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Effort-post for a new page:philkop posted:- Pots and capacitors! Guitar sounding a little dark and dull? Hop up to 500K pots or even 1Meg! Neck pickup almost where you want it, but a little muddy? Connect a .047 (or so) cap in between the pickup lead and its selector. It cuts just a little bass and usually really sweetens up an otherwise muddy pup. My first non-poo poo guitar was my JEM77FP, and it's one of those guitars that just sounds amazing with the volume rolled back. Listen to the clip where I roll in the volume on a held chord. It has a shimmer that's just to die for. I learned about how that works from one of Dan Erlewine's books (pre-internet). Since then, every single electric guitar I've bought has had some form of "high-pass" filter cap put on the volume pot for just this reason. All of my guitars (the ones with humbuckers - exception being the Talman which has the Joe Barden Danny Gattons) have series/parallel options on the humbuckers (always on the bridge pickup, and some on the neck humbucker, if there is one) and it's really a huge part of my playing. I've basically been "rolling-off" to get my clean sound since the JEM. I really was hoping (and still hold a glimmer of hope) that this Blues Jr. would be better than my Classic 50s in that it would have decent crunch; while also giving me the option of true bell-like shimmering but loud sustaining Fender cleans. As I posted previously, the Blues Jr. is not giving me that so far (still better than the dark clean channel on the Peaveys, though). Going to try changing the pickup height on the Texas Specials first and foremost. All of my guitars have (mostly) different pickups, from low output to... well, I would simply say I lean towards less resistance for the clearer highs. I think the hottest pickup I own is a Crunch Lab. Funny thing about the Crunch Lab: I have it reversed from all my other guitars, where un-switched the others are all in series and pulling up a knob switches to parallel, but the Crunch Lab un-switched is in parallel and you have to pull up a knob to get full gain. I just don't need that much gain from the pickup for most of what I play. Each guitar is loaded for a certain style. My bridge humbuckers are: an original FRED in the JEM77FP, a Pearly Gates in the home-built Strat-style, a JB in the RG770DX, Eric Johnson DiMarzios in the RG471AH, DiMarzio Crunch Lab in the JEM70VSFG, and a SD Custom Custom in the "USA Custom Exotic Wood" uhhh drat... UCEWFMTB - yikes... that's "USA Custom Exotic Wood Flame Maple Translucent Blue," lol Ibanez). Even my very first p.o.s. Kramer Striker 300ST has a Duncan Custom in it, but that guitar is not playable. It still has the hi-pass cap on it, though! For neck humbuckers I only have SD 59's in the 770 and the USA Custom (cannot recommend that pickup enough!), a DiMarzio Humbucker From Hell in the Floral Print JEM which to my ears is much like a fatter '59, and whatever the stock pickup in the JEM70VSFG is... I think it's an Evolution neck pickup. It sounds good but it's maybe a little darker than I'd like. So, the capacitor thing you mention, I'm all about that. I absolutely hate losing the highs when rolling off the volume. With the right amp, who needs channel-switching, really?  quote:- Action. Higher action leads to some nice sustain and what I can only describe as a more vibratey tone. Or lower the strings enough to slightly buzz if you try and get some extra stank on your notes when you want it. That's actually pretty hard to keep up with during change of seasons which fucks with the relief on my guitars. I've got my wrenches and my metal rule handy for final setups before I resume playing around with the amp recordings today, after I've slept. I basically want to find a happy medium between that extra stank and full sustain. I'm pretty picky about that and any guitar that can't be set up that way gets a fret levellin'. I like my low action, and that's not very tolerant of my light-top/heavy bottom strings. Since I'm still playing with the clean tones, I've also pulled out the Talman with the JBE's and the new Tele with the Lindy Fralins. I may have to demo those, too. E: gently caress it. Here's a picture of the two T-Types together. They've urged me on to learn totally new things (which I suck at even more): 
Dr. Faustus fucked around with this message at 09:52 on Jun 11, 2017 |
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Jun 11, 2017 09:30
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just a nitpick: it's a high-pass capacitor-resistor.  lol
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Jun 15, 2017 00:31
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Hey bro. Bro. I've seen the cap+resistor solutions on Seymour Duncan's website and elsewhere. That's not how I roll, bro. I solder a cap from the lug to ground on the volume pot and that's it. Different pickups prefer slightly different values. But there ain't no resistors in my circuit (unless you count the potentiometer itself.) I mean bring a Faustus to pedantry competition lol (I'd love to go on but I'd rather not eat a probation. I've been a good little Faust.)
