To HRM Or Not?

[Structo]

Have any of you had an existing ODS that you have played for a while then installed the HRM daughter board?

Can you describe the results and or the best way to implement the installation?
As in what else did you change to make it better?

[Bob-I]

You really need to do more than just add the HRM board to get the full effect of the HRM style amp. The OD entrance is different, the V2A coupling cap must be changed, the cathode bypass caps.

Overall I like HRM better. It's very smooth with a nice chirp on pick attack. Some folks like the more aggressive sounding non-hrm.

It's really not all that much to change, so personally I'd do it... hell I did and never looked back.

[M Fowler]

Tom and Bob you guys are probably aware that I have not built my Dumble yet so I need to ask some questions for my planning stage.

I am wondering about HRM verses Non-HRM and HRM BM. I thought that I would build the HRM BM for aggressive blues and classic rock tones using both my LP and Lone-Star Strat.

I can't really get a good idea of each type of amp based off the clips I have heard so far any suggestion? Perhaps more youtube searching and listening?

Mark

[bigmik]

You really need to do more than just add the HRM board to get the full effect of the HRM style amp. The OD entrance is different, the V2A coupling cap must be changed, the cathode bypass caps.

Overall I like HRM better. It's very smooth with a nice chirp on pick attack. Some folks like the more aggressive sounding non-hrm.

It's really not all that much to change, so personally I'd do it... hell I did and never looked back.

bob when you say that the non HRM is more aggressive sounding is that compared to the HRM with or without the PAB engaged?

[Structo]

Mark I haven't personally tried the BM but it seems the common description is it leans more towards a Marshall tone than Fender.

I have only played my D'Lite as far as D amps go so I am not a good reference but I have heard the same clips everybody else has.

It just thought it might lend a bit of flexibility to my amp if I was able to adjust the OD channel tone.
What would be really great would be to have them on the front panel ala Glaswerks and VVT Amps.
That would be very cool but, it would take an entirely new chassis and since I haven't worked in a long while............

Hopefully some BM HRM owners can chime in and give a better description.

Personally if I had to do it over again I would have bought one of Brandon's chassis when he sold them and build a close approximation of a scratch built #124 and go from there.

Or buy a Ceriatone (gasp!) and mod that with better iron and other tweaks.

But since I was kind of green getting back into tube amps after a long hiatus, I felt a kit was a better alternative.

[Colossal]

I am wondering about HRM verses Non-HRM and HRM BM. I thought that I would build the HRM BM for aggressive blues and classic rock tones using both my LP and Lone-Star Strat.

I can't really get a good idea of each type of amp based off the clips I have heard so far any suggestion? Perhaps more youtube searching and listening?

Mark

Mark (and to all):

I'm glad you brought this up. You describe my very predicament to the letter; well put Mark. I have been doing a lot of homework, reading as much as I can about the different D-style variations. Aggressive Blues is a great way of putting it. I really like the tones Joe Bonamassa is getting from his Van Weedlen, Carol Ann, and Two Rock amps. His playing style rings of Eric Johnson (to which he readily admits) but with a nice hard edge to it. It's both the smoothed out qualities of 6L6 and the mid-prominent, distortion-without-distortion grind with a bit of Marshall underneath that I would say I'm after. There is a singing, violin like quality that I'm looking for with the warm, tight bottom end (ok, I know that sounds kinky ). Which D-style best fits the bill? Henry's amps have captured definitely captured this.

I had narrowed it to the Bluesmaster HRM after listening to many clips posted here but want to make sure that I would be making an informed decision and not missing the boat.

[M Fowler]

Dave,

I agree the subject is so hard to narrow down the singing blues tone I want. Red Plate definitely has that going on.

In our discussion it seems that the HRM BM is the one, so at this point I will focus my efforts in finding all the information as to exactly what makes up the HRM BM verses the other types. Thanks.

Mark

[angelodp]

+1 on the Redplate.

[JD0x0]

What would be really great would be to have them on the front panel ala Glaswerks and VVT Amps.
That would be very cool but, it would take an entirely new chassis and since I haven't worked in a long while............

You could do what i did, buy the weber halle kit which is an HRM with the controls on the front and mod it for more "true" dumble values. Great price $650 with everything including tubes. Invest in some 6PS caps and such and youre good to go. The only down side is the chassis is a bit small and can be cramped.

[Bob-I]

bob when you say that the non HRM is more aggressive sounding is that compared to the HRM with or without the PAB engaged?

In general the PAB makes both amps more aggressive. I like both modes, unlike some of the other folks here who feel the HRM only sounds right with PAB on.

So the answer is yes, both modes are more aggressive on the non-HRM but trust me, the HRM is plenty aggressive.

Check out the recordings on my band's website below. Straight HRM, no additional effects.

[Bob-I]

You could do what i did, buy the weber halle kit which is an HRM with the controls on the front and mod it for more "true" dumble values. Great price $650 with everything including tubes. Invest in some 6PS caps and such and youre good to go. The only down side is the chassis is a bit small and can be cramped.

Not to be a spoil sport, but the Halle isn't a Dumble clone, not even close.

You might sant to start with the chassis and head cab, but everything else is worthless for a Dumble build.

As for having the HRM on the faceplate, it's really REALLY easy to completley destroy the tone of the OD with a 10k change on a 250k pot. I wouldn't risk having these pots in a place where even I can touch them.

[JD0x0]

You could do what i did, buy the weber halle kit which is an HRM with the controls on the front and mod it for more "true" dumble values. Great price $650 with everything including tubes. Invest in some 6PS caps and such and youre good to go. The only down side is the chassis is a bit small and can be cramped.

Not to be a spoil sport, but the Halle isn't a Dumble clone, not even close.

You might sant to start with the chassis and head cab, but everything else is worthless for a Dumble build.

Thats why i suggested it, kind of like a base. the board could probably be used. But most of the components will need to be replaced (except for the pots and maybe filter caps), which isnt too costy, and the spragues or mousers could easily be used for a different build so they arent going to complete waste. The trannys should be good to use too even though i changed them, mostly because im (attempting) to do a KT-88 build

[Bob-I]

Thats why i suggested it, kind of like a base. the board could probably be used. But most of the components will need to be replaced (except for the pots and maybe filter caps), which isnt too costy, and the spragues or mousers could easily be used for a different build so they arent going to complete waste. The trannys should be good to use too even though i changed them, mostly because im (attempting) to do a KT-88 build

The chassis and cab maybe, but trash the boards, caps, resistors, xformers, everything else. I've fixed several Weber kits for friends and basically this is what I had to do to make them worthwhile.

The layout on the boards is really bad. Better to make boards so you can control the layout better.

[ChrisM]

Just stay away from Webers. I have had to deal with a few as well.

[Structo]

I had no idea that Weber offered a sort of D amp.
Who'd a thunk that?

I has some interesting departures from a Dumble circuit such as the plate and cathode treatment in the preamp.

The pregain pot on the cathode is interesting.

Looks like this amp uses a WZ34 Copper Cap rectifier.
I would much rather just use discrete diodes for that purpose.

Too bad they didn't keep it truer to the ODS Design but I suppose that's the way that goes.

Did you build it stock before modding it or did you have your sights on a HRM Dumble when you started it?

So with no caps (because I want to use 6PS) , no copper cap, no tubes
it came to $605.

Not bad as long as the parts are decent.

Isn't it true that they improved the quality of the small parts like jacks and pilot lights, etc?