Dingwall Z3Dingwall’s Z3 fans the

flames of fretted bassists.

All gear, all the time. bassgearmag.com Issue 2

Shanghai SHOW Report!You never seen anything like MusicChina, the #1 music expo in the East.

MTD 635 6 String Legendary Luthier MichaelTobias sends us his latest.

Carvin B1500 Amp 1900 watts!? Hot specsfrom our own Bass Lab.

bassgear

$7.50US

TheLarry

Hartke

youdon’t

know.

15 bassgear

Reeves Custom 225Bass Head

bassgear

TEST!

TEST!

70 bassgear

Old Firepower

That lightweight 9mmstrapped to your side mightmake you feel lighter than air,but there are times where youneed a bit more firepower. Andthen it’s time to go old school.The bass amplification worldhas seen a recent proliferationof super lightweight, small,solid-state bass heads. This hasbeen a significant boon formany players, particularlythose with more rigorous travelrequirements (and no roadies).However, as good as many of

them are, there is something tobe said for going with a triedand true design that’s beengetting it done for decades.And yes, there is somethingspecial about a tube outputsection. It may not be foreverybody, but the very best all-tube heads have a particularallure which I have not foundin their solid-state competitors.And heck, if it’s good enoughfor The Ox, it’s good enoughfor me!

15bassgear

Old SchoolFirepower

reviewed by Tom Bowlus

involves a three-band tone stack(curiously arrayed Bass, Treble, Middle),plus a deceivingly powerful Presencecontrol. The preamp circuit incorporatesfour tubes (three 12AX7 and one12AT7), and 225 rated watts areprovided by four KT-88’s. Impressively,on the test bench, the Custom 225exceeded its rated output, cranking out256 watts into a 4-ohm load, at 5%THD. Reeves makes mostly guitarheads, with the Custom 225 being itsfirst dedicated bass amp. While 16-ohmloads are fairly common in guitar land,

ideally, I would have rather seen 2/4/8-ohm options – rather than the4/8/16-ohm taps provided. Still, themost common loads encountered by agigging bass player are 4 and 8 ohms, soyou do have this covered, either way.

All Reeves heads are hand-wired,employing a dual turret board layout.The attention to detail carries over notonly to the cosmetic features of the amp,but also to the tube selection. When Iunpacked the Custom 225, I was verypleased by the mix of new old stock(NOS) and current production tubes.Tom Lees has a nice discussion of these

tube choices in his Amp Lab review. TheDI is transformer-balanced, but has noother controls (e.g., no level control,ground lift, or pre/post option). Reeveslists the weight of the Custom 225 as 59lbs, and our test unit weighed in prettyclose to that at 61.0 lbs. There is nocooling fan, which means that theCustom 225 is a very quiet head. Evenbetter, the passive cooling was goodenough that the Reeves aced our half-power/half-hour thermal tests.

The Man Behind the LegendDave Reeves was an exceptional designerand a bit of a visionary. His name hasbeen associated with a number ofcompanies over the years, and it can be abit confusing to sort out exactly whichproducts are the fruits of Mr. Reeves’labor. Dave apprenticed at bothMarconi Electronics and Mullard, butseemed to be tinkering on his own mostof his adult life. The first company thathe formed (in the late 1960’s) wasHylight Electronics. The very first units

72 bassgear

John Entwistle

was a big Hiwatt user in the early 70’s,and Dave Reeves was the designerbehind those early Hiwatt designs whichbecame the foundation for so much thatwas to follow. Reeves Amplification staystrue to Dave Reeves’ designs and vision,

and they now bring us their first basshead, the Custom 225. Is 225 wattsenough to compete in a world full ofham-fisted drummers and Marshall-toting skinny-string shredders? Comealong as we find out just what kind offirepower the Custom 225 is packing!

