FWIW, I've used Mercury's A470-S offering in a 4xEL84 Rocket build. Great sounding OT in standard pentode mode, but I did not care for the tone in ultralinear mode.
Hey Dave, what else can you tell me about it? What exactly would you say the tone is like with a hifi tranny in a geetar amp? I hope it makes mine more together sounding when it's cranked up past 2 o'clock or so. I can't filter much more!
Dave,
I would say the tone is very open and full, smooth. I think it sounds pretty good. I've used that OT in Rocketish builds and some high gain prototypes. In the Voxy environment with 300-310V on the plates at 110% dissipation the bass is full and highs not at all fatiguing. I was able to get very convincing Brian May tone with the Volume about 1pm. It does sound very smooth and that might be not be everyone's cup of tea. I personally like a lot of separation and I want to hear string to string clarity especially under heavy distortion (which I prefer). I currently have one of these on a very high gain preamp into a cleanish 4xEL84 power amp and it does low B very well. If you find that your amp is too sterile for your liking, maybe try bumping up your screen resistor values just slightly to introduce a hair more compression. That might thicken the sound just slightly to give the distortion more squish rather than the smooth shooooosssh. 100R screen resistors are pretty clear sounding.
selloutrr wrote:
Komet stuck a heyboer in Jillian (rocket) after she blew her OT.
Not true. Where do you get that idea?
I've never replaced a transformer in any Trainwreck.
Jillian's owner.
the service receipt from komet included in the sale seemed like pretty convincing evidence. A cap, a few resistors, power tubes, bias, new OT heyboer .....
I have a copy of it somewhere ill dig it up and post it.
As well as the emails from the seller.
FWIW, I've used Mercury's A470-S offering in a 4xEL84 Rocket build. Great sounding OT in standard pentode mode, but I did not care for the tone in ultralinear mode.
Hey Dave, what else can you tell me about it? What exactly would you say the tone is like with a hifi tranny in a geetar amp? I hope it makes mine more together sounding when it's cranked up past 2 o'clock or so. I can't filter much more!
Dave,
I would say the tone is very open and full, smooth. I think it sounds pretty good. I've used that OT in Rocketish builds and some high gain prototypes. In the Voxy environment with 300-310V on the plates at 110% dissipation the bass is full and highs not at all fatiguing. I was able to get very convincing Brian May tone with the Volume about 1pm. It does sound very smooth and that might be not be everyone's cup of tea. I personally like a lot of separation and I want to hear string to string clarity especially under heavy distortion (which I prefer). I currently have one of these on a very high gain preamp into a cleanish 4xEL84 power amp and it does low B very well. If you find that your amp is too sterile for your liking, maybe try bumping up your screen resistor values just slightly to introduce a hair more compression. That might thicken the sound just slightly to give the distortion more squish rather than the smooth shooooosssh. 100R screen resistors are pretty clear sounding.
Great to hear that about the Dynaco. And it's funny actually, I was thinking of doing the exact opposite with the screen resistors. I did bump them up to 500R, never using the stock value and am thinking I may bring them back down to 100R. The things I don't care for may possibly be resolved slightly with that and the OT, but won't know for sure til tomorrow, regarding the Dynaco, anyway. I'll be sure to let ya know!
selloutrr wrote:
Komet stuck a heyboer in Jillian (rocket) after she blew her OT.
Not true. Where do you get that idea?
I've never replaced a transformer in any Trainwreck.
Jillian's owner.
the service receipt from komet included in the sale seemed like pretty convincing evidence. A cap, a few resistors, power tubes, bias, new OT heyboer .....
I have a copy of it somewhere ill dig it up and post it.
As well as the emails from the seller.
I sold the man a proper power transformer for a Rocket, not an output transformer. Possibly some other parts, too, I don't remember.
He installed it himself. I've never seen the amp in person.
Blackburn wrote: And it's funny actually, I was thinking of doing the exact opposite with the screen resistors. I did bump them up to 500R, never using the stock value and am thinking I may bring them back down to 100R. The things I don't care for may possibly be resolved slightly with that and the OT, but won't know for sure til tomorrow, regarding the Dynaco, anyway. I'll be sure to let ya know!
