Amp III

Started by drogulus, April 27, 2017, 07:25:22 PM

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NikF

The one I have is a Lollar. He makes two or three versions, but none are authentic. Neither are the Pete Biltoft(?), TK Smith, or Duncan versions. As far as I know the only reproduction of that pickup that uses the correct long cobalt magnets is this one http://www.ccpickups.co.uk/about.html

But I'm happy with the Lollar because on my guitars it sounds the way it sounds, rather than the way a real Charlie Christian should sound. It's kind of a wide range P90 with scooped mids. I'd probably be just as happy with an underworld vintage style P90, but I'm too cheap to spend money. ;D
Unfortunately, there's a drawback to the Lollar in that it's noisy. So that's why my other Tele has Bardens. And my excuse for needing that other Tele is...and this is kind of a secret... since the start of this year I occasionally play in public in front of people. Some of the venues have wiring and lights or whatever that don't play nice with single coils.

Anyway, good to hear you reached a decision about speaker choice. I hope it's at least in the ballpark of how you expect it to be with your amp. :)
"You overestimate my power of attraction," he told her. "No, I don't," she replied sharply, "and neither do you".

drogulus



     I may be on the verge of achieving the impossible, being an American who has figured out how to buy an alnico speaker from Tayden, who don't seem to want to sell speakers to anyone anywhere. They used to, but something went wrong between them and their distributor and now they are making speakers under different names and I somehow managed to trace one of their aliases back to the source. Do I buy one? I haven't decided yet.
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NikF

Quote from: drogulus on May 07, 2018, 02:03:37 PM

     I may be on the verge of achieving the impossible, being an American who has figured out how to buy an alnico speaker from Tayden, who don't seem to want to sell speakers to anyone anywhere. They used to, but something went wrong between them and their distributor and now they are making speakers under different names and I somehow managed to trace one of their aliases back to the source. Do I buy one? I haven't decided yet.

Cool.
If you ever do encounter any (or further) problems buying stuff from the UK for an amp or guitar, feel free to hit me up and if I can help I'll be glad to do so.
"You overestimate my power of attraction," he told her. "No, I don't," she replied sharply, "and neither do you".

drogulus


     Once again I only have 3 amps. I gave my little Frenzel along with my small duct port cab to my brother.

     

     

     I gave him my second JBL! Why I do that? Now I'm going to have to convince him he doesn't like the sound of it (too hifi? yeah I'll insinuate the metal dome makes it ice picky).

     After testing a bit with one of my guitars I've decided that the new Fane speaker is terrific. It has a sparkle to it that's perfect for a Voxoid circuit like my new one.

     Next week I'm taking the Ampegosaurus to Maine where I'm giving it a major overhaul make it more faithful to the Geminis of old.

     So now I have Amp I (Beatles first trip to America), Amp II (the Ampegosaur) and Amp III, the new one.

     I've also been researching the various versions of the Peavey Bandit, and I see it gets lots of respect from tubesters.
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NikF

Quote from: drogulus on May 14, 2018, 03:52:56 PM
     Once again I only have 3 amps. I gave my little Frenzel along with my small duct port cab to my brother.

     

     

     I gave him my second JBL! Why I do that? Now I'm going to have to convince him he doesn't like the sound of it (too hifi? yeah I'll insinuate the metal dome makes it ice picky).

     After testing a bit with one of my guitars I've decided that the new Fane speaker is terrific. It has a sparkle to it that's perfect for a Voxoid circuit like my new one.

     Next week I'm taking the Ampegosaurus to Maine where I'm giving it a major overhaul make it more faithful to the Geminis of old.

     So now I have Amp I (Beatles first trip to America), Amp II (the Ampegosaur) and Amp III, the new one.

     I've also been researching the various versions of the Peavey Bandit, and I see it gets lots of respect from tubesters.

You're clearly both generous and a gentleman - really, making that gift is a cool gesture.

Glad to hear the Fane is bustin' yer chops!

You know why I like the Bandit? - enough clean headroom. And that Lollar CC pickup (or as I pointed out, an underwound/vintage style P90) pushes it nicely. Jimmy Raney/Barney Kessell/early Kenny Burrell - only with me behind the signal, sans talent.  ;D
"You overestimate my power of attraction," he told her. "No, I don't," she replied sharply, "and neither do you".

drogulus

#45
     Lollar makes a vintage style alnico staple pickup, a variant of the P-90 that was used in the '50s Les Paul "Black Beauty" in the neck position, with a regular P-90 in the bridge.

     

     

     The staple is considered the ultimate P-90 by some gearheads.

     I'm in Maine vacationing and amping, too. The Ampegosaur is going to be overhauled to make it more faithful to the original. Mr. Arkham is expert on Ampegs, and we've discussed what's necessary, a rebuilt preamp and a pretty special driver/inverter scheme we kind of arrived at separately. The research I had to do was quite intense and just as I was about to suggest we do something very Sunn/Dynaco like he emails me to say why don't we use a common pentode for the driver stage and keep the 12AU7 as a cathodyne inverter and I reply holy shit! I just saw a kit company that has a Sunn clone with exactly that! Well, that about wraps it up, now we've got to do it.
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drogulus

#46
     I don't know whether I should get into this or not, so I will. None of the speakers I have, some good, some great, sound as good for guitar and bass as my archaic JBL hifi speaker.

     

     Unfortunately when I play my 5 string bass and hit the low B (30hz fundamental) it makes a fluttery sound, an unmistakable sign that the cone is acting like it's in free air. The tone ring cab is tuned higher, suitable for almost all of the musical instrument speakers that existed when the cab was designed including JBL D120Fs, Jensens, Oxfords and Utahs. The 123, though, was not intended for musical instrument use. It's designed for a variety of pro audio and home hifi uses. In a reflex cab it needs a very low tuning to control the lowest frequencies.

     Either I need to put it in a different cab, or try something else. The something else is called a high pass filter. Here is one:

     

     This one can be adjusted to remove troublesome low frequencies while leaving bass frequencies above that untouched. I can set the frequency exactly where the fluttering appears while having full use of the bass tone control. I can turn the bass control all the way up, set volume at just above where I usually set it, then move the filter up to where the flutter at 30hz disappears. That should be it, the filter is a set and forget kind of thing, and now I can set the amp tone controls for best SQ while protecting the speaker from overexertion and sonic nasties.
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drogulus

#47
 

     I have decided to retire the JBL D123. It's going into my speaker museum, a shelf with a speaker on it. In its place I'm putting a Scumback J55, a guitar speaker that has a cone designed for guitar/bass dual use. It's based on a Celestion speaker that isn't famous though the sound it makes is.

     https://www.youtube.com/v/lSdBtoIIYT4

     Hendrix used these speakers, too, in his early Marshalls. My version has a slightly smaller ceramic magnet (J instead of H as in G12H30).

     With this J55 in my tone ring cab, a speaker that can handle more power, I can rest easy. For the little poplar cab I can install another Scumback, the Scumnico!

     

     So what's all this then about Lithuania? A shop is selling a very desirable speaker, a big alnico Fane, the AXA 12, new in the box, unobtanium for years.

     


     Too much information, I know... 
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drogulus

#48
     Amp IV

     So far I have 3 amps with their own distinct personalities.

     Amp I, a clone of the Vox amp the Beatles brought to America. It's a clean machine with lots of power (~50 watts). The Vox badge came with the headshell.

     

     Amp II is based on the Ampeg designs of the early '60s (all of my amps are early '60s designs). What's special about Ampegs is they were designed for bass and big box jazz guitars, and the guy running the company hated rock n roll, so he wanted a kind of clean amp with equalization that was very neutral (very like the Baxandall EQ used in hifi and still used today in stereo equipment that has tone controls, just bass and treble, no mid control, flat response at noon, that kind.

     

     Amp III, not a clone but a design with features of small (~15 watts) Vox amps like the AC 15, extremely harmonic due to the absence of a feedback correction network, the particular small bottle power tubes and the tube rectifier. When you hear the sound you go "Oh yeah, that sound". Of course you can get any sound with any amp up to a point, but my choices are based on how specialized designs can help you get what you want.

     

     Now I'm starting the process of getting an amp (IV) very different from the others, that fills a hole that needs filling very badly. More, much more, too much more is to come.
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greg

I know this is an amp thread, but anyone into collecting pedals?
I've been really into Earthquaker Devices pedals lately- got 3 of them so far and have my eye on at least 5 more. Really unique pedals that have few that are like them.
Wagie wagie get back in the cagie

drogulus

Quote from: greg on February 01, 2019, 10:34:57 AM
I know this is an amp thread, but anyone into collecting pedals?
I've been really into Earthquaker Devices pedals lately- got 3 of them so far and have my eye on at least 5 more. Really unique pedals that have few that are like them.

     Go Away!

     I'm not a pedal kind of guy, though I do have a Strymon Flint Rev-Trem, a Spark booster and a Broughton High Pass Filter. All I really want most of the time is the reverb, which none of my amps have.

     I did think of getting a JTM 45 pedal, but it looks like I'm going to get a JTM 45 instead as Amp IV. I'm trying to contact the builder.

     What Earthquakes do you have, and what amp?
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greg

Quote from: drogulus on February 01, 2019, 11:03:00 AM
     Go Away!

     I'm not a pedal kind of guy, though I do have a Strymon Flint Rev-Trem, a Spark booster and a Broughton High Pass Filter. All I really want most of the time is the reverb, which none of my amps have.

     I did think of getting a JTM 45 pedal, but it looks like I'm going to get a JTM 45 instead as Amp IV. I'm trying to contact the builder.

     What Earthquakes do you have, and what amp?
These two are for some really wild effects:



The Rainbow Machine especially has some odd sounds that you won't find in other pedals.

My third is a sort of Reverb + Delay, often regarded as their "best" pedal.

Mostly for very atmospheric sounding stuff.


