cGil Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 I was getting that terrifying death rattle tonight from a bbq charcoal starter. But it was sitting on top of one of my 1x12's, so duuuh! :- btw, those Marshall Vintage/Modern 50watters sound pretty freeking good for a pcb amp mon! It's like a channel-jump'd plexi, with a digital reverb chip and an effects loop. The reverb turned out to be really nice, but I didn't like the modern gain boost or the mid boost at all. I wasn't expecting the vintage side of it to sound so sweet, though. Very impressive. And very much like the old school Bassman era Marshall amps, but with a warm round KT66 tone. Anyway, I got it all biased up, and the owner's ecstatic. He hadn't really heard it yet cuz he got it used... with 6L6's in it no less. Totally wrong tube for that amp! But it rocks now! The owner has even decided to dump his Super Reverb cuz it just got its @$$ kicked! Good news for me. That FSR has been a real tube munching pain in the back for me to keep biased down here on the coast! Too bad Leo woudn't spring for something a little better than tarpaper for a circuit board. Gil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 I was getting that terrifying death rattle tonight from a bbq charcoal starter. But it was sitting on top of one of my 1x12's' date=' so duuuh! '](*,) btw, those Marshall Vintage/Modern 50watters sound pretty freeking good for a pcb amp mon! It's like a channel-jump'd plexi, with a digital reverb chip and an effects loop. The reverb turned out to be really nice, but I didn't like the modern gain boost or the mid boost at all. I wasn't expecting the vintage side of it to sound so sweet, though. Very impressive. And very much like the old school Bassman era Marshall amps, but with a warm round KT66 tone. Anyway, I got it all biased up, and the owner's ecstatic. He hadn't really heard it yet cuz he got it used... with 6L6's in it no less. Totally wrong tube for that amp! But it rocks now! The owner has even decided to dump his Super Reverb cuz it just got its @$$ kicked! Good news for me. That FSR has been a real tube munching pain in the back for me to keep biased down here on the coast! Too bad Leo woudn't spring for something a little better than tarpaper for a circuit board. Gil... Yeah the 50 watt Marshalls do sound very nice,but you really have to be able to crank em up to hit the sweet spot....not a problem in a big club,but a little insane in a small bedroom. That's what Valve Jr's are for! I can imagine in humid misty conditions those Fender tag boards probably conduct where they shouldn't Ehhh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cGil Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Yeah, those old Fender board just suck up all this "swimmin'-in-the-air" kind of humidity. I spray the board with cleaner every time, but it seems to only last a few weeks before it becomes conductive again. I wanted to rebuild it with a decent board, but I'm not sad to see it go. Insane in the membrane in my converted 2 car garage. That's what that Marshall is. Love it! Of course, when you're biasing someone's amp, ya gotta crank it up all the way to check for crossover distortion, right? That's my canned excuse, anyway, you know, in case the cops come to bust me for making so much noise. Anyway, you know I had to let the guy have some fun while he was here checking out his amp. Poor old Zack is bummed cuz his drummer moved away. Me too. Man, those guys were getting as tight as Clapton's band in that Badge video. Oh well. Might've found him a replacement, though. AbbeyRd was here last night when Zack stopped by, and now it looks like AbbeyRd's 22 yr old son is gonna audition for the job. He's does have one hell of a nice drum kit, but I haven't heard him play. Hope it works out cuz I'd really like to see that band back in action. Besides, the bars they played at have kinda fizzled since the band broke up. Gil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Yeah' date=' those old Fender board just suck up all this "swimmin'-in-the-air" kind of humidity. I spray the board with cleaner every time, but it seems to only last a few weeks before it becomes conductive again. I wanted to rebuild it with a decent board, but I'm not sad to see it go. Insane in the membrane in my converted 2 car garage. That's what that Marshall is. Love it! Of course, when you're biasing someone's amp, ya gotta crank it up all the way to check for crossover distortion, right? That's my canned excuse, anyway, you know, in case the cops come to bust me for making so much noise. Anyway, you know I had to let the guy have some fun while he was here checking out his amp. Poor old Zack is bummed cuz his drummer moved away. Me too. Man, those guys were getting as tight as Clapton's band in that Badge video. Oh well. Might've found him a replacement, though. AbbeyRd was here last night when Zack stopped by, and now it looks like AbbeyRd's 22 yr old son is gonna audition for the job. He's does have one hell of a nice drum kit, but I haven't heard him play. Hope it works out cuz I'd really like to see that band back in action. Besides, the bars they played at have kinda fizzled since the band broke up. Gil... [/quote'] That kind of humidity can be brutal on gear! When I was doing lighting and sound in Fl in the 80's we did a Beach Boys show right on Miami beach......it