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Jun 15, 2017 00:51
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Dr. Faustus posted:Hey bro. Bro. A pot is a resistor, you goob.
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Jun 15, 2017 18:20
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Two maybe unrelated questions. First is a quicky. If I plug a trs cable into the dual footswitch jack on my amp and touch the tip, it starts to squeal like a teapot. Is this normal? I'm trouble shooting a DIY channel changer and trying to figure some stuff out. Second issue that might possibly be related to the first issue. I have a microphonic chassis situation. The tubes themselves seem to make no more noise when tapping than if I were to tap anything at all near the chassis. This does not appear to be in any way related to the reverb tank or volume. I took a quick vid showing of the problem. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yxllUApB24qbD0s8P8llBc2DnzQKteaMIA Any ideas? I don't have time this week to properly discharge the amp and go digging around inside otherwise I might be able to narrow it down to a single noisy component. Maybe a cap? I just wanted to see if there is anything specific I should be looking into when I finally get it apart.
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Jun 15, 2017 19:37
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Dang It Bhabhi! posted:A pot is a resistor, you goob. (Also, there are many add-on hi-pass solutions that include additional caps and resistors wired in parallel, so I didn't know what we were  about, cut me a break I'M NOT TOUCHING YOU I'M NOT TOUCHING YOU!)philkop posted:I took a quick vid showing of the problem. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yxllUApB24qbD0s8P8llBc2DnzQKteaMIA Any ideas? For actual content: My smuglord "I have a 'blue-line MESA/Boogie MkIII' right here  so why should I wish to mod my lowly Blues Jr.?" Father called me this week to tell me he's watched a video I shared of me doing the mods, and had to order and has now received Fromel's Blues' Jr. mod kit. You guys don't know my Dad, but that is officially "a thing."So for Father's Day I put the 100pF cap from the "phase-inverter oscillation" cure in his father's day card along with the instructions on where to solder it in. It goes over R30. philkop I watched your video specifically to see if your amp noise resembled phase-inverter oscillation, and to me it does not. I'm personally wondering about the tubes, and the wires that attach the tube sockets to the circuit. Here's BillM playing a Blues Jr. (with very bad phase-inverter oscillation) like a Theramin (then he says he installs the cap and the noise goes away completely): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jZCAts_EzA From this page: http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=115 BTW this is my installation of that cap on my amp for more content:  I do hear your amp exhibiting some form of feedback/resonance, but It doesn't comport with Bill's noisy Blues Jr. Sorry, that's all I got.
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Jun 16, 2017 06:02
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Dr. Faustus posted:I bet you could get several hundred followers just posting that video as some super-secret electric guitar performance art. You caught me. This is really an avant garde side project I'm trying to promote.
