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Download Example 1
Fender Strat Bridge, Diamond Vol 8, Tone 12
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Download Example 2
Fender Strat Neck, Diamond Vol 11, Tone 1
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Download Example 3
Gibson SG Neck Pickup, Diamond Vol 1, Tone 1 |
| All clips played into an Emperor 4x12" loaded with Weber C1625s and recorded with an SM57.
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Hailing from Houston, Texas, Diamond
Amplification is probably best known for its
high-gain, modern-voiced, EL34-powered
amps. Given that many of those amps are
distinctive, in part, for their expressive,
articulate clean channel—something that’s
quite uncommon among most of Diamond
Amplification’s high-gain peers—it’s perhaps
no surprise that the company would build a
more compact and tonally varied amp like
the Positron. This 22-watt, handwired, single-channel
amp features a class A, non-Master
volume design and was designed with the
travelling guitarist in mind.
New Directions
Diamond Amplification’s founder, Jeff
Diamant, recently expanded Diamond’s
design capabilities by partnering with
boutique amp guru Roy Blankenship of
Blankenship Amplification. Blankenship
established his reputation as a top builder
with his 50-watt, EL34-powered VariPlex
(which was modeled after a modified ’68
Marshall plexi) and his FATBoy combo,
which is inspired by a late-’50s tweed
Fender Deluxe. Blankenship had already
designed a smaller version of his 21-watt,
class A Leeds21, which he called the
Leeds21 Carry-On, and it’s a fair bet that
experience informed the design and execution
of the Positron.
The Positron is about as streamlined in
design as a head can be. It has no protective
corners, which can mean increased risk of
Tolex damage, but that also adds to the very
clean and uninterrupted style of the case.
The structural integrity of the box is impressive
and feels amazingly solid. The amp rests
firmly on quality rubber feet and includes a
rugged metal-and-rubber handle. The black
Tolex (burgundy snakeskin is also an option)
is as smooth and seamless as any amp I’ve
ever seen, and the backplate fits perfectly
flush with a back grate that enables a view
of the amp’s interior. Inside, two EL84s in the
power-amp section form the backbone of the
Positron’s handwired, all-tube circuit, which
also features three 12AX7s in the preamp
and a 6AC4 rectifier. In short, the Positron is
a really well-built amp—though the most brilliant
aspect of its design may be that you can
fit all this tube-driven goodness inside something
the size of carry-on luggage.
Positively Positronic
Evaluating the Positron was a matter of
hooking up my Gibson SG and Fender
Stratocaster and routing the Positron’s signal
through an Emperor 4x12 loaded with
Weber C1265s and an Avatar 2x12 with
Celestion Vintage 30s.
The Positron’s front-panel controls are dead
simple: There’s a power switch, standby
switch, Tone knob, Volume knob, Input jack,
and just about the brightest red jewel light
on the planet—that’s it. Starting with the
Tone at noon and the Volume low, the amp
jumped to life with a sharp, brilliant, Vox-like
clean tone—especially with my SG’s
bridge pickup. AC30 fans should definitely
give this amp a test run.