was a huge undertaking and could have led to some high paying tour work with the Beach Boys....well we didn't get the gig because our lights kept "ghosting" (coming in at wierd times and stuff). It turns out that the sea air was causing hell with the dimmer packs we had to keep 4 guys with hairdryers on them all night to get through the show.....when we got back to the shop we tore the dimmers apart and replaced the boards with epoxy potted versions...but we didn't get the tour....oh well I was never a big Beach Boys fan anyway! Zack has a great future ahead of him from what I herd of his playing....hope it all works out....it sucks when you lose a close bandmate to school or job change or married life....all of those band killers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Hell Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 Well she is all back together and sounding great. I'll be able to do the Trio mod in my sleep at this rate. The only nit-picking thing left is that my attenuator (10-uator) stops working at a certain point. If you turn it down to around "3" it just abruptly stops putting out sound. I reflowed everything and even cut everything that was going to the line out and it still does it. I'm a little stumped at this point. It does work from 3 - 10 so it is totally usable but I'd like to have it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cGil Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Oh great. Dimmers too, huh? I suppose that would include my variac. I'll just have to keep that in mind. Oh well, I only use it for fresh build startups, and I've got a can of tuner cleaner, just in case. Meanwhile, I've got the Billy Hell fever. Gotta build me a Street Musician golf cart tube amp. Okay, so I don't have a golf cart or even golf clubs. But I do have a riding mower. That'll have to do. I can't get over how small those 125A OT's are. I could probably squeeze that amp into a stomp box if I keep the batteries outboard. Gil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cGil Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Bummer! Does the amp work okay without the 10uator in line to the speaker? If so, hopefully Bruce or somebody can step in to help you figure this one out. Gil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Hell Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 It does work fine sans the attenuator and even with it as long as I don't go below 3. Monday morning picking is at hand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Hell Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 Well since you mentioned my mode of travel at outdoor events I thought I would include some photos of the fun we have! The golf cart! The golf cart in action: My pink 3/4 strat in the field: A late night 9 string sesson: Jamming on the 9 string while a 35% airplane hovers behind: Myself, Billy 2 (great heavy metal player) and Chris (toured with Blues Travlers): Hanging: When I'm not in the gold cart the Caddy is the next best thing - longer too: If you travel the country with your home on your back you need plenty of hats - these span from when I was 15 to now: Ready for the next show! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cGil Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Mmmm mmmm mmmmm mmm mmmm! Sorry, but I think somebody dun parked right in the middle in your campsite. Don'tcha hate it when they do that? Gil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Hell Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 Luckily that was my Nashville event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Quite the rig there Billy! Do you spend alot of time on the road? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strangedogs Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Like Dwight Yoakam sings... "Guitars, Cadillacs and Hillbilly Music..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Hell Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 Yes but not in the way you think. I had a little rock band in LA in the 90's (great time to be in LA) called Saint Christopher. I worked special effects in the movies to make my money. After moving to Nashville I started a label for alt.country/Texas music. I was the first guy in Nashville to buy digital rights to music (no one owned an iPod or MP3 player a the time). 2 years later I lost he label (dot com bomb) and started flying RC planes to remain calm in the midst of loosing my label and having a baby on the way and just purchased a new house. Now I run the world's large radio control web site. That is a long way to say about once a month I hit the road to cover RC airplane events by taking photos and doing live feeds via the web. The cool part is that all my guitars and amps travel with me in the Hell Wagon and at night we jam, cook steaks and have a great time. I really enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarGeezers Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Flying, cooking , Jamming.... don't get much bettern' that eh....!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Yes but not in the way you think. I had a little rock band in LA in the 90's (great time to be in LA) called Saint Christopher. I worked special effects in the movies to make my money. After moving to Nashville I started a label for alt.country/Texas music. I was the first guy in Nashville to buy digital rights to music (no one owned an iPod or MP3 player a the time). 