From steve@speakeasyvintagemusic.com Fri Sep 12 09:22:55 2008
Subject:Re: [SPAM][CWSG] Speakeasy AMA Flatpack Roadbox III (Long)

Hi

Phil your idea of using the stop feature coast is excellent. The player can now have a variable de-cel selection. Good Show.....

Steve
Steven Hayes Sr Engineer / CEO
www.speakeasyvintagemusic.com

----- Original Message -----
From: pcaiken2000
To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 11:04 AM
Subject: [SPAM][CWSG] Speakeasy AMA Flatpack Roadbox III (Long)

Disclaimer at the top: I am in no way affiliated with
Speakeasy, just a tweak-happy clonewheeler who happens to like their
products.

I got my new rig back from Steve after some tweaks and finally
had a good clear afternoon to put it through its paces. This is
apparently a somewhat new design in that it includes a proprietary
apparatus that incorporates 4 (count 'em!!) drivers. I had received
the flatpack a little while ago, but sent it back to Steve to make it
suit my needs a little better. Most specifically I needed a little
more oomph than the still powerful 250W built in amp was giving me.
That would have been fine for MOST - but not all - of my gigging
situations.
I need for this rig to have some serious volume. As such, it is now
being driven with an external solid state power amp. The tubey
goodness is coming from the AMA.

So here is the rig:
Hammond XK-3 -> AMA absolute modeling amp->Power Amp ->
Flatpack Roadbox

The power amp currently is a Phonic Max 880. I tested using
one side of the amp for caution, and will test putting it in bridge
mode later this week. Even at the "lower" setting that I used, this
is way more powerful than than a stock Leslie, or any other rotating
speaker that I have used. The Flatpack/speakers, etc. can handle
about 500 watts per Steve.(He told me the exact number, but don't
want to misquote) In bridge mode that power amp will put out 600, so
I will ease it up to an appropriate level. Per Steve, the drivers are
buffered so that they will not blow, and there is an easily
replaceable fuse in the back of the Flatpack just in case. I would
imagine that the popular QSC amp that lots of folks use in their rigs
would be perfect for this setup, and at some point I might go that
route to save the lbs.

OK - so how does the thing sound?
Well - in a word: great!!!! In two words: really great!!!

The tone is coming mostly from the AMA, which includes both
the Speakeasy Vintage preamp, and a lower powered Leslie 122 circuit.
Manipulating the relative levels of each lets you get almost any
amount or variety of grit or distortion that you desire. So basically
you can play quiet and distorted (great for recording or practicing),
or loud and clean (or almost clean), or anything in between.
The AMA is also EXTREMELY useful on its own without the
flatpack, when using a Leslie simulator. I had amazing results
running my XK-3 into the AMA then into the VB3 Leslie Sim on my Muse
Receptor. I have to say that this is one of my favorite pieces of
gear in the world.

The quad driver setup does make the top part a little heavier
than it was, but it is still readily carried in one hand by the
handle. But more importantly, it lets the high end scream as loudly
and as clearly as you want it to. As such, the top end is more to my
liking than it was before the quad drivers were installed. I think
things are a little more even across the tonal spectrum as a result,
and my eq settings on the AMA were closer to flat than before the
mods.
If anyone is wondering about the lack of a lower rotor - it
suits ME just fine and I don't think about it while playing. The
cutoff is set lower than on say, a 122, so more of the signal goes to
the top rotor. Speakeasy does make units with lower rotors, but I was
going for small and loud - so I went with the smallest and loudest
options!!
I am trying to come up with a wish list - but I haven't played
it enough to have any great ideas yet. I do wish that the slow down
time from fast to slow was longer - but I found a workaround. The
ramp down time is indeed slower if it is going from fast to stop -
and not just in the extra amount of time it takes to get from slow to
stop - it actually takes longer to get to the slow speed. So if you
kick the stop switch while you are on "fast", let it slow down to
where the slow speed is, and then kick the stop switch off, you get
in effect a longer slow down time to "slow". Hope this makes sense.
I will report back after trying bridge mode on the power amp.
I still want a little more volume out of it, but didn't want to push
it all the way when initially setting up, plus I didn't want my
family to get shell shocked. It would be my desire to have MORE
volume than I think that I would actually ever use. That headroom
brings confidence and peace of mind.You don't want a car that can go
200 so that you can actually drive around at 200 mph. You want it so
you can pass on the highway, and so that you know that you CAN go 200
if you really have to. And maybe when the autobahn is clear.....

OK - just managed to kill 20 minutes of down time at the
dayjob!!!!!!!



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]