Sound Clips Available - Ritchie TMB Head!!

jersey_aaron · Post by **jersey_aaron** » Tue 09/30/03 11:05 pm

Here are some sloppy mp3's of me playing my Ritchie TMB head (with Heyboers) using the Normal Channel with Tone and Volume on -6-

All clips recorded with a minidisc using the following gear:

* 1981 Gibson Les Paul Standard
* Ernie Ball Super Slinky .009's
* Lindy Fralin PAFS (8k & 9k set)
* Jenkins Sound 2x12 closed back with/25w celestion greenbacks.
* Spectraflex guitar cord
* 1 Foot Gold-plated monster speaker cable

(I use a vintage script-logo MXR Phase 90 for Ten Years gone)

Cut & Paste the following links:

http://www.alternate-groove.com/tmb/heartbreaker.mp3
http://www.alternate-groove.com/tmb/tenyearsgone.mp3
http://www.alternate-groove.com/tmb/my_old_school.mp3
http://www.alternate-groove.com/tmb/shockme.mp3
http://www.alternate-groove.com/tmb/sho ... htlong.mp3

The only thing I *MIGHT* want to change on this amp is to back off of the brightness a little bit, anybody have a clue on how I can do this??? I'd also like to add more gain at lower volume - which cathode resistor do I need to change for this to happen? Should I just remove the second filter stage?

ampkits · Post by **ampkits** » Wed 10/01/03 5:24 am

Hi Aaron,

Sounds great! You're damn excellent player as well.

Can I use your clips? Hehehe...

Anyways there's a story behind it:

- Aaron's board arrived pretty late to my standards. Seems that September 11 anniversary made security tighter at US ports.

Furthermore, customs tore open the box (they usually dont). Tore is understatement, Aaron said the box arrived almost in pieces. But the board inside was intact, as well as components.

But the hand drawn layout was missing. Aaron was a bit peeved, and I was ready for refund/send another. I was waiting to get his drawing to work out the thing again.

Plus, I didnt take into account Richie's use of another 16uf. I think I got the layout pretty right, but just ignored the extra 16uf coz assumed Richie didnt put that on his amp (I was also working on a hi fi amp with B+ same for power and preamp side for more "airiness" and "open ness").

But out of the blue, the amp is completed. Very fast, and very neat (which I think makes the amp so quiet and really sounds good).

Moral:

1) I try not to send items to US in September anymore.

2) Ask Richie next time

3) Why would they take away the layout drawing? Is he/she gonna make an amp or what? If the TMB becomes a product, I'll call it "18W Custom Agent".

With Richie's permission of course..

Anyways, great job!

Nik

Post by **Plexi** » Wed 10/01/03 3:45 pm

Ok now on that second clip your cheatin..i hear a phaser?

It doesn't sound too bright on the clips. just roll the tone back on the guitar a bit..

No clips of the MV channel??

Richie

Post by **zaphod_phil** » Thu 10/02/03 5:42 am

Well he did say,

jersey_aaron wrote: (I use a vintage script-logo MXR Phase 90 for Ten Years gone)

Sounded pretty good too!

Post by **Plexi** » Thu 10/02/03 3:17 pm

I see that now..

It was below the other things listed.. guess i went to fast to hear the clips..

Richie

dboul · Post by **dboul** » Thu 10/02/03 7:13 pm

Hi Aaron,

Good sounding amp!

You can increase gain a few ways without modifying your amp. . . first you can get softer power tubes, Groove Tubes rates them for you and they're cheap! $18 for a matched pair. Go for a 3 or 4 rating on your tubes and you'll get a nice break up and around 3 or 4 on the volume. You can also find softer preamp tubes that will break up very nicely at an earlier point. Try swapping positions between all of your 12AX7's. The amp will change subtlely as you move the tubes into diffferent orders. This is all natural distortion which will be harmonically purer and more pleasing to the ear than just extra gain boost, which can get a little "buzzy" in a simple circuit such as the 18 watt.

Additionally, you can increase the plate resistors value up from 100k and that might give you some more gain, but it will change the sound of your amp and it sounds pretty darn good to me. Humble opinion, take with grain of salt.

I personally would just get a tube based pedal that suits your ears and use that as an optional additional gain stage, that way you preserve the integrity of your nice new amp. Take the pedal and put in old Carbon Comp resistors and play with different tubes in it. Also, Weber VST makes an excellent attenuator that will allow you to push the power tubes to beg for mercy at a low volume. This is a really nice sound as well.

I always like to try the painless routes first. Modifying a good amp can be a very heartbreaking venture. I've ruined a few great amps by accident.

