This is the first brand new Bartel Amps Starwood to feature Mark Bartel’s new push/pull bright-switch on the volume knob. The new feature is very transparent and helps Humbuckers stay more present and retain their sparkle at very low volumes levels; even more so than on past models. No need to adjust your tone levels when switching between Single Coils or Humbuckers in home or studio use; just pull up on the volume knob.
From Bartel Amps:
The 28W Starwood is a purist design, all tube 1×12 combo with reverb powered by a pair of 6L6 tubes. Its’ single channel Multi Voice preamp offers an incredibly wide range of voicings ranging from sparkly cleans to thick, woody tweed to driven plexi crunch and grind. It includes tube driven spring reverb with both mix and dwell controls to fine tune the reverb sound to be as splashy or subtle as you choose. The solid wood cabinet with unified baffle/body construction delivers a lively, deeply resonant, and unconstricted sound. A unique master volume circuit is extremely transparent, maintaining the same sound and vivid presence all the way down to bedroom volume.
Purist Design: Based on the idea of achieving sonic purity through simplicity and traditional construction. This means all-tube circuits impeccably handwired with the finest components, simple, easy to use controls, and no extraneous features that would compromise the signal path.
Multi-Voice Preamp: The innovative Multi-Voice preamp allows you to dial in an incredibly wide range of classic vintage tones using only the Bass and Treble controls. Voicings span from the sparkling, transparent clean tone of a Super Reverb with plenty of clean headroom, to a thick, beefy Tweed tone with that classic Tweed breakup, to a Plexi crunch with swirling harmonics that stays tight no matter how hard you hit it.
Innovative Master Volume: The master volume circuit delivers an astonishingly natural sound and feel at even very low volume. It operates on a different principle than a traditional master volume, and is based on the saturation properties of the interstage transformer coupled phase inverter. The result is an ideal solution to volume reduction, as it delivers the immediacy and presence of a traditional master volume (which can be lost with an attenuator) along with the natural overdrive tone, subtle compression, and 'feel' of playing a cranked amp which is lost with a traditional master volume circuit.
Cabinet: The handcrafted, finger jointed, solid pine cabinet is designed to impart the tonal qualities of a fine acoustic instrument and built with a level of craftsmanship that far exceeds conventional speaker cabinets. The result is a tone that combines exceptional depth, richness, and dimension with a vivid, engaging presence. The baffle board is also solid pine, stress-free, multi-section, with mahogany speaker flange.
Features: 28W 1x12 Combo Amplifier All Tube, Handwired Circuitry Single Channel Multi-Voice Preamp Spring Reverb with Mix & Dwell Controls Innovative Master Volume Control Footswitch: Reverb On/Off Dimensions 22.5" x 18" x 11" Weight 42lbs Construction Highlights Circuitry handwired on custom fabricated turret boards Paper Bobbin Layer Wound Transformers Silver Plated Wire Handmade Leather Handle by Brookwood Leather Custom molded knobs and other appointments Tweed covering material finished with 5 hand-brushed coats of lacquer Cabinet Unified body/baffle construction Cabinet body: solid Eastern White Pine Baffle board: crafted from 12 pieces of solid Eastern White Pine and African Mahogany Special recipe coating compound applied to preserve natural acoustic behavior. Upholstery applied with natural hide glue for superior acoustic response. Celestion Alnico Cream Speaker Design Highlights Tubes: 3x12AX7A, 2x12AU7, 2x12AT7, 2x6L6GC, 1x5AR4 Interstage transformer coupled phase inverter Tube driven reverb circuit Ideal circuit layout for lowest noise floor and purest tone Cathode biased output stage No negative feedback
Designer Notes: As you might expect from the specs (cathode biased 6L6s, no negative feedback, paper bobbin layer wound output transformer, etc.) it can certainly deliver vintage tweed tones, but it can do so much more as well. You can dial in a mid-scooped tone like a Deluxe Reverb, a chimey jangle like an AC30, or a crunchy, grinding tone like a Plexi.
The acoustic response of this amp is something special too. It cuts through amazingly well on stage but never sounds shrill or piercing – it remains thick and full like a saxophone. In spite of its powerful stage presence, it sounds fantastic in a home environment too – full and rich, with intense clarity but never sounding overly bright, even at very low volume.
I should also mention the master volume circuit. It’s incredibly transparent and really makes the Starwood so much more versatile and usable. It preserves the harmonic balance and the dynamic response a lot better than a conventional master volume circuit, so the tone and feel remain consistent down to bedroom volume. At the same time, it preserves the presence and immediacy of the sound better than a power attenuator does, so in my opinion it’s the ultimate tool for transparently reducing volume to any level.
On top of all this, the Starwood is built with bulletproof construction and instrument-grade craftsmanship inside and out. I build each one myself here at my Baltimore shop, and I’m delighted to offer this model as part of my new product line.
