poweramp-driven "liquid" distortion.

[vibratoking]

Mark, you're not loving them and leaving them alone are you? Seems like a long trail of heartbreak. I'll put your seconds to good use.

[Smokebreak]

DIY alternative to that is the Wattkins RF Drive PCB. .

Hey thanks for that. I just ordered the PCB. $10

[Edoardo]

Pretty much any amp with two output power valves is push-pull. The exception is the fairly rare parallel single ended, and these will only be home built or kits.

Thanks. In fact I was "afraid" of a two-tube parallel SE. This hint is gonna help me a lot.

I'm going to make some general statements here that there are exceptions to, and everyone has a different opinion about tone. But most vintage style push-pull amps with low gain preamps will allow you to push the output stage into heavy distortion, and with the right tone and playing touch they will sing. If you're after it from a preamp then something Dumble based is the only option, they tend to be expensive, and the amp already suggested is one of the only options in your price range.

thanks again. that little box looks so versatile!

If you're after something to gig with, and generally commercial amps don't have any form of power scaling /VVR, I think the first step is to work out what power level you need. Only you are going to have an idea of how loud you play and in what sort of venues. More is not necessarily better if you have to keep turning down below the amp's sweet spot.

I'm playing for myself most of the time, but I do also gig and would bring the amp with me. It's the first time I hear about power scaling /ddr. Does a power attenuator do that?

You didn't say if you'd ruled out pedals, but check out clips of the Zendrive. You could get one second hand or someone could make you an RF Drive. Can understand if you want the amp to produce it though, as that is the preference of a lot of us.

By now, I use a preamp/booster (the Lehle driver... it's a very wellbuilt FET impedance multiplier and linear booster), a MXR compressor which has to be upgraded, and a BigMuff.... I've "met" the Zendrive in this thread and I do want one or two.

[Edoardo]

......... The fact that the title of this thread contains the words liqud distortion yet you refer to the Hook's sound is utterly confusing to me. Those two things aren't even remotely similar IMO.

No, not similar tone at all. Confuses me as well.

Again on JLH's and Lightning Hopkins tone:

The fact that the title of this thread contains the words liqud distortion yet you refer to the Hook's sound is utterly confusing to me. Those two things aren't even remotely similar IMO.

no, it does not sound anything like the others I mentioned. But to my ears, it's the same kind of overdrive. To my ears, it feels like Hendrix/Clapton/Gilmour either fuzz it, compress it or over-over-drive it, but... it's like they've some common root. Just my ears I know.

[Edoardo]

Here we are.

whether you want to admit it or not, you're shooting down suggestions left and right. Now somehow we're being rude by not offering an amp suggestion that you like.

I re-read the thread...you have shot down several suggestions without any 'good' explanations.

I think I've been misunderstood. I have rejected some suggestions yes, but for their cost.
Whenever something I could pay for was suggested, I explicitly accepted the suggestion... Or at least I sincerely think so!
My following questions on those pieces of gear (such as the ceriatone lunchbox) were driven by curiosity. I was very interested and asked more info on the suggested pieces of gear. Does it equal shooting down the suggestion with no reason? To me it's the opposite, really.


And also... Maybe I've started focusing too much on circuit topology... Cause after some replies bringing some specific designs into discussion, I just wanted to be told more about that.



See:


1

A 50w to 100w amp

I asked for some kind of "confirmation", cause it'd be unpractical I was actually surprised in being suggested a 50+ watt amp



2

Id say 25 watt dumble 2 channel overdrive
Unfortunately you will have to order one from ceria or bludo or someone else

fifty-fifty I've repeated Bludo's would be too expensive and asked for a ceriaton dumble-like model as in the suggestion (if it exists in my budget)



3

Mesa MK IV.

I've just missed this one. Mr Reel will excuse me I guess. by the way... I know this one and really wish I could afford it...



4

used brown note

Yes, rejected, no used brown note amps here



5

the OTS Lunchbox is perfect for what you want, already built and under $700.

suggestion explicitly accepted, kept asking about that amp over and over



6

heavily overdriven power pentodes in push-pull with an OT impedance that at least puts the load line just below the knee if not a fair bit below it.

Suggestion accepted, more info asked on the subject.



7

The Zendrive... Wattkins RF Drive PCB.

suggestion accepted, surely gonna buy a Zendrive pedal. Nothing against the DIY kit.