Amps are cheap to toy with and expensive to fix.

There are a bunch of ways to get gain and 50 different opinions! My opinions are no more valid than anyone elses. Find what suits your ears. I just got a phone call and have to split . . but guys . . . take over here. Help this young man out!

jersey_aaron · Post by **jersey_aaron** » Fri 10/03/03 10:24 am

Dan, thanks. I've experimented with a bunch of different preamp tubes. I think the EI is in the first spot, an Electro-Harmonix is in the second and a Yugoslav is in the third. I haven't touched "Groove Tubes" since 1991 when I found out they were nothing but re-branded and marked up ($$$) tubes from other manufacturers!

ampkits · Post by **ampkits** » Fri 10/03/03 10:32 am

EI? HAH! Take these "God of Hi Fi" tubes with diamond on bottom and titanium support spacers with tight and sultry vacuum laced with a touch Pierre Fontain de Parfum...

If you buy, you can even hear Diana Krall had a small fart just before you hear she take a deep breath for the intro...

That'd be 150 bucks per tube..!

Sorry. Was on the phone with a Hi Fi nut...man, these guys sure can go on and on about stuff...hehe..I'm gonna be offline to recover from glazed eyes..

I like JJs.

Thanks!

Nik

dboul · Post by **dboul** » Fri 10/03/03 11:37 am

Hey Aaron,

You're partially right about GT. They do rebrand other's tubes, but they test the tubes in such a thorough manner that you are certain to get a good tube that is VERY strictly matched and graded with no microphonics. Ultimately their tubes don't cost anymore because they buy them in bulk so the GT version of a Russian tube doesn't cost anymore than the original Russian tube. Anyway, enough of my GT sales pitch . . .

There are many many Mullards on Ebay to try and snag. I've done really well there, but you have to be patient. Mullards sound astoundingly good if you get a reasonably fresh tube. The break up is sooooo sweet and harmonically rich . . . it will set you free!

Also, check out Lord Valve on the web he sends a catalog out by email monthly and he tests the tubes thoroughly like GT does and his prices are fair. And http://www.watfordvalves.com in England does a similar routine on tubes as GT and Lord Valve. You just ALWAYS get a good tube from these places and that makes a huge difference. There is a huge range of quality when it comes to tubes and it worth an extra buck or two have someone find the sweet ones for you.

But back your original question . . . if you up the Plate load resistors to 220k from 100k you'll get a nice gain boost but it will change the character of the amp. Give it a try and see what you think. I have a chart at home somewhere that shows the gain levels with different plate loads vs cathode resistors. I'll try to scan it and put it up, it's very interesting. It doesn't take too much change to get more gain, but again, you're changing the inherint beauty of this circuit. The question is: is it better or worse? That's up to you! Beauty is in the ear . . . .

jersey_aaron · Post by **jersey_aaron** » Fri 10/03/03 1:48 pm

Thanks, those are good suggestions. The amp has plenty of gain once it hits 6-7, so it might be a waste add more earlier - I'll be sacrificing my loud "clean" tone. I will need this channel for gigs.

At rehearsal, I will need more gain at lower volume, so I'm going to use the MV channel. But for that channel, I will have to *SUBTRACT* gain, hopefully by messing the cathode resistor/capacitor combinations.

dboul · Post by **dboul** » Fri 10/03/03 3:09 pm

I'll get that chart up this weekend for you to check out.

Also, if you need a loud clean tone as well, check out the Marwatt mod in the download section. Basically, someone has modified one of the tone stacks to function like a HiWatt. The recording there is very clean and loud and very Townshendish. Makes a great semi-clean rhythm sound.

Have fun man!

dboul · Post by **dboul** » Fri 10/03/03 3:20 pm

Hey Aaron,

One more thing, I hit send way to early there . . .

Check out the attenuators at http://www.webwervst.com

The "Load Dump" attenuator is perfect for the 18 watter. I use one in my old Vox AC and it works great. It's really small and you can mount it in the cabinet with 2 screws and no one will ever know it's there. You can dial in all the gain you want at living room volume. This may work for your rehearshal issue. It also has a speaker kill switch which lets you keep a load on the Output tranny while you crank the amp silently. Great for fine tuning your bias.

Take care!

Post by **Gabi** » Mon 10/06/03 10:16 am

Great soundbites, Aaron!!

I posted them in the ZOUNDS section:

http://www.18watt.com/modules.php?name= ... &p=JSAaron

gabi.

PS: anyone else who would like to post his 18 watt samples on this site, please let me know.

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Sound Clips Available - Ritchie TMB Head!!

Sound Clips Available - Ritchie TMB Head!!

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