Happy holidays to all!

I just tried my amp with some ol' JBL D120's yesterday and I really liked them. Although they're probably preferred amongst the NON-HRM crowd, I recommend checking a pair out in an open back 2x12. I could see someone blowing the sh#t out of just 1 with a 100w'er though.....

  My regular speakers are Ev's in a ported 2x12, an Eminence Texas Heat in a 1x12 (small gigs), 2 Celestion g1265's in in a ported 2x12 (alternative 2x12), and I currently have a Tone Tubby Hemp cone I really dig too.


I can't say it enough though that these amps are soo subjective......its all preference.

   The Power-amp labeled "Master" (the second last pot/knob to the left) controls the overall level for the Clean (aka the first stage). The Power-amp control "Level" (the 6th pot/knob to the left) controls the overall level (or Master Volume) for the Overdrive (aka the Clean gets cascaded into another stage to give you overdrive). 

   This type of amp has separate Master Volumes to get a better balance of the Overdrive and Clean. Contrary to what most amp makers say, Dumble style amps are only 2 channel amps. The PAB (or Pre Amp Boost with the Green ftsw light) functions on both the Clean and Overdrive. The Channels get switched via the ftsw. (with the Red light)

 This is however only on the HRM amps though, The power-amp control labeled "Master" is the overall master (for both Clean and Overdrive)for NON-HRM amps.


        Download the manual for the amp you own, it will explain everything you need to know.

Wow! That's Simply Gorgeous!

Bluesmaster's have limited headroom because of the PI they use (Marshall/Fender PI),especially the 50w BM.

I don't see the BM breaking up @ around 2 o'clock. On my 100w amp the only thing that's bluesmaster spec is the phase inverter (The Clean tonestack is a Skyliner and the HRM  is just standard HRM) and it breaks up (with the Master) @ 12 o'clock and the (Pre amp Vol) @ 6 o'clock. And the amp is pretty friggin loud @ that point. With those settings the amp feedbacks into itself (of course I use a D-lator as the Final Master too).

 I recommend finding someone to mod your PI to Skyliner specs and keeping the BM tonestack if you don't dig the sound now and if your not getting enough headroom.

Some folks don't have headroom problems with the 50w OTS although...?

I've had to sift through NOS Mullard before to find the right one for the PI. I suggest finding an honest NOS tube store that will test the tube for balanced triodes (for the PI) I've since then swiched to Aperex (ecc83) or Mazda 12ax7'ss and have yet to find a better pre-amp tube.

How long have you had the amp/

Changing your amp to bluesmaster specs shouldn't be too hard. You just have to change the PI and the tonestack.

 You should be looking for a speaker that can just amplify your guitar tone and not color it. D-style amps have a tone all on their own. Ev's do a great job of that and they have to be literally dimed to blow them up (well lets just say you can't blow them up IMO). Jensons have poor sound attributes and they color the tone quite a bit.

 Here's a list I would strongly reccomend:

 EV: EvM-12L's

 Celestion: g1265's, K100's, Gold, maybe the G12 Century

 Tone Tubby: Hempcones

 Scholtz: SugarCone

 Fane: Old WEM Crescendo's, AXIOM STUDIO 12L

 JBL: D-120's (12") or K-120's (15")
 
 Eminence: Raj'n Cajon, Texas Heat, etc.

 Warehouse Guitar Speakers: g65's (clone of the celestion g1265's but cheaper)

 Two Rock: W65's (early versions made by eminence,later versions by WGS)

 Altec Lansing: 417's

 Jenson: Tornados's (I guess this is the only one I know of that might be a good candidate. Although I dislike the sound of them, somebody might)

IMO I have yet to find a Jenson speaker that sounds good with a d-style amp. Everybody has different taste's though I guess.

I've been diggin an Eminence "Texas Heat" in an oval ported 1x12 for a grab and go cab when I don't want to haul my 100 pound main cab with 2 EvM-12L's in it

 I really like the characteristics of it, fat sounding, sounds great with OD.

Just time based effects (Delay,Reverb,Flanger,etc) Just about anything that you'll want after the Overdrive. When you put time based effects before overdrive it sounds bad IMO.

+1 on the the Alembic preamp. Killer Gilmour Sounds would come alive with that pre.

 Brian,

 I checked out your site, great guitars you make. I'm jealous! Maybe I'll be callin ya up to build me an axe in the distant future. 

BTW, I was using Sovtek 5751's (lower gain version of a 12ax7) or Amperex ECC83's in my dumbleator for a while but recently switched it to a Telefunken smooth plate ECC83 and it sounds f'in fantastic. Although Telefunkens are talked up to be the best tubes ever made (which is just snake oil in my opinion), I wanted to try one in my d-lator and got a good tested one from a friend. The biggest difference in sound IMO is that it compressed the sound in a different way than that of other 12ax7 I've tried. I would recommend one in the d-lator but it is objective however that they sound good in certain d-style amps. Steve Kimock swears by them apparently but I wasn't diggin em'.

  Another tube that I like in my BM (In the PI and V2) is new production Mullard ECC83's (New Sensor I think?)