Neil Spencer Bruce

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Cornford Roadhouse 50 Head Review

Neil Bruce

Okay, so a while back I reviewed the Cornford Roadhouse 30 combo that I owned, and to reiterate....I loved it.....but I sold even after all the positive things I said about it.

Why you ask?

Well, the one negative was the weight, the deep cabinet which made it very awkward to carry, and most importantly, I live up four flights of stairs and it is the last thing you want to be lugging up stairs at 3 am in the morning. But, I was pining for it, it sounded amazing, really amazing, so I thought the compromise is to get the head version but then Cornford when out of business and the stocks ran out before I could get one.

Anyway, I kept an eye out for one on the second hand listing sites, and low and behold, one turned up. Initially, I was hoping for the 30 Watt version, but the 50 turned up and I thought that the extra headroom would be worth it.

Note : I have paired the Cornford Roadhouse 50 Head with my Zilla Custom 2 x 12 cab fitted with Celestion Vintage 30's

So here is the review, and to be honest it is very similar to the other review, with a few amendments!

Okay, so yes I really, really do love it, and with the 50 watt version I really have no reservations, no problem with the weight etc, because this amp sounds awesome!

Why?

Because it has one of the most organic sounding overdrives I have ever had the fortune to play. It is one of those sounds you literally feel connected to, the sound coming out of the speakers just makes you smile. The tone has a deep round body to it, which really inspired you to play. The amp is just it is so responsive to your touch and you can so easily coax as note into the most glorious feedback and sustain.

As with the 30 watt, what really surprises me about this amp is how he character and tone of your guitar really jumps out, although with the pickup...it is like you can hear the very wood of the guitar. Also, just like the 30 Watt the amp to me has a vocal like quality.

But it gets better, the EQ section is amazing and very responsive and interactive, you really have so many options as you move the controls around. The cleans sound glassy, but without any ice-pickiness, but this isn't a clean amp, where this amp really shines in in the break-up crunch territory....wow instant ACDC if you like that kind of thing.

The sound is powerful and it really makes those around sit up and take note.....but it gets even better....the secret of this amp is the boost function. BOOOOOM!!

To quote Spinal Tap, it really does give you that push over the edge when you need it, but is a way you couldn't imagine, it adds a kind of velveteen shimmer to the sound and makes you want to play for ever. You can get some great overdrive and distortion sounds out of this amp, not death defying metal, this is a classic rock/blues amp. The tonal changes between a single coil or humbucker guitar are immense but just as they should be.

In the previous review, I said about the 30 Watter 'So why is this not top number one amp ever?'

Well, the reservations about the 30 aren't present in the 50 version, yes it it is kind of only really applicable to the rock/blues fraternity. Yes it does lovely cleans, but not much of it before you get a glorious break up tone, so if you want clean, clean clean, then go back to Fender. If breakup is your thing, then welcome aboard.

The Zilla 2 x 12 open back cabinet seems to fill space gloriously, with real bass meet to the sound, the cabinet and speakers (Celestion V30) work in perfect harmony. Then when you kick in the boost, wow you are like a tone king. The amp also takes pedals really well, I use it in conjunction with a Rothwell Audio F1 Booster, Fulltone Plimsoul and Suhr Riot and this sounded fantastic.

Pros

  • For Blues/Rock, you would be hard pressed to find a better sounding amp (in this price range!)

  • It sounds amazing, and when you kick in the boost...wow!

  • Fantastically crafted and sensitive EQ section which is extremely responsive and well tied together

Cons

  • It is a bit of a one trick pony (and it pains me to write that), the trick it does it does totally amazingly though

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Neil