New Express with some tweaks. Some questions...

[MHProd]

IT'S ALIVE!!

A few months in the making but well worth it!

First, Thanks RJ for the parts and to all for the precious info on the forum.

Build went without too many problems and the amp is very quiet. No hum or buzz.

This is my first TW and it clearly is a different beast than any other amps I've built or own. I haven't had much time to tube roll properly, but every tube right now is NOS and the amp is very rich harmonically.

I've never played on an original TW or a clone before. I really like the sound of Ingrid in the 65 Amps webcast and this is what I was shooting for. I gotta say, I'm quite pleased with the results.

For this particular build, I chose very specific types of components that I've been very happy with in the past as well as a few tweaks:

Ingrid specs:
2K2 on V1b and 820R on V1a
Extra 2200pf cap

My tweaks:
180K grid leaks
5K6 swamps
and very important: 5K6 + 2200pf conjunctive filter on the OT Primary.
This smooths out the high end and makes the amp a lot warmer.
The bright switch is very useable in all 3 positions for different sound textures.

I highly recommend the conjunctive filter mod if you find your amp to be too bright.

Polystyrene caps instead of Silver Micas, Bees Wax and Polyester/Tinfoil capacitors from Jupiter. RIFA electros (33uf and 22uf instead of the usual). Resistors are a mix of AMTRANS and Takman. The B+ dropping line resistors are Tantalum.

I find the tone controls to sound 'interesting'. They react very differently than, let's say, a Marshall. I find the mids and bass pots effect subtle. Not sure if this is normal..?

Also, the Presence pot doesn't seem to have much effect. It's there but again, rather subtle... Even on 10, I don't get any squeal, just some extra hiss.

Since this is the first time I play an Express, I'm not quite sure if this is to be expected or if there is a problem somewhere. I'll post pics soon.

[sliberty]

Nah. You didn't build an Express. How do I know? No photos. If you don't post photos, it doesn't exist.

Share 'em if you got 'em, and congratulations!

[Littlewyan]

If you're used to a Marshall like I was then the controls will feel VERY different. The treble pot has the biggest effect I think, you just have to really listen to the tone to hear the effect of the others. One thing you may find is if the amp is attenuated the bass and mid controls won't seem to have much effect.

[MHProd]

There it is. Will try to post better pics later. Not as neat as I wanted but good enough.

Yes, very different than a Marshall. The EQ curve seems to be very different. The amp doesn't clean up as much as I thought it would. I guess it's just a very different kind of amp... Tons of gain.

I think it needs to break in a little before I get a better idea. It's sounding a little stiff to my tastes but it should get better with time. I'd like it to sound a little 'spongier' or rounder. It's a little dry and fast right now.

[geetarpicker]

As a comparison it should clean up better than a vintage lead spec style 50 watt 4 input Marshall, and it should clean up more like the way a Marshall 100 lead circuit plexi can. That said an Express does clean up much better if you bring the guitar down some for cleans but keep the amp up a decent amount.

Typically on my Express amps all the tone controls have a noticeable effect, but the treble is the most touchy and they all seem to be closer in EQ band range then most amps. That said, I notice some similarities in the control EQ with say a lead spec plexi Marshall. Also the presence should have a pretty noticeable effect, again similar to a vintage 4 input lead spec Marshall.

When I first got my Express in '89 my prior amp was a '68 Marshall lead spec plexi Superlead 100. My plexi had quite low plate voltage for a 100w down near 450v. This made for a plexi with quite decent cleans and not as harsh a tone as most. Anyway I was used to playing the plexi 100 fully dimed (all knobs) straight in with no pedals, and working the guitar for cleans. I usually attenuated it at gigs, but often played it straight cranked in the studio. I used that plexi as my main amp for over a decade. Still going to the Express from the plexi wasn't a huge jump in amp control, gain or response it actually was a pretty easy to adapt too. However the Express had everything that the dimed plexi did but with it's knobs all on just 1/2. On top of that it cleaned up as well as the 100, but had a sweetnesss and fatness more like a 50. So best of both worlds, a more reasonable wattage, and more gain when you needed it.

If your amp doesn't clean up well I'd suggest investigating your guitar pots. Beyond that perhaps your tweaks have compromised the circuit in regards to the clean to mean range.

[MHProd]

Thanks!! Yes you're right, it's seems the controls band range are indeed quite close. I've mostly played the amp with a 64 SG and quite a bit of high end goes away if I turn the volume down. And yes the treble knob has the most effect.

I seem to like the amp's volume between 4 and 7.

