Quilter Labs Overdrive 200

[mikemjr12]

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to this product. In case you are unfamiliar, it's a 200 watt solid state guitar amp head. It weighs 4 pounds, but has massive tone.

It's loosely based on a Dumble and a Mesa Mark IIC+. I have a Mesa Boogie Mark V, so I bought this as a backup figuring the settings would be comparable. I wouldn't say the Overdrive 200 sounds exactly like the Mark IIC+ mode, but it's in the ballpark. If you're talking pound for pound tone, the Overdrive 200 beats the Mark V, but the Mark V is the clear cut better amp.

The amp is easy to dial in good sounding tones (unlike many Boogies). It has 2 channels totaling 4 different voices, and each setting does everything from clean to edge of breakup to full on tube amp inspired overdrive. The clean channel has a slightly compressed feel, as does the crunch mode, while the lead voice is nice and open. The amp also has an effects loop, is foot controllable, has a simulated headphone out (that's not great!), a direct out, and you don't need a 200 watt speaker cab to run it. I've used a 212 rectifier cab with 2 V30s, a 112 cab with a Black Shadow, and currently run it through an Eminence Legend speaker.

Downsides? No reverb is probably the major one. But this isn't that big of a deal. I actually run the head near my pedal board and run a long speaker cable to the cab. This way I can use the effects loop and minimize cable length and run a Hall of Fame and Flashback pedal through it. Also, the crunch channel has a built in mid scoop that takes some getting used to and the lead and clean channel share the EQ. I bought a mini tubescreamer to add in some mids for the crunch setting and haven't really found the shared EQ to be an issue. Nothing a boost pedals with some EQ features on it can't fix.

Some final thoughts - it takes pedals well. When I run boosts and overdrives in front, it reacts how you would expect it to. It's portable, LOUD, practical, and sounds really good. You can play it all the way from silent headphones, to whisper quiet, to ear splitting levels. I would highly recommend it and am now eager to try some of their other offerings.

To bring it back to G&L - it sounds great with my S-500, SC-2 and SH Bluesboy. Can cover a lot of ground there. The only thing to be careful of - I've noticed the Overdrive 200 enhances a lot of the string noise like when you run your hand up and down the neck. Not as big a problem with darker guitars/humbuckers, but just be careful, especially at higher volumes.

[DanDoulogos]

Solid state amps have sure come a long way in recent years. Is there a separate EQ for the clean channel, or are both funneled into the same circuit?

[mikemjr12]

Clean channel has a typical 3 band EQ. Channel 2 has 2 separate voicings. Crunch (voicing 1) has a preset mid scoop and cannot be combined with the EQ. Lead (voicing 2) can be combined with the EQ. Then you can have Crunch and Lead active together, but that cannot be combined with the EQ. Quilter has a pretty good diagram of where in the chain each channel sits. And the clean channel starts to breakup around 6/7 and gets really overdriven at 10 in a sort of Fender Twin or Deluxe way (loose/flabby bass which I like).

[DanDoulogos]

Great explanation - thanks.

[JagInTheBag]

One of my good friends is a professional blues musician, Chicago Blues Hall of Famer- Big Dog Marty Mercer, traded away all his tube amps, Victoria's and such and swears by Quilter Amps. Light, good tone and sound consistent no matter the room.

He loves his ASAT Deluxe and ASAT Special played through his Quilters.

[mikemjr12]

I'd say that's a pretty good endorsement

[JagInTheBag]

I'd say that's a pretty good endorsement

And my son was gifted a vintage Fender Champ silverface as a result. Still has the original tubes. Can't complain.

[goatofballstreet]

I'm running a Quilter 101 Reverb myself after years of using a Ampeg V2. The Quilter is more blackface fender twin vibe but the faux tube saturation is awesome. It gets plenty loud and whatever I think I'm not getting from it compared to a tube amp is probably all mental. G&Ls seem to do well with a lot of their models too.

[Darth Weller]

Any of you Quilter owners use it as a slave amp? I'd love to hear how it does in this role. Like the idea of getting a low wat all tube head/combo, but runing a line out to a solid state amp top run my 2-12 cab Thanks.

[mikemjr12]

Can't say I've tried this, but I have read about others using them in this application.

[Fumble fingers]

the Mach 2 Pro has been on my radar for awhile , solid state has come a long way and actually own a Orange Crush Pro 120 head that sounds just like a tube amp , sounds beautiful with V30's and BBE Sonic Stomp in front

[mikemjr12]

I had an Orange Crush 60 pro for a little while. Really nice amp at a nice price. Sold it to try out the Quilter and haven't really looked back. Can't go wrong with either though.