George saw Ed's amp? Spill some beans Mr. Velvet!

[N3m0 7h3 Fi5h]

I wish I had two variacs, one for 90V out of the wall, and the other between amp and speaker. I may just get a 120V -> 90V stepdown transformer for my wall socket, and then use the variac as an attenuator. Try it! You have to get an extension cord , cut it in half, and put 1/4" ends on it, but it's pretty cool.

Instead using second variacs for step down mains voltage... you may used 2A-3A transformer from mains outlets to your amps.. see detail basic circuit.. or "advance" Flexible voltage options in this thread :

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26498" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[erigm]

I wish I had two variacs, one for 90V out of the wall, and the other between amp and speaker. I may just get a 120V -> 90V stepdown transformer for my wall socket, and then use the variac as an attenuator. Try it! You have to get an extension cord , cut it in half, and put 1/4" ends on it, but it's pretty cool.

Instead using second variacs for step down mains voltage... you may used 2A-3A transformer from mains outlets to your amps.. see detail basic circuit.. or "advance" Flexible voltage options in this thread :

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26498" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ah yes, that's a good thread. Yes, you could use a smaller voltage transformer in a boost/buck configuration to get variable voltages. That's a cool project.

When I plug my "plexi" in to a variac I usually only use the 75% (or 90VAC) setting. That's why I think a simple stepdown transformer wold do for me. And then I can get sound isolation from wall noise as well.

[johnnybgoood]

Biased to 50 ma while the variac was at 90 volt I believe it was around 354 v on the screens. Now I am not looking at the paper with the specs so this is not exact but close.. The heaters were around 5 volts with the variac at 90.

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php ... 15#p400790" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What should the heater readings be on Pin 2 for a 100 watt Plexi set at 90 volts??? See attached. George's readings for his 100 watt builds were 3.14 acv for V4 to V7 with 120 wall voltage. It makes sense that the heater readings should be less with an amp variac'd at 90 volts

Can someone please confirm 12 Series Plexi Power Tube Readings for V4 to V7 variac'd down to 90 volts.
Pin 1 BIAS 50-52ma
Pins 2&7 Heaters _________ (2.6 acv ?????)
Pin 3 Plate 355 dcv
Pin 4 Screen 354 dcv

[rgorke]

Just going from memory because my amp is in the cabinet, my heaters were around 2-2.5 with the variac at 90v. I think that that provides some of the mojo, I just don't know how or why?

[tone?]

So did Ed know how to do all this tech stuff or did someone turn him on to it??

WTF???

[johnnybgoood]

So did Ed know how to do all this tech stuff or did someone turn him on to it??
WTF???

Ed was a musical prodigy and not a techie. According to the following interview, his magic plexi has remained stock up to this point, which means he probably didn't touch the inside with a soldering iron.

EVH: I bought an English version, I had my 100-volt Marshall. I bought one through the recycling or the newspaper that was from England, and it was set on 220 volts. I didn't know. So I plugged the thing in, but I'm going, "Fucking thing doesn't work. I got ripped off."

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/music/e ... 12-8147775" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[stump]

Wow, I haven't been active here in quite a while, glad to see everyone is still digging for the secret. I've been spending more time just playing my Metro JMP50 than tweaking anything and have come closer to Ed's tones than I ever have, all with stock specs, except LAR/MAR PPIMV and Zero Loss effects loop, and just having a good time getting better at his style of playing, which isn't even close compared to some of you guys. One of the biggest factors for me is sending a line out, into a Boss RV5 set to Plate, about 85% wet, into a clean amp with just enough volume to give it some separation. This put me in VH1 land and is probably the closest I'll ever get.

In a band I was playing with, some of the biggest VH freaks that were there, were flipping out and chewing my ear off about how they never heard anyone get this close. Of course some of them insisted that my amp could not be stock and there has to be some secret that I'm not sharing. One guy brought me his original 68 JMP 50 Lead to work my magic, said I could epoxy the "secret" so no one could ever steal it. I retubed it, set the bias, cleaned up a couple scratchy pots, added a LAR/MAR MV(in the second speaker jack so it can be brought back to stock without decreasing value) and had him come over so I could finish "tuning" it to his playing style. The guy played for about an hour, excellent player and he does VH really well, and at the end was so happy that he now had the sound. I showed him how to use the line out on the Hot Plate to send the signal into the reverb and/or delay, into another amp set clean. I charged him for the new tubes, LAR/MAR parts and labor, he was surprised how little I charged him and gave me a nice tip, he also said that I am the only guy that will be working on his amps from now on, which made me feel really good.