2 years later I lost he label (dot com bomb) and started flying RC planes to remain calm in the midst of loosing my label and having a baby on the way and just purchased a new house. Now I run the world's large radio control web site. That is a long way to say about once a month I hit the road to cover RC airplane events by taking photos and doing live feeds via the web. The cool part is that all my guitars and amps travel with me in the Hell Wagon and at night we jam' date=' cook steaks and have a great time. I really enjoy it![/quote'] Need Help?? Sounds good to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 you guys had better watch what you're saying in here. You already got me hooked on amps. but do you really want me in control of things that fly through the air with sharp blades on the front???? I suggest you use 'cake baking' as a code for all dangerous subjects, as a public service. TWANG all my model airplanes either sat on a shelf.. or had a rubber band to tighten. a little lighter fluid and we had a genuine dogfight for 65 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Hell Posted August 27, 2008 Author Share Posted August 27, 2008 I'd like to round out all of these postings to say that my little 5 watt Valve Junior is everything I had hoped for in a 5 watt amp. With the mods it is all the crunchy, raunchy, clean and everything in between I could have hoped for. I'm sure there are better amps out there but for what I use it for I could not be happier. I'm also running it through the speakers my 1972 MusicMan 212HD One Thirty (2x12) and my lord it sounds amazing. Sustain like you hear on Santana, squeelies ala ZZ top and the clean is nice and chimey as well. The attenuator also lets me do all these things without blowing out my ears (which are already pretty blown from the 90's). Sorry to be long winded but the amp in conjunction with my Tele are just inspiring. So if you, like I was, are out researching small tube amps on the web then consider the Valve Jr. a cost effective tone machine that is highly tweakable. I want the shirt and tattoo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strangedogs Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 I agree - my VJ with my Strat is just a whole night of fun and with my LP it's got enough crunch to satisfy my Marshall addiction too. Best lil' amp I've ever owned - 1 knob and pure tonal bliss. Loves pedals too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Lister Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 I want the shirt and tattoo! For the same $$ I'll take another pedal (or 2) to add yet another dimension to my V3 tone arsenal. Like most everyone here' date=' I completely agree with your VJr. [b']TONE for VALUE[/b] statement. Hit every BLUE NOTE baaaby..., I'm going to play on:-" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarGeezers Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 BH, howz' about a RCG logo that looks like your amp ....hahahaha COOL huh??? with big googly eyes...would make great decals ...to go with the T-shirt and tattoo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Hell Posted August 28, 2008 Author Share Posted August 28, 2008 SG - Interesting idea...hmmm. Steven - I've been running an RP350 through the Valve Junior and that has been a lot of fun. For the first time in a long time I am spending more time with just the git and the amp (no pedals). That is something new to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 SG - Interesting idea...hmmm. Steven - I've been running an RP350 through the Valve Junior and that has been a lot of fun. For the first time in a long time I am spending more time with just the git and the amp (no pedals). That is something new to me. That's how I like these little guy's too....straight up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarGeezers Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Sorry Guys, I still need my 3SBs for the trippy' stuff... VJrs Love pedals!!! ...used tastefully ,of course... hahahahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspeed Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Yes but not in the way you think. I had a little rock band in LA in the 90's (great time to be in LA) called Saint Christopher. I worked special effects in the movies to make my money. After moving to Nashville I started a label for alt.country/Texas music. I was the first guy in Nashville to buy digital rights to music (no one owned an iPod or MP3 player a the time). 2 years later I lost he label (dot com bomb) and started flying RC planes to remain calm in the midst of loosing my label and having a baby on the way and just purchased a new house. Now I run the world's large radio control web site. That is a long way to say about once a month I hit the road to cover RC airplane events by taking photos and doing live feeds via the web. The cool part is that all my guitars and amps travel with me in the Hell Wagon and at night we jam' date=' cook steaks and have a great time. I really enjoy it![/quote'] Small world after all. I have a mini speed wing and a slowstick. I was totally addicted to that hobby and your site for a while! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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