Stocking the ArsenalThe Custom 225 is a fairly straightforward all-tube bass head. It featurestwo channels (Normal and Bright), withseparate input gains for each, and anactive/passive switch. The tone stack

continue to make HIWATT amps today. So, where does Reeves Amplification

fit into all of this? Well, we have BillJansen to thank for that. Bill found outthat Music Ground was makingHIWATT amps in the UK, but theycould not import them to the USA, asFernandes owns the trademark rights touse the name “HIWATT” in the USA.Seeing an opportunity, Bill worked out adeal with Music Ground (HIWATTU.K.) to manufacture OEM amplifiersfor sale in the USA under the name

“Reeves Amplification.” Let’s hear it forcapitalism!It can be a bit confusing, but Sound

City, HIWATT, and Reeves products alllead back to Dave Reeves, and to a greatextent, Harry Joyce. The USA-brandHIWATT also makes a very goodproduct, and obviously also borrowsfrom the Reeves legacy and design. Butit is a distinct and separate companyfrom Reeves Amplification, so keep thatin mind.

that he made bore the “Hi-watt” badge,but one of the first big breaks for Davecame when Ivor Arbiter placed a bigorder of amps to be sold in his store –Sound City – as a store brand. A goodnumber of guitar amps were made underthe Sound City name, and even somededicated bass models (like the Bass150, which I owned for a while, andprobably shouldn’t have sold). But,following a lawsuit filed by Arbiter(alleging that Hylight Electronics wasusing a Sound City design without

authorization), Dave Reeves (who wonthat lawsuit, by the way) began buildingamps under the “HIWATT” logo, andhe was off on his own.As it turned out, right about his same

time (1967-68) Dave got laid off fromMullard. He took his new free time (anda modest severance package) and threwthem both into Hylight Electronics,which originally sold directly tomusicians (less overhead!). Early high-profile users included Glenn Cornick ofJethro Tull, Peter Townsend and John

Entwistle (if you listen to Live at Leeds,the Who’s entire backline was byHIWATT), and shortly thereafter,David Gilmour.When production demand increased

to where Dave could not keep up on hisown, he eventually struck a bargain withHarry Joyce, who would end up wiringHIWATT amps up until 1984. Some ofthe key characteristics of HIWATTamps were Dave’s demand for high-quality components, like Partridgetransformers and Mullard tubes, as well

as Harry’s demanding workmanship andquality control with regard to wiring.Tragedy struck, however, in 1981,

when Dave Reeves fell down a flight ofsteps and died. Following his death, agroup of HIWATT employees formed anew company, Biacrown Ltd., whichcontinued to manufacture HIWATTamplifiers – for a while, at least.Biacrown ceased production in 1984,but Rick Harrison – of Music Ground,appropriately located in Leeds – didpurchase the naming rights, and they

73bassgear

end, and the Bass 400 having more highend detail and harmonic content. TheReeves was a tad smoother, and theBoogie a tad more aggressive, but thesetwo amps were certainly more similarthan dissimilar.The real fun came when I broke out

one of my all-time favorite heads, the(sadly discontinued) Sadowsky SA200.The SA200 proved to be smoother, moretonally balanced and consistently rich,but the Reeves was more exciting andarticulate in the high end and bigger inthe lows. I must admit, I went back andforth between these two for a long time,and ultimately decided that they wereboth worthy of top-tier status as some ofthe best of the best.

The Bottom LineBig, heavy, all-tube heads are certainlynot expected to dominate the salescharts in these days of highly competentsmall, lightweight amps. But they arenot ready to go the way of the dinosaurjust yet, either. Tubes do have a certainappeal, and a high-end, hand-made headlike the Custom 225 is a great way toshow off what they bring to the table.This Reeves head has perhaps the bestlow-end character and presence of anyamp I have tried. There is a certainrolling growl to the low notes that reallysatisfies, and as I mentioned, the lowsare very big, very deep, and very full.The highs could get clanky or harsh withcertain cabs at certain settings, but thiswas quite controllable. The midrangegenerally seems to have somewhat of ascoop going on, but the location andextent of this scoop can be movedaround quite a bit.On the whole, this is one of the best-

sounding bass heads (for my personalpreferences, at least) I have been able totry. It is also very refreshing to find anamp which proves to exceed its ratedoutput power. If the siren song ofvacuum tubes has reached your ears,then the Reeves Custom 225 should berequired listening.

