The new improved ValveTrain Trenton combo features:
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16 watts, (2) JJ 6V6 tubes, Cathode biased AB
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JJ 12AX7 preamp and phase inverter tubes
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JJ GZ34 tube rectifier (new)
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Heavy gage aluminum chassis for superior grounding and tone
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Custom wound USA Transformers
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Half Power Switch (6/16 watts)
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Raw Switch (bypasses tone stack)
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Effects loop
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4 and 8 ohm speaker outputs
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Eminence Wizard 12" speaker
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Birch plywood cabinet, 40 pounds
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20H x 22W x 11D (new, wider, deeper)
We not sure whether it's the rectifier, re-voiced preamp, larger cabinet, or all three, but the new Trenton is a great leap forward. Voiced towards the warm side of the spectrum, the Trenton responds nicely to touch and playing style, with a slightly soft attack that allows the player's personalty to come through. Play it delicately and it's sweet and smooth. Hammer it and there is just enough sag to smooth out the notes without losing the playing dynamics. Perfect.
The Trenton has a reasonable amount of clean headroom making it suitable unassisted for small club gigs. Once up around half volume -- and depending on the guitar -- there starts to get a little "hair" around the notes with more grind as the volume increases. The Raw switch is also a nice surprise, as it always seemed a little bright on the older version of this amplifier. With the increased warmth and depth of the new design, the Raw switch does what it's designed: Provide a direct path to the tubes for an even more transparency and depth. At a recent guitar show we were amazed on how good all sorts of guitars sounded really good played "Raw" highlighting the fact that if the design is right, the fewer the knobs the better.
For more grind at lower volumes, there is a half power switch that cuts the output to 6 watts. There is also a decent drop in volume at this setting, and some loss of dimensionality to the sound. For my money this amp is not über loud to begin with, and the best tones are found at the full power setting.
While Tweed design amplifiers do not have a lot of input headroom, we found that prudent use of gain and distortion pedals yielded some very tasty tonal textures. However, too much gain will squash the front end resulting in less defined attack and note definition. As with many things, moderation is the key, and if you really like to lean on your pedals, check out the ValveTrain Bennington.
The ValveTrain Trenton exemplifies the joys of creating great tone with just a good guitar, good cable and the right amplifier. The Trenton delivers soulful and complex tones that are the hallmark of classic circuit designs, high quality components and first-class workmanship.
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