3rd Power
ULTIMATE EXPRESSION: THE DRAGON SERIES
Designed in Collaboration with Joe Satriani
DRAGON 100
DRAGON 100 head and 412
A Collaboration, not a Signature
Joe Satriani and 3rd Power’s Dylana Scott have come together to create The DRAGON SERIES AMPLIFIERS: A series of amplifiers designed to take the electric guitar to new heights of expression. The DRAGON SERIES consists of a 100W flagship amp head, a 45W amp head and combo, and a 25W 112 combo and head. Inspired by the legendary 1967 Plexi, each amplifier is hand-wired, point-to-point on turret boards. Utilizing Dylana’s proprietary technology developed over the past 15 years, They feature the fiery spirit and performance of the original along with the ultimate level of sophistication and refinement that can aptly be compared to a studio album recording.
Performance features include:
- Plexi/Cascade Preamp Switch
- 400Hz Boost Switch
- JTM/JMP Tone Stack Switch
- Foot-switchable Preamp Gain Boost
- Proprietary ‘Pultec-style’ High-Frequency Presence Circuit
- 1.7kHz, 3.7kHz, 4.3kHz and 5.2kHz Selectable Corner Frequencies
- Low-Frequency PUSH (improvement over the standard resonance control)
- Proprietary FOCUS Mode (shapes the tone to a more vocal quality)
- Proprietary HYBRIDMASTER volume management
- Foot-switchable all-tube buffered FX Loop
- Foot-switchable LEAD BOOST
- and MORE
It’s not a signature amp line! Joe’s been there and done that and it’s been all well and good. But this time around, Joe wanted to do something that would capture the imagination, spark inspiration, and lift an audience with a fiery performance – the same way his heroes impacted him when he was a kid! Joe wanted the ultimate tube amplifier to exist that had the depth, refinement, and control on tap so that ‘signature guitar tone’ could be something YOU make!
PREAMP PROCESSING
Gain Structure, Temperament, Frequency Balance
HOW IT WORKS
The DRAGON preamp processing section allows you to set the overall temperament of your amplifier. The Plexi/Cascade switch give you two modes of operation: Plexi and Cascade. This is where you set the overall range of gain, sustain and distortion of the amplifier. The 400Hz Boost switch allows you to set the fullness of the treble or unwound strings. The +Gain switch allows you to create a rhythm crunch with the gain knob setting and then switch to max gain setting for soloing.
PLEXI/CASCADE SWITCH
This switch sets the window of gain, sustain and saturation on tap and is controlled by the Gain knob. In Plexi Mode, you’ll enjoy classic Plexi clean and crunch tones. In Cascade Mode, you’ll find an abundance of gain, saturation, and sustain that remains clear and articulate.
400HZ BUMP SWITCH
This switch engages a 400Hz boost that fattens up your treble (unwound) strings without making your lower (wound) strings sound tubby. This is a profoundly useable feature for soloists and guitarists, in general, wanting to fatten up their guitar tone. The result is similar to adding a touch of outboard studio EQ and compression.
+GAIN SWITCH
This switch allows you to set up two levels of gain and then toggle between the two via a remote foot switch. Your rhythm gain setting is found on the Gain knob. Your solo setting is identical to turning the Gain knob on 10!
DUAL TONE STACK CIRCUITS
Vintage and Modern EQ Controls
HOW IT WORKS
The DRAGON features a tone stack voicing switch that delivers the sweeter Vintage JTM tone control voicing and balanced gain response in one position, and the more in-your-face Modern JMP voicing in the other.
VINTAGE
The JTM45 debuted in ’65 bringing the punch and sustain of a certain American-style bass amp but with a decidedly British angst. One circuit common to both was the tone stack featuring a 56k ohm slope resistor and a 250pf treble capacitor. This made for a sweeter tone with emphasis on the melody strings.
MODERN
The JMP amplifiers debuted around late ’67 bringing with it a distinctive mid-range frequency slice, increased sustain, and of course, more power. One design tweak made a huge impact: a 33k ohm slope resistor and a 470pf treble capacitor. This increased overall gain, slice and punch… mission accomplished.