Right now, I like treble on 0, mids and bass on 10, presence on 7. Very thick sounding.

Changed the RFT tubes for a pair of Winged C I never used. The RFTs are used and sound great in my 50w plexi but lack clarity in the Express. The Winged Cs sound good but lack some harmonic content.

What sort of break in time should I expect?

[Mark]

What transformers did you use?

I've found transformers are important.

[geetarpicker]

I have found my original Express amps have a better range from clean to mean running them on the bright side (treble up maybe half way, and the full bright switch ON) but then darken things up with other aspects of the chain. Things like longer guitar cables, darker speakers, thicker grills, micing the cab more off axis, etc... I have tried simply running a very short low capacitance cable into the amp and NO bright switch, and I've gotten some great recorded tones as such. However in that same situation the clean to mean range seems less dramatic and the cleans can actually sound a bit muddy. Something about the extra chime of the 500pf bright cap seems too add clarity to the cleans when backed off, the trick is to tame the overall sound so it's not too bright overall when you crank the guitar.
Guitar pots can also make or break the control of the amp from the guitar.

It would seem to me if you have an Express that sounds best with the treble off you just won't get the clean to mean range to be very workable. Perhaps some of your components or parts of your signal chain are contributing to an overly bright situation.

What speakers are you running? What are the other details of your guitar chain?

[MHProd]

PT and OT are Pacifics made for RJ.

Sorry, I didn't mean that the Treble is all the way down because the amp is too bright... It's just a setting I like with the mids and bass maxed out + the presence on 7. Just a nice thick lead sound ala ZZ Top.

The amp is on the bright side but not in a cold or unpleasant way. With the bright switch on (500pf) and the treble on 6 I get good sounds with humbuckers.

Guitar goes straight in the amp. Cab is a 60s Fender 2x12 with Tone Tubbys ceramic. The cab has quite a bit of low end and these speakers sound smooth. No vintage Greenbacks to try it on I'm afraid.

The only thing is I feel the amp lacks some depth. This hopefully will come with some break in time.

[MHProd]

Glen,

I just watched one of your videos and it seems my amp reacts similarly to yours. It does compress with the guitar volume on 10. None of my other amps do that and I was wondering what that was about.
The amp starts to distort on 1 too. And I get a similar range with guitar pot on 3 and 6. The top end goes away though but I'm pretty sure it comes from my guitars. I guess I could always install a treble bleed mod.

I just started noticing the amp might have some blocking distortion. I'm toying with the idea of installing 10Ks on the PI's grids to see if that helps. I might do some tubes swaps before though.

[MHProd]

Spent some time trying different tubes. I need to get some XF2s... Tried a pair of smoked glass JanPhilips 6V6s and I quite like them. It makes the amp more fluid compared to the RFTs and knocked down a few DBs. RCA and GEs in preamp.

[MHProd]

Well, I just received a pair of XF2.

Wow...

The amp is now a completely different animal.

The bottom end and low mids are HUGE! Reminds me of a Pultec. The top end is very sweet. Whatever extra brightness that was in the amp is now GONE.

The mids are exceptionally complex and detailed at the same time.

The whole thing now sounds very 3D and the notes just 'jump out'. The tubes give it an extra push that wasn't there before.

The overdrive has a very unique, almost Fuzz like quality to it. It was somewhat there before but nowhere near as musical.

I am relatively new to the world of Wrecks but it's like the Express was made to work with this tube.

I'm stunned...

I'm SSSSOOOO building a Liverpool in the near future..!

[M Fowler]

The Express is such a beast of an amp and I am one guitarist that can't use an Express amp to gig with just isn't for me.

But I have heard several guys plug in and get the best tones through some of the Express amps I've built. They know how to work the guitar volume pots.

One day I am going to get some good NOS tubes like you did and hear the difference. I'm sure it does make a lot of difference compared to using new tube stock.

Mark

[MHProd]

Changed the preamp tubes to Sylvanias in V1 and V2 and a Brimar CV4004 in V3.

This added some extra chewiness to the amp and added some natural comression. It's really cool how the harmonics are jumping out of the amp yet in a controlled way.

I'm still amazed at how the amp respects the guitar tone, even with the volume/gain on 7.

The only thing is the amp has developed some noise... I get some kind of ghosting on certain notes and also something that sounds like blocking distortion. It was there with other tubes but it seems a bit more prominent with the XF2s.

I'm thinking about putting 82K grid stoppers on the PI. Do you guys think this would help?

[Roe]

a 47-68k grid stopper on the PI might be a good idea