TweedMaster non-HRM

[da Geezer]

This amp is based on Erwin_ve's Bluesmaster non-HRM, discussed in this thread> https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.php?t=13114

The final schematic for my version is attached, as is a (poor cell phone) photo of the completed amp.

Here is a link to the Hoffman thread on the development of the circuit> http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.ph ... 6#msg98536

Here are some soundclips...sorry for the length & repetitiveness, but I was adjusting the trim, drive & ratio pots on the fly, as well as adjusting the volume on the guitar, & I was trying to play similar phrasing for proper comparison.
The guitar is run "dry" into the amp, an 18' cord is in the effects loop, & only a little reverb & delay was added when mixed down in Mixcraft. There are some clicks & pops.....they came somehow from the upload, as they are not on the original recordings.

http://soundcloud.com/dageezer/noodles- ... 1032011mp3

http://soundcloud.com/dageezer/higainno ... 1032011mp3

*The "Tweed" is from several changes I made to the circuit, mainly the use of a 12AY7 in V1 & lowering of the filtering. I also significantly lowered the amount of NFB.
*I left off the "Mid Boost", instead using a slightly larger treble cap.
*I took the "PAB" off the relay & permanently lifted the tonestack a little bit with ~~15k. I use the mid pot as a "PAB" adjustment.
*The biggest & best feature is an idea I got from Talbany.....to switch in a pot with a relay to adjust the "Trim" pot for a boost. I used a 25kl (a smaller pot would be better....maybe 10k?) from the trim pot ground tab & switch it in with the former "PAB" relay. It really gives a super controlable kick in gain & volume for lead work.

I also diddled with the grid stoppers in the OD section, as well as lowering the plate to cathode snubbers, while adding more snubbing back in across the plate resistors. It took alot of tweaking to find the right combination for my playing style & taste. All this was probably necessary because I used 250k pots instead of the normal 100k, since I didn't have any 100k's in stock.

Thanks again to Erwin for the design / marriage of the BM pre & the non-HRM OD.
Very fun amp to play...it's very hard to make it sound "bad".

Geezer

ps, just remembered.....the 121k & 150k V1 plate resistors are reversed from the "standard" BM. I originally put them in backwards, then switched them when I realized my mistake. The amp sounded worse with them in the "correct" order, so I switched them back to "incorrect".
V1A plate is 121k, & V1B plate is 150k.

Also, you'll notice an extra pot (all the way to the right) on the actual amp. That is a "LarMar" type MV...a leftover from a previous incarnation built into this chassis. It is not shown on the schematic, as I don't use it & it's not needed.

G

[ericlee]

Diamond geezer you are mate, diamond geezer!
Sounds gorgeous and looks cool.
Thanks for the circuit.
Cheers

[10thTx]

The amp tone sounds really excellent to me! Very articulate.

Nice playing too.

With respect, 10thtx

[M Fowler]

DaGeezer,

That amp sounds fantastic I could only open or find the second recording and I would realy enjoy noodling around with that amp

Mark

[da Geezer]

DaGeezer,

That amp sounds fantastic I could only open or find the second recording and I would realy enjoy noodling around with that amp

Mark

Thanks guys!

Mark, try this link....(is that the one you couldn't access, or was it the higher gain one?)

http://soundcloud.com/dageezer/noodles- ... 32011mp3-2

[erwin_ve]

Geezer; that's a great sounding amp and I enjoyed your soundclips!

By lowering the snubbers; Do you bleed a lot of highs to ground with the Od treble bleed control? Just curious.

[M Fowler]

DaGeezer,

Thanks that was another great clip and yes this is the one I couldn't get to work.

Mark

[10thTx]

If someone wants an editable SCH schematic and a (draft) layout, you can find one here:

http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9498.0

With respect, 10thtx

[Sven]

Erwin's amp sounds much better.

[da Geezer]

Erwin's amp sounds much better.

Well, you may be surprised to find that I agree....at least that Erwin's amp is more "traditional" Dumble sounding, & excellent, at that.

However, I wasn't aware that it was a competition, or I would have tried much harder to impress you, sven.

I searched your posts for links to some of your amp soundclips, but was unable find any.....can you post some links so that we can critique them & you can get in on the competition?

TIA, Geezer

[boldaslove6789]

Dageezer, The amp sounds steller !!

[Structo]

Erwin's amp sounds much better.

I don't know if it is a language thing but that was a pretty snarky comment.

[guitardude57]

Hey Geez,

Really nice sounding amp.

Funny how the plate R's sounded better backwards on V1.

Pleasant tone all the way around.
Good job.

