I finally finished the mods to my Nina, my Epi Les Paul i bought last year. I ended up putting the Bare Knuckle Emerald Pickups i bought for the PRS in the Les Paul instead, to try to breathe som life into the thing. All i can say is WOW. They have to be the best sounding pickups I have ever heard for a Les Paul. I can't wait to get an Abraxas set for the PRS! I also put a Bigsby B7 on with a Vibramate Mount and String Spolier. So far so good on that, but i really need some Graptech Saddles on there. I put their Tusq XL nut on, and it makes a world of difference. As far as wiring, i originally had a Les Paul toneshaper in it. It's a neat gadget, but adds alot of noise, and one the push pull pots broke, the one for the neck pickup and rendered the neck pickup useless. Not good. I ended up getting a New prewired switch from Mojotone and a 50's style harness from Martin Six String Customs with NOS PIO caps (.015 neck and .022 bridge). It is a very nicely made harness, complete with ground loop busses installed, and all pot tags soldered. Putting it into the smaller space of a modern Epi cavity was a bit of a challenge, and I KNOW it looks like a rats nest, but i sounds 1000% better than it looks. I had shielded the cavity previously, to try and quiet down the toneshaper. To ground everything, I used solder lug washers, slipped over the pot shafts, putting the Bridge pup ground and shield on the bridge volume pot, Neck pup ground and shield on the neck volume pot, the bridge and jack ground to the neck tone pot, and the switch ground and shield to the bridge tone pot. Everything was nicely grounded, and i quick check for continuity with showed no drop in continuity compared to a straight shot to ground. Also i have shielded many guitars and found no "added capacitance" or "loss of high end tone" due to the shielding. This guitar is no exception. Also, it is 99% dead quiet. The only noise is a barely audible hum from the neck pickup due ti the uneven winding, which is what gives the pup it's awesome sound, of course. Long winded post, I know, but I am very happy. It's the only good thing to happen to me this whole Friday the 13th!! 

Cheers!

Gregg

Most of my stock, including the one that passed today, are actually ANOS pulls. The one that popped was pulled from wurlitzer and was late 50's/early 60's. So, 50 or 60 years is a good long life. I think what killed it was running it in my Ampeg Jet Reissue. It always has been one to either show off how microphonic a tube is or make it that way, and it was a bit of a squealer in that amp. That's just a theory, though. In the end even old NOS tubes were made by humans and therefore can fail, so as far as longevity, I don't think there are any guarantees with NOS or ANOS. Tone yes, life, no.

Gregg

So, i have been playing guitar since i was about 12 years old, and been playing thru tube amps since i was 14. IN those 21 years of tube amp fun i have never popped a pre amp tube, until today! One of my fave (and becoming increasingly rare) Early 60's GE Long plates blew out today as soon as i switched the Bluesmaster out of Standby mode. I finished rewiring the Les Parl and was eager to try it out so i plugged in the BM, fired her up and... nothing. It blew out so silently that i didn't even know it had popped until i starting checking for problems with the fuses as such. I'm surprised it was quiet, considering how violently it blew. The broken plate became fully separated when i pulled the tube out, but, the glass had blown and the plate was already loose. I feel like i have seen everything now lol. i have blown plenty of power tubes but never a pre tube. enjoy the pic, and the rest of your day!!

Gregg

Some OTS owners have built their amps with the deep switches wired upside down, as some of the layouts showed it upside down. A few came from Nik that way, as the error wasn't caught right away, mine is one of them. In other words, down is on and up is off.

Gregg

sounds like it could be a bad pot, or maybe the connection to it.

Gregg

could possibly be the tube, but it seems like it would do the same thing in parallel mode too if it was the tube, but couldn't hurt to swap it. also, i'd check the wiring inside the unit to make sure it is all kosher and check all the solder joints. I have heard of a few of the units breaking wires and joints loose. only a few, though, most of the long term reviews seem favorable. check all the solder lugs on the pots and jacks as well. as far as i know it is a very simple circuit just like a c-lator, with the addition of the reverb, so it shouldn't be too hard to chase the problem down.

Also, i snagged this from this instructions, in case ya didn't have em

When the Verbrator is used as a loop, the pedal is plugged into the amplifier patch jacks. The output from the preamp (usually labeled send, or preamp out) is sent into the jack marked “From Preamp”. The output to the effects is taken from the jack marked “to effects”. This is a low impedance send which can run pedal or rack level solid state or tube equipment easily. The send level is adjusted by the send knob.
The return from your effects chain plugs into the jack marked “From Effects”. The return level is adjusted by the return level knob. This knob may be pulled to get additional return gain for lower output pedals or rack devices. This is adjusted to taste.
When the pedal is used in parallel (normal) mode, the send and return controls are used to adjust that the input to the first pedal is not overloaded, and the return level may be adjusted for how much effect you desire. When the pedal is in series mode, the return control will set overall level of the system, and the Verbrator should be adjusted so the level of the amplifier (your system level) is approximately the same as when the unit is not used. The intent of a properly functioning effects loop is to insure proper level and impedance matching from the amplifier to and from the effects loop. While the unit can add gain when required, it is usually not recommended as it increases the chances of extraneous noise.
When using the unit as a reverb, it can be used a number of ways: Plugged directly between the guitar and amp, at the end of a pedal board, plugged through your amps effects loop (which may be a passive or active loop).
When the unit is used as an effects loop, the reverb mixes into the dry signal (or the effected signals returning from your effects chain, in the output gain stage. Levels must be carefully adjusted for the proper mix during use.

