fairly light as you can see in the photo with the amp on the scale.

Tim do you think this power amp differs in sound from the power section of some of the bass amps we use like the GK MB 200 and the Genz Benz Shuttle series.\
Thanks
Charlie

Ian Sutton · Post by **Ian Sutton** » 28 Feb 2014 9:39 am

Really looking forward to hearing this one, Tim!

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 28 Feb 2014 12:20 pm

Tim do you think this power amp differs in sound from the power section of some of the bass amps we use like the GK MB 200 and the Genz Benz Shuttle series.
Thanks
Charlie

I have no experience with those amplifiers, Charlie, but I can tell you that this new amp will deliver the goods in a major way. I simply can not believe how much clean low end this thing has. I think a lot of that has to do with the tube preamp, as opposed to an IC based preamp

Ian - I am working on a 15" combo for demo purposes. Once the amp is ready for prime time I will let you borrow it for a little while!

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 28 Feb 2014 12:29 pm

This looks like exactly what steel players want.

Charlie Thompson · Post by **Charlie Thompson** » 28 Feb 2014 1:57 pm

I agree ..To have the tube pre and that kind of power in a lightweight combo is excellent

Steven Paris · Post by **Steven Paris** » 28 Feb 2014 2:17 pm

STA517B??

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 28 Feb 2014 2:57 pm

the amplifier is not based off of that chip

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 1 Mar 2014 5:22 pm

I am thinking about maybe naming this one Half and Half

Rick Contino · Post by **Rick Contino** » 1 Mar 2014 6:23 pm

NICE!

Bill Ladd · Post by **Bill Ladd** » 2 Mar 2014 6:33 am

Dammit.

Go ahead and get me in the que for one in seafoam green with brown grille cloth, pedal steel amp size.

Looks like I have a bit of time. I'll figure out how to pay for it later.

Alex Cattaneo · Post by **Alex Cattaneo** » 2 Mar 2014 2:01 pm

Tim, does the fact that the power section is solid state means that the amp will sound more or less the same at any volume, as opposed to tube amps having sweet spots and going to overdrive past a certain point?

Dustin Rigsby · Post by **Dustin Rigsby** » 2 Mar 2014 7:48 pm

I may not be able to afford it,BUT,it is a LONG OVERDUE ! I'm surprised it took this long for someone to come up with this. John Hughey was doing this in a rack configuration for quite a while. I don't see an F/X loop mike. I would think that steel players would want that option.

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 2 Mar 2014 8:09 pm

I can do a loop instead of the onboard reverb

Alex - my tube amps sound good at low volume

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 2 Mar 2014 11:41 pm

I always like having reverb in the amp, Tim. Otherwise, I have to carry and set up at least one effects box, even for the simplest gig or jam.

The name "Half and Half" is brilliant!

Daniel Morris · Post by **Daniel Morris** » 3 Mar 2014 6:21 am

I always like having reverb in the amp, Tim.

Absolutely, b0b. Among others, that's one reason I came to favor Milkman over Little Walter amps, which don't have reverb.

My tube amps sound good at low volume

Indeed they do.

Plus, it's got a different tone/feel than an all tube amp.

Could you elaborate on this, Tim?

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 3 Mar 2014 8:05 am

Dan - the interaction with the output tubes and the output transformer with the speaker gives a tube amp a "feel". Also, the power supply can contribute to this as well - a natural compression or "touch sensitivity" if you will. It's been a long time since I have played though a solid state amp, but I could tell within minutes of powering this on that it felt much stiffer than a tube amp. It means you are going to have to rely on your right foot for much of the expression because you cannot dig into the amp as much. It's gonna deliver whatever you send it without reacting like tube amps do. Some prefer this, I think.

Again, it's all about options. As was mentioned before, this is a long time coming. There's been solid state amps with a tube in them before, but they are not usually designed and implemented like an actual hand wired tube amp. The front end of this amp is identical to the Mini. It's hand wired, high voltage, and built onto turrets. I am very excited at the amount of interest this is getting already!

Bob I agree - tube spring reverb is the one!

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 3 Mar 2014 9:25 am

A bit off-topic, but what do you recommend as a distortion unit to mate with an amp like this, Tim?

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Coming Soon: Milkman Hybrid 250W x 2 Amplifier

Coming Soon: Milkman Hybrid 250W x 2 Amplifier

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Finally !