Man, am I a jackass! I knew my Triwatt didn't sound like it did when I finished it and first fell in love with it. Something was missing, the bottom end seemed a little flabby, overall it was just ordinary. Last week I finished a new build (Trainwreck inspired), when I A-B'ed it with my Triwatt the difference was striking. I thought the new build was absolutely awesome and this A-B test (real time with a pedal) proved it.
Then I began to think about the Triwatt. I knew it was a great sounding amp before, not discounting the honeymoon effect - we always think the latest is the greatest. So I put it on the bench, pulled the chassis and took a good look. Low and behold, poor solder joints have let me down at the tonestack caps. A few minutes warming up the iron and then re-assembling. Presto! This thing rocks once again and I'm a jackass for playing it all summer in a defective state. The funny thing is this; it never popped or crackled or did anything to make me think there was a loose connection. It was just missing something in the tone. Tomorrow I'll do the A-B with the Trainwreck style amp again - I'm certain there will be a difference but it won't be so striking or make the Triwatt seem so ordinary.
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