NAD - Sweet 16 Head and Cabinet

[shinksma]

Well, new to me - obviously only available on the used market now! I hadn't intended to buy this right now (although I have been watching Sweet 16s on Reverb for over a year now, tempted here and there). I was actually browsing for a 1x12 cab to possibly go with my HXDA combo amp recently acquired. This showed up after I filtered for "cabinets" and at first I thought "Wow, that is way too much to ask for a 1x12 cabinet!". Then I saw the listing was for head+cab, for a very tempting price...

Has a nice squishy Fender-ish (I guess) drive at full throttle, cleans up nicely, and just the right loudness for home jamming and band practice! It is an older build, 2009 IIRC, so not Rev B (or rev C - what was improved for Rev C?). I'm OK with that - the original version has just the right headroom at the intended volumes for my tastes. Oh, and while is is very bright with the bright switch engaged while playing on the bridge pickup of my CU24 [shown in pic], with the neck pup selected it brightened it up just enough to be heard in a band situation. So "bright=on" for a band gig, "bright=off" for solo gig or practicing alone.

Here are a couple of my pups (not pickups, actual canines) enjoying the new amp (they do sit around and listen to me play, and the big white one, and his brother [not shown], will sometimes get into a nice pack-howl along with my noodling! The dust-mop to the right will yap along usually - she doesn't have the howling thing down.):

 

[toothace]

Sweet score!!

(see what I did there?)

 

[bodia]

Sweet score!!

(see what I did there?)

Giggle

 

[bodia]

Well, new to me - obviously only available on the used market now! I hadn't intended to buy this right now (although I have been watching Sweet 16s on Reverb for over a year now, tempted here and there). I was actually browsing for a 1x12 cab to possibly go with my HXDA combo amp recently acquired. This showed up after I filtered for "cabinets" and at first I thought "Wow, that is way too much to ask for a 1x12 cabinet!". Then I saw the listing was for head+cab, for a very tempting price...

Has a nice squishy Fender-ish (I guess) drive at full throttle, cleans up nicely, and just the right loudness for home jamming and band practice! It is an older build, 2009 IIRC, so not Rev B (or rev C - what was improved for Rev C?). I'm OK with that - the original version has just the right headroom at the intended volumes for my tastes. Oh, and while is is very bright with the bright switch engaged while playing on the bridge pickup of my CU24 [shown in pic], with the neck pup selected it brightened it up just enough to be heard in a band situation. So "bright=on" for a band gig, "bright=off" for solo gig or practicing alone.

Here are a couple of my pups (not pickups, actual canines) enjoying the new amp (they do sit around and listen to me play, and the big white one, and his brother [not shown], will sometimes get into a nice pack-howl along with my noodling! The dust-mop to the right will yap along usually - she doesn't have the howling thing down.):

Nice! You're on quite the roll!

 

[shinksma]

Nice! You're on quite the roll!

Yes, all quite "accidental". But like other forum members, it is because I love trolling (as in fishing with lines and hooks) for sale areas of the internet looking for something a bit offbeat, and Reverb is one of the obvious sources. And unsurprisingly, I find the odd good deal, and if I move fast enough, I can make it mine! (Actually, in this case, the amp had been listed for quite while, but might have had a recent price drop, which made it ultra tempting.)

There was a 1x12 cab in paisley available at GC Used for a reasonable price right after I picked up the HXDA combo, and if I had thought to move faster instead of saying to myself "ah, maybe later", I would have grabbed it before it disappeared. And then I might not have stumbled across this Sweet 16.

 

[Boogie]

Tuxedo for the win. That takes pedals well, too. (Try a Klon)

 

[bodia]

Yes, all quite "accidental". But like other forum members, it is because I love trolling (as in fishing with lines and hooks) for sale areas of the internet looking for something a bit offbeat, and Reverb is one of the obvious sources. And unsurprisingly, I find the odd good deal, and if I move fast enough, I can make it mine! (Actually, in this case, the amp had been listed for quite while, but might have had a recent price drop, which made it ultra tempting.)

There was a 1x12 cab in paisley available at GC Used for a reasonable price right after I picked up the HXDA combo, and if I had thought to move faster instead of saying to myself "ah, maybe later", I would have grabbed it before it disappeared. And then I might not have stumbled across this Sweet 16.

Same boat! Definitely a buyers market right now.

 

[veinbuster]

Sweet.
I always had a soft spot for that amp.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Bangin'!

 

[László]

Very cool amps, those. I shoulda gotten one to add to the pile when they came out!

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Congrats! Nice score and you got the matching pair = double score!

 

[shinksma]

Thanks everyone!

Last night, just before heading to bed, I decided to do a little playing again, and within 3 seconds I had this sound and some chords that were very close to a Tom Petty song, so I looked up the guitar tab quickly, mildly tweaked the amp, and played (and sang) through a few renditions of Mary Jane's Last Dance (I had to fix the guitar tabs I found online - they got the end of the first verse section wrong). I wasn't looking for that sound or that song - it just fell right out.

