The Bluesmaster

[ayan]

Thought I'd post about some findings with the BM, with hopes that it might help a few folks. Recently, as Chris Sanford was visiting, we decided to try the BM with my Dumble approved 2x12 cabinet loaded with two Eminence speakers, their version of the Classic Lead 80. The amp sounded much better than with the EVM 12L 1x12 cabinet I usually play through and I thought that, once again, there could be some potential there. So I did try the amp at a gig with the EVM and it was just not happening.

Yesterday and today I was messing around with it and found what may be a solution to make the amp morre EVM friendly. First of all, I consulted with Scott as for the "ultimate settings" for the amp and backed off the pre OD trimmer to 25K to ground. Any higher than that and dialing in a good sound gets complicated real quickly. Not that therer wouldn't be any good sounds there, but it becomes a pretty difficult balancing act. Also, I dialed in the the HRM as follows: Middle = 6.5K to ground, Bass = 40K to gound, and Treble = 115K from wiper to the ground lug. I prerviously had the HRM dialed in basically like that, but with the treble lower to avoid the ice pick in the ears effect with the EVM. However, dialing the Treble low is just not the solution here, as Brandon had mentioned to me in the past as well. The sound lacks something if I do that.

I went full steam with the tweaking and removed the 330pF caps at OD1 and OD2 as well, and although that made the amp brighter, it was not necessarily a bad brighter, if that makes any sense. With these settings, the amp sounded terrific with the 2x12, but bright in a bad way the EVM 12L. So, I started trying different caps bypassing the OD Master volume and found that a 100pF cap (fully bypassing the OD Master) makes things workable with the EV. I am going to take the amp, as is, to a gig on Friday and find out how it works for real.

One other thing I will mention is that for amps with a Heyboer multi tap twin OT, I fing that using an 8 ohm speaker with ther impedance selector in the 4 ohm position makes a HUGE difference. The sound becomes honkier, more compressed, and that allows turning up the presence control to past 2 o'clock and dialing in a very cool sound.

Interestingly, the above settings seem to work out well with humbuckers and a Strat, and in the case of the Strat, it works in all 5 pickup pocitions. Very cool. One thing I did get rid of was a 20pF brightness cap I had on the OD Master pot, and I do not have a 47pF cap bypassing the pre OD 470K resistor.

Thanks pretty much it.

Cheers,

Gil