London Power's Past Product Archives:
ALBION

English tone with Power Scaling


Detailed description

The ALBION offers both master-volume and non-master-volume sounds in the English tradition when fitted with appropriate tubes and connected to appropriate speakers.

If you like the sound of the old Plexi, it's here. If you like the sound of the 800, it's here, too. If you like the sound of 100W you can have that, too, but with not more than 50W of actual output!

For Plexi sounds, flip the MV switch 'down'. Each input jack feeds its own gain stage and either Vol-1 or Vol-2, the EQ and on to the power amp. To assure vintage gain, flip HI down as well. With HI 'up', you get a Plexi with more gain.

Master-volume aficionados will flip MV 'up'. Vol-1 becomes the Preamp gain control and Vol-2 functions as the Master Volume; that's why these controls have double labels. With HI 'down', the two input jacks provide the traditional amounts of high and low gain. With HI 'up', both jacks have more gain: IN-1 will have as much gain as In-1 on a vintage Marshall while IN-2 will give you gain more like a Soldano, Peavey 5150 or a Double/Triple Rectifier.

Easy set-ups for London Power's ALBION amp:

50W Plexi: MV, HI and K 'down'. Plug in a pair of EL34s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 is bright; input-2 is normal.
100W Plexi: MV, HI and K 'down'. Plug in four EL34s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 is bright; input-2 is normal.
50W 800: MV 'up'. HI and K 'down'. Plug in a pair of EL34s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 is like the high-gain input on a vintage 800. Input-2 has more gain.
100W 800: MV 'up'. HI and K 'down'. Plug in four EL34s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 is like the high-gain input on a vintage 800. Input-2 has more gain.
Laney: MV 'up'. HI and K 'down'. Plug in two or four 6V6s or EL34s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 is like the high-gain input on a vintage 800. Input-2 has more gain.
5150: MV and HI 'up'. K 'down'. Plug in a two or four 6L6s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 has more gain than the high-gain input on a vintage 800. Input-2 has yet more gain.
Double/Triple Rectifier: MV and HI 'up'. K 'down'. Plug in a two or four EL34s or 6L6s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 has more gain than the high-gain input on a vintage 800. Input-2 has yet more gain.
Yngwie sound: MV and HI 'up'. K 'down'. Plug in a two 6L6s and two 6V6s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 has more gain than the high-gain input on a vintage 800. Input-2 has yet more gain.
"Tweed" Plexi: MV, HI 'down'. K 'up'. Plug in a two or four EL34s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 is bright; input-2 is normal. Power is reduced to 5-10W and the tone is rounder.
"Tweed" 800: HI 'down'. MV and K 'up'. Plug in a two or four EL34s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 is like the high-gain input on a vintage 800. Input-2 has more gain. Power is reduced to 5-10W and the tone is rounder.
"Brown BS tone": MV and HI 'up'. K 'down'. Plug in three 6L6s. Set BODY to PP. Input-1 has more gain than the high-gain input on a vintage 800. Input-2 has yet more gain. Output is warmer than a 5150.
Single-ended "baby Marshall", "baby Soldano", "baby 5150", "baby Rectifier": Any of the above settings but dial BODY to SE.
Add a tube rectifier to any of the above: Dial SUSTAIN up to taste.

That English rock guitar tone is bright and ripping, but many modern players prefer it a bit warmer. Our BODY control lets you dial in warmth and experience new possibilities in the Marshall sound. How about a single-ended "baby" Marshall for recording? Just dial BODY all the way to SE for 1W of screaming leads that you can stay in the room with! Get 4W with another power tube plugged in.

Obtain traditional 50W sounds with a single pair of EL34s, or plug in four for crushing low end. Enjoy the "feel" of 100W without the cops showing up.

And to that end, our Power Scaling circuit will give you wailing, amp-dying tone at a whisper while greatly extending tube life. Get the sound of those 20W Marshalls using EL34s with POWER SCALE dialled down.

Some new Marshalls use 5881s, which can offer a rounder, fuller tone than EL34s. You can plug those into the ALBION and set their bias properly. Individual bias adjusts for each output tube let you use ANY of the common power tube types in ANY combination. Be wild - plug in one each of four different types and have sounds you could never get in a stock Marshall. Try three tubes for that rumoured "Eddy 5150" sound. In fact, you can plug in one, two, three or four output tubes without worry, for any tone you desire and any amount of raw power reduction you wish to achieve.

Want the modern Laney sound used by Tony Iommi? Plug in a set of 6V6s and rip away. Or how about Yngwie Malmsteen's sound? A pair of 6V6s give fluidity while adding a pair of 6L6s give body, all mixed together with the high-gain preamp sound.

And remember how fragile Marshalls can be with the wrong load connected? That is not a problem with the ALBION. Tie any load to any impedance tap and our monster output transformer will deliver the tone you desire, at slightly reduced output. You get full power by matching the load impedance to the jack number.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Front-panel controls: In-1 jack, In-2 jack, Vol-1/Pre, Vol-2/MV, Treble, Middle, Bass, Presence, Body, Sustain, Power Scale, plus the switch K for cathode-bias, MV switch to select between master-volume and non-MV sounds, HI switch to select vintage Plexi/800 gain or higher for modern flavours.

Rear panel: 2/4/8/16 speaker jacks, Lift switch to eliminate ground loops, Range for 120/240V AC mains, Mains on/off

0-50W at 2,4,8,16 ohms Power Scalable; head-style with tubes standing up vertical; all-steel chassis and ventilated cover with wooden end protectors equipped with rubber feet and steel flip-up handles

Tubes supplied: 3x 12AX7, 4x EL34

Tubes that will work: 12AT7, 12AU7, 12AY7, 12AX7, 6CA7, 6V6, 6L6, EL34, KT66, KT77, KT88, 5881, 6550 or any equivalents, in any combination

Supplied accessories: Bias tool, multimeter, IEC power cord for North America

Dimensions: 18"(w)x8"(h)x12"(d) 35-lbs




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