the c-lator affects both the clean and drive channels. The Drive knob controls how much signal goes thru the send and return going to your effects, but it also affects how much signal is finally output as well, just as rolling your guitar's volume up and down would.

it shouldn't sound more muddy with the PAB engaged, if anything it should sound less muddy. hmm now i'm curious

i wanted to post a few youtube clips from forum member mckinku and a live clip i found from a guy named sam berce. i kinda wanna show the Bluesmaster doing what its best and, how it truly sounds, to kinda get everyone on the same page. These clips, to me are very representative of the Bluesmaster, and how mine sounds with the Deltas in it and hopefully how it will sounds with the California and Michigan in it. With the 1265's it is not nearly as punchy and well defined.

The Bluesmaster really has a voice that is different from the rest of the OTS series, and while it can get close to the others, it just is not what it's best at. Of course, these are with the HRM engaged. I have yet to find any clips with it bypassed, and i don't have any decent recording equipment...yet.

The 7025 is a total game changer for the c-lator. Every other tube i stuck in there produced alot of hiss. I can see why fender recommended them for a while.

Glad i could help! I am sure it will pay off. I am even more convinced after the little experiment i just finished up.

On a whim i decided to hook the BM up to the speakers in my JC-90. Wowsers!!! I know i am going to be very happy when the Cali and the Michigan get here! I have been a/b'n the 1265's and my old deltas, just to make sure i wasn't hearing what i wanted to hear. The final result is that the 1265's just can't handle all the low end that the BM has, and aren't quite as bright as i like and the deltas can handle the lows, but they are so old and worn out that they really can't get the mids or highs like the should.

The JC-90 speakers, which are 10" eminence speakers (i don't know which line) handle all the lows, mids and highs perfectly and the amp sounded perfectly balanced on both the clean and OD side for the first time!I really think that the Cali with its JBL heritage and the Michigan with its EV heritage may end up being the perfect combo for this amp! I am the most stoked i have been since i first got the amp! 

So, Strat, i am positive that your hard work will pay off, and that when you get the new tubes and the EV in there, you will be ecstatic!

Gregg

Very cool!!
Yes i got a lil to excited yesterday, lack of sleep will do that to ya 

Just a lil tip for ya, you can always just de solder the leads from the warehouse speaker, and then slide em in to the posts of the EV, which, if memory serves, should have the heavy duty binding posts like a JBL. That can save you a few bucks!!

Looking forward to hearing how the EV sounds in your amp!

Gregg

Sweeeet!!! What tubes did you end up going with? I can't remember if you said or not yet 

Gregg

Nice selection! I have always been wary of buying tubes off of ebay. partly because they are so many forgeries floating around, and partly because alot of them are untested. the prices aren't too bad on em, which is good, since you won't be out much money, but also makes me a lil wary of em, since usually those run between $50-$80 US, so they may or may not be the real deal, but like i said it's only about $30 so at least you aren't out much.

One suggestion for you, if you haven't bought them already, is that i would just buy a matched pair of the RCA's and run them both in V1 & V2 for now. I was playing through the JC-90 speaker yesterday and found that the JAN 5751, while sounding goo thtough the 1265's by taming the mids a bit, didn't sound nearly as good through the more neutral speaker, just FYI

Gregg

Very cool!! Sounds like it is all coming together! I'm getting anxious for my speakers to get built and shipped out. I'm really hoping i made the right choice after reading about and listening to clips of Weber's NeoMag 12. It is supposed to sound even closer to the JBL than the Cali AND you can get with a paper dome and a cloth surround so it won't be so ice picky and will have tighter and fuller low end. I guess i could just order a set of those later if i'm really curious, since that aren't terribly expensive.

I feel like i', thread jaclking 

What did you end up getting for power tubes?

Gregg