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Great size, great sound!
Upgraded with an NiteLite Switch, Fat Switch and FX loop
6V6 tubes
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.
At Nolatone Ampworks we hand build our amplifiers one at a time using ultimate care and attention to detail to create an instrument that will last a lifetime and deliver tone and feel that will allow you to express yourself in ways you may never have thought possible!
We do this by using only the highest quality parts, well thought out circuit layouts, and impeccable build quality.
Some highlights of the quality you receive with a Nolatone Amplifier:
Custom wound Mercury Magnetics transformers
Custom layouts using point-to-point or turret board depending on design.
Circuit construction performed by U.S. Military trained soldering tech.
1 Watt Carbon Film resistors in the audio path
Circuit components chose for best tone and reliability
High Quality German made F&T or Sprague Atom Filter Caps in the power supply
Critical tube positions cushion mounted to for minimized vibration, reducing microphonics and tube reliability issues over time (applies to models 15 watts and above)
10 amp Carling switches. Can you say "Ka-CHUNK"?! (applies to our higher power models)
Switchcraft Jacks
All these things make a difference, and together make a HUGE difference!
Rather than regurgitating the traditional chassis/circuit layouts from popular amps of yesteryear, we put a lot of though into how these layouts can be improved:
We locate our transformers on opposite ends of the chassis for more direct access to lead connections, in addition creating better balance when carrying the amp. Signal leads and high voltage leads are very well isolated from each other. This minimizes noise and maximizes stability.
We design our chassis using CAD software to optimize circuit layout.
Some Notes on Soldering
This one is often overlooked, but we believe very important for long term reliability. Looking inside many an amp, vintage to the absolute top ranked boutique offerings of today all too often "blobby" solder joints can be seen.
Using too much solder can conceal potential problems with the joint. It's possible that years down the road, a contamination in a solder joint, or a cold solder joint will cause a problem, and this type of problem is notoriously difficult to track down, and that translates to EXPENSIVE to fix!
The US Navy Aviation community, where Paul was trained to solder, has strict requirements for soldering as the equipment is subjected to extreme conditions including vibration, high g-forces, salt water, etc. These requirements dictate that a proper solder joint should have enough but not too much solder. A lead should be visible on the turret with a concave flow of solder bonding it to the surface of the turret/pin/etc. This type of solder joint is far less likely to cause problems after leaving the builders bench.