[Sven]

However, I wasn't aware that it was a competition, or I would have tried much harder to impress you, sven.

I searched your posts for links to some of your amp soundclips, but was unable find any.....can you post some links so that we can critique them & you than get in on the competition?

TIA, Geezer

¨da Geezer¨ must be American! With all the distancing from other Americans who do not fit this image that pops in my mind while reading ¨da Geezer¨ comments, now I must ¨draw blood¨ here and state that these (Americans) are the people that I met in my life (worked there in the West Coast USA studios for two decades), who almost immediately become very cynical, very defensive in a mean way, when someone tells them the plain facts, the plain truth.

Is there a CRITERIA for what good sound is, or is there NO CRITERIA? Of course there is, otherwise it would be completely pointless to praise some sound of some amp, or state the opposite. Do I have the criteria in my mind, in my ear? You betscha, you bet!

And ... kindly obseve how petty American fascist ¨da Geezer¨ actually took time to actually SEARCH my posts (wow!) to ¨be able¨ to ¨disqualify¨ me from the judging panel on the issue of quality of sounds of D-ckt. amps. Wow! I never did that ... well, it certainly comes from the fact that I am not a little American fascist.

Well, while using my criteria, I obviously did not find myself in the cheering, cowtowing line that applauds the sound of Geezer's amp, so the immediate response from the said Geezer was his infantile set of attempted insults - that sound like he squashed his geezer in a lemon squeezer (corny enough for you?).

Facts are facts, sounds are sounds - and I, as a life-long very experienced pro sound engineer, guitarist and amp builder, and also a person with a degree in Electrical Engineering (not much to do with sound, per se, though, but it helps... in more way than one), state again: The claim here is that ¨Geezer¨ amp is a variation of Erwin's amp. Well, it might look similar and have some similarities as many amps i D-ckt. do here - but, soundwise, it has not much to do with quality and excellence of Erwin's amp as demonstrated by Erwin's clip posted here couple of weeks ago.

I have been on this forum during the past four years, and good D-ckt. sounds have been demonstrated here in that period - most notably, IMO, sound of a memeber from Finland (nick: ¨mat¨), with his early non-HRM D-ckt. amp he made (AWESOME AMP SOUND), and now by this Dutch fellow Erwin with his BM non-HRM amp. he was so kind to disclose (full schematics, too) and demonstrate on this forum.

I am not supposed to demonstrate ¨my own amp¨ to judge sounds of amps - if that was so, I would have had to build more amps in my life than any member on this forum except professional amp builders. I am not a professional amp builder, I just LOVE amps and sounds of good amps, if that is not a problem with other members of this forum, thank you very much.

Judging a good sound is something someone must know, experience and feel. If someone cannot hear what is good in a certain way, I am so sorry ... that is beyond my or anyone's ability to correct and/or improve.

Good sound is something one can or cannot hear - and that is where I rest my case. As always in any studio session .... for many years.

Sound of ¨Geezer¨ amp is below the average sound clip demonstrated here for some time .... it is fuzzy, shallow sound, not improved even by making it wet.

I recommend modification of that amp to be exactly like Erwin's amp. Actually, I am going to build a D-style amp to that exact shcematics of Erwin's amp (thank you Mr. Erwin)!

All the best to sound afficionados on this forum.

[da Geezer]

You must be American!

Yep, and proud of it!

Greatest country EVER TO EXIST on the this planet (IMHO, and)

these (Americans) are the people that I met in my life (worked there in the West Coast USA studios for two decades)

Case in point, you came HERE to work & enjoy our freedom.
However, I don't think there are folks falling over each other to get into B/H (Serajevo).

Sorry (other guys) for the rant, but sven brought up nationality, not me.

Back to my original point.....IF I had asked "how do you think it sounds?", then fire away!
But I just posted the info to share w/ the community that contributed to my (personal) success so that others could use it (or not, at their discretion or desire).
Not looking for any "cheering, cowtowing line in applauding" of my amp, just putting info out there.

I never said "Listen to how much better this amp sounds than Erwin's". I simply posted the info, & there it is.

and I, as a life-long very experienced pro sound engineer, guitarist and amp builder, and also a person with a degree in Electric Engineering

And I am none of the above & make (or made) no claims as such.
I'm just a Red Neck American country boy who builds junk amps for my own enjoyment, in my cluttered basement, & sometimes record them on a $100 setup that I purchased & learned to use several months ago.

So, when (if) you see any of my posts in the future, just skip over them so you can move on to the real pro builders (like yourself) & you don't contaminate your highly developed ears with my infantile trash.

Jeff (Geezer), Virginia, United States of America