I have no idea what equipment TP&THB would have used - so I will now investigate out of curiosity - but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a CU24 with pickup selector knob on "7" paired with a Sweet 16.

A nice bit of inspiration right off the bat!

 

[andy474x]

So cool! Missed a screamin deal on one of those once (brand new for solid-state price) and have kicked myself ever since. Hope to try one again someday. Glad to hear from someone who likes it!

 

[shinksma]

So cool! Missed a screamin deal on one of those once (brand new for solid-state price) and have kicked myself ever since. Hope to try one again someday. Glad to hear from someone who likes it!

One thing that I hoped for, after researching the model, and that came out to be true, is that the Sweet 16 sounds very different from my HXDA and Archon (and even my Fender HRDX). And my H&K Tubemeister 5. So I have some new sonic territory to explore, which is kinda fun. If it had been a modest-sounding HXDA I would have been OK with that, but this, to me, sounds more Fender-ish in the way it overdrives. I need to research more Fender stuff for comparison, perhaps, so I am not expert enough to say Blackface vs Silverface or Twin vs Deluxe, etc. I don't even know if I can say it is or isn't "Tweedy".

 

[andy474x]

One thing that I hoped for, after researching the model, and that came out to be true, is that the Sweet 16 sounds very different from my HXDA and Archon (and even my Fender HRDX). And my H&K Tubemeister 5. So I have some new sonic territory to explore, which is kinda fun. If it had been a modest-sounding HXDA I would have been OK with that, but this, to me, sounds more Fender-ish in the way it overdrives. I need to research more Fender stuff for comparison, perhaps, so I am not expert enough to say Blackface vs Silverface or Twin vs Deluxe, etc. I don't even know if I can say it is or isn't "Tweedy".

I remember it being "tweedy" in the breakup. It was a unique tone, kind of fuzzy, not extremely articulate or punchy, but because it wasn't trying to be those things. A good sound but one that I wouldn't consider super versatile, although it would be great for blues. What I overlooked was the value of it as a low power clean platform for home use. Ah, the gear that got away...

 

[dmatthews]

Thanks everyone!

Last night, just before heading to bed, I decided to do a little playing again, and within 3 seconds I had this sound and some chords that were very close to a Tom Petty song, so I looked up the guitar tab quickly, mildly tweaked the amp, and played (and sang) through a few renditions of Mary Jane's Last Dance (I had to fix the guitar tabs I found online - they got the end of the first verse section wrong). I wasn't looking for that sound or that song - it just fell right out.

I have no idea what equipment TP&THB would have used - so I will now investigate out of curiosity - but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a CU24 with pickup selector knob on "7" paired with a Sweet 16.

A nice bit of inspiration right off the bat!

I LOVE IT when that happens!
Way to go, and that's a beautiful amp/cab.

 

[shinksma]

I remember it being "tweedy" in the breakup. It was a unique tone, kind of fuzzy, not extremely articulate or punchy, but because it wasn't trying to be those things. A good sound but one that I wouldn't consider super versatile, although it would be great for blues. What I overlooked was the value of it as a low power clean platform for home use. Ah, the gear that got away...

Yeah, it isn't "HXDA super Marshall crunch", and it is probably a bit fuzzy for some folks. But it does cop a good Texas Blues/Rock, IMHO: last night was "pretend to be Billy Gibbons" night, and I played along to the CD track of Rough Boy a few times (I had learned that years and years ago, but long forgotten, so re-learned), which led into a bit of Tush (playing the Greatest Hits CD, obviously), and then just some bluesy-rock inspired noodling. With gain maxxed out and with the bright switch on, I found my P245 SH on the 58/15 bridge pup had the closest sound - the RL Vela wasn't driving it enough, and the CU24 with HFS/VB just didn't sound PAF-ish enough, I guess. It still could have used a boost or mild OD pedal in front of it to get that deeper Gibbons crunch.

And then at the end of my ZZTop noodling, the guitar did that nice feedback thing like the intro to Foxy Lady...so I jammed on that for a couple bars.

It is not a hugely loud amp - it would probably need to be miked if playing a decent sized bar. But it is perfect for playing at home! (Or any of the small pubs or cafes we usually play, I suppose, if we played straight-up rock'n'roll.)

I am very glad to have picked this amp up.

 

[László]

I am very glad to have picked this amp up.

I’ll admit I’m a bit jealous...

 

[shinksma]

I’ll admit I’m a bit jealous...

Oh, you have very fine amps, Les! No need to be jealous!

 

[László]

Oh, you have very fine amps, Les! No need to be jealous!

I have a thing for boxes full of glowing tubes. I can’t help myself.