The Quilter Superblock USA

**Jim Soloway** · 08-03-2021, 11:43 AM

I've tried Quilter amps many times over the years and never really bonded with any other. The controls were weird and there seemed to be an odd mid-range hump that never seemed to agree with me but I really liked what I was hearing about the Superblock. The controls were much easier for me to relate to and I've always liked the basic Fender Blackface sound that they use for their "65" voice so I thought I'd give it a shot. It arrived last Thursday and I've had lots of hours to play it since then.

Generally with amps I know within a few minutes if I think I'm going to like it. With three distinct voices this one took a little longer to get a first impression but once I got to the 65 voice it became a really good fit. The match with my little 1x10 cab is excellent and all my guitars work well with it. The line out works pretty well with two cab sims and an FRFR setting. At least for now that's important to me because I don't own a mic. (That's probably something I should correct because I think it does sound a lot better in the room than I'm able to get with the direct signal but all things in time).

Given the price and the size, this amp is both a killer deal and a really solid amp. It's loud enough for anything I might want to do with it. It's feature rich without becoming too complicated to manage on the fly. The sound is a solid Blackface representation. It seems well built and it's shockingly small (even accounting for the laptop style power setup). I'm really glad I bought this one. Hats off to Quilter.

Here's a short clip that I recorded with my solid body using the line out with the "normal" speaker sim.

**ksaric** · 08-03-2021, 12:35 PM

How does it compare to that Milkman amp you used to own?

**citizenk74** · 08-03-2021, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

I've tried Quilter amps many times over the years and never really bonded with any other. The controls were weird and there seemed to be an odd mid-range hump that never seemed to agree with me but I really liked what I was hearing about the Superblock. The controls were much easier for me to relate to and I've always liked the basic Fender Blackface sound that they use for their "65" voice so I thought I'd give it a shot. It arrived last Thursday and I've had lots of hours to play it since then.

Generally with amps I know within a few minutes if I think I'm going to like it. With three distinct voices this one took a little longer to get a first impression but once I got to the 65 voice it became a really good fit. The match with my little 1x10 cab is excellent and all my guitars work well with it. The line out works pretty well with two cab sims and an FRFR setting. At least for now that's important to me because I don't own a mic. (That's probably something I should correct because I think it does sound a lot better in the room than I'm able to get with the direct signal but all things in time).

Given the price and the size, this amp is both a killer deal and a really solid amp. It's loud enough for anything I might want to do with it. It's feature rich without becoming too complicated to manage on the fly. The sound is a solid Blackface representation. It seems well built and it's shockingly small (even accounting for the laptop style power setup). I'm really glad I bought this one. Hats off to Quilter.

Here's a short clip that I recorded with my solid body using the line out with the "normal" speaker sim.

Sounds sweet and balanced to my ears. Congratulations, and play it in good health!

**Jim Soloway** · 08-03-2021, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by ksaric

How does it compare to that Milkman amp you used to own?

I still have the Milkman. They're quite different. The Milkman is thicker sounding and has really good trem and reverb. It's much bigger and has a tube in the pre-amp. With a dingle voice, the Milkman is less versatile but that doesn't matter much since I tend to stick with a single voice anyway. Part of why I got this amp is that for the first time in many years I consciously want to change my sound. I want to get more clarity and less bass and I want a single amp that handles everything I might want to play through it. The Milkman handles some guitars better than others. It's exquisite with a Telecaster, a bit less so with my humbucker guitar and not very good at all with my Emerald acoustics with their low powered Krivo ultra-thin humbuckers. The Quilter handles all of them equally well and is surprisingly good with the bigger Emerald. It never gets really think and swampy like the Milkman but it has way more clarity and sparkle.

**ksaric** · 08-03-2021, 01:43 PM

Thank you for detailed and informative response. You certainly made me consider the SuperBlock

**Gitfiddler** · 08-03-2021, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

I still have the Milkman. They're quite different. The Milkman is thicker sounding and has really good trem and reverb. It's much bigger and has a tube in the pre-amp. With a dingle voice, the Milkman is less versatile but that doesn't matter much since I tend to stick with a single voice anyway. Part of why I got this amp is that for the first time in many years I consciously want to change my sound. I want to get more clarity and less bass and I want a single amp that handles everything I might want to play through it. The Milkman handles some guitars better than others. It's exquisite with a Telecaster, a bit less so with my humbucker guitar and not very good at all with my Emerald acoustics with their low powered Krivo ultra-thin humbuckers. The Quilter handles all of them equally well and is surprisingly good with the bigger Emerald. It never gets really think and swampy like the Milkman but it has way more clarity and sparkle.

Jim, glad you found an amp that suits your style and sound. From your description, your Quilter's tone reminds me of a nice old tweed amp circuit, but with more headroom. As always, your playing is sweet. Enjoy your new amp.

