Fine tuning/Blueprinting your amp-

[andyhardy]

and one more From Henry

https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.ph ... ht=section

In the OD section (V2) fiddling with snubber cap values, plate values, bypass cap values, seriesed entrance caps and bleeder caps at the exit are all great ways to adjust tone in a non-HRM overdrive section. Lets start a discussion on tweaking this part of the amplifier - failures and sucess stories.
I've developed a few good non-technical rules of thumb.
For the purpose of this post assume preamp Baseline is 220k/150k plates w/ 5uF bypass on V1 using a .05 uF coupler to the OD section (standard non-HRM values).
R.O.T. 1. If you use larger bypass caps or lower plates on V1 (or both) series in another .05 cap after the relay so the OD gets less bass. Adjust cap value to taste.
R.O.T. 2. If the overdrive sounds great but the overall tonality does not match the preamp i.e. noticeably less bass in OD mode or noticably more bass. Adjust the value of V2a coupling cap I've had good sucess witrh values all the way from .05 (makes OD bassier) to .002 (removes bass from OD tone).
R.O.T. 3. OD has top end fizz - use a circuit like Gil's at the level pot - I like .001 feeding 150k to ground

[212Mavguy]

$.02...from an admittedly incredibly iganorant point of view. So that means it's worth about a thousandth of that .02 perhaps.

Not every D-clone user has the kind of circuit, parts, and theory knowledge that the "great ones" have shared in this thread, most definitely, specifically me! I never built one, (yet) i'm just learning as much as I can, spending lots of time, I bought a couple books, (Blencowe, O'Connor) but I still am a tenth of one on a scale of ten compared to every one else on this thread when it comes to circuit knowledge and theory, as well as experience building. Hard for me to wrap my brain around some of the stuff in them, it soaks in slowly.

Yet, I have been very sucessful in getting my commercially made amps to sound exactly the way I want them to without touching the insides, other than adjusting trimmers and bias settings. Since I'm not as confident as some to swap components, I changed other variables:

Tubes, speakers, cabs, output tube bias settings, occasionally using or not my Weber MASS for the line out/control of tone to house board, as well as small to medium amounts of volume attenuation, using or not using my C-lator, even pickup heights and pole piece settings have good use in helping an instrument respond well to the amp used. One of my 3 clones works best for me with no fx buffer, the only 100w one I have likes to have both the buffer and the MASS hooked up for decent, "other performer friendly" stage volumes.

I have a few hundred vintage tubes, mostly 12ax7's, a decent amount and variety of 5751's and US as well as euro at's. There are only a handful of 12ax7's ever made that I don't have at least one example of, so I'm as well acquainted with their tonal voices as some are with their rn65's, pihers, CC resistors, and their preference for different films in their orange drops or other cap formulations.

Have early 6l6's, el34's, Brit kt66's and socket adapted 23w and 35w 6bg6ga's, a personal fave output tube. I use no current production tubes, ever, or speakers unless they are custom recones. Have tried quite a few different speakers in 12 and 15 inch, in single one or two speaker cabs, or a pair of 2 speaker cabs. I favor vintage Altec and JBL types, some original, some unusually reconed, for their tonal warmth and harmonic content as well. I have a decent amount of cabs, must be at least eight to choose from, and a good 20+ speakers to use in them.

My amps bloom and sing quite well, and at realistic stage and room volumes, I play Humbucker equipped guitars pretty much all the time, but occasionally I use a 12 string acoustic with a SD Mag Mic in the sound hole, it sustains/sings pretty nicely! I use a pedal steel volume pedal from Keith Hilton in front of the inputs, so that gives me some unusual flexibility in feedback/sustain/bloom control.

So I guess my point is that by maipulating things external to the guts a huge impact to results can be obtained, for better or worse. In my experiences, the speakers and cabs can have a larger effect than the tube choices used. Sorry if my post offends.

Respectfully,

Gary

[Structo]

Hi Gary,

Sounds like you have the hunger to learn a lot about tube amps.

And yes, if you can achieve your tonal goals by not going inside the amp that is fine.

I think you will find if and when you build your first amp that a lot of things will make better sense because you will be able to see and hear the changes these mods do to the amp.

A full ODS build may be down the road but you can always experiment with some less complex builds like a Deluxe or other amp that has a lower parts count.
Keep on learning!
I know that is what has kept me here, besides the awesome group of guys here.

[212Mavguy]

Thanks, now time to gaff tape the keyboard and pull up a chair to ah, listen...