Mod 7 : Unleash the brown sound + Marshall plexi sounding way better and cheaper than the sv-20

[pittbull]

Jose used zener diodes

 

[pat_rocks]

I see that, in the larger picture of things, you've circled back to the amp being the source of your brown sound. Just a thread or two ago, it was all about the pedals. I quote:



You might have more luck selling complete "Eddie" pedal chains. Throw in a nice board with a decent power supply (no variacs, no crazy old tropical fish caps, no magic diodes) and make a package deal.



Dave has no idea what the amp was like at the time of recording VH1. Neither was he there, or does he even know which amp may have been used for any given track. Right?



No; that's a reason to buy an SL67 or 68. Those work without unicorn fairydust unobtanium parts, are backed by warranty, do not require one to take part in a raffle and comply with electrical safety standards. To me and apparently most of everyone they sound better, too.



Eh? We *know* that?



The plural of proof is proof, and you have none. Are you going to share this elusive magazine re-print, or does that cost, too? EDIT: I see you added some pics...



Regardless of the credibility of this uncited source of dubious integrity, would you finally knock it off on the 'special transistors'? Given that you've spent the best part of one and a half decades, I presume that you understand how a transistor works, right? Humor us; in layman's terms 'how does a transistor work'? Remember what Einstein said; if you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough.



Yes, you are. How could there be any doubt of this?



Oh, the transistor pair. I'm not into horses, but I detest cruelty to animals and this gratuitous beating of a deceased horse beggars belief. With all due respect, you've had your arse handed back to you so often - pardon my french - that it has more fingerprints than a doorhandle in a public space.

Even if you did somehow create something that sounds good, you won't sell it based on that personal account. When's the studio date?

I agree that we are not sure of what was behind that pot. But there is the point : there is a pot or a switch or even both.

For the transistor thing I spent around 150 bucks in transistors and diodes. I tested different voltages and compositions like germanium. That’s only when I tried to ones which were on schematic that I discovered after that I said bingo. I had a pair that was close but it never boosted the mids like that.

The studio date is probably after I get the echoplex…

I finally received my variac from the hood.

 

[pat_rocks]

Many would call me crazy but I just used it on my plexis and it works well for 15 bucks :



The variac from the hood made in China 15 bucks. Eddie used a light dimer before getting the variac

It could fry my transformers but I’m willing to be the Guinea pea. You can get crazy tones by under volting your plexi and playing with the bias.

 

[ElvisNixon]

I mean this seriously and sincerely @pat_rocks.

Have you ever had a hearing test done? Have you ever had your ears cleaned out by a doctor?

When I was taking entrance exams for university training in audio engineering and production, you had to take and pass a test administered by an audiologist.

They can give you a frequency chart of your ears. Each person hears things differently because nobody’s ears are shaped the same and are of the same size.

The first step is to go to a ear, nose and throat doctor and have them fully clean all the deeply embedded ear wax out. Once you get the all clear from the ENT doctor, head to the audiologist and have a hearing test done. This will show you a frequency plot of your hearing and will reveal any “blind spots” in your hearing.

I suggest the above because you’re just not hearing what everyone else is hearing when listening to your recordings. Of course hearing is not just your ears, it’s also how each person’s ears work with their brain to process sound. If you’re thinking your recordings of your secret $2K amp sound good, there’s something wrong.

Leo Fender was famous for having a tin ear and he designed more than a few famous Fender circuits with gigantic hearing aids in his ears. BUT, he relied on the musicians that he gave gear to to test his theories in the musical real world.

Why not start hanging out where musicians hang out. Go hang out at the local music stores. Go hang out at bars when bands play. Once you have met and told musicians about your amp, let them try your it and give you constructive criticism to improve your design.

I realize that your amp is designed to be a one trick pony, but most modern gigging musicians know what EVH tone sounds like and more importantly, how to play it. You need to quit chasing snipe on the internet and get out there. You need more than schematics to build a great amp, you need a good ear. If you don’t have one, get your amp into the hands of those who do.

Also, the guy who’s writing you quoted is more of a clickbait music gossip columnist than a technical writer hence @PelliX ’s calling bullshit on his writing. I also would never rely upon someone who uses the word “dish” as a verb not a noun.

 

[nortiks]

Given the colorful descriptions of what this amp sounds like, I found the perfect music to use for the product introduction ad.

 

[PelliX]

For the transistor thing I spent around 150 bucks in transistors and diodes. I tested different voltages and compositions like germanium. That’s only when I tried to ones which were on schematic that I discovered after that I said bingo. I had a pair that was close but it never boosted the mids like that.

Did you measure the hFE or "gain" on these and are they a matched pair? Or maybe intentionally skewed? You haven't actually honored my request for you to explain a transistor in simple terms, but that's fine. I wasn't trying to call you out, but rather to encourage you to run through it in your own head. When you explain things to others, you find out what you don't know or understand. I've been explaining technical matters to people since I hit puberty, that old adage really holds true.

The studio date is probably after I get the echoplex…

Cool. I'm geniunely looking forward to that. Also, I would like to fully support everything that ElvisNixon suggested with regard to your hearing. I regularly clean my ears with warm water and a saline solution. You can buy 'ear pumps' (which are rubber balls with a spout, more or less) at a chemist. Not quite as good as the pro jobs, but they go a long way - for me at least.

The variac from the hood made in China 15 bucks. Eddie used a light dimer before getting the variac

Eh, it's a .... yeah, 15 buck variac. It even says "thyristor" on the front. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'd bet the output wave is disgusting on a scope. Better variacs rely on a coil, which is of course also a little more expensive. Now, I don't know what Eddie had, but lighting dimmers WERE often variacs back then, certainly for larger lights or lighting rigs.