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Jun 16, 2017 07:52
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Dr. Faustus posted:I resemble that remark! (and I allowed that a pot is a resistor too so stop I'm telling Mom. MOMMMMM!!!) lol yea I'm just being a fuckwad. Hey look at one of my favorite videos of the shouty canadian fella: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCE52ZVC04I
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Jun 16, 2017 08:57
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I've done the whole works to Blues Jr's in the past. All the Bill M mods up to and including replacing the iron and cutting the tube board and putting in 6v6's. The single *best* mod out there is removing the chassis and putting it in a MojoTone cabinet. The stock cabinet will sound boxy no matter what you do circuit-wise. You can increase the output, lower the bias, re-voice and tweak the EQ, swap speakers, and tube roll 'til you're blue in the face. Most people are happy post-mods because the boxy midrange never bothered them to begin with -- it's a very compact and gig-friendly amp. But 1/10 clients are driven nuts by it and a bigger cabinet lets the speaker breathe the way they want. Assuming all the capacitor values are correct and the wiring is sound, I suggest you test through a larger open back combo or extension cabinet. The difference should be clear. Somewhat unrelated but it's a shame Bill Machrone passed before he could really get into publishing and selling mods for the Fender Excelsior. Great amp, chasiss rattle aside. The tremolo depth knob mod I worked out on one I had really made it special. Regret seling it on.
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Jun 16, 2017 13:52
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I was wondering what people have done with the chassis. I have a friend with an Ear Candy ported 1x12" that I want to try it with. It's definitely something I'm thinking about.
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Jun 16, 2017 20:02
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Dr. Faustus posted:I was wondering what people have done with the chassis. I have a friend with an Ear Candy ported 1x12" that I want to try it with. Ported is good but the Fender tone stack and closed back anything usually ends up a muddy mess unless the bass is run at "0". Hell, even Super Reverbs are unbearably tubby beyond "3" on the dial. Trying a different cab is a good litmus test though. The stock cabinet being made of MFD and so cramped inside really lets an otherwise great modding platform down.
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Jun 17, 2017 08:10
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no dad im not gay! posted:Ported is good but the Fender tone stack and closed back anything usually ends up a muddy mess unless the bass is run at "0". Hell, even Super Reverbs are unbearably tubby beyond "3" on the dial. Trying a different cab is a good litmus test though. The stock cabinet being made of MFD and so cramped inside really lets an otherwise great modding platform down. I've been googling new cabinets/enclosures for the BJ3 and I just can't justify that much more cost. MojoTone has a 2x10" and here I am with a brand new $200 12" Celestion that I still owe $70 on. I'm drawing a line between what this amp (modded or not) can do and what it just cannot. I've already spent a ton of money on a $600 combo. It's amplifier worship, pure and simple; I did it as much for the amp as I did for the project. I wanted to do this and if it's not the Holy Grail that's ok because I always knew a one-channel 1x12" combo was not likely to be all amps for all times. I'm definitely gonna try that ported cab, because that's easy enough: I just have to meet up with my friend and plug in. << That was un-intentionally funny. So if I don't get the great clean headroom and amazing cleans, that's fine because I've never actually used them before. That merely means when this project is complete I can start another! E: I left out the part where it has great crunch and takes pedals well, which is enough reason for me to want to keep it. I'll make a decision on that after I learn the new tone-stack and figure out how to mic it. I always used to get "clean" tones by rolling off the guitar volume. I wanted a Fender Clean Tone™ but I suppose I'll have to wait. If it works like my Peaveys did, then it's drat cool because I can carry it around without needing a "spotter." Dr. Faustus fucked around with this message at 08:32 on Jun 17, 2017 |
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Jun 17, 2017 08:19
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Just remember it's the journey not the destination repeat that over and over until you've ship of Theseus'd this motherfucker. edit: seriously, i want to see everything that can possibly be done to this thing. It's like some freak modular platform now. Dang It Bhabhi! fucked around with this message at 08:32 on Jun 17, 2017 |
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Jun 17, 2017 08:29
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Dang It Bhabhi! posted:Just remember it's the journey not the destination repeat that over and over until you've ship of Theseus'd this motherfucker. What part of the combo is the forecastle? Did I do it already?