Normal channel). The net result beingthat before the connection was made, Ipreferred plugging into the Bright input,and after the connection was made, Ipreferred the Normal input. It mightactually be a cool idea to rig up a switchwhich would allow you to complete orbreak that circuit. It certainly soundedexcellent set up either way, but differentflavors of excellent can be a nice option.On every gig, the Reeves provided

some of the best low end fill I haveencountered; big and powerful, but stillunder control. It certainly has a certainroundness to the notes that is commonwith many tube heads, but it never gotmuddy or exhibited too much bloom.Even at lower volumes, you had a senseof power and heft to each note. But asgood as the low end was, this did notcome at the expense of high-end clarity.In fact, I marveled at the detail andspeed of the high end. It matched upvery well to a number of different cabs,including the Markbass CL108(reviewed in this issue), AmpegSVT410HE, Fender 610 PRO and 215PRO, Glockenklang 6-Box, andSadowsky SA410. Of note, the Fendercabs had the best “coliseum rig” sound(huge lows, and great definition), andthe Glockenklang had a punch-through-the-middle tone that just killed.Back in the practice room, I put the

Custom 225 up against some other all-tube heads to see where it fell in thespectrum. Compared to the universalmeasuring stick of an Ampeg SVT-VR,the Reeves was more refined, clear,smooth and pure sounding, while theSVT was more growly, and had moremidrange focus and attack. Oneinteresting note of American versusBritish design is that on the Ampeg, forboth the Power and the Standbyswitches, placing the switch in the upposition turns them on, whereas on theReeves, on = down. The Mesa/BoogieBass 400 (also equipped with JJ KT-88’s)proved to be a more direct comparison.These two heads were definitely in thesame ballpark, with the Reeves offering abigger, deeper, more enveloping low

Firing Live RoundsThe first thing you notice when you fireup the Custom 225 is the truly massive,lush, powerful low end. You feel like youare playing in a stadium with a wall fullof amps behind you, no matter what thevolume level. It is a highly satisfyingsensation. This amp likes to crank outclean, full tones, but you can dial in athick, husky voice if you push the inputgain pretty hard. It does not do abuzzsaw distortion, though it can giveyou lots of meaty goodness.I did most of my testing using the

Normal input. Setting the Bass controlnearly all the way down is almost liketurning the amp off; you get asignificant volume drop. But anythingfrom about 8:30 on up is usable, andeven all the way up is not too obnoxious– it just makes things really big and rich.The Treble control gives you goodcontrol over high-end hiss (if needed),and pulling it back a good bit does nottake away any clarity. Conversely, it doesnot get harsh when you crank it, either.On the whole, I’d say it’s fairly subtle,but useful over most of its range ofmotion. The Mid knob is also usableacross its whole travel, and while it doesnot drastically alter the tonal balance, itdoes change the character of themidrange quite a bit. The Presencecontrol is perhaps the most powerful ofthe bunch. It really helps fine-tune thehigh end and midrange, though it doesget quite hissy at the extremes.Switching to the Bright channel really

opens up the high end and adds a verystrong initial string attack. The ampsounds quicker and more immediate,though not as lush. You do lose somelows, and cannot dial in a big and full ofa tone as you can on the Normal input.The lows are certainly tight, anddefined, though. I was able to gig withand test the Custom 225 both beforeand after our Technical Editor, TomLees, connected the cathode bypasscapacitor on the V3 tube. This changedefinitely had an audible effect (mostnoticeable in the high end on the

74 bassgear

bg:

bass

gear

te

st REEVES

2008 C225

Bass

Head:

GENERALCompany Reeves Amplification

11122 Luschek DriveCincinnati, Ohio 45241www.reevesamps.com

Country of Origin USAWarranty 5 Years LimitedListed Price $2,499.00Street Price $2,499.00Options NoneAccessories NonePrice as Tested $2,499.00Available colors BlackAvailable options None

in­hand on­bench

TEST SUMMARY1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

Features 3Tonal Flexibility 3.5Ease of Use 4Aesthetics 3.5Ergonomics 4Tone 5Value 4

SONIC PROFILELows – some of the best in thebusiness; big, full, growlyMids – somewhat scooped; open,quicker than expected; tweakableHighs – very clear and articulate;can be clanky on some settings;ample control over highs