I think I *may* have mentioned it before, but you're not doing your valves any favors running them at lower filament voltages. As you're designing this amp vs hacking at an off-the-shelf product - why not incorporate HT voltage adjustment independent of the heater circuit?

 

[nortiks]

All kidding aside, if OP thinks they have the ultimate brown sound amp, why not contact Wolfgang and offer him an endorsement deal?

[edit] If he agrees to evaluate it, you'll find out whether you have something or not from the most credible source still alive.

 

[pat_rocks]

I mean this seriously and sincerely @pat_rocks.

Have you ever had a hearing test done? Have you ever had your ears cleaned out by a doctor?

When I was taking entrance exams for university training in audio engineering and production, you had to take and pass a test administered by an audiologist.

They can give you a frequency chart of your ears. Each person hears things differently because nobody’s ears are shaped the same and are of the same size.

The first step is to go to a ear, nose and throat doctor and have them fully clean all the deeply embedded ear wax out. Once you get the all clear from the ENT doctor, head to the audiologist and have a hearing test done. This will show you a frequency plot of your hearing and will reveal any “blind spots” in your hearing.

I suggest the above because you’re just not hearing what everyone else is hearing when listening to your recordings. Of course hearing is not just your ears, it’s also how each person’s ears work with their brain to process sound. If you’re thinking your recordings of your secret $2K amp sound good, there’s something wrong.

Leo Fender was famous for having a tin ear and he designed more than a few famous Fender circuits with gigantic hearing aids in his ears. BUT, he relied on the musicians that he gave gear to to test his theories in the musical real world.

Why not start hanging out where musicians hang out. Go hang out at the local music stores. Go hang out at bars when bands play. Once you have met and told musicians about your amp, let them try your it and give you constructive criticism to improve your design.

I realize that your amp is designed to be a one trick pony, but most modern gigging musicians know what EVH tone sounds like and more importantly, how to play it. You need to quit chasing snipe on the internet and get out there. You need more than schematics to build a great amp, you need a good ear. If you don’t have one, get your amp into the hands of those who do.

Also, the guy who’s writing you quoted is more of a clickbait music gossip columnist than a technical writer hence @PelliX ’s calling bullshit on his writing. I also would never rely upon someone who uses the word “dish” as a verb not a noun.

Yeah I think you could be right about hearing. But my last audio test was I think 10 years ago I had scored a perfect. So It never came to my mind.

But I don’t know why I also have really issues getting the amp sounding like it sounds irl threw a microphone. My last records were made on cake walk with the gain on my interface turned at 3 o clock. When I changed interface things got way less muddier but it’s still not the same thing.

I think I should or bring the amp to a store and ask people there what they think and record it. But I also have to bring the right cab and that’s shitty because the biggest music store near me is on the second floor of a big building… they only have stairs…

But I thought it would be easier to wait for the studio. Then eBay lost my echoplex… I will probably have to purchase another one.

I sold a small amp with diodes and transitor this week let’s wait for the feedback of this man when he receives it. This will tell us if my hearing is shitty.

Next week I have army service for 3 weeks in Switzerland it’s mandatory for every male citizens to do it each year until they made enough service days. I will lose 3 weeks too there…

Thinking of it about hearing loss i work with m109 artillery tanks that could be an issue with hearing lol. But we use ear protection each time we fire with them.

Same when we use our SIG 550 rifles. Always with protection

 

[PelliX]

I sold a small amp with diodes and transitor this week let’s wait for the feedback of this man when he receives it. This will tell us if my hearing is shitty.

*empties shotglass*

So, did he hear the recordings or the amp first? Damn, boys, that's one less amp in the raffle. Get 'em while they're hot.

 

[pat_rocks]

*empties shotglass*

So, did he hear the recordings or the amp first? Damn, boys, that's one less amp in the raffle. Get 'em while they're hot.

It’s a rob robinette bassman/jtm 45 with a Jose master volume with diodes and transistors. Yeah he listened to it. You can engage and disengage the diodes and transistors with the push pull.



It sounds very good I regretted a little bit to have sold it. It has mustard caps. The cab has shellac’d tweed. So it’s the real deal with p10r vintage edition from Jensen.

I designed the faceplate with Inkscape.

5kg only and it’s very compact with awesome cranked sounds at bedroom volumes.

 

[Marcomel79]

It’s a rob robinette bassman/jtm 45 with a Jose master volume with diodes and transistors. Yeah he listened to it. You can engage and disengage the diodes and transistors with the push pull.

View attachment 157844

It sounds very good I regretted a little bit to have sold it. It has mustard caps. The cab has shellac’d tweed. So it’s the real deal with p10r vintage edition from Jensen.

I designed the faceplate with Inkscape.

5kg only and it’s very compact with awesome cranked sounds at bedroom volumes.

Did you make the cabinet? Looks nice

 

[pat_rocks]

It’s a rob robinette bassman/jtm 45 with a Jose master volume with diodes and transistors. Yeah he listened to it. You can engage and disengage the diodes and transistors with the push pull.

Did you make the cabinet? Looks nice

Thanks. Yes almost everything was handmade on this amp.

If my studio record will be successful I will try to offer a finish extremely cool for a plexi but with pastel colors. I’ll add some classic finishes too.

Completely different from the pastel offered by Friedman amps.

 

[PelliX]

That's a good looking amp.

If it has all that stuff switchable, then I guess, why not.