On the Rocket/AC30 build I used 100R to stay true to the original and I liked the clarity. Very classic AC30 sound, with warm and smooth distortion. No NFB lets that amp roar. When pushed it remained clear but defined no matter the volume (with that Dynaco). For the high gain stuff, I'm running higher plate voltage, 90-100% bias, and a higher screen resistor value.
Blackburn wrote: And it's funny actually, I was thinking of doing the exact opposite with the screen resistors. I did bump them up to 500R, never using the stock value and am thinking I may bring them back down to 100R. The things I don't care for may possibly be resolved slightly with that and the OT, but won't know for sure til tomorrow, regarding the Dynaco, anyway. I'll be sure to let ya know!
On the Rocket/AC30 build I used 100R to stay true to the original and I liked the clarity. Very classic AC30 sound, with warm and smooth distortion. No NFB lets that amp roar. When pushed it remained clear but defined no matter the volume (with that Dynaco). For the high gain stuff, I'm running higher plate voltage, 90-100% bias, and a higher screen resistor value.
I'm thinking maybe I'll change the screen resistors and the OT at the same time and then see how the changes take to the amp and consider the difference it makes. Clear and defined is what I'm hoping for with the Dynaco. If the difference is too severe, I may even consider getting my trannies elsewhere, if my MM Albion is what's causing the tonal discrepancies. Their PTs are great, but the OT is more critical.
I've never replaced a transformer in any Trainwreck.
Jillian's owner.
the service receipt from komet included in the sale seemed like pretty convincing evidence. A cap, a few resistors, power tubes, bias, new OT heyboer .....
I have a copy of it somewhere ill dig it up and post it.
As well as the emails from the seller.
I sold the man a proper power transformer for a Rocket, not an output transformer. Possibly some other parts, too, I don't remember.
He installed it himself. I've never seen the amp in person.
Glad it rings a bell
Interesting... He was pretty secretive about the amp and very pushy about the sale. $52k. Was high for a rocket and even higher for non OEM.
It would be interesting to know more about the history. Our conversation ended when I asked for gut shot pics, after he said components were replaced. His response was something close to buy the amp to see. My response being... For almost double top dollar I'm going to need to see under the hood pics, fly out and see / play it in person. Never got a reply...
$30k is the top end of the OEM rockets that actually sell. IMHO. With those changes it's lost most of it's value. The circuit is delicate by design. It's lost it's original voicing. The parts are not OEM and the work was not performed by a certified / recognized TW technician (ken, JM, Funk) had the work been performed at Komet it would hold some more value do to the relationship with Ken.... Even Fester dispite Ken's hate for him would have been something.
It's value would be proportional to a modified Marshall plexi. Which would be about 1/3 to 50% of going value. Possibly less considering Marshall parts are still easily obtainable.
Estimated price on a good day $12-15k. Depending on quality of work it could go down or up a few grand. That is a hard number to swallow but if you took it to a collector it's one of the highest modified TW. Ingrid was modified but later restored... and not fetching traditional selling prices even with heavy PR. The people who buy these amps want stock OEM amps. The clones have killed the modified/ repaired market for these amps.
I totally and absolutely agree on the 50% thing. The vintage market is polluted with highly priced broken or refinished stuff. Retail for 100% and more on a 50% piece.
That used to be the bottom line. It still is if you aren't insane.
Signatures have a 255 character limit that I could abuse, but I am not Cecil B. DeMille.
Alright, I was wrong! Had to make a few phone calls to jog my memory.
-I don't remember a Rocket named "Jillian". If there is a receipt from Komet for work on "Jillian", I'd like to see it.
-The Rocket I thought of was "Joni", not "Jillian". Joni never had a transformer replaced. I fitted an OEM bottom plate to the chassis, the thread inserts were ripped out of the original one.
-The amp I remembered having a transformer issue wasn't a Rocket, it was a Liverpool named "Tammy". It did blow a power transformer, not an OT. I didn't actually sell Tammy's owner a transformer (as I falsely remembered), but I gave him Ken's Pacific part number and called Pacific to ask them to sell an OEM transformer to him. He then got the part straight from Pacific and installed it himself.
Hogy
Last edited by Hogy on Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
