I just bought a used Spider Valve 112. It's the original model and the former owner did some mods to keep it from overheating. He put a heat sink on the processor and mounted a fan on the back. He said it did not over heat like all the others he'd heard about and that he'd left it running 8 hours to test that. It sounded great in his studio and in my home, but i took it to an out door gig this weekend and it was just awful. It sounded fizzy, thin and weak even when i had it cranked ! After the second set of struggling, i let it cool down and plugged in my 15 watt Fender Blues Junior. The Fender sounded louder with fatter bass and just all around bigger tone. I understand that a 40 watt amp is not going to be 2 1/2 times louder, but i sure expected more ! I haven't tested the tubes, so i think that's my next step. Any ideas ?