Gregg

Here's a write up from erwin I believe on another post on different OTS models that discusses the different tonestacks as well


Non Hrm classiq EQ is the oldest style of dumble amp. A bit more rooted in the
raw fenderish tone. This is the amp that made his reputation. This
would be like early Lindley, Browne, Lowell George, the first
incarnation of his amps.
It can sustain like a mofo! It is a singing OD for sure.
Not much compression, very touch sensitive and dynamic....

Second the Non-HRM Skyliner EQ  low plate is a variation of the above. Dumble modded
several of his older amps with a new tone stack he was developing,
know as the skyline eq because it's output viewed on a scope resembled
a city skyline.
It is a little less Fender but still a somewhat lower gain affair. It
has the same gain as the vintage amp but the new EQ is more "signature dumble" and a little less Fender. Improved cleans from th Vintage model.
It still sustains like a mofo, has a bit better string to string definition and is a little more refined in the tone shaping.

Non-HRM Skyliner EQ  high plate is where he went next, same as above but now the
gain staging is not classic fender. It has more headroom, definition, and punch, more lively and responsive cleans, smoother OD, and a small bit of compression, very touch sensitive, lots of sweet singing tones.

HRM Skyliner EQ   HRM stands for
"Hot Rubber Monkey". This is a second tone stack just for the OD
channel. It is more or less a Marshall style tone stack this allows tone
shaping of the OD independent of the cleans.
A real Dumble of this ilk would be called a Skyline HRM. Smooth as silk, goes from clean to mean like no ones biz. Transition
between is amazing. You can pick clean, a bit dirty, grinding, soaring, all
with your hand and all smoothly with definition. No rasp or buzz. Very refined. Gorgeous smooth tones. A little more compression that the above amps but not in a bad way. Very natural. The dynamic response is second to none. This amps feels like it breathes with you after awhile.
Smooth singing overdrive, completely dynamic, never any rasp or buzz, no IM distortion or other uglies.

Blues Master. Think raw early Fender/Marshall
tone on steroids. The tone stack is decidedly bassman territory,
however because of Dumbles many other difference it is far better IMO.
The cleans here are the best cleans I think I have ever heard, dumble
or otherwise. The cleans will sing and sustain!!! The OD is much less smooth and much less compressed than the above amps. It has some early Marshall vibe to it. Boosted cleans with this amp are to die for. The OD is a bit more raw and edgy then some of the other offerings but with boosted cleans you get the smooth side of things and with the OD you have a less polite and refined tone.
Somewhat like the first Dumbles, though different. Lots of punch, sustain and singing but not as smooth as some of the other offerings. This one can be thick and dense too. Not dark and crappy, just "meaty"...
Open clean cleans to mean and a little rude.
Big fat sick blues machine. Lots of character or soul. This amp will try and steal your girl.Like a tuxedo on a cowboy?.... It can play nice but it can still stomp in the dirt.
last is the same as above with the HRM OD tone stack which gives a little more tone shaping and refining in the OD section.





hope this helps!

Gregg

Well, older amps used to have a ground lift switch (the unused one on Nik's). If the ground in the place you were playing in was not behaving, you could lift the ground, and take some of the hum away by "floating" the ground. It sounds more like something is awry somewhere else, though. I'd take it to a tech and see. There's a handful of things it could be, but if you are still getting a hum with the tubes out, I'd say it's something in the ps node feeding the OT. If you put a meter on the OT node , you should get around the same DC voltage, give or take a few volts and your plate voltage. If you switch to AC and see voltage, then you may have a problem with that node of the PS, I would think. The only other thing I can think of, other than a ground issue, a colder solder joint, or a moving short, would be a problem with the standby switch or the way it's wired. The only bad thing about a ground issue is that if that is indeed the problem and it goes away when the HT is put to the tubes, is that you become the ground, which is no fun (I've been the ground before). So just keep that in mind. I'd take it to a tech, just to be sure.

Gregg

Sounds like a ground issue, either in the amp or at your location or both, or maybe something in the main power supply caps, filter caps, or one of the nodes. There should be no hum when in standby, and certainly with no tubes in it.

Gregg

cool, man. i hope you get it all sorted out

Gregg

in between V4&V5.

here's a link to the manual to help out too

http://ceriatone.com/Manuals/ceriatone%20hrm%2050w%20100w%20manual.pdf


Gregg

on the clean side if you have it biased properly, between 35-37ma it shoudn't break up on the clean channel that much. Have you checked the bias?

Gregg

I agree with Chris. Sounds like one or more of your tubes is/are microphonic. Sounds like at least a preamp tube and possibly one or more (can't remember if you have a 50 or 100 watter) are shot.

Hope this helps

Gregg

Mike @ kcanostubes.com. Nice guy and reputable.

After alot of tube rolling in my HRM Bypassed Bluesmaster, I am liking ANOS GE Long Plate in V1, JAN GE 5751 in V2 and Groove Tubes 12AX7-R in V3, either TAD 6L6WGC STR's or JAN Phillips 6L6WGB's in V4 & V5. I use a low noise  7025 in the C-Lator