Chinese Tube Amp Clones

[Tonray's Ghost]

Well after 2 decades of honing their skills cloning Fenders and Gibsons, the PRC techs have turned their talents on tube amps. Here we have what looks to be a hand wired Fender Champ, a hand wired Dumble clone and perhaps a PCB board HiWatt clone. I am extremely curious to see a teardown of these by some knowledgeable tech and see what's really inside.

https://musicentrance.com/shop/amps/hib ... inal-1987/

[andrewsrea]

They look like a Tweed Champ, a 20w Marshall combo. and a 20w Dumble'ish clone.

A tweed champ is so basic, they are simple to nail and do in a hand-wired version with low-skill labor. I wouldn't be surprised if they skipped the 5Y3 tube rectifier and substituted a much cheaper silicon diode rectifier. Cork sniffers may argue with me, but in the 5w amps that change is extremely unnoticeable. It is the bigger amps that use tube rectifiers, where the 'sag' is a feature.

The other two are fairly easy to produce in PCB. Again, the Marsall was a pretty basic and great sounding amp.

The question is, which of the 300 different variety of Dumble is this? Having just built a Dumble inspired combo amp (AMI Dumb Luck - there is a thread somewhere here), what is highly unlikely is the use of premium parts which are auditioned for desired tones - specifically for that amp and the other components used.

[Tonray's Ghost]

They look like a Tweed Champ, a 20w Marshall combo. and a 20w Dumble'ish clone.

A tweed champ is so basic, they are simple to nail and do in a hand-wired version with low-skill labor. I wouldn't be surprised if they skipped the 5Y3 tube rectifier and substituted a much cheaper silicon diode rectifier. Cork sniffers may argue with me, but in the 5w amps that change is extremely unnoticeable. It is the bigger amps that use tube rectifiers, where the 'sag' is a feature.

The other two are fairly easy to produce in PCB. Again, the Marsall was a pretty basic and great sounding amp.

The question is, which of the 300 different variety of Dumble is this? Having just built a Dumble inspired combo amp (AMI Dumb Luck - there is a thread somewhere here), what is highly unlikely is the use of premium parts which are auditioned for desired tones - specifically for that amp and the other components used.

I wonder if the foray into this new tube amp business has been a product of necessity in the sense that China has lost a lot of electronics manufacturing contracts to places like Vietnam and Indonesia, and especially after their draconian COVID response their economy is really in the dumpster ..if you can't sell fridges and washers why not amps ?

[andrewsrea]

I wonder if the foray into this new tube amp business has been a product of necessity in the sense that China has lost a lot of electronics manufacturing contracts to places like Vietnam and Indonesia, and especially after their draconian COVID response their economy is really in the dumpster ..if you can't sell fridges and washers why not amps ?

China, Vietnam and Russia all have communism in common, but also share another trait. They were late to the transistor revolution in the 60's and continued to utilize vacuum tubes in consumer and military goods, somewhat to this day. They also have little regulation to all the environmental and health concerns associated with older manufacturing technology, which tubes have a few (carbon tetrachloride, mercury and a few other choice heavy metal carcinogenic elements).

Those factories were moved from their big cities and reassembled in smaller 3rd world type cities and continue to this day. They probably see another world market that they can corner with eventually decent products, at highly competitive prices.

[BatUtilityBelt]

I know labor is tremendously cheaper in China, but they are also pushing the envelope in factory automation. It makes me think simpler amps prized for their hand-wired components could be fully automated before final assembled by hand. Someone please talk me out of looking into that.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I wonder if the foray into this new tube amp business has been a product of necessity in the sense that China has lost a lot of electronics manufacturing contracts to places like Vietnam and Indonesia, and especially after their draconian COVID response their economy is really in the dumpster ..if you can't sell fridges and washers why not amps ?

China, Vietnam and Russia all have communism in common, but also share another trait. They were late to the transistor revolution in the 60's and continued to utilize vacuum tubes in consumer and military goods, somewhat to this day. They also have little regulation to all the environmental and health concerns associated with older manufacturing technology, which tubes have a few (carbon tetrachloride, mercury and a few other choice heavy metal carcinogenic elements).

Those factories were moved from their big cities and reassembled in smaller 3rd world type cities and continue to this day. They probably see another world market that they can corner with eventually decent products, at highly competitive prices.

Well the good news is that they are not outright placing counterfeit logos on the amps like they do with guitars. Although a bit of research shows that they opened an office in South Carolina... knowing that many boutique handwired amp shops are located in North Carolina...one wonders what they're up to

[Rollin Hand]

Am I the only one who read that as Hillbilly Amplification?

I was wondering why one would want to amplify hillbillies.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Am I the only one who read that as Hillbilly Amplification?

I was wondering why one would want to amplify hillbillies.

There actually is a boutique amp make in Arizona called Hillbilly Amps...but my guess is not that they are stealing their name but registering a company in South Carolina and knowing that many small amp makers are in the region made them pick the name and then found out they couldn't use it and changed it to Hi-Billy. Crazy Chinese amp names..or the 'Aged-Man Daytona' Tweed clone...lol

[tonebender]

I am a hillbilly and this afternoon, both my guitar and my southern accent will be amplified. I only live in Florida because my wife transferred here for work in 1984. If it were up to me I would still be in the hills. Interestingly enough I live in a very small community (census-designated area) and one of the highest elevations around at about 400 feet. I think there are 37 homes in my neighborhood and it is called Mountain View. Where I am from elevation 400 ft would not even be a hill much less a mountain but you have to work with what you've got. There won't be any sledding down slopes anyway.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I am a hillbilly and this afternoon, both my guitar and my southern accent will be amplified. I only live in Florida because my wife transferred here for work in 1984. If it were up to me I would still be in the hills. Interestingly enough I live in a very small community (census-designated area) and one of the highest elevations around at about 400 feet. I think there are 37 homes in my neighborhood and it is called Mountain View. Where I am from elevation 400 ft would not even be a hill much less a mountain but you have to work with what you've got. There won't be any sledding down slopes anyway.

I wouldn't want to carry a tube combo up a 400 foot elevation, not even a Chinese one

[mitchfloyd]

I have used some Chinese devices and do not rate them highly in terms of durability and quality. However, the price is very competitive.