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Jun 17, 2017 08:34
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Dr. Faustus posted:I draw the line at the forecastle. Oh, definitely. I'm tempted to find an ultralinear output transformer for it, turn it into a head that drives a 4x12 with v30s and some high gain octavey fuzz up front and just play the same bongloaded sabbathy riff for weeks on end. Oh and of course i would replace the front panel with some Orange-derivative one that says Blue (s Jr.). edit: gently caress it maybe replace the Fender tone circuit with them two-knob Baxandall for maximum weirdness.
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Jun 17, 2017 08:42
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E:
philkop fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Jun 22, 2017 |
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Jun 21, 2017 23:55
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Just curious what the go-to amp or company is these days for gritty, downtuned doom/sludge. I've been out of the loop for years now. It used to be things like a Matamp GTL/GT1 or an Ampeg V-4 with a sick fuzz pedal but I know that's not the case anymore. I got a used Electric Amp USA head a few years before Hovercraft appeared. I'm within walking distance of Hovercraft's shop here in Portland but have never tried one out. So what's everyone snagging for that, these days?
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Jun 22, 2017 00:01
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Catastrophe posted:Just curious what the go-to amp or company is these days for gritty, downtuned doom/sludge. I've been out of the loop for years now. It used to be things like a Matamp GTL/GT1 or an Ampeg V-4 with a sick fuzz pedal but I know that's not the case anymore. I got a used Electric Amp USA head a few years before Hovercraft appeared. I'm within walking distance of Hovercraft's shop here in Portland but have never tried one out. Verellen Hovercraft is awesome though, you should see if you could make a visit there.
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Jun 22, 2017 00:29
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Kilometers Davis posted:Verellen I like Ben Verellen, but everybody I know who has had one of his amps has had reliability problems with them. I own two Hovercraft Caribou's, and while they're nice, they can each be very different from each other, so be careful. Any two of them will not sound the same (kind of like old JCM 800s, but worse). I will say this- the high gain channel of my EL34 Caribou with full depth and the baxandall tone stack is really, really great sounding. My other Caribou is modeled after an Orange, and it doesn't sound as good in my opinion. Then there's the fact that Hovercrafts are really just heavily modified and rebuilt other amps. Whether or not that means they're worth the money is up to you. I'm also not sure what's up with Nial. He got rid of all his staff and brought Hovercraft back to a one man operation.
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Jun 22, 2017 15:38
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jwh posted:I'm also not sure what's up with Nial. He got rid of all his staff and brought Hovercraft back to a one man operation. Sometimes, weird or crazy people make decent products. Electric Amps uploaded this a few days ago.  Seriously what https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2fm_q94_5s
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Jun 22, 2017 18:00
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what's the best low watt tube amp under a grand for the aspiring bluesdad?
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Jun 22, 2017 20:47
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sudo rm -rf posted:what's the best low watt tube amp under a grand for the aspiring bluesdad? What do you mean by low watt? Current production Deluxe Reverb is <$1,000, 22 watts.
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Jun 22, 2017 21:43
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jwh posted:I like Ben Verellen, but everybody I know who has had one of his amps has had reliability problems with them. Wow really? I didn't know that was a thing. I haven't heard about any issues but I haven't known any owners personally. sudo rm -rf posted:what's the best low watt tube amp under a grand for the aspiring bluesdad? As always I'm gonna plug the Orange OR15. I love mine to death and it's an amazing sounding and feeling blues amp. 7/15 watts. Effects loop. Dead simple volume/gain/three band EQ setup.
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Jun 22, 2017 21:56
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Catastrophe posted:Just curious what the go-to amp or company is these days for gritty, downtuned doom/sludge. I've been out of the loop for years now. It used to be things like a Matamp GTL/GT1 or an Ampeg V-4 with a sick fuzz pedal but I know that's not the case anymore. I got a used Electric Amp USA head a few years before Hovercraft appeared. I'm within walking distance of Hovercraft's shop here in Portland but have never tried one out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiJ7yZzkM0Q
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Jun 23, 2017 04:38
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 I was looking to purchase one of these about 15 years ago just because I had heard that Social Distortion relied on them for their sound. I had no idea the old "blackface" Bassman could sound like that, though. Christ.
