Warming the Tubes back up

[Leon]

I blame the increased activity on the forum, entirely

I've got a cursory pedalboard going, with a new midi controller (Tech21 Midi Mongoose) controlling the Studio and 2:90 via the Gizmo, and right now I'm working on updating my Two Note Torpedo Live, and maybe getting another midi cable to change channels on that, too.

This morning, much to my wife's dismay, I got the amp running hard into the 2:90 turned up running through one of my 2x12's, and I think I got like 3 chugs in. It was so loud, and sounded SO FUCKING GOOD. Man. I miss playing live.

Anyways... :worth:

[Budda]

Heathen.

Wait...

[bigdave]

Nice, I think Im gonna warm up some tubes tomorrow. .. its been a while.

[Jeff]

Tubes >*

[dahla]

Tubes >*

Tubes is can sometimes be pretty anal, but if it beats it? I dunno...

[Jeff]

Tubes is can sometimes be pretty anal, but if it beats it? I dunno...

Say what now?

[dahla]

Say what now?

The use of * just reminded of err... the «baloon knot».

[Tony]

Did you ever get around to doing the iic+ mod?

[desertdweller]

I love how you're using the Rockboard MOD 2 in the rack. How do you have the in's and out's setup?

[Leon]

Did you ever get around to doing the iic+ mod?

Negative. My time is just about 100% booked with work/child/wife and then fitting in guitar playing

I think it'd be cool to do something like that, on a switch maybe.

[Leon]

I love how you're using the Rockboard MOD 2 in the rack. How do you have the in's and out's setup?

1. Preamp in.
2. FX Loop Send.
3. FX Loop Return.

If I didn't have the Gizmo I'd use the forth one for relay switching channels on the Preamp.



Oh also, the midi goes to the Gizmo.

[Leon]

I just got in a new rack shelf for the patchbay and Gizmo, so that they aren't just floating in a hole

I also picked up some new IR's last night, some of the Eminence ones, but apparently not the Metal-Pack version. Which, should be alright. I loaded up a bunch that I already had, OwnHammer Recto pack, Engl pack, and some "A1 Picks" from their Heavy Hitters Vol 1. I tried out Mattayus' Zilla and MF IR's (I dig the Zillas), and tried as hard as I could to like some of Ola's IR's. I didn't But, we're working with different mojo, as does everyone else.

[Tony]

Negative. My time is just about 100% booked with work/child/wife and then fitting in guitar playing

I think it'd be cool to do something like that, on a switch maybe.

You would probably need a fair few switches or a big multi pole one. And wouldn't be able to switch it while it was on.

Completely understandable with time constraints. Look at me it took me 5 years to get around to starting this preamp since my son was born.

[Leon]

Hmm. Well, it *might* sound better with the IIC+ stuff? But, it literally sounds absolutely incredible as is, so I'm not touching it if I have to pull a ton of stuff.

The reverb is kinda weak... I think that's the only thing I wouldn't mind improving.

[Jeff]

Hmm. Well, it *might* sound better with the IIC+ stuff? But, it literally sounds absolutely incredible as is, so I'm not touching it if I have to pull a ton of stuff.

The reverb is kinda weak... I think that's the only thing I wouldn't mind improving.

There's reverb on the Studio Pre?

[Tony]

Hmm. Well, it *might* sound better with the IIC+ stuff? But, it literally sounds absolutely incredible as is, so I'm not touching it if I have to pull a ton of stuff.

The reverb is kinda weak... I think that's the only thing I wouldn't mind improving.

You have to change 5 or 6 parts but if you are happy there's no point.

The reverb is a definitely crap. Not helped by the shitty tank.

But it was also shit on the mk series at that time too.

[Leon]

There's reverb on the Studio Pre?

Yeah, 3 little springs jangling around on the inside back end

[Leon]

The reverb on the Studio Pre is kinda... dry? It feels a bit stiff and very mid-rangy. I really prefer reverbs that are darker, or scooped, to compliment my mid-range-heavy fundamental tone.

