I can ignore mismatches based on experience and like the outcome.
I think a magic number for 34s in a pair might be 5k-5k5. That would probably work with all the popular tube types. I wonder if anyone ever tried it!!? lol
On another note The Mule was a 1987 turned off the chart gain freak 3 stage with 16/16/32 filtering and I DARE say I could probably get away with half of that all the way across. Not a hint of hum and it sounds crazy good. The lead dress looks like Exhibit A from a rape trial.
Signatures have a 255 character limit that I could abuse, but I am not Cecil B. DeMille.
The Mule? Sounds large... But not because of the filtering.
And are you saying you dig the mismatching of the JTM? I may be wrong in pin pointing the impedance as the culprit, I mean, if the old Marshalls sound that good, how can that be the problem? I really don't know what else could be the issue. Maybe my choice of going with low volts? I like the very early breakup, but the tone is not tight and is granular when driving harder.
I stuffed a JCM800 2204 circuit into a Fender Champ chassis using Trainwreck Pacific PT and Dynaclone A470-S 4k3 OT and the think is crazy loud with nice tones. EL34's naturally.
I also like the JTM45 with SS recto, EL34's and 3k4 OT. Like a JTM50.
I wired up the 3.4K and this bitch is finally responding the way I'm accustomed to... I'm with you, Mark. The sound is holding together MUCH better and is hardly grainy now. Happy about that. Sounds more like a Bassman should!
However, I don't know if my recent preamp tube rolling choices in there now have made her painfully bright. Gotta keep on rolling! For one, that speaker's qualities that make EL84s sound orgasmic work in the opposite way for the 6L6 variety, from what I can tell. I need another Crossroads.
And Miles, I knew you were foreign, I just didn't know you bred mules... Can I have one??
I wired up the 3.4K and this bitch is finally responding the way I'm accustomed to... I'm with you, Mark. The sound is holding together MUCH better and is hardly grainy now. Happy about that. Sounds more like a Bassman should!
However, I don't know if my recent preamp tube rolling choices in there now have made her painfully bright. Gotta keep on rolling! For one, that speaker's qualities that make EL84s sound orgasmic work in the opposite way for the 6L6 variety, from what I can tell. I need another Crossroads.
And Miles, I knew you were foreign, I just didn't know you bred mules... Can I have one??
I did a few mods to my JTM45, that made me love it even more. I stayed with the tube rectifier, but upped the preamp filter caps to 32uf. Used the 3.3k with EL34's, and I think I reduced the cathode bypass cap to maybe 5uf or even 1uf.
This tightens up the bass, without losing any of the bloom.
But note that my goal was to make it sound perfect for a strat.
I think I can attribute the overly bright tone to the speaker, although I really do think the tone was a good bit darker with those other primary taps. Pretty sure I read that somewhere sometime about the effects of straying from the design center of certain tubes regarding the primary impedance. Like I said, as soon as I get my other Crossroads, I'll know for sure. It's funny how the Elegant can be incredible with some tubes and really not pleasing with others..
As for modifications... I agree that more filtering in the pre would do some good, but switching to proper impedance seems to have helped a lot. I think I'll leave it as is for a while because this is basically how the old Bassmans were built and I only try to improve circuitry if I think an amp ABSOLUTELY needs it. Besides, I'm planning another build into my gutted 5B6 with high filtering, SS rect and EL34s, so I'll essentially get what those mods would be aiming for anyway. Looking forward to a mean and snarly Plexi!
Part of the Express thing is the high primary. It is not in linear territory anymore. That sounds a little bit shrill to me. Up 30% puts a face on a dullish amp and makes it cranky at at full tilt.. more than that starts being a little weak on the lowend, tweaky like a meth addict on the top.
You like smooth. Saaaaaailing.. takes me awa.. Hey Nineteen! We can't dance to.. No we can't talk at.. If you get caught between the moon and new yo..
You know.. smoooth.
Signatures have a 255 character limit that I could abuse, but I am not Cecil B. DeMille.
Reeltarded wrote:Anyone have an Express running mid-3k or less?
Part of the Express thing is the high primary. It is not in linear territory anymore. That sounds a little bit shrill to me. Up 30% puts a face on a dullish amp and makes it cranky at at full tilt.. more than that starts being a little weak on the lowend, tweaky like a meth addict on the top.
You like smooth. Saaaaaailing.. takes me awa.. Hey Nineteen! We can't dance to.. No we can't talk at.. If you get caught between the moon and new yo..
You know.. smoooth.
Seriously, can I paypal you for some of your smoke??
By the way, Steely Dan is one of my favorite bands. We should hang out, listen to Countdown To Ecstacy and do some of the blue stuff.
Wouldn't it be neat to have a constantly variable primary on the OT? 3.4k detent, bias in the middle and start turning the knob. Too much trouble for a teardown/replacement. I don't stray far off the beaten path around there or the power supply.
Signatures have a 255 character limit that I could abuse, but I am not Cecil B. DeMille.
Me neither, Miles. Plenty more to come up with in the pre! At this point I think Jim was mismatching for proper impedance back then. I personally don't care for 8K or 6.6K. Probably heresy to some. I'm just trying to give my true feelings regarding my evaluation. I may switch out that OT for my true Bassman OT in my gutted 5B6. The current one in there now with the triple primary only has the 8R secondary. My true Bassman OT has 4, 8 and 16. I need the 16 for the full 4x12 cab with each Crossroads at 16R a piece. Gonna need different color endbells...
Now I need to build an Express and see if the 6.6K OT will bother me.
Reeltarded wrote:Anyone have an Express running mid-3k or less?
Part of the Express thing is the high primary. It is not in linear territory anymore. That sounds a little bit shrill to me. Up 30% puts a face on a dullish amp and makes it cranky at at full tilt.. more than that starts being a little weak on the lowend, tweaky like a meth addict on the top.
You like smooth. Saaaaaailing.. takes me awa.. Hey Nineteen! We can't dance to.. No we can't talk at.. If you get caught between the moon and new yo..
You know.. smoooth.
I built an 80w Express that didn't go very well stability wise so I converted it to a Reverb Rocket. Uses Edcor 100w 600vct PT and Edcor 100w 3k3 OT. I like it best with a pair of KT88 rather than 4 EL34's.