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Jun 24, 2017 05:57
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IT'S A SERIES OF DEMOS Today I recorded an all new clean-sound demo of the modded Blues Jr. using, for the first time, my new pair of Mackie CR5BT monitors. I even a/b/c'ed them with my Sony bookshelf speakers and my headphones, and they all sound completely different. I wanted to get to the fun distorted stuff today but I was trying to be somewhat more meticulous about the whole process and ran out of time. Maybe tomorrow. First I'd like to get some feedback on the differences in the clips. I followed philkop's advice and lowered the Texas Specials in my Strat-style guitar (especially on the bass side) and, while the splat didn't go away, it sounded so much better that I actually attempted a section of "Pride And Joy" with just the neck pickup. On my end it doesn't sound fantastic like a Fender with a ton of clean headroom, but it sure as hell sounds better than it did before. For comparison, this is the previous configuration of mics and tone controls: Tone settings:  (Notice how low the master volume is here. This is before installation of the audio-taper pot.) Mic placement:  In this instance both the condenser and the ribbon mic are both kinda pointed near the center of the cone, angled to capture some of the lower frequencies away from the center as well. This is the result of that effort, which I've posted here before:  In today's case we can only compare the clean section of this demo to the new demo below. After playing with the mics and the new monitors, I have moved the mics a little. I moved them away from the center of the cone but left the ribbon angled in a bit. I really tweaked the new tone stack: I nearly maxed the Treble and new Presence controls, left the mids pretty scooped, and left the bass up pretty high. Also, since I used it in the "before modding demo" I left the "fat circuit" engaged. I think the amp sounds pretty good here but if I were to move the mics some more I'd probably fiddle with the Treble/Presence and Bass controls, too. Here is the new tone control setup and mic placement:  Note the amp is at about the same overall volume as before but the Master knob is up around 5 to get to the same volume. It still maxes out at the same volume as before (theoretically, it's not like I've had a chance to try that), but you get more granular progression in volume on the lower side of the dial. That's the point of the audio-taper pot as most of you already know. And here is the result of the new recording, using the "reference" monitors as a guide. I *think* it sounds pretty darn good, but this is my first time using these and there may be frequency issues (especially in the bass) from them being in such a cramped space, nearly up against the walls (they're rear-ported so who knows how much bass I heard that was actually just reinforced by my walls and not actually in the recording? Welp, that's why I'm sharing it now.)  As before, it's the Strat-style with the Texas Specials, then the JEM77FP in the "one-up" pickup position (one coil of the FRED with the JEM single-coil together). The chorus and delay are from the tc electronic pedals in front of the input of the amp, and the reverb is a plug-in in Reaper.
