Liverpool question

[Tdale]

The liverpool has no grid resistor on the input of the first tube. Normally there is a 68K or something in that area. Is this correct?

And why isn't there a resistor there, when so many other amps has them?

Tommy

[gearhead]

The Express doesn't have one either.

There are a lot of things Ken didn't put in the Trainwrecks, mostly to keep the signal chain as uncluttered as possible. He wanted to build an amp that would run on the ragged edge of just being in control. Taming the noise in a Trainwreck is part of the build process.

Some folks here have put grid resistors in to tame things, and they can pipe in.

For why there are grid resistors, Mr. Aiken is always a good source:

http://www.aikenamps.com/InputRes.htm

[Tubetwang]

I've put in a 33K to kill uncalled for AM radio programming.

Will try 68k also...amp is a little noisy compared to Deluxe and 18watt but ...what an amp...

Played 3 hours today alone in the house...felt great...raw and edgy with Strat...

[Tdale]

Can you compare the sound to any other amp?

What about the DC30? Does it sound something like that?

Is it a pretty clean amp, or does it distort much?

Tommy

[Tubetwang]

I'm not very good at comparing but have never tried a DC-30.

I like simplicity and am a frugal guy, and this here Express is touch sensitive, cuts through and bites me well

Im thinking that i no longer need the 5E3 and 18Wtmb. They are good amps but i prefer Ken's...

Does Omar accept small donations?

Louis

[Fischerman]

FWIW, in old Fenders/Marshalls and countless others that had a high and low sensitivity inputs...the high sensitivity input (i.e. the one we guitarists almost always use) has the two 68k resistors in parallel for 34k net series resistance. And 1M to ground.

And the low sensitivity input is just 68K series and 68K to ground.

[Tdale]

Yes, that's right..that's how my DC30 input is wired.

I notice another strange thing about the Liverpool. The last tube in the preamp, has a 100K plate resistor and a 10K cathode resistor, while the normal cathode resistor would be 1,5K... Why is that?

Tommy

[doctord02]

Tommy, the third stage of the Liverpool and the Express is the clipper stage, it's the place where all the creamy overdrive goodness comes from... That 10k resistor is a big piece of the magic in a Trainwreck.

[Tdale]

Does that mean that the Liverpool is a typical overdrive amp... Or can I get good clean sound too?

Doesn't generally a higher cathode resistor value lower the gain?

Tommy

[leaveitalone84]

If you role back the volume on the guitar and lighten/clean up your attack you will get cleaner tones from the amp. While not pefectly clean they are very very nice.

I have an Express clone and from my milage it cleans up rather well with a twist of the volume. I hear the Liverpool is even better in that aspect.

[UR12]

Does that mean that the Liverpool is a typical overdrive amp... Or can I get good clean sound too?


Tommy

Even though this is of an Express the Liverpool will do the same thing. Check out this link, scroll down to the bottom of the page and listen to the clips to get an idea of clean to mean #3 and #5 are my favorites #3 with a LP and #5 with a strat. the clips were done by guitarpicker

http://www.ampbuildersguild.com/gallery2007Q1.htm

[Tubetwang]

Great link Dana...
Thanks!!
Louis

[Johnhenry]

KF designed the input with no resistor, he was looking for a strong pure guitar signal to hit the first pre/amp tube.
if you get R/F, putting a ring of Ferrite beads on the cable from the input jack to your tube will help kill some of the R/F you may get by deleting the input resistor, I do this to all the Harp amp's i build, the Mic's these guy's use are a lot hotter than a guitar Signal so it give's you a lot of problem's with feedback and R/F when they crank the volume.
john