Metropoulos Forum

Thanks Jnew, Someone had to say it. We all know Ralle walks the talk and does it with style and focus. That was a monster clip! Opinions for the sake of opinions is at bottom just hostility. Why in this thread, who knows.

jnew wrote:HEY SPANKATANGO,
why are you scrutinizing the opinions of a highly regarded member, who's contributions have been instrumental in bringing this forum to a place where early EVH tone is, THE BEST ON THE FU&!NG PLANET. He's just simply saying that, based on his years of experiecing round and round with plexi circuits, that his experience tells him, the basic stock plexi pre-amp circuit characteristics, play a bigger role than authentic trannies and voltages. Can he not just share this without nearly 2 pages of your FUC&^G BANTERING? HE'S DONE ALL THIS SH*&T. And we've listened and learned. And we've built amps and posted clips and shared everything from information and actual parts and pieces amongst.

I'll do ya one better. Have you listened to the Greenback iso's, and the JBL iso's of Runnin With the Devil? You'd be hard pressed to find two polar opposite behaviors of speakers than those two (in that given era) BUT, there is no question about the amp, and its CHARACTERISTICS", to get the picture. It does not sound like two different amps, does it. And it is known that Ed used old, Pulsonic coned Celestions, 70's Blackback 25 watt types and G12H30's as well. Can you tell me which albums/songs had which speakers? I highly doubt it.

So let the guy share his stuff, SHUT THE FU&^K UP, and allow those of us who appreciate knowledge and experience, to take something from this and not waste our time with all your HORSESH*&T.

Thank you Jnew!

I have learned a lot from reading Ralle's post and a lot of people who come one here have for years.

awangotango is always critical about someones post of their mod or build, especially the Mod 5 with it's SQUARE SIGNAL....

awangotango, I tried searching all of your post and went back to 2013 and I cant find an Amp that you built, modded or clip of you playing through either, whats up with that??

So let see a mod that you did, amp that you built, hear you play a clip or something.... if not then chill because your not walking the walk, your just flapping your gums.

We will return to our program after this short break.
http://youtu.be/VGNwXq6vPoI

To be fair Ralle did say

Ralle wrote:Sorry If I sturerd up some old shit, but it's all good fun and interest

I see no harm in asking questions, particularly as so much is not actually known, and it is a good excuse to drag more clips of Ralle's playing

neikeel wrote:To be fair Ralle did say

Ralle wrote:Sorry If I sturerd up some old shit, but it's all good fun and interest

I see no harm in asking questions, particularly as so much is not actually known, and it is a good excuse to drag more clips of Ralle's playing

Absolutely! So lets get started then. Ralle, I can't recall what PT you have in there. Love the old metro irons like you're OT, but not sure if the power section in your amp is original or not. In my experience George's Dognall PT clone can do a pretty good imitation of the original PT's. The 500pf's, the 2.7k and the 47k/16ohm seems like, in most scenarios, would not lend itself to the kind of squishiness you are getting? -The girth yes, but that cool compression is an anomaly. Maybe the PT needs that harder hitting pre amp ( and old school muscular playing like yours) to really sag nicely vs. say the popular 820R, 560pf's and 100k/4ohm tap and dainty playing?

Good stuff. Agreed about that anomaly. Something unique going on there. Ralle, talk a bit on that cap you have in your amp relating to the polarity. You have a cap in there but no polarity switch. What value are you using and how are you wiring it?

Well... don't really know where to start... First I'd like to thank you all for the support... even if I try to stay above any type of bantering, or if someone tend keep a continuasly sceptic possition on what ever issue I'n trying to make, it makes me think; why can't you ( whoever it may consern ) just see it for what it is...
Now I did infact say " sorry for sturing some old shit ", caus I don't want to make any dissrespectfull coments or put anyone elses knoledge down, but I still feel I know what I'm talking about...