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Jun 26, 2017 01:02
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I've brought up a lot in this thread how much I like big amps and am not fond of the "all you need is a small amp" trend. However, needs must and I've been trying to get the big amp sound in the most portable configuration I can. This is the current setup: Top, Matrix NL12 (7.7kg), bottom, Orange PPC (14kg) amplifier is an EHX .44 magnum and tonez are provided by the Line 6 Helix. The hype around the NL12 is that its a "1x12 that sounds like a 4x12", thats not quiiiite true. Its certainly very big sounding, clear in the highs and the bass port adds a nice kick, but its still doesent have that thooom in your chest I crave from a 4x12. Pairing it up with the orange helps bring the thooom though, especially using the line 6 Bodonk(née Big Bottom) model, or any of the other ones with a graphic eq boost at 100hz. The NL12 is light as gently caress as well, although the orange isn't especially heavy either. Also, the helix can run your choice of cab IR direct to board anyway, but I feel like I want some real cab sound reinforcement. I've seen shows where the guitarist went direct to board and its fine if the room configuration is such that the PA is all you hear, but in small rooms or in the front rows the audience hears just drums overpowering everything. massive spider fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Jun 26, 2017 |
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Jun 26, 2017 13:03
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Yep, It's STILL A SERIES OF TUBES: Major scare moment today. I went to the Blues Jr. and cranked the preamp gain to 12 (it goes to 12) and plugged in my MIM Fender Tele with the Lindy Fralin "stock" Tele set (+2% overwound neck, +5% overwound bridge) and dialed in a cool sound for the iconic intro of "Funk 49." I was really digging it (although the modded amp does have a looser low-end distorted than it had stock... or there's just more bass so I notice it more.) I played through the intro a couple times and hit record. I got through the intro and the sound cut out. The sound. It cut out. My amp... it was whispering. It stopped shouting and started whispering. All the knobs worked, but the thing was quiet as a mouse. "OMFG what have I done?!" is what I am thinking. I was so sure my work was clean and perfect and now my amp is dead, where did I go wrong?!?! I tried several guitars and cords to make sure it was the amp. Then I pulled it out of the closet where it was cranked up loud, and set it on my desk. I discharged the circuit and removed the back panel. Visually, I see nothing wrong. No scorch-marks, no black spots on any tubes (I inspected every one under a bright lamp), I smell nothing unusual from the chassis. Everything looks fine. So I got the original 12AX7 tubes that I took out when I put the JJ tubes in, and I pulled out V1 from the tube socket. I put the stock Chinese Groove Tube in V1. Powered up the amp and, BAM: It's loud, large, and back in charge! Ok... I took out the GT and put the V2 JJ in V1, and put the GT in V2. Same deal. Amp sounds great. It's so loud. I put the original V1 JJ back in V1: amp's whispering, there's almost nothing there. Now, (the weird part) I put the good JJ tube from V2 in V1 and put the "suspect" JJ in V2. Amp sounds great! Ok. Ok. Half of that 12AX7 is still there. The other half must be gone. In the end I put the two remaining "known good" JJ tubes in V1 and V2, and put the stock GT in V3. I checked the bias on the output tubes: they'd settled in so I re-biased it back down to -3.4V from about -3.9. I reinstalled the panel and the amp seems to be fine again. The tubes were fine for weeks when the preamp gain was low, but V1 then gave up when I cranked the preamp (volume knob) to max, after about maybe ten minutes at volume. I'd played it at max before, but not for long, or as loud. I guess these things just happen. These JJ's weren't the top tier ones, they were like $11 a piece Slovenian tubes I got from Amazon or Guitar Center online. I forget. I ended up having a really long conversation with my Dad who just this week did the Frommel mods on his Cannibis Rex Blues Jr. He assures me my work is fine, and it was just a fluke bad 12AX7. I hope he's right. It was fun right up until the amp quit, and now I have no time to record the fun stuff until next weekend. Plus I have to reset the amp and mic placement and stuff for recording anyway. I wonder if another tube will die or what? I guess I'll order a new JJ for V1, try to buy higher quality this time. Or something. E: Typos and stuff. Dr. Faustus fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Jun 27, 2017 |
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Jun 27, 2017 01:13
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Man, that sucks. I've only ever had good luck with JJ's.  Still, there's a reason tubes are on sockets.
