The JOAT 20RT Amplifier

Our Flagship 20 Watt Amplifier head with Reverb & Tremolo

Description

The JOAT 20RT: Jack Of All Tone/20 Watts/Reverb & Tremolo.

Twenty watts of glorious dynamically responsive amplifier featuring an EL84 Output stage (also available as 6V6), with ultra expressive Reverb & Tremolo.

“My flagship 20 watt head was a long time in the making. Playing guitar is an artful expression and so is building a great amp. I spent many years playing and looking into what makes great amps great. I didn’t see any need for another “knockoff” amp. There are plenty really good offerings out there already. The JOAT series amps are unique in design. We’re not copying or starting from any existing design as a basis.

I chose a 6AU6 pentode first stage tube which provides a wide dynamic responsive feel to drive everything. There is no conventional tone stack but instead a 5 position rotary stepped Attitude switch to choose various gain and EQ options for the first gain stage along with the Bite switch. From there we have a Low Cut coupling network in 6 positions and a 6 position High Cut filter – which offers a unique approach to treble cut/compression across the output tube plates.

I am a freak for reverb and the JOAT Reverb has a signature all its own. It’s lush, smooth and sounds more like a rich plate than spring verb. I drive two shock mounted pans with a power tube and custom wound transformer. It has a ton of headroom, and you can dial in all kinds of touch and tonal variety between its level and tone controls and pull bright option. JOAT Tremolo is straight amplitude modulated trem – super smooth, wide ranging in speed and depth from swamp to full stutter.

It’s a different approach all the way around”.

Features

INPUT ONE: is optimized to a Single Coil pickup
INPUT TWO: to a Humbucker, but you can run whatever you want into either one.
BITE: selects upper range muscle at the first gain stage in 3 positions.
ATTITUDE: offers a useful variety of gain and EQ selections in five stepped rotary positions.
LOW CUT: 6 position rotary selectable coupling network dials in the Low end sweet spot.
HIGH CUT: 6 position rotary selector controls a local feedback network. Instead of conventional preamp stage treble shunt control, the JOAT employs power amp treble compression.

JOAT REVERB:

Exceptional Reverb utilizing an EL84 pentode driving a custom transformer into two shock mounted reverb tanks. Modeled after PLATE reverb.

DRIVE: Drive level to the Reverb circuitry
TONE: Reverb Tone control
LEVEL: Reverb output level with PULL BRIGHT

JOAT TREMOLO:

Ultra wide ranging in SPEED and DEPTH from subtle to full stutter.

SPEED
DEPTH with click off at full ccw position

FRONT PANEL POWER AND B+ (STANDBY) SWITCH

REAR PANEL:

4/8/16 OHM SPEAKER LOAD SELECTOR
MAIN & EXT SPEAKER JACKS
AMPLIFIER PHASE SWITCH
REVERB SND/RTN RCA JACKS
REMOTE FOOTSWITCH JACK
MAINS & B+ (Hi V) 3AG FUSES
IEC MAINS
REVERB/TREM FOOTSWITCH JACK

DUAL FOOTSWITCH WITH STATUS LED’S

Specs

20 watts output into 4, 8 or 16 ohms
Tube Compliment: 6AU6, 5Y3, (3x) 12AX7, (3x) EL84
International Mains input: US 120v / Euro 240v / Japan 100v
Mains power consumption: aprox 120 watts
Weight: 37 lb
Dimensions: 25w x 12d x 10.5h”
Shipping dimensions & weight: 30 x 16 x 16″ 46 lbs
Can be configured for 6V6 output tubes on request

Total

$3850

JOAT 20RT Amplifier Head

Please visit our CONTACT page to discuss cabinet style, ordering, payment & delivery options.

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Reviews

"I love my JOAT amp by Todd Sharp and all of its cool features. It is extremely versatile, uniquely designed and is simply beautiful."

Steve Wariner

After knowing and playing with Todd Sharp for many years I was anxious to try his new amplifiers. They are everything I hoped for and more. Very versatile and constructed to a very high standard technically. The Jack of All Tone (JOAT 20RT) delivers exactly what it says...it’s now front and center as part of my Hall & Oates touring stage rig and I can't wait to get it into the studio as well.