**Gitterbug** · 08-03-2021, 04:13 PM

My vote goes to the 57 voicing. It has more midrange and clean headroom than the other two. Rudy van Gelder's classic jazz guitar recordings were made, I believe, with a Tweed. Which model, connoisseurs?

**docsteve** · 08-03-2021, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by Gitterbug

My vote goes to the 57 voicing. It has more midrange and clean headroom than the other two. Rudy van Gelder's classic jazz guitar recordings were made, I believe, with a Tweed. Which model, connoisseurs?

Personally, I find the 57 setting has less headroom, or rather adds more „hair“, than the 65 setting. I use the 57 for a fat jazz sound and the 65 for classic Telecaster sound. Can’t really bond with the 61 setting yet.

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**Greentone** · 08-03-2021, 05:39 PM

The Van Gelder studio featured a tweed 5e3 Fender Deluxe amp that guys like Wes, Grant Green, and Kenny Burrell used.

**wzpgsr** · 08-03-2021, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by Gitterbug

My vote goes to the 57 voicing. It has more midrange and clean headroom than the other two. Rudy van Gelder's classic jazz guitar recordings were made, I believe, with a Tweed. Which model, connoisseurs?

In a clean-ish jazz context, does the 57 voicing nail the sort of rich, saturated low-mids things that Fender Harvard or Deluxe from the late 50s does so well? I can get a pretty reasonable facsimile of this sound with a Joyo American Sound pedal in front of a Quilter Microblock 45, but it feels a bit stiff. Would love it if someone from this forum could do a proper jazz demo of this new Quilter with all the voicings. The Tone Block 202 did not work for me.

**Jehu** · 08-03-2021, 08:18 PM

Sounds nice, Jim.

I've had one of these on order for a month or so... our Australian dealer has had some supply issues, but will hopefully get a chance to check it out later this month.

**BFrench** · 08-10-2021, 02:12 PM

Been a few weeks now, any update on the TB, I may need to get one and see what it'll do

**Bach5G** · 08-12-2021, 03:37 PM

So a Fender Deluxe Reverb with more clean headroom?

**Jim Soloway** · 08-12-2021, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by BFrench

Been a few weeks now, any update on the TB, I may need to get one and see what it'll do

Yes, I do have an update. I've been playing through it with my Vola Vasti (basically a modern take on a Tele with a typical Tele neck pickup). It took me a bit to dial it in but once I did I was really struck by how great it sounded ... Warm, clear, much fuller than I expected out of that underwound pickup in a swamp ash/maple solid body. Using just the 65 voicing, I've been able to get a really satisfying voice with all three of my guitars. Even my wife likes the way it sounds. The 65 is the only one of the three voicings that I've really bonded with but that's not really a surprise to me since the blackface and silverface models are also the only Fenders that I've bonded with. I think it's a hell of an amp, regardless of the price or size but when you throw in the value and the absurdly small footprint and weight, it becomes almost too good to be true.

**Jim Soloway** · 08-12-2021, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by Bach5G

So a Fender Deluxe Reverb with more clean headroom?

I guess. I've never owned a Deluxe and I'm running it through a 1x10 cab so it seems more like a Princeton to me but the master volume/gain controls are really the key to the added head room so maybe it's closer to the master volume versions of the Fender amps..

**Bach5G** · 08-12-2021, 09:11 PM

A louder (15 vs 25 watts) Princeton works for me.

**BFrench** · 08-12-2021, 09:48 PM

I went on and pre-ordered the US. My TOOBS on the way here. Now if I can ever figure out how to get everything to working and todays my b-day so I got myself a couple presents to keep me busy around the house.

**wzpgsr** · 08-12-2021, 10:53 PM

I ordered a used one just for something new to mess with during YASLPFMF (yet another strict lockdown period for my family). I’ll see how this bad boy handles the tweedier side of things.

**BFrench** · 08-13-2021, 05:12 PM

tks, Quilter FB page says the Superblock will be in stock in August. Sweetwater called me this morning and said it would be October before mine would be in stock with them. Oh well it is what it is. I've only seen the OP's and a couple more in the line of the tones I'm looking, wishing for. Found a nice one with the SB and Toob Metro 6.5 speaker (jazz player) in NY and it sounded pretty delicious...distortion makes me nauseous

**wzpgsr** · 08-17-2021, 07:45 PM

Got mine.

At first I was like “nah” but now I’m more like “maybe.” The EQ controls are very sensitive and interactive in ways that I am not familiar with—hard to describe, but it feels like the frequency ranges somehow don’t meld together as I’d expect them to, as if there’s too much separation / not enough “crossover” between the three bands. All the modes have this prominent upper-midrange thing going on which is easiest (so far) to dial-out or ignore in the 65 blackface mode, which is really well done. I can get into the ballpark of tone and “punch” of my 35 watt Vibrolux clone with this mode.