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Jun 27, 2017 01:34
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loving E/N post out of nowhere: The best part of the experience was when I put the stock tube in V1 and the amp came back to life. Up until that point my thought process went something like this: "I bought one of these amps and it dies in ten minutes and I had to exchange it. I could do that, because I hadn't messed with it. I got a new one and goofed around with it for months until all the parts came and then I voided the ever-loving gently caress out of the warranty, so if I accidentally ruined this thing I have to take it to a real amp tech to diagnose it while I make the last payment on it this month." Then I swapped some tubes around and all was well. Live and learn! I'm mostly disappointed I didn't get to record any fun full-tilt Blues Jr. stuff today. That was high on my list. (But on another note I took my dog to the vet for a teeth-cleaning and it ended up costing way more than I thought it would, and I found out her kidneys are failing because she's almost 16 years old and I have to put her on prescription food, and fish oil, and a vaso-dialator med to slow down a problem that's only going to get progressively worse. She's a good girl but she's getting up there in years. Plus I've had no sleep due to the vet stuff so overall it's been a rough day. And I still have all the prep to do for starting my work-week tomorrow: laundry, cooking, etc.) I really wanted to jam the gently caress out. VV That's not a bad idea at all. She deserves it and I write only when inspired. I think I'm inspired. Thanks. VV Dr. Faustus fucked around with this message at 03:17 on Jun 27, 2017 |
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Jun 27, 2017 02:28
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You write a song for that dog, Dr. Faustus. You write it up good.
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Jun 27, 2017 03:08
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Aw drat. I didn't expect to get hit with the sad doggy feels clicking on the amp thread. Hug your buddy for me also the idea above is perfect.
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Jun 27, 2017 03:29
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Dr. Faustus posted:I guess these things just happen. These JJ's weren't the top tier ones, they were like $11 a piece Slovenian tubes I got from Amazon or Guitar Center online. I forget. Remember, they're just fancy lightbulbs. They don't live forever. I don't know what kind of voltage Fender puts on the plates of the V1 tube, but it's probably pretty 'normal'. I have an entire bucket full of problematic 12AX7s. I feel bad throwing them out. Also, sorry to hear about your dog 
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Jun 27, 2017 18:58
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Write a song for your dog. It is the purest possible thing.
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Jun 27, 2017 19:42
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jwh posted:Remember, they're just fancy lightbulbs. They don't live forever. I don't know what kind of voltage Fender puts on the plates of the V1 tube, but it's probably pretty 'normal'. The only thing I am concerned about is what if (pure speculation) the amp makes a habit of burning up the tubes I put in V1? No evidence for that except this one, half-dead tube. And I'm really sorry about interjecting dog-chat in the thread. It's not a good derail. As far as a song goes, that's actually interesting to me because her actual story is an interesting one and I have come up with some lyrical ideas and themes that could make a for a song that you might not know from the lyrics that it's even about someone's pet dog. It could be about anyone. I like doing stuff like that so I will probably work something up. Sorry about the derail. She's doing fine for now.
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Jun 28, 2017 00:58
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Never apologize for dog-chat. I know that when my dog passed away recently, I spent time writing something. Ended up with a weird bluesy-stoner tune that I'n trying to write proper lyrics for. "One-Eyed Terrier Shuffle" is a terrible placeholder title, but it fits and music helps deal with worry and pain. Plus, she always used to sleep next to my Orange TH30 when I practiced because it was warm and drowned out the sounds of endless old small dog farts, if not the odor. On amps, to avoid making this Amplifiers: Dogs Are Basically Tube Amps When You Think About It, what's the recommended supplies for gigging with tube amps? I've got a combo that's pretty solid as backup, along with the aforementioned Orange as the main head run through the speaker of the combo and a Micro Terror in case of absolute failure of #1 & #2, but it's a hell of a drive and I'd rather not be stuck with no sounds. I figure spare tubes should cover it, but I'm paranoid as hell.
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Jun 28, 2017 01:08
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Hedningen posted:On amps, to avoid making this Amplifiers: Dogs Are Basically Tube Amps When You Think About It, what's the recommended supplies for gigging with tube amps? I've got a combo that's pretty solid as backup, along with the aforementioned Orange as the main head run through the speaker of the combo and a Micro Terror in case of absolute failure of #1 & #2, but it's a hell of a drive and I'd rather not be stuck with no sounds. Fuses, spare tubes, spare speaker cables (like, several), spare power cables, and the quiet understanding with every band you play with that you have each others' back for equipment failures.
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Jun 28, 2017 01:24
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Speaker cables everywhere: glove compartment, in the spare tire, cash box, trust me on this...
