VHT Pitbull 50CL or 100?

[kazE]

I've had my heart set on ordering a River KTRE Reverb ($2200) in the next couple weeks. In my research I've seen the Pitbull's showered with praise and it just so happens I can get my hands on a VHT Pitbull 50CL or 100 in great condition for about $1150.

The 50CL has the graphic EQ but the 100 does not.

Should I go for one of these or wait for the KTRE?

 

[Apex1rg7x]

Id go for a used VHT/Fryette Ultra Lead or if thats not an option grab the 100CL. A good used CL for $1150 is a great deal though.

 

[zimbloth]

I'd go for either over the K-Tre honestly. As a Rivera dealer I'd love for you to buy the K-TRE you said you were going to get from me, but personally I think the VHT/Fryette stuff smokes those by a wide margin. The KR7 is another story. I'd go with the 100w all things being equal.

I have both the 50/CL and 100/CL coming in stock this month and are reasonably priced, but obviously that used deal you found is pretty untouchable.

 

[kazE]

Thanks zimbloth, I too would love to get K-TRE from you but my financial situation of late is preventing me from getting anything over $2k real soon.

When I came across this deal I was obviously really interested.

I'm curious what are the major differences between a VHT 100/CL and a Fryette UL (besides the EQ) ?.

 

[zimbloth]

I'm curious what are the major differences between a VHT 100/CL and a Fryette UL (besides the EQ) ?.

First of all VHT = Fryette.

Secondly, the 100/CL and UL differ in 2 main areas. One, the UL has 3 channels and the CL 2. With the UL it has a dedicated clean, and then two gain channels. On the CL, it has two channels that you can pretty much set to do whatever you want (ie: dual gain channels, clean + lead, etc).

Also, the CL employs EL34 tubes and the UL uses KT88s. The KT88s have more headroom which results in better cleans and deeper/tighter lows. The sound is overall a bit darker on the UL whereas on the CL it has more snap to it. Both sound incredible though, they just have slightly different flavors to 'em. The CL has plenty of balls and tightness in its own right.

I'm sure there's some other differences in the internal makeup of the amp as well, but featurewise and tonally they're pretty similar and awesome.

 

[kazE]

Yeah I did realize that VHT is now Fryette, I just wasn't sure if the older non-EQ VHT's had any major differences next to the newer Fryette's .

The 100/CL I'm looking at has actually been re-tubed with KT88's, so perhaps it'll wind up sounding extremely close to the UL. As for 3 channels, the 3rd channel definitely sounds nice but I think I'll be fine with 2.
As it is, I rarely use all 3 of my 333XL's channels frequently.

 

[zimbloth]

Yeah I did realize that VHT is now Fryette, I just wasn't sure if the older non-EQ VHT's had any major differences next to the newer Fryette's .

The 100/CL I'm looking at has actually been re-tubed with KT88's, so perhaps it'll wind up sounding extremely close to the UL. As for 3 channels, the 3rd channel definitely sounds nice but I think I'll be fine with 2.
As it is, I rarely use all 3 of my 333XL's channels frequently.

Really? Yikes, thats odd. Hopefully it was safe to do that with the 100/CL. Hopefully they rebiased it and knew what they were doing.

 

[kazE]

Yeah I'm going to talk to the owner to make sure before buying. But if all's good then I'm psyched.

 

[onefingersweep]

Yeah I'm going to talk to the owner to make sure before buying. But if all's good then I'm psyched.

Read Fryette's website on why they don't offer more tube options. I would stay away from that modded 100 CL if I were you.

Get one with graphic EQ, it's extremely useful, it makes the amp sound HUUUUGE!

But you could always use an external EQ in the loop, but then again, read Fryette's site about the tube thing.

 

[kazE]

I talked with the owner and he said it's an older model (like 00') and it's designed to be used with KT88's.

And I did read that FAQ on Fryette's website, so it's great to know it hasn't actually been modded and it's all factory-set.

 

[zimbloth]

I talked with the owner and he said it's an older model (like 00') and it's designed to be used with KT88's.

And I did read that FAQ on Fryette's website, so it's great to know it hasn't actually been modded and it's all factory-set.

The 100/CL was never 'designed to be used with KT88s' to the best of my knowledge. I'd contact Fryette to verify such a claim before buying.