Chassis 4Vents and cooling 4.5Knobs / Lights 3Finish / Handles 3.5Jacks / Sockets 4Pots / Switches 4Chassis Layout 4.5Components Resistor/Cap 4.5 PCB / Power Transformer 4.5Solder / Dress 3.5Internal / Overall Build 5Output Power Rating 4Portability 3 Roadworthiness 4.5Ease of Repair 4Warranty 4Quality per price 4

CONDIT IONSAcquired from Reeves AmplificationDates August through November 2008Locales OhioTest gear Nordy vJ5, Celinder VP4, LeCompteCBSC-4, Fender Roscoe Beck V, Dingwall Z3, Dingwall SJ4,Markbass CL108, Ampeg SVT410HE, Fender 610 PRO & 215 PRO,Glockenklang 6-Box, Sadowsky SA410, Ampeg SVT-VR, Mesa Bass400, Sadowsky SA200, Elixir and Planet Waves cables.

The Reeves delivers stadium-filling low end, detailed, clearmidrange, strong, singing highend (when properly tweaked).

TONE-O-METER

In-Hand Score

3.9 average

On-Bench Score

4.0 average

ENCLOSUREMaterial .105 in (12-gauge) steelGetting inside 4 bolts on bottom, 6 screws on backTime to assemble 2 minutesTime to disassemble 2 minutesDimensions 24” w x 11 5/8” d x 11 13/16”hWeight 61 lbsRackable No

PREAMPInputs 1/4” Bright and Normal inputs;

Active/Passive toggleMode TubeTubes 3x 12AX7, 1x 12AT7Input Impedance 1.09 M OhmEQ Type 4-Band passiveEQ Features Traditional Hiwatt-style tonestackCompressor/Limiter NAPotentiometers Panel mountDI Output Post EQ fixedEffects Loop NA

POWER AMPMode TubeTubes 4x KT88Power Supply TubeOutputs 2x 1/4”Impedance Options 4, 8 or 16 ohms

Pre/Power Boards 2 pieces Turret boardsPower Transformer HeyboerOutput Transformer Partridge replicaCooling System NALine Voltage Options 120VAC Line Voltage Setting Not user adjustable

SPECSFrequency Resp-pre +/- 3.75 dB 20 Hz - 20 kHzFrequency Resp-pre&power +/- 1.17 dB 20 Hz - 20 kHz EQ Controls Down, Idle Hum 60 Hz -68 dB

120 Hz -70 dB 180 Hz -80 dB

EQ Controls Down, Idle Noise 200 Hz - 1 KHz -104 dB1.1 KHz - 20 KHz -101 dB

EQ Controls Flat, Idle Hum 60 Hz -56 dB 120 Hz -68 dB180 Hz -70 dB

EQ Controls Flat, Idle Noise 200 Hz - 1 KHz -95 dB1.1 KHz - 20 KHz -94 dB

EQ Controls Up, Idle Hum 60 Hz -55 dB120 Hz -74 dB 180 Hz -75 dB

EQ Controls Up, Idle Noise 200 Hz - 1 KHz -97 dB1.1 KHz - 20 KHz -73 dB

HALF POWER STRESS 1/2 Manufacturer Spec - Tested at 112.5 W into 4 ohms

TEMPERATURE 0F Idle 5min 15min 30minFront Power Switch 73 74 80 87Front Input Jack 73 74 77 81Rear Power Jack 76 80 84 85Rear Speaker Jack 73 74 80 85Power Transformer 76 81 90 97Output Transformer 74 77 90 94Center of Chassis 73 104 133 146Power Tube Retainer (avg) 74 115 145 155

Fan noise Ambient NA Fan Low NA Fan High NA

Signal interrupt (sec) 0 0 0 0Thermal shutdown (sec) 0 0 0 0

POWERTESTS

bassgear

POWERCERTIFIED

8 ohms 1kHz

241watts

REEVES

Custom 225

FULL POWER OUTPUT Unregulated Line Voltage, Amplitude Sweep

5% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)Average initial AC line voltage 120.9 - 121.5

