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!
+1 on the TADs. I actually put a TAD 7025 in the Clator too! Does in fact sound good. I prefer the Tung-sols for cost effective choices for the V2. The TADs I have in the power section have been there for almost 2 years, daily playing, running pretty hot. Really good choice.
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.
PAB + OD it sounds fizzy and harsh. PAB + clean it sounds muddy
ah, ok. That actually makes more sense. Mine was like that at first, and after a while the harshness and fizziness went away, and the clean channel doesn't sound muddy with the PAB either. The clean channel can get muddy with the PAB engaged depending on how you have the input and master volumes set, and if you have the bright switches on or off, and depending on where you have the presence set at. How to set the controls depends alot on your guitar, and which input you are using. Personally, i never use the low input; i found it made all my guitars sound muddy. The way you have your c-lator set can affect all of it as well. It can be tricky and frustrating to get it right, believe me i went through it , but when you get it right, believe me, you will be in heaven!
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 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
Indeed, the BM has a lot of bass response, but one thing to remember is that the tonestack is very much classic fender, and Leo designed his amps for his guitars, which had less bass output than Gibson's and others, so his amps have more low end. Using the deep switch can help, because it tightens the bass response up, and makes the amp less boomy. You can also switch out the slope resistor to a higher value (68k seems to work well) and switch the bass pot out to a 250k to change the bass response.
Hmm, did you have Nik install a half power switch on yours? On a 100w the half power works really nicely, as it drops two of the tubes out instead of being pentode/triode. If not you can pull two of the tubes, either the inside two or outside two, I can't remember which, this can take some of the loud out.
Also, do you switch your PAB all the time when you used the OD? If not you are going through both tonestacks and can make the HRM trimmers seem like they are less effective.
As far as the conversion goes, I'm not sure how simple it is, because the OD section and PI of the BM is a lil different, so bear that in mind. Just food for thought.
Well, it changes the character of the OD, but I wouldn't necessarily say it makes it sound more or less like a typical d-style amp. It makes it sound more "open" if you will, less compressed, and more like an overdriven fender than an overdriven marshall. It's an easy one wire mod to see if you like it or not. There is quite a volume jump if you simply unground the stack, so be prepared for that. With the HRM engaged I usually keep the master on the OD side at 5/10 with the HRM ungrounded I keep it at about 3/10 to have the same volume level. This means that you are sitting on the bright cap of the OD master, so it can be a lil bright, but you can clip the bright cap for the test and resolved it later, or put it on a push pull like the standard HRM has, or put a 20k-68k resistor on the HRM ground instead of just ungrounding it, so there will be less of a volume jump.
Not 100% positive but I believe I remember reading on van amps site that it doesn't work well in the loop, and that they designed it for going in front of the amp, just like the old fender standalone reverb units.
I agree. I pretty much always have a lil touch of reverb on, it's part of my sound. Between that and the Space Echo i get what i need as far as ambience, but the reverb is more important for my sound
+1 on the use of drive pedals. John Mayer, for instance, rarely uses the OD channel on his Two Rocks or Dumbles. Often, it's a modded TS-808 (or -9, whatever) that he uses with a pushed clean and PAB engaged. I have found that this amp + a good rangemaster clone (Keeley Java Boost, Analogman Beano, D*A*M Red Rooster) is about all you need for a multitude of tones. I also have a germanium fuzz in the chain in case I need it... and a DS-1. I love the DS-1.
I'm glad i'm not the only one who drives the clean channel and boosts it on the BM. To me, the OD channel is like an added bonus, but i really like using a clean boost on the clean channel driven hard. quite a sound!
I agree with the idea of doing some tube rolling. The first preamp tubes i had in mine were from thetubestore.com's "preferred series". they were 7025's, which, of course are low noise 12AX7's. I have a snekay suspicion that these are relabled TAD's and are therefore either relabled Shuguang 12AX7-B or Sovteks, most likely the Shugaungs, since their internal structure is identical. They sound very nice and clear, but were a bit too sterile for my taste. I put one in my C-Lator in place of the stock JJ and it made a world of difference. It is much quieter, brighter, and has even more of that "3D"-ish sound that the c-lator is touted to bring. As far as V1 and V2 go, basically, experimentation is the way to go.
My two faves in V1 depend on which speakers i am using. With the Deltas, and prolly with the California and Michigan when i get em i love GE Long Plates from the late 50's and Early 60's. very nice and warm and detailed, and well balanced, ans a nice amount of drive when the clean channel is pushed. With the 1265's a like the Telefunken Ribbed plates. Also very nice and warm and balance, but with extended high frequencies to make up for the exterme warmth of the 1265's.
In V2 i also like the GE Long plates or the Telefunkens, depending on the speakers. When i was running the JAN Phillips 6L6WGB's in the power section, which sound awesome, but don't last long in the OTS , i like the GE Long plates in V1 regardless of speaker choice, and a JAN GE 5751 in V2. This combo yielded the sweetest sound; full deep tight bass, nice singing but not overbearing mids, and enough highs to be present with the 1265's. Sadly, again the 6L6WGB;s just can't take the voltage of the OTS, more the Screen Voltage than the Plate Voltage, oddly enough. I have considered adding VVR to the power section of the BM just so i can run em, but that would be crazy, right??
In the power section i tried the aforementioned 6L6WGB's, some older Sovtek 6L6/5881's (which are neither 6L6's or 5881's), that i have a stash of from when i was running my Sovtek head most of the time, and TAD 6L6WGC's. So far i'm diggin the TAD's. Again, TAD's are relabled Shuguangs, but they sound great, have not drifted a bit, and are very affordable! I just ordered a set of Tungsol "Reissue" 6L6GC's, just to see what they are all about.
Like Stephen i tend to buy all my tubes from Mike@ kcanostubes.com. He is a great guy, and tests his tubes well, and can even give you advice on what you may like based on your tastes and setup. I've only had one tube go bad from him, but in fairness it was an ANOS (used) tube from the 1950's, and it had been in my Ampeg Jet, which is a great amp to find if your tubes are microphonic, have a tendency to be microphonic, or to make your tubes microphonic it's so bad i call it the tube eater, and i think that it contributed greatly to that tube's demise, so you can buy from Mike without worrying too much
CeriaTone Forum is not afiliated with Ceriatone Amplifications.
The CeriaTone and name, logo and related trademarks and service marks, owned
by CeriaTone. , are registered and/or used in the U.S. and many foreign
countries. All other trademarks, service marks, and trade names referenced
in this site are the property of their respective owners.
Show Posts
to keep the forums alive.
, but when you get it right, believe me, you will be in heaven!
, i like the GE Long plates in V1 regardless of speaker choice, and a JAN GE 5751 in V2. This combo yielded the sweetest sound; full deep tight bass, nice singing but not overbearing mids, and enough highs to be present with the 1265's. Sadly, again the 6L6WGB;s just can't take the voltage of the OTS, more the Screen Voltage than the Plate Voltage, oddly enough. I have considered adding VVR to the power section of the BM just so i can run em, but that would be crazy, right?? 