Blues Deluxe to 102 Complete Build VLOG And Demo

[Chris Brown]

Hi everyone! I just finished another build... this time I did one of the Blues Deluxe conversions that we've been seeing. I used the board from @JazzGuitarGimp and wow what an easy build! The video contains the clips I shot while building as well as some commentary and a short demo.

I went with the screw terminals as an experiment and so far after a month or so of gigging with it, they are still nice and tight. I am becoming less skeptical of them every time I open it up to check if they are still tight lol

I had followed the threads by @pompeiisneaks and @GuitarsByDelaney so when I finally started the project it was really straightforward. I think I forgot to mention in the video that I swapped v1a and b along with v2a and b... after watching pompeiisneaks hunt down that oscillation I wasn't taking any chances lol

Anyway... thanks so much to everyone for contributing here... I never stop learning from you guys.

[Reeltarded]

damn i love the clean and chordal melody sounds great!

[10thTx]

Sweet sounding amp! Excellent playing! Enjoyed the jazz. I sure love the clean tone a lot.

Thanks for sharing the video! I'd be super happy with an amp that sounded like that.

How is the floor noise at idle? Would you say this PCB board allowed you a quiet amp?

with respect, 10thtx

[Colossal]

Chris, very nice work and a great demo.

I see you are using a red Jazz III. Do you prefer the EJ, standard Jazz III, or Sure Grip?

[pompeiisneaks]

Very cool, great to see another build!

~Phil

[xtian]

How is the floor noise at idle? Would you say this PCB board allowed you a quiet amp?

I have built four of these using the PCB Lou and I designed. They all have very low noise floor.

[Chris Brown]

How is the floor noise at idle? Would you say this PCB board allowed you a quiet amp?

I have built four of these using the PCB Lou and I designed. They all have very low noise floor.

lol honestly it's a bit hard for me to gauge because I live in a house built in the 1940s bzzzzz

At gig volume, this one is close to silent on the clean channel, and then with OD and PAB engaged it's not silent but also not overly noisy. Not enough for me to be bothered or try to chase it. My other 102 built with the standard HAD style lead dress is a little bit quieter in OD but about the same on clean. On this build I didn't twist the heaters but instead heatshrinked them together and ran them down the back lip of the chassis so that could play a role in the difference.

[Chris Brown]

Chris, very nice work and a great demo.

I see you are using a red Jazz III. Do you prefer the EJ, standard Jazz III, or Sure Grip?

EJ Jazz III all the way... they are less clicky to my ear. If matte vs gloss was a sound the EJ would be matte. They also seem to wear out with less of a sharp edge than standard Jazz IIIs if that makes any sense.

I spent some time trying the Max Grip but they are a little bit harder to manipulate... I tend to palm the pick with my pointer finger so that I can play with my thumb from time to time and I just couldn't get used to the texture when I would go from playing with my thumb back to holding the pick.

[Colossal]

Chris, very nice work and a great demo.

I see you are using a red Jazz III. Do you prefer the EJ, standard Jazz III, or Sure Grip?

EJ Jazz III all the way... they are less clicky to my ear. If matte vs gloss was a sound the EJ would be matte. They also seem to wear out with less of a sharp edge than standard Jazz IIIs if that makes any sense.

I spent some time trying the Max Grip but they are a little bit harder to manipulate... I tend to palm the pick with my pointer finger so that I can play with my thumb from time to time and I just couldn't get used to the texture when I would go from playing with my thumb back to holding the pick.

I agree 100% and great analogy about matte vs. gloss . The EJ has been my preferred pick for a long time now for that very reason. I buy and horde them, although I was recently assured by Dunlop that they are no danger of being discontinued. Any time I try a "normal" sized pick, it feels like trying to play with a poker chip. Just thought I would ask, as I saw your pick sitting on your amp's handle. Thanks for replying.

[Chris Brown]

Any time I try a "normal" sized pick, it feels like trying to play with a poker chip.

I started using Jazz IIIs about 15 years ago and never looked back... I joke that anything larger than a Jazz III is a "bass pick" When the EJ Jazz IIIs came along it was like an upgrade on something that I already thought was perfect. That's good news about them being in production for the foreseeable future! I am always worried about them being discontinued... I try to buy extra packs every time I order strings but then I end up dipping into my reserve. I have a bag of used ones that some fine-grit sandpaper could probably squeeze an extra lifecycle out of if they ever quit making them haha

[ChopSauce]

Great! I love the way you make things appear so obvious and simple. Still not convinced by the screwed terminals, though ...

[Chris Brown]

Thanks for the kind words y'all!

Great! I love the way you make things appear so obvious and simple. Still not convinced by the screwed terminals, though ...

I just take it one layer at a time, triple-check everything, and then get surprised when it works I am still opening it up and checking them after every gig but they haven't budged. It's going to take me a while to quit worrying that one will vibrate loose at a gig :/