Nominal 8-ohm Nominal 4-ohm Nominal 2-ohm1K SINE WAVEPower 241 Watts 256 Watts NAInput Signal 0.7 Volts 0.9 VoltsVoltage drop 1.3 Volts 1.0 Volts

G STRING @ 98HzPower 230 Watts 239 Watts Input Signal 0.7 Volts 0.8 VoltsVoltage drop 0.6 Volts 0.6 Volts

D STRING @ 73HzPower 227 Watts 242 Watts Input Signal 0.7 Volts 0.8 VoltsVoltage drop 0.7 Volts 0.5 Volts

A STRING @ 55HzPower 187 Watts 222 Watts Input Signal 0.5 Volts 0.6 VoltsVoltage drop 0.7 Volts 0.8 Volts

E STRING @ 41HzPower 189 Watts 217 Watts Input Signal 0.5 Volts 0.6 VoltsVoltage drop 1.0 Volts 1.0 Volts

B STRING @ 31HzPower 175 Watts 195 Watts Input Signal 0.4 Volts 0.7 VoltsVoltage drop 0.6 Volts 0.6 Volts

Manufacturer ratings:  225 / 225 watts at 8 / 4 ohms.

2 ohms 1kHz

NA

4 ohms 1kHz

256 watts

K E Y T O T E S T SHalf Power Stress: How well does this head handle the heat?

Full Power Output: These numbers are largely self-explanatory, butplease note that the Input Signal tells you whatinput voltage was required to hit our mark, withthe EQ set to “optimally flat” and the gain stagesset for best THD performance using a 1 kHz signal.Voltage Drop shows how much the AC linevoltage sagged during our testing.

The Reeves C225 is a “no bones about it”tip of the hat to Hiwatt amps designed bythe late Dave Reeves, and features many ofthe hallmark characteristics of Reeves’ early1970’s designs. However, it appears thatBill Jansen (owner of ReevesAmplification) is not trying to flat-outclone the classic Hiwatt design. Rather, itseems that Bill is faithfully following theblueprint that Reeves left behind, but witha slant towards modern sensibilities incomponent selection and robustconstruction. From the outside, the Reeves C225 oozes“old school.” Some might argue that theaesthetic is a tad pedestrian, but it seemsappropriate in view of the amp’s lineage.The head cab features cleanly applied whitepiping that appoints a neatly installedblack tolex covering. Metal mesh ventstrips are provided on the top and backpanels to provide ventilation for the heatproduced by the tubes. Four bolts securethe chassis to the enclosure, and six screwssecure the back panel. The bolts are hefty,and line up precisely, making this amp abreeze to take apart. Despite the amp’sweight, it was a quick process of removingthe chassis from the head cab.

Internal ConstructionBefore getting underneath the chassis, let’slook at what is on the hood. With referenceto Fig. A, the tube complement consists ofthree 12AX7 preamp tubes, one 12AT7phase inverter and four KT-88 powertubes. The amp arrived with a mix of newold stock (NOS) and new productionpreamp tubes and new-production JJ KT-88 power tubes – which are a nice, robustmodern power tube. The tubes are

discussed in greater detailbelow.The C225 features a Heyboerversion of the classic Partridgeoutput transformer (to theleft), which many believe to bea key element of the Hiwatt

tone from which the C225 is based. Thepower transformer (to the right) appearedto be quite sufficient for this amp. Therobustness of the transformers, chassis andhead cab design enabled this amp toliterally scoff at my half-power/half-hourtest. During testing, both the outputtransformer and the power transformer rancool. Okay, now that we have that overview,

2008 Reeves Custom 225Bass Head

AMP LAB

let’s really dig into this amp. Referring toFig. B, the inside of this amp is a master’sclass in wiring, neatness and construction.This amp sports two separate turret boards,which are neatly presented. Large powersupply filtering capacitors are located oneach side of the chassis, and this ampcarries on the Reeves tradition of lasersharp 90-degree wire bends and rulerstraight wire runs. One notable aspect ofthis build is the diversity in componentbrands/types. For example, STK and MojoDijon coupling capacitors are utilized atthe important, V1 (first) preamp tubestage. The amp further includes a blend ofSuntan and Mallory capacitors, metal filmresistors, carbon composition resistors,