STUDIO-GRADE MASTERING SECTION
Separate Low, Mid and High Band Filters
HOW IT WORKS
The DRAGON features a studio-grade mastering section. Fine-tune your low, mid, and high frequencies to exactly what you need for an exciting performance!
PUSH CONTROL
The PUSH control allows you to fine-tune the low frequencies so that your tone is punchy and balanced across the frequency spectrum.
MID FOCUS CONTROL
The MID FOCUS control lets you enhance the middle frequencies. In the MODERN setting, your mid-frequency response is forward and more vocal. In the VINTAGE setting, your mid frequencies are more traditional and somewhat scooped by comparison.
ULTRA PRESENCE
The ULTRA PRESENCE control lets you adjust the amount of boost or cut of the overall high-frequency response. The KHZ Band switch allows you to select the perfect corner frequency of the high-frequency shelf. Use this control to optimally set your high-frequency response to match your tone to any given speaker. Bright speakers will benefit from raising the shelf higher than the peak on the speaker. Darker speakers will benefit by lowering the corner frequency to kick in and lift your presence right where the drop-off occurs.
FEATURE-RICH BACK PANEL
FX Loop, Bias Test Points, Variable Slave Output
ENHANCE.
The DRAGON gives you an all-tube effects loop optimized for pedals as well as rack-mountable gear. You can assign the FX Loop to the Switching Bus to bring it under remote control.
OPTIMIZE.
The DRAGON features external multi-meter test points and a fixed-bias adjustment control so you can optimize your power tubes for the best tone and longest tube life.
EXPAND.
The DRAGON features a multiple speaker output impedances for compatibility with various speaker cabinets or reactive load boxes.
GO AHEAD AND STEP OUT
Foot Switchable Scene Changes are a Snap
HOW IT WORKS
The DRAGON features a 4 Button Pro Foot Switch that lets you control your amplifier in a variety of creative ways. A Musical MUTE function lets you turn off the audio signal – but not before your delay or reverb trails have finished! +GAIN lets you add more gain for solos. FX LOOP on/off lets you control the active status of any of the effects devices you have patched into the amplifier. SOLO BOOST (FTSW BUS) lets you cue your own solos as well as create a rhythm tone and a lead tone for recallable scene changes. When you assign +GAIN, LOOP, and BOOST to the SOLO BOOST button, you can toggle between rhythm and lead tones as if you had a two-channel amplifier!
THE DRAGON 100 AMPLIFIER
Special Features:
- British Voiced Plexi & Cascaded High Gain Preamp Section (switchable)
- Switchable 400Hz Boost fattens and shapes unwound treble strings
- Dual-mode 3-Band EQ (JTM/JMP – switchable)
- Tube Buffered FX Loop (foot-switchable)
- Preamp Gain Boost (foot-switchable)
- Ultra-Presence High Frequency Shelving Filter (1.7kHz, 3.7kHz, 4.3kHz and 5.2kHz corner frequencies)
- Switchable FOCUS mode (vintage or mid-forward for more vocal-like lead tones)
- Foot Switchable MUSICAL SILENT MUTE (FX tails finish their cycle before amp goes silent)
- HybridMaster™, plus foot-switchable lead boost
- Quad EL34 100W Operation
- Aluminum Chassis for fast response and enhanced fidelity
- Transformer Layout Identical to the legendary 1967/68 Plexi
- Back-panel Bias Test Points and Adjustment Pot
- Custom Wound USA-made Power & Output Transformers
- 4 Button Pro Foot Switch & 7 Pin Cable (included)
- Hand-wired and Hand Built in Nashville, TN
- Limited Lifetime Warranty
Specifications:
- Model Name: Dragon 100
- Output Architecture: 4x Power Tubes (Class AB), Fixed Bias
- Power Rectification: Solid State
- Plate Voltage: 120V AC input yields ~495V DC plate voltage (SS Rectified)
- Power Output: ~100W (EL34)
- Output Impedance: Switchable 16/8 and 4 Ohm Outputs
- Country of Manufacture: Designed and hand-built in USA
- Preamp Architecture: 2x JJ ECC83S, 2x Sovtek 12AX7LPS
- Dimensions: Head: 29” x 10.75” x 8.375”
- Weight: Head: 41 lbs
- Included Accessories: 4 Button Pro Foot Switch, Premium 15′ 7-Pin DIN cable
