Just a few years again, amp builder Mitch Colby and music producer Perry Margouleff teamed with Jimmy Web page to introduce the Sundragon amp (VG “Accredited Gear,” July ’19), a copy of Web page’s Supro heard on the primary Led Zeppelin album.

For his or her subsequent act, the trio is providing the Tremendous Dragon, a re-creation of the ’68 Marshall Tremendous Bass utilized by Web page for stay and studio work beginning with Led Zeppelin II. Web page debuted the Tremendous Dragon throughout his Hyperlink Wray tribute efficiency for the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame in November, and the staff provided VG first probability to present it a strive.

To construct the supposed run of fifty Tremendous Dragons to Web page’s precise specs, sure elements had been custom-designed, together with transformers, chassis and audio system. Tubes are NOS together with a quartet of GE 6550 energy tubes, a pair of Mullard 12AX7s within the preamp, and an RCA part inverter. Different electronics embrace Iskra and Allen Bradley resistors, together with Phillips “mustard” caps. The circuit in a deliberate lower-cost model will likely be dressed in a different way.

With a 1960 Les Paul Normal operating into Channel One, the Tremendous Dragon produced a easy, musical distortion with its Quantity management round 10:00, however saved notes articulate because it was turned as much as dimed. With all controls full up (the place the amp is producing about 150 watts), even arpeggiated passages remained clear, every observe distinct. Not like fashionable Grasp Quantity amps that noticeably compress each observe, the Tremendous Dragon accentuates the dynamics in response to choosing assault, which at first feels a bit unforgiving however finally proved extremely rewarding. Channel Two launched extra low-end however remained extremely responsive, retaining the articulation of the treble channel. Whereas Channel One is brighter, it presents sufficient low-end so there’s no have to “bounce” channels, as is usually executed with classic Marshalls. If leaping is your factor, the Tremendous Dragon can deal with it, no drawback.

The Tremendous Dragon was equally at residence with a ’63 Strat, accentuating the tonal variations of all pickup combos, and sounding enormous by means of all of them. Regardless of the decrease output of the Strat’s pickups, the guitar (quite surprisingly) pushed the amp into breakup. It additionally responded nicely when an Ibanez TS-5 Tubescreamer was launched, producing extra dust, tonal selection, and seemingly limitless maintain.

Whatever the guitar getting used, the Tremendous Dragon is dynamically aware of an instrument’s Quantity controls, to the purpose of getting its full array of sounds at one’s fingertips; even with all amp settings on 10, overdrive might be regulated from the guitar’s Quantity pot – from a heavy distortion when full as much as a beautiful clear tone when backed off a number of notches.

Bought as a head and 4×12 cab, the Tremendous Dragon is wearing a patterned black Tolex, and every will likely be signed by Jimmy Web page.

This text initially appeared in VG’s March 2024 challenge. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.