Partridge CloneOutput Transformer

V1 input

PowerTransformer

Fig. A Front row (left to right): V1 - NOS Baldwin 12AX7; V2 – new Tung Sol 12AX7; V4 – NOS GE 12AT7; V3 – new Electro Harmonix 12AX7; Back row: four new JJ KT-88’s

Fig. B - Gut Shot

Fig. C Bias Adjusting Circuitry

Output tubes

V2 tone stack

V4 phase inverter

V3 buffer

Warning: tube amplifiers contain lethal voltages. This ampcan contain voltages in excess of 700 volts. Biasing

should be performed by a qualified technician. Fig. D Missed solder connection

Tom Lees’

Dale RN65 resistors, alphapots, etc. It appears that a gooddeal of effort was put intoselecting components for thecritical parts of the amp’s signalpath. It seems that a lot of folks

throw around the phrase“point-to-point” when theytalk about hand-wired amps.In my opinion, turret boardconstruction is not "true"point-to-point. However youwant to argue the issue ofsemantics, the turret boardconstruction in this amp looksgreat and exudes a sense ofconfidence that the amp willsurvive most any situation.

Understanding The SignalFlowIn the Reeves 225, the normalchannel and the brightchannel each have anindependent first gain stagethat contributes to theirunique voice. Essentially, thebright channel first gain stageand tone shaping is builtaround the first half of the V1preamp tube and the normalchannel first gain stage andtone shaping is built aroundthe second half of the V1

preamp tube. The V1 preamp tube(arguably one of the more sonicallyimportant preamp tubes) in our test amp isa “new old stock” (NOS) Baldwin USA-made 12AX7. The normal channel andbright channel are summed at the grid ofthe V2 preamp tube, which, in our testamp, is a new production Tung-Sol12AX7. The output of the V2 stage drivesthe passive tone stack, comprising theTreble, Mid and Bass (TMB) controls. Theoutput of the TMB tone stack feeds amaster volume control and the mastervolume output is coupled to the V3preamp tube, which, in our test amp, is anew production Electro Harmonix12AX7. The V3 preamp tube provides atone stack gain-recovery stage, followed bya cathode follower.The output of the cathode follower of V3drives the V4 phase inverter tube, which,in our test amp is an NOS General ElectricUSA-made 12AT7. The quality of thephase inverter should not be overlooked,especially in KT-88 equipped amps.Obviously, NOS tubes in the V1 and V4positions do not guarantee robustness, butReeves’ effort to provide quality tubes inthe critical parts of the circuit shows theattention to detail that apparently wentinto this amp and adds to its boutique feel.Most importantly, careful tube selectionallows the amp to perform at its best. Sincethe Reeves 225 uses a mix of NOS preamptubes, it is possible that other NOS brand

Fig. I - Normal Channel Treble Sweep

Fig. H - Normal Channel Presence Sweep

Fig. G - Optimally Flat Frequency Response measured at SpeakerOutput (red) compared to DI Output Setting (blue)

Fig. E - Optimally Flat Frequency Response (red) compared to All Controls at Noon (blue) measured at the Speaker Output

Fig. J – Normal Channel Mid Sweep

Fig. F - EQ Settings For Optimally Flat FrequencyResponse Measured at the Speaker Output

completely surprising to find that the biashad drifted from its factory calibration. Tenmilliamps does seem like a lot to drift, butafter setting the bias, no appreciable drift ofthe bias setting was observed during furthertesting. To demonstrate one effect of the bias

adjustment, refer to Fig. M. The red traceis a measure of output power with the ampbiased at 21ma. The amp was adjusted tothe factory preferred setting (approximately30.5ma for our test amp), and the resultingtrace is in grey. As the chart illustrates,increasing the bias to the factory value (orany higher for that matter) does notnecessarily result in significantly increasedoutput power. Rather, the total harmonicdistortion levels begin to rise sharply at theamp’s clipping point pretty uniformly –regardless of bias setting. However, thefactory bias (grey) does generally result inlower total harmonic distortion content,especially below 1% THD levels.Referring to Fig. D, our particular test