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Jun 28, 2017 01:26
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^^Everything he said^^ I'd say that depends on the build-quality. For example, when the Blues Jr. came out it had knobs that were designed to rest on the actual control plate surface. You could push down or face-plant on one and it would be ok. Then people decided they wanted different colors or styles of knobs and they didn't come with that built-in stock-knob extension. So, you bend over to tweak the Mids and push a little too hard, say you overbalanced and leaned some of your weight on the control knob. Without that extra bit of plastic, now your pressure on the knob is transmitted straight down the shaft of the pot and the whole potentiometer breaks out through the back, killing the amp. Fender solved this by making the little extension below the chicken-head knobs into a stand-alone part that sits fits, like a bushing, into the control-plate and now you can use any replacement knob you like, as long as you have those little bushings to put under the knobs. Crazy, right? This is the kind of thing that happens when an amp company keeps chasing ways to cut costs, and I'm sure it varies by amp. So, with that example out of the way, I am going to say this: I practiced, gigged, and lived by two Peavey 50W combos. 1 Peavey Classic 50 (a 4x10" combo amp that I adore) and 1 Peavey Blues Classic (the exact same circuit and cabinet but with 1 15" speaker in it.) I loved my Classic 50 and wanted another, but couldn't find another 4x10" to go with it but a local store had a used Blues Classic 1x15". Having had some experience with multi-amp setups, I thought at the time, "Hey, it's two of the same amp, just with different speaker loadouts. This should give me cooler stereo separation and a little complementary sounds that come together better than two of exactly the same thing!" And I was right. The 1x15" actually had a harsher, more MESA/Boogie character to its distortion and also sparkled better than the 4x10" in stereo so if I ever bother to play the clean channel, the two amps together sounded better than either one alone. I tell this history because in all the many years I relied on this rig, these amps never failed. Not once. I retubed them once in like 1994 and they still have the same tubes in them and they still sound amazing (they're just too loud for my apartment, too heavy for me to carry around, and all the outboard gear I used to effects has passed away due to age and lack of replacement parts.) My recommendation is to have backup tubes, and a can of decent component cleaner/lubricant spray for your pots and jacks. Most tube amps can take a decent beating and anything that doesn't actually warp the chassis/break the tubes will probably cause a rip in the cover or slash in the grille cloth but tube amps are not, in my experience (my friends have tube amps of every stripe and we get together to play them from time to time) delicate flowers. Backup tubes, pot cleaner, and lots and lots of spare cables and power supplies for the rest of your rig and you're fine, unless you tend to drop them off the stage or out of the car/van/truck a lot. Invest in road cases if you can deal with the expense and weight. Tube amps are fantastic and they hold up for 20+ years, until the capacitors start to dry out and fail; at which time you've got a serious restoration on your hands. Tube sockets can be re-tensioned. Tubes can be replaced with ease (usually). Pots and jacks are always going to get dirty. The rest of this technology is drat-near bullet-proof. That's just my $0.02. P.S. - Sorry for your loss. You coined two great terms in your post: "Amplifiers: Dogs Are Basically Tube Amps When You Think About It" and "One-Eyed Terrier Shuffle." Thanks so much for the kind words and don't change a thing. If your tune is half as clever and funny (or bittersweet) as these, you're a cool dude™. E: loving typos as usual. Dr. Faustus fucked around with this message at 01:54 on Jun 28, 2017 |
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Jun 28, 2017 01:42
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Oh loving poo poo it's another motherfucking Ampeg. I snagged the mid '70s V2 with distortion on top of the VT22 from a guy on Reverb for $250 a couple months ago. It was listed as "broken, for parts, just get it out of my hair" or something equally as sad. Luckily I have a wicked amp tech who loves a good challenge, and I just got it back yesterday, fit as a fiddle, except I took it apart to deoxit the pots and now the loving reverb doesn't work.  
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Jun 28, 2017 11:40
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