VHT
SPECIAL 12/20 RT
BY DIMITRI SIDERIADIS
With a full line of affordable hand- wired amps, VHT has nestled into a
comfortable corner of the vast, sometimes
overwhelming amp marketplace. Building
much of its line overseas allows the company to offer working musicians a taste of
boutique quality amplification for a fraction
of the price. And VHT’s designers do their
homework, producing amplifiers based on
venerable tone platforms we know and love,
yet enhancing them with tweaks that serve
modern players’ needs.
The Special 12/20 RT combo we have in
for review this month is a shining example
of the VHT design philosophy. Like the
VHT Special 6, the 12/20 RT is based on
golden age American combos, but delivers
more usable volume than its little brother,
plus expanded tone-shaping control and
amazing effects-pedal friendliness. Loaded
with a 12" VHT ChromeBack speaker,
the 12/20 RT is meant to be a portable,
throbbing nerve center in your rig, not just
another link in the chain.
Clean Layout, Robust Controls
A quick scan of the 12/20 RT’s controls
will tell you that this little beast offers much
more tweakability than the vintage Fenders
it’s based on. Let’s start with tube selection.
to hear audio clips of the amp at
premierguitar.com/may2012
CLICKHere…
The amp ships with 6V6 power tubes, but is
designed to accommodate easy tube swaps,
allowing you to obtain your favorite valve
flavors with ease. Your tube choice affects
the amp’s volume as well: Set the high/low
power voltage switch behind the removable
rear panel to low volt position for 6V6s or
EL84s and 12-watt output, or select the
high volt position for 6L6s or EL34s and
20-watt output—hence the 12/20 moniker.
At these output levels, we have something
of a Princeton Reverb/Deluxe Reverb hybrid
