Not enough gain?

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guitarpkr76
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Not enough gain?

Post by guitarpkr76 »

I've listened to sound clips and my Twreck doesn't seem to have as much gain as ones I have listened to. I'm using a master volume, but I heard a sound clip of one on here with a MV and it had more gain too. Any tips on how to get more gain? Could I try different preamp tubes? Also, the only guitar I have at my disposal right now is a strat. Could the pickups be the culprit. ANy help would be great.


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loverocker
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Re: Not enough gain?

Post by loverocker »

What type of MV do you have? If it's the simple voltage-divider type that sits in front of the PI, it necessarily reduces distortion at lower settings because the PI itself doesn't distort (like a Marshall 2204, etc). Are you still hungry for gain when both of your amp's volume controls are maxed?

If it's a post-PI type (like the clip posted here recently), your amp should have plenty of gain at most room volumes. I'd look for a mistake in the components in your preamp.

Pickups to blame? Unlikely, but I'd just borrow another guitar to check, just in case.
in the wilds of Borneo, and the vineyards of Bordeaux, Eskimo, Arapaho, move their bodies to and fro...
guitarpkr76
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Re: Not enough gain?

Post by guitarpkr76 »

It is a PPIMV. I guess I'll just go over it again and make sure I have the right values everywhere. Thanks.
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Elcabong
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Re: Not enough gain?

Post by Elcabong »

What version have you built?
guitarpkr76
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Re: Not enough gain?

Post by guitarpkr76 »

It's been a while, but I believe it was the a1a version.
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Elcabong
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Re: Not enough gain?

Post by Elcabong »

And now to what version have you been listening? I would think that version A4 may have more gain by looking at the schematic. The main differences are around the 2nd stage.

The guitar you use is also a factor. Single coils have less output than humbuckers and will result in less overall gain.
Mark
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Re: Not enough gain?

Post by Mark »

Regarding gain, I found that I had plenty of gain regardless of the pickups that I was using. Naturally the humbucking pickups sounded the best through the amp, but as I have said previously, when I turn the volume fully up with this amp, the humbucking pickup shakes and oscillates in it's mount. Plenty of gain in this design!
Yours Sincerely

Mark Abbott
loverocker
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Re: Not enough gain?

Post by loverocker »

I'm with Mark - I was astounded how much gain I got (on my semi-Liverpool) with a Tele. Enough for Gary Moore style legato soloing without any stompbox.
in the wilds of Borneo, and the vineyards of Bordeaux, Eskimo, Arapaho, move their bodies to and fro...
Robert
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Re: Not enough gain?

Post by Robert »

Why don't you provide more information about your amp. The most helpful diagnostic work I did was to create a voltage chart. Share that with the group and perhaps some chassis pics. Best description I've read of the amp was it is a "flamethrower". That's not far off. Way more gain than my Mesa Mark IV. BTW, you considered your tubes as the source of low gain?
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