amp had one issue with its wiring. Thecathode bypass capacitor on V3 (the tonestack recovery gain stage preceding thecathode follower) was not soldered to itsturret at the non-grounded side of thecapacitor. Moreover, the turret was notconnected to V3 (pin 8 of the socketcontaining the Electro Harmonix tube).Again, a call to Phil and it quickly becameclear that this component should have infact been connected to the circuit. Thecircuit was corrected by soldering a jumperwire (the yellow wire seen in Fig. B)between the cathode capacitor turret(center) and the associated Dale RN65resistor (right). As this capacitor is notserially positioned in the signal path, theamplifier worked fine without it. However,the capacitor provides a frequencydependent gain to the V3A stage thatprovides more gain to higher frequencies.Some players who enjoy a slightly darkertone may actually prefer the amp with thiscathode bypass capacitor disconnected, andit might even be worth considering addingan option to switch this capacitor in andout. It should be noted that some ofReeves’ designs from the 1960’s and 1970’sdid not include a bypass capacitor on theV3 preamp tube. Referring to Fig. L, this

tubes may be shipped with future amps,based for example, upon the availability ofNOS 12AX7 and 12AT7 tubes. Also, I would like to provide one note ofclarification. I have used the designationsV1-V4 to refer to the preamp tubes in theorder that the signal flows through theamp, from the first gain stage through thephase inverter. These designations are alsoconsistent with those commonly seen on70’s era Hiwatt schematics, from which theReeves 225 is based. However, the manualprovided by Reeves includes a tube layoutchart that labels the phase inverter tube asV3 and the Master gain/cathode followertube as V4 (essentially, Reeves and I haveflip flopped the V3 and V4 designations).Before leaving the discussion on tubes, I

do have one small quibble. I really wishthat this amp (all tube amps for thatmatter) would have included a tube chart.For example, true to vintage Reevesdesigns, the phase inverter tube (V4) isactually the third tube over from the left(when looking from the front of the amp).So, make sure that you get the tubes in thecorrect order for optimal performance ofthis amp.On the bench, measurements suggested

that the output tube bias was running cold,measuring about 21ma at 715V (685Vloaded) plate voltage. Factory bias settingsare not provided in the current draft of themanual and could not be located on theReeves website, so Reeves Amplificationwas contacted to verify the factory biassettings. I spoke with a gentleman by thename of Phil, who was extremely courteousand helpful. Phil knows these amps insideand out, and he informed me that Reevesbiases the C225 at the factory for 60%dissipation at 35 watts. After consultingReeves, the bias on the test amp wasadjusted to factory bias values. Referring toFig. C, setting the bias was as simple asmeasuring the voltage drop across theconveniently provided 1-ohm resistors onthe power tube sockets, while adjusting thecorresponding bias trim pots with a plasticblade screwdriver.

Please note, it is possible for newproduction tubes to drift as they break in.Our test amp had been through several gigsbefore it reached the test bench, so it is not

chart shows a frequency response plot ofthe normal channel comparing the amp asreceived with the V3A cathode capacitordisconnected (red trace) compared to thefactory correct wiring with the V3Acathode capacitor connected (black trace).

Frequency ResponseA word on the tone stack: the Reeves ampemploys a classic (Reeves-designed) Hiwattpassive tone stack. In this regard, theTreble, Middle and Bass controls arepositioned right after the V2 preamp tube.The circuit features a cathode follower DCcoupled to the phase inverter. The Presencecircuit is a negative feedback circuit takenfrom the 16-ohm tap, which feeds back tothe cathode follower. Thus, the Presencecircuitry is located in a different part of theamp’s circuit from the TMB circuitry.Because its passive design inherentlyincludes a notch in the mids, it is difficultto get a ruler-flat response out of this amp,even in the normal input.Referring to Fig. E, the amp was adjustedto obtain its flattest response at the speakeroutput, which is shown in the red trace. Asnoted above, this amp is based upon aclassic design that incorporates Reeves takeon the passive tone stack, so ruler flatis…flat out. For comparison, the tonecontrols were all adjusted to noon, and thattrace is shown in blue for sake ofcomparison.Fig. F shows a photo of the tone controlsfor optimally flat setting (red trace in Fig.E). As the photo indicates, the Mid controlis between the Treble and Presencecontrols. As a personal comment, I wouldhave preferred to see the Mid controlrepositioned between the Treble and Bass. Referring to Fig. G, the speaker output