 

[kazE]

Yeah I sent them an email.

I'm curious if anyone here can confirm or debunk this mystery.

 

[budda]

if it has KT88's, perhaps its a UL and buddy is selling it as a CL?

 

[pink freud]

if it has KT88's, perhaps its a UL and buddy is selling it as a CL?

That would be a major if that was the case.

 

[kazE]

Ha I wish, here's a pic of it. It clearly says "ONE HUNDRED" on the front there:

I'm awaiting response from Fryette so I can have some peace of mind.

 

[pink freud]

Chances of this being the biggest ever just increased.

That there looks like a mistagged UL.

Check out this UL (Non Graphic-EQ)

http://www.indoorstorm.com/vht/avh009.jpg

 

[onefingersweep]

LOL

 

[budda]

Buy the Pittbull - if it's a UL, you just got the deal of a lifetime. If it's not.. well, you still have a killer amp

 

[CentaurPorn]

It is neither a CL or UL

courtesy of rbone100 @ vht forums

The "One Hundred" was the predecessor of the UL. Basically configured from the pre of the Classic head, 3 channels, and one output side of the 2150, thus two power tubes, using an output transformer from a 2150.

Tube config was:

Preamp, 1 Sovtek 12AX7WB, 3 Chinese 12AX7A.
Power amp, 1 Chinese 12AX7A, 1 Chinese 12AU7.
Power tubes: 98 wattss

Svetlana began having troubles and we only had Chinese KT88 to fall back on which didn’t hold up well so we went to 4 power tubes and a modified output transformer to run 4 tubes.

This wasn’t intended to be a massive gain amp, although a lot by the standards of the time. As things progressed we responded to requests for more gain and power amp saturation. We tried making the driver tube (12AU7) interchangeable to help tweak power amp distortion, but ultimately it created as many problems as it solved so that idea was scrapped in favor of a softer sounding driver stage. The new tube config was:

Preamp, 1 Sovtek 12AX7WB, 3 Chinese 12AX7A.
Power amp, 1 Chinese 12AX7A,
Power Tubes: 4 Chinese KT88.
Output power: 105 watts.

This was met by our beloved VHT clan with either great enthusiasm or extreme anger. If you were in a band and wanted one just like the other guitarists, you either appreciated the difference and it worked well for the overall sound of the band, or you were pissed because yours was not as aggressive.

After a year of this, the UL went back to tow tubes in the drive/phase inverter stage, but with a difference. A new driver design using a 12AT7 in place of the 12AU7 for the driver. The idea being to restore the tightness and aggressive UL trademark but retain some of the fatness of the 12AX7 only style. By then the Sovtek KT88 became available and that became what is still the standard tube for the UL: New Tube config:

Preamp, 1 Sovtek 12AX7WB, 3 Chinese 12AX7A.
Power amp, 1 Chinese 12AX7A, 1 Chinese 12AT7.
Power Tubes: 4 Sovtek KT88.
Output power: 120 watts.

For those who liked the softer more saturated power amp quality of the 5 tube UL and wanted even more, the Classic head was redesigned using the 5 tube preamp config and renamed the CLX at the request of Mr. Hartley Peavey who owns the trademark for the use of Classic on guitar amplifiers. New CLX tube config:

Preamp, 1 Sovtek 12AX7WB, 3 Chinese 12AX7A.
Power amp, 1 Chinese 12AX7A
Power Tubes: 4 Svetlana EL34s.
Output power: 110 watts

Keep in mind that at the time all of this was going on, tube supplies were very erratic and unstable. The Tesla factory got bombed, or so they say, new 6550 designs were all over place in terms of quality and reliability, and we were constantly having to shift gears in order to maintain a performance level that depnded ontop quality tubes.

Obviously the tube scene has settled down and has been stable for quite a while now. As a result, there have been no major changes in the UL or CLX power plants since mid 97. Just some minor tweaking, because you ask for it, or I just can’t keep my mits out of there.

I would be careful. As you can see a few versions had some issues. Make sure you find out if it is a: 2 or 4 power tubes. B. 12at7 or 12 AU 7 etc....Using the wrong one will be a bad time.

Make sure you know which version you are getting.

 

[WarriorOfMetal]

if it has KT88's, perhaps its a UL and buddy is selling it as a CL?

He's not your buddy, guy!