About a week later I told him about "the secret" mod that I did to his amp and how Ed basically used a stock 100 watter and that his playing, the mixing board, mics, production, etc. are all part of the magical Brown Sound. He no longer chases gear, as much anyway, to get the sounds that he's looking for, but focuses on the whole vibe instead. As fun as it is modifying amps, trying new pickups and searching for a certain sound, I find that, for me, playing the songs to the best of my abilities and digging the tone that I have at that moment in time gives me the best results, more so than trying to have the exact gear and signal path. This is how I did things when I was young, I played what I had and did my best with it.

My goal, this year, is to build a 100 watt Super Lead and a JTM 45, which should finish off my Marshall wish list. I have an old Dukane P.A. that will probably become a JTM 45 until I can afford to get everything I need for the real one. It can be fun chasing the exact tone of our hero's, especially if you can build and modify it yourself, but for some people it becomes an obsession that detracts from their playing and they spend more time chasing their tail than making music. Dave Friedman was absolutely right saying to have fun, after all that's what it's all about. Sorry for the long post.

[Strat78]

You put a lar/mar in an original 68 JMP 50 Lead!?!?

[stump]

Sure did. Completely reversible. The customer really wanted it, I advised against it, but figured as long as it's completely reversible then it's better than someone else hacking it up. I put it in place of one speaker jack.

[Strat78]

Sure did. Completely reversible. The customer really wanted it, I advised against it, but figured as long as it's completely reversible then it's better than someone else hacking it up. I put it in place of one speaker jack.

It's very cool that you did not gauge your client. My appologies, I'm just on an anti PPIMV kick these days, I don't know, it's just hard to get the lar/mar to sound right without changing other things in the amp, but that's only if your client obsesses like we do. Keep us posted on your next builds, I've got a JTM 45/100 brewing with a Dom block end chassis, the whole nine yards!

[stump]

I talked him out of doing an effects loop. He was willing to do anything to get the tone and basically had it the whole time. I find the PPIMV works well when used in conjunction with an attenuator, a little of each instead of a bunch of one. In his defense, the amp really needed power tubes and bias, this made a big difference.

[inkaddict80]

Don't forget Pete Thorns Suhr SL68 vid on YT where he demonstrates both vh1 and vh2 tone. Same amp-just drastically different pickup choices for each tone and......... it works and fits. So that kinda is another myth buster on the 50watt theory.
He goes from pure killer vh1 tone (DSD) to vh2 tone (PAF) and both are pretty nailed in my opinion. With the amp on ten and no hocus pocus in between the guitar and amp. That vid sells me on the straight in cranked method straight up.

Oh do you speak facts! this is end game here! why in the hell is anyone even asking questions about VH's amp?
this guy has it in spades with a non marshall amp Who is this dude? hands down BEST i ever heard!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLBE3 ... age#t=706s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ironically that sounds more like a old PAF than a dimarzio even though it definitely is?

holy crap. Its crazy that he says its based on a late 60s plexi but it has more gain than my 2203.

[vanhalen5150]

This is kinda interesting.

http://www.evhgear.com/news/2013/08/ask ... glass-amp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Moral of the story: If it sounds good don't mess with it.

[tone?]

This is kinda interesting.

http://www.evhgear.com/news/2013/08/ask ... glass-amp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Moral of the story: If it sounds good don't mess with it.

"doesnt sound as good as it used to"

Thought Friedman fixed it to sound like it used to??

[vanhalen5150]

Well I think Dave brought it back to as original as he could with what was brought to him. Who knows what was in the "original" as when Ed thought it sounded its best. A lot of guys have had their hands in there so Dave really wouldn't have been able to know all the changes from what it was the late 70's version. We know what was in a stock 12000 but everytime someone had a look in it, they probably had the "well here's your problem lady". "You need a new J rod and extension converter". Dave could build him a new amp that would blow his mind I'm sure.

And so could I!