The Continuum Standard Head is the amplifier that started it all. Since founding SineWave Amplifiers, I’ve been asked by players worldwide to create an amp inspired by my early work with iconic amplifier designs. Drawing from years of experience refining circuits and understanding player needs, I developed the Continuum series to provide a versatile, dynamic platform for musicians.
The Continuum series builds on a clean, articulate foundation, carefully designed to highlight the most important aspects of the electric guitar: the interaction between the fretboard and pickups, and the dynamics of that signal as it is amplified. Over the years, I’ve refined and modified the original circuit, incorporating new build techniques to improve stability and performance.
This design has been tested and refined through hundreds of hours of player feedback, making it a time-tested, reliable choice for any musician. With its precision and responsiveness, the Continuum Head offers the ultimate platform for musicians to shape their musical experience.
50 Watt 6L6WGC x 2 $4250
100 Watt 6L6WGC x 4 $4350
FEATURES
Signal Structure
The Signal Structure circuit is engineered to optimize the level and tonal balance of the preamp’s input stage. By integrating into the preamp’s mixing stage, it offers two distinct gain and voicing modes:
HIGH: This mode increases gain while applying a traditional blackface-style low-frequency curve to the bass response. It provides a more “vintage” tonal character, offering higher gain and volume levels, but with reduced headroom on the preamp side.
LOW: This mode offers a more contemporary tonal profile, reducing the harmonic distortion common in vintage circuits. It also smooths the signal path, particularly when driven by external pedals, and improves note separation. The lower gain in this mode results in higher preamp headroom.
EQ Toggles
SPARKLE: This toggle enhances the high frequencies by providing a boost to the top end of the signal after the tone stack, adding clarity and definition without becoming harsh.
MID/BOOST: Engaged before the tone stack, this toggle increases the gain in the midrange frequencies of the preamp stage, accentuating the natural character of the tube saturation and enhancing tonal presence.
DEEP: This toggle adds a subtle boost to the low-end frequencies, resulting in a fuller, rounder bass response, enhancing overall warmth without muddiness.
Reverb
The reverb circuit features a highly versatile and musical 3-tube design, utilizing a long decay, 3-spring large tank for rich, immersive reverb effects. The SEND and RETURN controls offer full manipulation of the tail delay and the depth of the reverb mix, providing complete control over the effect’s character.
Reverb EQ Switch
BRIGHT: Engages a high-frequency boost in the wet signal, accentuating the treble and creating a more splashy, vibrant reverb effect.
NEUTRAL: This is the default mode, providing a balanced reverb response with no added coloration, offering a neutral voicing and feel.
DARK: Reduces high frequencies in the wet signal, resulting in a smoother, more subdued reverb with a mellow tonal character.
Power Section Input
The MASTER control serves as the final level adjustment before the signal enters the effects loop and phase inverter. By adjusting the balance between the input gain and the master level, musicians can achieve varying levels of preamp headroom, allowing for a wide range of tonal dynamics and responsiveness.
The CONTOUR control is a post-master volume tone-shaping circuit that manipulates the higher frequency ranges of the signal before it reaches the power section. This provides a useful tool for on-the-fly tonal adjustments, especially in live performance situations. It functions as a mix control for bright or dark pickups, helping to tailor the overall tone. When fully rotated clockwise, the CONTOUR control has no effect on the signal. As it’s turned counterclockwise, the circuit engages, softening the treble frequencies for a smoother, more rounded sound.
BACK PANEL FEATURES
Bias Adjustment
The Bias Adjustment feature includes an external potentiometer and a multimeter probe point for precisely setting the idle operating range of the output tubes. This system simplifies and streamlines the process of replacing output tubes, allowing for quick, safe, and accurate bias adjustments. By providing direct access to the bias voltage, it ensures optimal performance and longevity of the output tubes, without the need for complicated internal adjustments.
Speaker Output
Always connect the amplifier to the correct speaker load before powering up. By not doing so can lead to the output transformer having an extremely bad day.
Effects Loop
The Effects Loop is a passive, series interface designed primarily for time-based effects. The MASTER volume functions as a level control for the SEND signal, allowing precise control over the amount of signal sent to external effects. The RETURN stage is optimized for use with balanced, buffered pedals or interfaces, ensuring optimal signal integrity.
Incorporating a RETURN level control can be particularly beneficial, as it allows for fine-tuning of the signal level when reintroduced to the amp’s phase inverter, ensuring a seamless integration of the effects loop with the amplifier’s overall tonal balance.
Tube Compliment:
100 Watt 6L6WGC x 4
50 Watt 6L6WGC x 2
12AX7 x 4
12AT7 x 1
Specs:
Head Dimensions - 20.5”W x 12”H x 10.5”D
Weight 40lbs (50 Watt)
Weight 43lbs (100 Watt)