[Greg McCoy]

The reverb on the Studio Pre is kinda... dry? It feels a bit stiff and very mid-rangy. I really prefer reverbs that are darker, or scooped, to compliment my mid-range-heavy fundamental tone.

Reverb tanks usually come in 3 basic categories, although there are other variances like number of springs. Short decay/Medium decay/Long Decay.

If it's too stiff that most likely means the decay is too short for your tastes. Just swap it for the next level up. Most amps come with Medium stock. But it could be a small. There are pretty much only two brands that make reverb tanks, Accutronics and MOD.

Accutronics is like the Celestion of reverb tanks, MOD is newer and is kind of like the Warehouse Speakers of reverb tanks, although a lot of people like their shit too. Both are like $30 for any model across the board. I don't like tanks as my primary reverb, prefer a pedal, but I like having them there as an added option, especially since they are pretty cheap.

https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/reverb-tank-accutronics-4ab3c1b-long-decay-2-spring

[Leon]

I'm thinking about ordering some springs, and just swapping them out to see what happens. I mean, it's basically just a transducer on one side that drives the springs, and another transducer on the other side that picks up all the shakes, right? If I swap out springs with different k-values, I should get some different responses.

[Leon]

BTW, I re-ordered things in the rack, once my shelf came in (to mount the Gizmo and patchbay)...

[Greg McCoy]

I'm thinking about ordering some springs, and just swapping them out to see what happens. I mean, it's basically just a transducer on one side that drives the springs, and another transducer on the other side that picks up all the shakes, right? If I swap out springs with different k-values, I should get some different responses.

You can replace it with a digital module too. I think longer springs/less tense springs/more springs = looser, shorter springs/more tense springs/less springs=tighter.

If the reverb is footswitchable and the values are right for a pedal you want you can also just turn it into a second FX loop. I've tried that, others have as well. Cool for if you aren't a MIDI guy and you have a lot of pedals in series and want to add like 2-3 pedals with one stomp but don't want them in your regular FX loop.

Implementation and how safe it is to do (for the amp) depends on the amp and if there is a dedicated tube driving the reverb bit of course. In which case you need the proper load of reverb tank. The spring tank is just RCA out of amp ---->Tank------>RCA back to amp. So you can easily put something else there with RCA-----1/4 TS cables, or even replace the RCA outs with 1/4ths. If you aren't a big spring reverb guy and get your verb from a fancier pedal it can be cool to do something else with that bit. I mean, it's like having an extra FX loop at a different section of the amp. You just have to match whatever you want to put there with the signal levels the amp is used to sending and receiving from the reverb circuit. All amps are different. Like line level vs. instrument level loops and all that.

I think older ones in general are giving quite a bit of signal into the tank and a pretty weak signal comes out. Obviously on older ones it is more difficult to modify it to use for something else due to what is going on in that section. Older Fenders and shit like that are stuff like this I wouldn't turn use for something else. Largely depends on if the reverb is tube driven.



This is probably the best read I have seen. Above graphic is from there. https://anasounds.com/analog-spring-...-how-it-works/

[Greg McCoy]

I'm actually planning on patching the RCA out to the reverb tank in my VH-140c to a VU meter. Because I love VU Meters.

RCA out-----> RCA in VU meter thing

I don't need the info on the levels obviously, it's not going back in to anything so it's not even relevant, but I like watching VU meters jumping around.

[Tony]

I'm thinking about ordering some springs, and just swapping them out to see what happens. I mean, it's basically just a transducer on one side that drives the springs, and another transducer on the other side that picks up all the shakes, right? If I swap out springs with different k-values, I should get some different responses.

The only thing to be concerned with is that the impedence matches.

A friend put a full sized tank in his studio which helped things a lot but it was still kinda naff due to the way its blended into the signal.

Not fully looked at how it's implemented until the studio but in the mkiic+ changing the valve helped.

[James]

I didn't realise you still had the RT2/50 Leon