passage, then back to triode for a fatter sound. This amp has a wonderful range of tone, from a transparent clean sound to a very musical overdrive, then all the way on out to a full gnarly distortion. It amazes me what a big, fat sound I can get, yet still play whole chords with the third in 'em and have it not all turn to mush. I know the phrase "smooth distortion" is over-used, but I can't find a better way to describe it.

It took some real convincing to lure me away from a long fruitful run of Fender amps, starting with a 50s tweed full-power Twin that I got from Dan Erlewine in 1966, and on through tweed and black face Deluxe's, Twins, a Pro, a Vibroluxe, a Vibro-King, plus a whole host of modern amps and some very nice boutique models. I've used the same Telecaster almost exclusively for over a third of a century, the last dozen or so years with Barden pick-ups, and often with little or no outboard processing. This has let me really hear the differences in response and tone from one amp to another.

Finally, the best testimonial I can give is in my playing, which I believe this amp has measurably improved. I have access to a wider spectrum of guitar at any given time, because the tone is so consistent over the whole range, bottom to top. Also, there is so much available clean sustain, I find I play less notes and more melody. The amp doesn't sag at inopportune times, so I don't have to fill up the air with riffs because the notes are decaying prematurely. When it is time to rip out some fast stuff, the Talos holds up and delivers.

The Talos is my favorite amp to date. It's the most musical and versatile and requires the least compromises, which brings me a big step closer to being able to deliver the sounds I hear in my head. Did I mention it rocks?

Peace & Twang,
Bill Kirchen
www.billkirchen.com

From Bill Kirchen:

I've used a Talos amplifier exclusively since 2002, in everything from big outdoor venues to crowded honky-tonks. Of all the amps I've used in the last 35 plus years, I believe the Talos delivers far and away the best sounds in the widest range of situations.

The tri-mode switch is a tremendously useful feature. It tailors the power to the stage and hall size, and also lets me switch, for instance, from triode to ultra-linear to get more clean oomph and definition in a finger-picked
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