“War of Kings” tour rig 2016
The new rig is a The top amp is a 50 watt JCM 800 2205 model (1987) and it used to belong to Michael Schenker.
I’ve had it for 20 years now and used it on every record since the album “Worlds Away”. A great sounding amp and the loudest 2205 I’ve ever heard!
The bottom amp is a JCM 800 100 watt 2210 model (1988), also a great sounding amp!
I’ve used this one a lot on the latest two Europe albums “Bag of Bones” and “War of Kings” mixed together with the 2205.
At indoor gigs I usually just use the 2205 because the 2210 or the 2555 (1988) 100 Watts are way too loud! (Well I don’t think so, but the sound guy does …he …he.)
But if we do big outdoor festivals I sometimes prefer the 2210 or the 2555, because they are a little bit louder and they have a bit more head room.
So these are the 3 amps I switch between depends on the mood of the day.
I use the JJ 6CA7 power tubes in most amps, they are “the best of both worlds kind of tube”. You have the EL34 sound (British) and the 6L6 (American) sound mixed togheter. A great sounding tube!
But I also like the JJ E34L ones (big headroom) and the Svetlanas Winged=C EL34 for a more vintage sound.
The preamp tubes always starts with a JJ ECC83 cryogenic or a vintage Tesla in V1 position for gain and ends with a Sovtek LPS Cryogenic in V5 position (Phase inverter).
And the remaining 2,3,4 vary from NOS Telefunkens to old Mullards you name it. I always mess around with those.
And if you know which function each tube position has in the preamp it’s quite easy to make it sound good.