8

Super Reverb

Rejected: expensive, but most of all huge. But I asked for something "similar".



9

I would not hit anyone . I get creamy tones with good humbuckers and 6v6's.

Nothing against this. Billy confirmed my 6v6 thing


10

Fender Deluxe

accepted




Thanks everybody for the precious suggestions anyway!

[Edoardo]

I think you are over emphazing verbal descriptions of amp topology. Push pull power sections and oversized OTs can sound very different depending on what circuitry is around them. You cannot generalize the 'sound' of these IMO.

If a music store has the gear out on display then you can assume that you are welcome to demo it. Any decent music store will invite you to try the equipment. That's how they make a sale. Yes, there are exceptions. The main thing is don't be timid. Sit down, plug in, and play your ass off. Who gives a shit what anyone thinks? You are there to conduct an investigation and educate yourself. THERE IS NO SHORTCUT IMO. YOU MUST PLAY THE AMPS. I would gladly drive 100 miles or more to have the experience of playing a bunch of amps.

I'm surely going to the next store next weekend. Thanks to this thread I won't have to try nearly any amp in the store - and be thrown out of it after having gone through one tenth of the process.

[Reeltarded]

It's ok! I know language barrier and excitement about gear makes it a little harder.

[katopan]

making their own transformers.

Sorry! It does make building an amp take two lots of forever instead of just the one.

Fools!

Yep!

[Edoardo]

It's ok! I know language barrier and excitement about gear makes it a little harder.

Wait

Tom: where shall we go tonight? I'm hungry
Dick: What about Harry's pub?
Tom: Great! what's in the oven tonight?

Did Tom shoot down Dick's suggestion? Seriously.

[Reeltarded]

No!

I think "liquid" as a description is confusing and that is why I asked who's sound you like. That was much easier.

[Edoardo]

No!

I think "liquid" as a description is confusing and that is why I asked who's sound you like. That was much easier.

That's not a problem, thanks a lot. It's just that I'm looking for some kind of tone, not trying to emulate the sound any specific recording (nor being suggested a billionaire's rig...)

I've read a lot of descriptions of this kind of tones... In English. "violin", "creamy", "cranked", "liquid". I don't know what the most used word would be.


This guy speaks about "liquid" distortion for instance, when in the very last lines of the article speaks about power amp overdriving.
http://www.guitarnuts.com/amps/myths.php


Whatever, describing sound is a wild territory in any language.
Each one of us has his own synesthetic experiences I guess.

Thanks a lot for your patience and understanding man

[Reeltarded]

Yes, as a matter of fact I am a chromesthetic. Kind of shocked you came up with that one.

[Edoardo]

Yes, as a matter of fact I am a chromesthetic. Kind of shocked you came up with that one.

then you'll understand my utter disappointment when I discovered my Orange amp sounded rather gray and purple...

[Reeltarded]

hah! Sort of.

[Edoardo]

Ok guys, here I am again

Found an interesting 1000-ish Brunetti amp.


OK topology is no magic, but I have a couple of builder's questions... here I have two amps... Else... Two versions of the same blackface clone, demo-able in two different stores. I'd like to know which one you'd try first, or avoid, in my shoes


builder's question #01:
what does the autobias/trimmed bias thing mean? My question is, can I crank up one more than the other without damaging the amp or having to tube-roll too often?


builder's question #02:
Do you know which "blackface" would have been cloned here?
Super? Deluxe? Bassman? Pro? none?



Thanks


Panel:
Low and Hi impedance instrument inputs
Bass, Mid, Treble and Volume control (+ reverb)
Fancy frequency boost switches ("bright", "mid", "smooth/fat/tweed")
Power mode switches - PP tetrode, PP triode, SE



preamp tubes: 2x 12AX7/ECC83

16-Watt version:
2x 6V6GT (autobias) - wut?
Class A Push-Pull
switchable to 4 watt Push-Pull in triode mode.


35-watt version
2x 6L6 WGC (trimmed bias) - wut?
Class AB Push-Pull
switchable to 8 watt Push-Pull in triode mode


Manufacturer's claim: “Red Series” MKP WIMA capacitors, sealed relays, low noise film resistors


1x 12" 16-Ohm V30 Celestion speaker in the cab.