I’m getting much better results through a Deluxe Reverb-sized cab with an Eminence 12” GA-SC64 then with little brother GA10-SC64 in a similar sized pine cab (either closed- or open-back) or through the Jupiter SC10 in my open Victoria Ivy League.

Ultimately, here’s the thing so far: none of my tube amps require the level of analysis as per above to get a more desirable and pleasant fundamental basic sound than what I get after hours of futzing with my Quilter. I just plug in and with minimal knob adjustment I’m off to the races. I may eventually get to that point with the Quilter as well, and it’s good enough so far that I’ll keep trying.

**Zhahn** · 08-17-2021, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by wzpgsr

Got mine.

At first I was like “nah” but now I’m more like “maybe.” The EQ controls are very sensitive and interactive in ways that I am not familiar with—hard to describe, but it feels like the frequency ranges somehow don’t meld together as I’d expect them to, as if there’s too much separation / not enough “crossover” between the three bands. All the modes have this prominent upper-midrange thing going on which is easiest (so far) to dial-out or ignore in the 65 blackface mode, which is really well done. I can get into the ballpark of tone and “punch” of my 35 watt Vibrolux clone with this mode.

I’m getting much better results through a Deluxe Reverb-sized cab with an Eminence 12” GA-SC64 then with little brother GA10-SC64 in a similar sized pine cab (either closed- or open-back) or through the Jupiter SC10 in my open Victoria Ivy League.

Ultimately, here’s the thing so far: none of my tube amps require the level of analysis as per above to get a more desirable and pleasant fundamental basic sound than what I get after hours of futzing with my Quilter. I just plug in and with minimal knob adjustment I’m off to the races. I may eventually get to that point with the Quilter as well, and it’s good enough so far that I’ll keep trying.

How’s the general voice/eq compared to old Ampegs? IIRC, you had a Gemini II sometime ago.

I got rid of my 101 (no reverb) after months of futzing with eq, because I could not dial out the upper-mid hump. The “Surf” mode was ridiculously mid-scooped and bass-heavy to the point of uselessness.

I wonder if the new SB’s have the same/similar eq issues as the old 101. Many folks seem to be fine with Quilter, but then again many of them also are used to BF voiced amps anyway.
Could you shine some light on how the SB’s would compare to old Ampegs in this regard?

**wzpgsr** · 08-17-2021, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by Zhahn

How’s the general voice/eq compared to old Ampegs? IIRC, you had a Gemini II sometime ago.

I got rid of my 101 (no reverb) after months of futzing with eq, because I could not dial out the upper-mid hump. The “Surf” mode was ridiculously mid-scooped and bass-heavy to the point of uselessness.

I wonder if the new SB’s have the same/similar eq issues as the old 101. Many folks seem to be fine with Quilter, but then again many of them also are used to BF voiced amps anyway.
Could you shine some light on how the SB’s would compare to old Ampegs in this regard?

No matter what I am playing through, I am typically shooting for the same type of sound—a balanced midrange without being boomy or ice-picky. Sound is hard to put into words—I use two "colors" of sound: caramel and silver, and yes, I feel really pretentious writing that. Low wattage tweed Fenders sound like "caramel" to me. My Ampeg Gemini II and my Gries 35 (Vibrolux clone)—the way I EQ them—offer slightly different takes on "silver." The Gries is a bit stiff feeling and capable of punching you in the chest, even at lower volumes, whereas the Ampeg feels soft and slow. So far, I have been able to approximate my usual "caramel" and "silver" sounds with the Superblock US. It takes some work, but I think it gets the job done and if I didn't have the real things sitting here, I don't think I'd complain. I'll play the Quilter exclusively for a week or so and see if I feel the same after switching back to a tube amp.

To try and complement Jim's original clip (65 "blackface" voice, I believe), here is the 57 "tweed" voice recorded direct, like Jim's, with the Normal speaker cab emulation. Recorded dry with reverb added in post, along with a mastering preset. Unlike my real tweed amp, which has a pretty soft attack, I think you can hear a bit of the Quilter's stiffness in the lower registers in this clip. Obvious cork sniffing, I know.

**Zhahn** · 08-17-2021, 11:41 PM

Thanks, Wzpgsr!
sounds great!

It IS difficult to describe sounds, but I think I get what you’re saying.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-18-2021, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by BFrench

tks, Quilter FB page says the Superblock will be in stock in August. Sweetwater called me this morning and said it would be October before mine would be in stock with them. Oh well it is what it is. I've only seen the OP's and a couple more in the line of the tones I'm looking, wishing for. Found a nice one with the SB and Toob Metro 6.5 speaker (jazz player) in NY and it sounded pretty delicious...distortion makes me nauseous

Don't click on this video!!!