No joy from the 50 watt Bluesmaster clone

[Mark]

That is a nice song by RD, I liked his stuff with JW too.

I'll have to post voltages and a clip, regrettably it won't be as good as RD stuff, but it should illustrate my point.

I will put the PAB switch in the amp, which I'm sure will deliver extra gain, however there will be a tonal change. I like having the tone controls engaged as I can add mids and bass when using the PRS and remove them when using the Les Paul. The Strat and the overdrive channel seem to be an area where the PAB could be well received as it does sound a bit rattle-y compared to the humbuckers.

I'm pretty happy with how I have the HRM controls the cleans and overdrive sound "right" to me. However I think the amp should be feeding back a bit more freely. Perhaps the 47pF cap across the 470K feeding the drive trim pot would be a good place to start?

[jurgen]

Hi Tony

Is the Derringer clip skyliner? bluesmaster?

cuz... damn!

[talbany]

Hi Tony

Is the Derringer clip skyliner? bluesmaster?

cuz... damn!

Hi jurgen

The Derringer is pretty much a straight up a Skyliner/HRM in a 4 6V configuration (not Bluesmaster)..There are a few details I cannot mention (trade secrets) however on his we used a 4.7K NFB resistor .. 50w Marshall OPT iron with around 460 (Bassman Style PT) on the plates of a quad of JJ's..That should get you real close..
BTW..Rick uses Warrior guitars loaded w/Fralins..When I spoke with Lindy he mentions Rick gets his P-90's pretty hot..Although Rick's known for being a Rock guy he can blow through many different styles at you and very diverse talent..

Take Care!

Tony

[dogears]

Send the man a complimentary VVT tuner!!

Gotta say that clip was not impressive..... Not the amp I am sure. Micing made it real thin and almost buzzy. Plus the bad out of tune thang......

For those who think an HRM doesn't deliver gain on the OD side here is a clip of Rick Derringer playing an amp I built.. a 4X 6v stock HRM circuit PAB engaged plugged straight in..Also Craig Bartock Heart..100w HRM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNz2VhCJ3B0

Hope this helps!!

Tony

[jurgen]

Hi Tony

Is the Derringer clip skyliner? bluesmaster?

cuz... damn!

Hi jurgen

The Derringer is pretty much a straight up a Skyliner/HRM in a 4 6V configuration (not Bluesmaster)..There are a few details I cannot mention (trade secrets) however on his we used a 4.7K NFB resistor .. 50w Marshall OPT iron with around 460 (Bassman Style PT) on the plates of a quad of JJ's..That should get you real close..
BTW..Rick uses Warrior guitars loaded w/Fralins..When I spoke with Lindy he mentions Rick gets his P-90's pretty hot..Although Rick's known for being a Rock guy he can blow through many different styles at you and very diverse talent..

Take Care!

Tony

Thanks very much.

[Mark]

Dear Dogears

I'm showing my ignorance here, but which clip are you referring to?

I thought the tone of the RD clip was good, the Heart clip worked on two levels, firstly I was surprised by how much weight Ann Wilson has put on.

Secondly the Strat tones had a bit more gain than than I can coax from my amp. Maybe he was using the PAB or hot pickups?

As stated earlier the basic tone of the amp is good, however, the thing never feeds back (at a reasonable volume) and I don't really get enough compression from the amp when playing single notes. I will record the amp when I have sufficient time.

There have been comments about tuning the amp, does this mean adjusting the trimmers or modifying the circuit?

If you mean modifying the circuit I would appreciate advice regarding your experiences. What did you do and what were the results?

[dogears]

Hi Mark,

I use the 470pf across the 470. It helps.

Also, the PAB is required for OD tones. I always use PAB + OD. Plenty of gain that way.

Here is my Bludo Bluesmaster. PAB and OD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZK7NXuruq8

[Mark]

Thanks for the tip and the clip.

I had intended try a variety of caps (on a switch) in this position as it seemed to me 47pF across a 470K resistor isn't as Marshall like as 470pF across a 470K resistor.

Much appreciated.

[Mark]

I've had a new development. Tony mentioned to me, that I might have wired the master volumes like a non HRM amp. This is exactly what I've done.

The amp sounds brighter and clearer. I still think it sounds buzzy though.

I have only played the amp at low volumes, does this make a difference or is it the ideal way to judge the quality of the distorted tones?

[Structo]

The volume level plays an extremely important role, as with just about any amp.

The tone will change dramatically from bedroom to gig level.

Especially if you are running much of a bright cap on the Master.
As you turn up, it has less effect.

[vibratoking]

Also, the PAB is required for OD tones. I always use PAB + OD. Plenty of gain that way.

Is this true for HRM AND non-HRM?

[mlp-mx6]

No, this is only applicable for HRM.

If you don't go to PAB then you have 2 tone stacks (and the inherent signal losses) in effect. If you do engage PAB with HRM then you only have the HRM stack dropping the signal level. This is also closer to the Marshall topology where the tone stack is last in the chain before the PI.

[talbany]

No, this is only applicable for HRM.

If you don't go to PAB then you have 2 tone stacks (and the inherent signal losses) in effect. If you do engage PAB with HRM then you only have the HRM stack dropping the signal level. This is also closer to the Marshall topology where the tone stack is last in the chain before the PI.

This is why you need to adjust the HRM stack w/ PAB engaged..

Tony

[Mark]

Okay, I'm happy to say JOY AT LAST!

I didn't have to get the CRO out which was good.

The problem it turns out was one of the Switchcraft jacks used to connect the Dumbleator, it was making a bad contact and somehow corrupting the tone of the amp?

It also prevent the amp delivering full power as it made a poorer connection.

I will have to either replace it or move it to a position where the wiper isn't used.

It sounds good with the Strat and the humbuckers, back to tweaking trimmers.

I have compared the Boogie Celestion (90 Watt) speaker to two Celestion 65's. The 65's sound great!

Was there a speaker these amps were intended for?

Thanks to all here for their assistance, particularly Tony Albany, Jelle, TubeDogSmith and Structo.

[jelle]

Mark,

Great news. Those switchcraft jacks have caused me some headaches too. My suggestion is Vintage 30's or the G-65's.

Have fun!

jelle