Ok, that's that... Now back to the subject: You're right about the pt... that's not an original part in my amp... it's a Drake 1202-80 pt. I chose that one simply due to the voltage it gave me; 455v loaded and the oppertunity of having a dual voltage tap ( never use it though... I allways keep it at 178v )... After a while I switched back to my stock -69 pt, a t2562 from an old -69 head I had ( getting the 490-500v )... for a long time I was content with that... but after a loooong time of hard playing, I switched back to the Drake, and it actually sounded... simply better... everything got better... and I didn't do anything more than just switch the pt... ofcours I checked the voltage and stuff, it read what it was suppose to read ( 455v )... Again I switched back to the t2562... and thought ok this IS a stock original peace, so... why not... let's go with that. It was after that last switch, and long, hard wearing and playing, the tubes started to blow, one ot blew, and I thought I don't want this, nore want it or can't afford it, so I finally switched back to the Drake, and it's still in there... for good...
The rest off the power section is correct acording to that eara... nothing funny about that... I don't have tha polarity switch any more... that was just an odd fase I was going through...
About the pre amp: that's a funny thing I heard when I jerked around with the brightcaps; I heard a change in the shape or charcteristics if you will, when switching to 500pF in both possitions... For many years on this forum, many of us looked towoards the so called Dave F specs, and the 820 ohm/.68u in the leadchannel, plus having 560pF on the ts... not thinking that much of the real original Marshall Superlead schems: 500pF/33k ts and 500pF mixer, together with the same original 2.7k/,68u config... I honoustly have to say that nothing from the Dave F specs sound closer to EVH than this spec does... no 100k/4 ohm tap, no 820 ohm/.68u, no 560pF ts... simply a bone stock superlead... with 47k/16 ohm nfb.
In the transition years around 67-69, there was changes done, but everyone talked about what was done as the FIRST change after the sharerd cathod config, namely 820 ohm/.68u for the lead, and the .0022u coupling... what allso emerged was keeping the .022u coupling while inroducing the 2.7k/.68u... I've seen amps with the split cathods and .022couplings, plus a 33k/500pF ts...
That's where I'm at at the moment...
What I like best about all this is the 500pF in the ts and 500pF/470k mixer thingy... it makse the sound... it let's the glassy, edgy, spitty freqs out by not letting the more fat, upper mids from the bigger brightcap take to space... you'd be supprised what an impact it has...
All this, I should mention, works great with a boosted signal from ( I don't have any echoplex or any pedal ), im my case, the DSD pu or the 500t pu in my Gibson... somewhat makes up for the lack of correct pu and Echoplex, I think...

I have to say Ralph, everything you have done has that familiar Ralle power. Whether it was the JB/cascade faze or the lead up to the stock specs, but this clip is different. This clip is authoritative in a way that has not been heard yet. Funny thing is I was beginning to think that we were done with the quest here, not so! Like Neil says, we still don't know entirely how it all works. Then, not to mention, I love how you can get down to business with a VH riff, right into the bedrock of the thing. Thanks for the spec details, the wheels are starting to turn! It is ironic though that this has all come together; preamp spec and the Drake PT in tandem! It seems a PT is like a levee, you don't know it's there until it starts to leak, but sound wise, it is where things start getting organic. A stronger PT is all business, no surprises, even with a variac it is still deftly working with one hand behind its back. Good stuff again.

Yes, good stuff again. So no more on the polarity cap. Figures. I finally find some Hunt's caps for this endeavor and the rabbit runs to another hole. LOL. Oh well. I'll try it for myself once they get here and have that experience behind me but, the polarity issue did offer tonal differences even without the cap. Nah nah nah nah nah! LOL
Moving on. So is the PT from the 69 Marshall (1202-80 I think) a stand up vs. a lay down? Also, is your OPT THE 1.5" stack or the 2"? I think the Metro is a 1.5" but thought I would ask.

I just wanted to say this is one of the most fun threads Ive read in awhile. Thanks Ralle!! And Jnew, you're killing me with sourcing those hunts death caps!!

jnew wrote: Also, is your OPT THE 1.5" stack or the 2"? I think the Metro is a 1.5" but thought I would ask.

I think he's still using one of Chris m's 2" OT's, hope he is otherwise it's time to splash the cash!

Great stuff as usual Ralle

Nah, it's the 2" laydown Metro 1202-80, dual voltage tap pt...

Ralle wrote:Nah, it's the 2" laydown Metro 1202-80, dual voltage tap pt...

Thought it was Metro C1998OT?

My bad... the OT is the metro c1998 selflead... the Drake 2" is blown since a while back... a shame really cause I'd probably still have it in there... it sounded soooo good...

Can it be rewound Or is it melted?