frequency response for the tone controlsettings shown in Fig. E (red trace) iscompared to the output of the DI (bluetrace). Both signals were normalized to 0dB for sake of comparison. The DI outputtracks the speaker output fairly well forlower frequencies, but there is apronounced bump in the upperfrequencies.The Reeves tone stack design is differentfrom the traditional Fender and Marshalltone stacks. As such, this tone stack may

have a different “feel” to it.Referring to Figs. H-K,frequency sweeps of each tonecontrol of the Normal channelare illustrated. The frequencyresponse plots give anindication as to the interactionbetween the bands. In thefrequency sweeps, each controlwas swept individually at fivepositions. To illustrate, thetraces are as follows: red = setto an optimally flat response;grey = off; green = 9 o’clock;yellow = Noon; orange = 3o’clock; and blue = full on. Referring to Fig. N, the ampfeatures an Active/Passiveswitch. This switch providesabout 15 dB of attenuation tothe input signal when set tothe Active position. However,frequency response sweepsfurther indicate that the highsare also slightly rolled off whenthe switch is in the Activeposition. In Fig. N, all tonecontrols are set to noon, andall traces are normalized forsake of comparison. The redtrace is the Normal channelwith the switch in the Passiveposition. The gray trace is theNormal channel with theswitch in the Active position.The blue trace is the Brightchannel with the switch in thePassive position. The greentrace is the Bright channelwith the switch in the Activeposition. Output PowerThe Reeves 225 performedextremely well in our powertesting. It appears that Reevesrates their output power prettyconservatively, because weexceeded the manufacturerrating for each impedancetested at 5%THD, down toabout 55 Hz. In performingthese tests, gain staging isimportant, as clipping is notlimited to the power tube

section, and it is possible to clip at theinput gain stage and/or phase inverter.

ConclusionI really like a lot about this amp. Theoverall construction, boutique-esqueapproach to tube and componentselection, robustness of transformers,chassis and head cab should result in ahighly reliable amp. Also, enough cannotbe said about the neatness of the internalwiring. My only complaints have to dowith finishing off this otherwise greatpackage with additional details.Apparently, a manual was not providedwith earlier versions of this amp, andmanuals are currently not provided on theReeves website. However, if you do nothave a manual, you can contact them andthey will email a copy to you. The manualis short and general, but still worth lookingover. For example, the amp itself providesno indication of whether the provided DIoutput is pre or post tone stack. Themanual clarifies that the DI is tied directlyto the Output transformer, and is thus posttone stack, post master volume. With regard to the amp itself, I would

like to have seen a tube chart. As notedabove, it may not be obvious to a user thatthe phase inverter is actually in the thirdposition. Also, the chassis includes threeunused tube punch-outs, including holesfor two more power tubes and one morepreamp tube. Given the voltages this ampis capable of producing, and seeing theefforts Reeves is putting forth to provide aboutique-quality feel to their amps, Iwould have liked to have seen plugsinstalled in the unused holes in thechassis. One minor additional quibble isthat the back panel, including outputjacks and DI could be more appropriatelylabeled.As a final point, while I find it refreshingto see an emphasis on hand wiring, it alsolends itself to an occasional inherenthuman error. As such, I think that it mayalso be within reason to suggest thatadditional quality check(s) beimplemented to ensure that human errorsin hand-assembling these amps can becaught at the factory.

Fig. N – All Controls at Noon, Normal Channel Passive (red), Normal ChannelActive (gray), Bright Channel Passive (blue) & Bright Channel Active (green)

Fig. M – THD as a function of outputpower showing difference betweeninitial bias setting (red)compared to the factory calibrated bias (gray)

Fig. L – Frequency Sweep V3A Cathode disconnected (red)compared to V3A Cathode connected (black)

Fig. K – Normal Channel Bass Sweep

bg: