More Tweed

[capnjuan]

Happy to help; I see your R&R career is based on a couple of first-class Guild electric guitars ... can't go wrong with those! 8)

As far as your skill goes ... well ... you might be in better company than you think :wink:

John

 

[iismet]

Actually - now that I understand how it works, I am going to re-balance the controls for practice

Just not the same - Quiet Practice (watch news at same time)

- Amp Volume Down - Guitar Volume Up -
- Amp Volume Up (9-10) - Guitar Volume Down - 8)

Tubing will be expensive I think.

 

[TonyT]

This is why I don't buy an electric guitar. I ain't ever gonna figure out the amp thing. That, and I'm cheap, although my heart beats a little faster every time I see a Mexican Tele for sale.

 

[iismet]

Oh, your missing out. There's not much to a Tweed and all the acoustic work is rewarded handsomely.

 

[capnjuan]

... re-balance the controls for practice ... Just not the same - Quiet Practice (watch news at same time) - Amp Volume Down - Guitar Volume Up - - Amp Volume Up (9-10) - Guitar Volume Down - 8) Tubing will be expensive I think.

It sounds like you too are addicted to the golden crunch of distortion. So long as nobody minds that you've got it cranked up, you can enjoy tone heaven. If what want is to have the amp distort at a lower volume, new tubes won't change that ... and old tubes won't change it either; you need a different amp.

An old amp ... an old cheap student-grade amp like Silvertone 1471s/1481s/1482s or any of the Gibson GA5 through GA20T amps; depending on what you're doing and your pick attack, they break up between 4/5 on the dial. But before you do anything else, do yourself a favor and buy and read The Guitar Amp Handbook by Dave Hunter.

Hunter does a fine job of translating technical jabberwocky into something the casual musician or amp dude can understand ... and .... it costs less than a new 12AX7

 

[capnjuan]

This is why I don't buy an electric guitar. I ain't ever gonna figure out the amp thing. That, and I'm cheap, although my heart beats a little faster every time I see a Mexican Tele for sale.

Gee Tony; ... understanding how a gadget works before fooling with it ... that's setting the bar pretty high :shock: ; you may need to use the Fosbury Flop :wink: :

If you decide to take the flop, you can figure on $400-$500 as the price of admission; either an older '60s-ish amp plus some servicing or a newer, re-issue Champ or Gibson GA5.

 

[Bobo]

I'm not sure I can give you a decent answer; in low power amps, I'm okay with carbon comps everywhere but I also don't play out, I don't play especially well, and my agent says he's pretty sure I'm not going to play Shea Stadium. I'm saying that the only place I star is in my own backroom. (member bluesypicky guest starring there):

The problem has two parts; what is the standard of excellence and, to a lesser extent, who can know the mind of Leo?

What is good? Most of the '50s/'60s classic amps ... Fenders, Supros, on and on were loaded with noisy, stuffy old WW2 surplus Allen Bradley carbon composition resistors ... 10%ers at that. By comparison, early Marshalls are loaded with metal film resistors. This is a link to a thread on the Gear Page; a long-running thread celebrating amp interiors; everything from Fenders to boutiques to DIYs. If you page through it, you'll see that even today's better-made amps are all over the place on the question of what resistors to use where: Gear Page link. Your ValveTrain uses carbon film; not good ... not bad ... just making a note.

What would Leo do? Does anybody really think Leo brought all the mfrs in and conducted A/B/C tests of whose parts did the best? Carbon composition resistors have a reputation for noise and grit although some of their trash is subsonic and can only be seen on an oscilloscope. Anality being what it is; there are people who, if they were told there was grunge in the signal and even though they couldn't hear it, would reject the amp.

If you want or prefer the way-back sound, then carbon composition resistors are what you want. If it has to be clean, then the carbon and metal films are the way to go; they are made to tighter standards, are inexpensive and reliable, and do not contribute grit and grunge ... although I like grit and grunge ..

Interesting what you said there about carbon composition resistors there. I know for a fact that my newly-built "1951" V-front Super-Amp clone has NOS Allen Bradley carbon composition resistors throughout. Grit and grunge, to be sure, but not really what Leo was seeking.

 

[iismet]

It sounds like you too are addicted to the golden crunch of distortion. So long as nobody minds that you've got it cranked up, you can enjoy tone heaven. If what want is to have the amp distort at a lower volume, new tubes won't change that ... and old tubes won't change it either; you need a different amp.

No No - I practice with it clean as it can be. Master all the way up. I can easily make it distort at low volume using the pre amp but it's not how I roll. The speaker articulation is just not as good to my ears with the amp volume turned down. I practice clean, clean, clean at low volume, using the guitars volume controls. When I play out (guitar volume cranked), the natural breakup comes thru on it's own and it turns heads (including mine). I don't play for it - I don't have to.

But before you do anything else, do yourself a favor and buy and read The Guitar Amp Handbook by Dave Hunter.
Hunter does a fine job of translating technical jabberwocky into something the casual musician or amp dude can understand ... and .... it costs less than a new 12AX7

Awesome - I will order it today. Thanks

 

[capnjuan]

... Grit and grunge, to be sure, but not really what Leo was seeking.

In the end (or the beginning) almost every amp designed and built represents all kinds of minor concessions and compromises. If it was only about the money, you'd think he'd have been an early adopter of printed circuit boards ... but ... no.

But in some models he ran the speaker baffle bolts through from the outside instead of concealing them under the grill a la Gibson; exposed is faster/cheaper ... so sometimes he took the shortcut ... sometimes not.

In any event, if I was going to commission an amp like yours Boris, except for the power supply, it'd be carbon comps all the way.

 

[tele4tone]

I think there is a sweet spot in cranking tweeds. Go beyond and it gets squishy and wonky. Those are technical terms.

If you need more volume then I suggest miking the cab. I have a tweed with 4 6v6's and 2-12" Weber alnicos. The output is much louder than a regular deluxe, but I still mic it. I still get all the 6v6 goodness combined with the alnico speakers but retain some tightness and control over the gain structure.

You can't go wrong with a Gibson Ga20 either.

Jeff

 

[iismet]

Capnjuan - The Guitar Amp Handbook was delivered today. I had know idea there was something like it.

Thank you very much

Perfect for my needs.

 

[capnjuan]

Hunter does a fine job of keeping his eye on the ball; translating a lot of complicated stuff into something the man in the (tube) street can understand. It fits well between 'Tube Amps for Dummies' (" ...those things that glow are called tubes ...") and 'Technical Aspects of Capacitive Inductance In Hook-up Wire'.

If you want more, the place to go is Gerald Weber's Tube Guitar Amp Essentials. He's a translator too; trying to de-mystify what most people read as relentless techno-jabber. He's a teacherly guy wrapped up as a 'been-there, done-that'; a writing style that's a little off-putting but, like I said, the book is a good read ... a little more technical than Hunter's but not overwhelmingly so.

 

[iismet]

Hunter does a fine job of keeping his eye on the ball; translating a lot of complicated stuff into something the man in the (tube) street can understand. It fits well between 'Tube Amps for Dummies' (" ...those things that glow are called tubes ...") and 'Technical Aspects of Capacitive Inductance In Hook-up Wire'.

If you want more, the place to go is Gerald Weber's Tube Guitar Amp Essentials. He's a translator too; trying to de-mystify what most people read as relentless techno-jabber. He's a teacherly guy wrapped up as a 'been-there, done-that'; a writing style that's a little off-putting but, like I said, the book is a good read ... a little more technical than Hunter's but not overwhelmingly so.

I've had the book for almost a month now. At first it was a little over whelming, so i found myself browsing it and reading specific sections. I eventually read the 'Meet the Makers" section (outstanding) and am now reading from beginning to end. This is an incredibly informative work, enjoyable to read, and perfect for a player. I have a whole different appreciation for an amplifier and what it is - an instrument. Will be really cool when I know better how to use mine.

Hats off Capn - Many Thanks.

 

[capnjuan]

Not to me ... to Hunter ... and to Kapn - an LTG member who hasn't been around in a while - who first put the book in play here.

You might also enjoy Dave Hunter's Guitar Rigs: Classic Guitar and Amp Combinations. Not many of us are going to get to play the fabled gear Hunter discusses.

He's as good as anybody at describing what, say, a Marshall stack sounds like with various instruments played through it. Anyway, it's a decent read but if the technical starts to interest you, any of the Gerald Weber books are pretty good.

 

[Csquare4]

Not to me ... to Hunter ... and to Kapn - an LTG member who hasn't been around in a while - who first put the book in play here.

You might also enjoy Dave Hunter's Guitar Rigs: Classic Guitar and Amp Combinations. Not many of us are going to get to play the fabled gear Hunter discusses.

He's as good as anybody at describing what, say, a Marshall stack sounds like with various instruments played through it. Anyway, it's a decent read but if the technical starts to interest you, any of the Gerald Weber books are pretty good.

Agreed whole heartedly, Hunter's books are great for insight into the "wonder" amps of yesteryear. The great thing to me about his books is they have equal interest for me and my 15-yo son. I like the techno-jargon he sprinkles in, my son likes the layman's descriptions and photos. Also, Hunter contributes a monthly column to "Vintage Guitar" magazine on classic amps, which to me is worth the price of the subscription alone. Great articles which tell what makes the classic rigs tick. Some you know, others are pretty obscure.

And agreed on the Weber books as well, there are some great nuggets of information in those. A lot of it is redundant, and he does come across as a little cocky sometimes, but I find it tolerable for what he includes.

Craig