PSA: VHT Classic 6 FS at GC

jhull54 · Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:35 am

These are great little amps.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/VHT/C ... PYQAvD_BwE

glasshand · Fri Jan 15, 2021 12:23 pm

This is reminding me I need to pull my Special 6 out of storage. I was thinking the other day that I sometimes wish I had a low-wattage tube amp (although not quite as low-wattage as the Fire Ant!), and then I remembered that I had that Special 6 in pieces in storage...

golem · Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:41 pm

@andrewsrea was working on one of these other day. It was a head though. With the right speakers he said it sounds great.

jhull54 · Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:58 pm

golem wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:41 pm @andrewsrea was working on one of these other day. It was a head though. With the right speakers he said it sounds great.

I didn't know this one came in a head version? I think these were made only for a couple of years, starting in 2009. I'd be curious to see a head version!

golem · Fri Jan 15, 2021 4:17 pm

jhull54 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:58 pm
golem wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:41 pm @andrewsrea was working on one of these other day. It was a head though. With the right speakers he said it sounds great.
I didn't know this one came in a head version? I think these were made only for a couple of years, starting in 2009. I'd be curious to see a head version!

I might be confused as I see there's a special 6 and a classic 6. Reading up it seems to be the construction is different but that they might be the same amp. It looks like the classic 6 is the fancier one.

jhull54 · Fri Jan 15, 2021 5:27 pm

golem wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 4:17 pm I might be confused as I see there's a special 6 and a classic 6. Reading up it seems to be the construction is different but that they might be the same amp. It looks like the classic 6 is the fancier one.

Yeah, I know the Special 6 came in a head version, IIRC. The Special 6 was a lot more popular than the Classic 6. It's hard to find much about the Classic 6 online. I think the original difference was that the Classic was not hand-wired (IIRC) and it had a bigger cabinet and a 12" speaker. The original Special 6 had a 10" speaker and turret board.

The Classic 6 cab is huge for the type of amp it is. It's a bit bigger than a PV Bandit!

honyock · Fri Jan 15, 2021 5:53 pm

Classic 6 was cheap PCB construction in a badass cab

The Special 6 was a mediocre little cab combo with PtP wiring as the uograde. The special 6 ultra had the ultra channel that was a PITA to use since it was a separate input and some interesting voicing options. Cabinet was a 1x12, but small compared to the Classic. (I've owned all 3 combos at one point or another...)

andrewsrea · Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:23 pm

jhull54 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:58 pm
golem wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:41 pm @andrewsrea was working on one of these other day. It was a head though. With the right speakers he said it sounds great.
I didn't know this one came in a head version? I think these were made only for a couple of years, starting in 2009. I'd be curious to see a head version!

The amp I am working on is a VHT Special 6. This generation is exactly like the Classic 6. Newer Special 6 have a decade speaker attenuator.

Pics (the owner changed the grill cloth from black to Fender BF):

jhull54 · Wed Jan 20, 2021 5:00 pm

andrewsrea wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:23 pm The amp I am working on is a VHT Special 6. This generation is exactly like the Classic 6. Newer Special 6 have a decade speaker attenuator.

Pics (the owner changed the grill cloth from black to Fender BF):

Good info! By "exactly like the Classic 6", do you mean PCB board construction? Also, I'm curious as to whether the transformers are still supposedly slightly "overkill" for that size amp? Meaning they are pretty robust?

andrewsrea · Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:37 am

jhull54 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 20, 2021 5:00 pm
andrewsrea wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:23 pm The amp I am working on is a VHT Special 6. This generation is exactly like the Classic 6. Newer Special 6 have a decade speaker attenuator.

Pics (the owner changed the grill cloth from black to Fender BF):
Good info! By "exactly like the Classic 6", do you mean PCB board construction? Also, I'm curious as to whether the transformers are still supposedly slightly "overkill" for that size amp? Meaning they are pretty robust?

I really don't know on either of your questions. I can tell you that the transformers are hefty and this style of amp has few components and a low profit margin. Which leaves a lot of probability that they reused a lot of the layout and components for that design.