John Oates, Hall & Oates

"Great amps, great tone and an even better guy. What's not to love."

Vince Gill, Amazing singer, ridiculous guitar player even better guy

Simply stated this is the very finest, best sounding amp that I’ve ever owned!!!! It makes me smile inside and out every time I plug it in. I’ve owned old tweeds, Marshalls, Hiwatts, Blackfaces, Dumble clones, Vox amps; this beats them all! If you are a tone head that wants to get every bit of sweetness from every note you play – this is it. It has the absolute hands down best reverb that I’ve ever plugged into, and it has a classic tremolo as well.

Terry Young, Orlando, FL

All I can say is thank you and WOW. Tremendous amp. I've been putting several guitars through this amp and can find the sweet spot for everyone of them almost instantly and how sweet it is. You've really accomplished your goal. Congrats!

Rick Greenstein, Los Angeles, CA

Your JOAT 20RT amp head arrived yesterday afternoon. Extremely well packed and in perfect condition.

My first impression is that it is truly extraordinary. I have only started exploring all the possible combinations, but this amp seems to have an almost infinite range of tone and expression. It's touch sensitivity is amazing. (It's going to make me much more aware of how I play my guitar) It is really unlike any other amp I have played. Your workmanship and attention to detail is impeccable. What you have created is in a class by itself. Nothing else I have, or have ever played, comes close.

John Meyer, Bellevue, WA

Todd, I wanted to let you know how the amp is working out.

It certainly is, by far, the best sounding amplifier I've ever owned/used/played through... and the most thoughtfully designed. I assume that's due to the factors you've described over and over: the input sequence, the avoidance of a traditional tone stack and incorporating negative feedback at the base level.. but the result is exceptional.

I spent the first few months playing a Glendale Tele, with relatively quiet, but decent sounding, single coils, through it. It sounded super 3D - lovely. When I got back to NYC I've had access to a wider range of guitars and pickups. Each one I've plugged in sounds like it just came back from a spa weekend - regardless of if it was an ES with flatwounds or a junior with a snarly P90. Through the 20RT is was a much better version of itself - like someone before and after their morning coffee.

The amp's settings all sound good - the reverb and tremolo and exceptional, especially in relation to the amp's tone. So using it is a matter of selecting the right vibe, rather than trying to reduce some sonic crappiness in the sound (as on many amps I've had). After a short while, subtraction is way more intuitive than whatever it is we've all been working with previously.

The amp is amazing, better in every way than I expected. I'm very glad to have ordered the RT rather than the RT+. An additional gain stage is not necessary for anything I'm going to be doing.

Anyway, there's nothing you haven't heard a million times before here - just saying thanks. Keep going. Your amps are clearly fine musical instruments. Bravo!

Glen Cummings, NYC

WoW. You're building the best amp I have tried, and I have played a few! Played my first gig with it last night. My Strat and Telecaster into the JOAT 20RT. It has never sounded so good. Thanks Todd.

Sindre Matre, Akershus, Norway

I’ve been chasing clean tone for a long time without much success until now. The best examples of that might be the guitar fade at the end of “A Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles or the triplets at the end of the Eagles’ “New Kid in Town”. Bell-like tones that seem to be impossible to nail down. The JOAT 20 is stuffed full of them.

The reverb is the best I’ve ever heard and the tremolo has perfect range in both speed and depth.

Vic Sulkowski, Pittsburgh, PA

“The JOAT 20RT is one of the better sounding EL84 designs I’ve played in years, and it receives an Editors’ Pick Award”. Dave Hunter

ToneQuest Report:

“There is a certain level of sophistication at work here that sets this amplifier apart from the ordinary no matter how you set the controls. This is a very touch-sensitive amplifier, one that brings out the best in your playing with very little extra effort.”

Nashville Musician Magazine – Kenny Greenberg:

“Todd has come up with a great, intuitive way for some excellent tone shaping and this is what really sets this amp apart. This amp really has its own sound – it doesn’t really sound like my other amps. Also, the Reverb and Tremolo are freaking killer!”

ExpertiseExperience - Expression