Avalanche Run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-edx1_Vn4g

My want to buy list from Earthquaker:  :P
Transmisser (Reverb)
Spatial Delivery (Autowah)
Hummingbird (Tremolo)
Grand Orbiter (Phase)
Aquaduct (vibrato)
Space Spiral (Modulated Delay)
Pitch Bay (Polyphonic Harmonizer)
Pyraminds (Stereo Flanger)
Arpanoid (Arpeggiator)
Wagie wagie get back in the cagie

drogulus

     I just realized you're a real greg.

     I like the sounds, very......quinky?? It kind of quinks.

     So, what amp, and what guitar do you have? You have immunity so you have to answer.

     
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Mirror Image

#53
Quote from: drogulus on February 01, 2019, 07:49:38 PM
     I just realized you're a real greg.

     I like the sounds, very......quinky?? It kind of quinks.

     So, what amp, and what guitar do you have? You have immunity so you have to answer.

     

You didn't ask me, but my setup is pretty simple these days: a PRS guitar (forget the model name), which goes into a Boss ME-50 multi-effects unit (only really use for distortion, delay, and a hall reverb setting), which then goes into a Boss Loopstation and then the signal is split between two small amps: a Jay Turser Classic 10 and a Fender Sidekick Reverb.

greg

Quote from: drogulus on February 01, 2019, 07:49:38 PM
     I just realized you're a real greg.

     I like the sounds, very......quinky?? It kind of quinks.

     So, what amp, and what guitar do you have? You have immunity so you have to answer.

     
Oh, that's what I like to hear- all those other Gregs out there are fake! HA!  >:D

I think it sounds very... glacier-y? An ice field? Alaska, maybe?

For amps, I only have a Line 6 Spider II practice amp right now- but mostly likely my main setup will be this ampsim:
https://neuraldsp.com/products/fortin-nameless-plugin/

(we'll see, at least- I kind of have to stick with amp sims for the time being)

I've always stuck with Ibanez (my main guitar being an older RG, and my secondary guitar being the RG 9), but I recently got this guitar and yep, this will be my "main" for sure:



Schecter Hellraiser C8 w/Floyd Rose

My guitars:


Quote from: Mirror Image on February 01, 2019, 07:58:13 PM
a PRS guitar (forget the model name)
I've always been impressed by PRS every time I've played one, will have to get one one day.
Wagie wagie get back in the cagie

Mirror Image

#55
Quote from: greg on February 01, 2019, 08:44:20 PM
Oh, that's what I like to hear- all those other Gregs out there are fake! HA!  >:D

I think it sounds very... glacier-y? An ice field? Alaska, maybe?

For amps, I only have a Line 6 Spider II practice amp right now- but mostly likely my main setup will be this ampsim:
https://neuraldsp.com/products/fortin-nameless-plugin/

(we'll see, at least- I kind of have to stick with amp sims for the time being)

I've always stuck with Ibanez (my main guitar being an older RG, and my secondary guitar being the RG 9), but I recently got this guitar and yep, this will be my "main" for sure:



Schecter Hellraiser C8 w/Floyd Rose

My guitars:

I've always been impressed by PRS every time I've played one, will have to get one one day.

Nice guitars, Greg! Yeah, PRS make great guitars, but I'm looking to upgrade mine to one of the custom models.

Just for kicks, here's the PRS in action:

https://www.youtube.com/v/wNmIPzsXpOQ

Sorry for the video/audio quality. I recorded this late many nights ago with my Samsung Galaxy S8+.

drogulus

     
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 01, 2019, 07:58:13 PM
You didn't ask me, but my setup is pretty simple these days: a PRS guitar (forget the model name), which goes into a Boss ME-50 multi-effects unit (only really us for distortion, delay, and hall reverb setting), which then goes into a Boss Loopstation and then the signal is split between two small amps: a Jay Turser Classic 10 and a Fender Sidekick Reverb.

     The PRS that really appealed to me was the McCarty with P90s.

     

     
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Mirror Image

#57
Quote from: drogulus on February 01, 2019, 09:01:40 PM
     
     The PRS that really appealed to me was the McCarty with P90s.

     

   

Those are really nice! I haven't really played on too many PRS models, but I'm heading down to a Guitar Center next weekend (not this weekend as we all know it'd be a madhouse down in Atlanta). I'll probably be looking for a new volume pedal, too (preferably a Morley).

drogulus

     If I get a JTM 45 clone built it will be like this one.

     

     This was the first amp Marshall made in 1962, and the builder has several early ones and tunes his builds so they are as authentic as they can be.

     
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drogulus

#59
     Merren...... Merren!!.....

         
     Just kidding, I think, we're not going to do an exorcism if I can help it.

     

     In the picture above the upright output transformer is a genuine vintage Radiospares Deluxe used in early JTM 45 amps. I saw one of these for sale for $900. That's for a single transformer. Fortunately there are new ones being built to the old specs, such as the Merren Audio ones below.

     

     I think I might be willing to settle for the new one.
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