Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

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spider
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

Post by spider »

Josh, Just wanted to give ya a great big thank you for posting that link. It looks very interesting and a huge help to me. I have a epiphone valve jr sitting here. I use it for a talk box but also wanted to mod it sometime ago since its the lowest wattage amp I have. I found a mod by Pat Furlan called Billy Gibbons tone that I wanted to try out. I joined SEWatt.com and some time ago they mentioned they have a schematic on their site that is better than Pats mod. I have their schematic. Its called wild thang. I havent gotten all the parts just yet though. I did get the heyboer ot for it which I know was kinda expensive for a valve jr but again for a beginner I felt it was a start for meddling on these things.

I think the link you provide would be a good 2nd step for a beginner as well. I think Im gonna just try this out and see where it all goes. I cant thank ya enough for the push in the right direction.
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

Post by JMPGuitars »

spider wrote:
Mon 03/07/22 1:29 am
Josh, Just wanted to give ya a great big thank you for posting that link. It looks very interesting and a huge help to me. I have a epiphone valve jr sitting here. I use it for a talk box but also wanted to mod it sometime ago since its the lowest wattage amp I have. I found a mod by Pat Furlan called Billy Gibbons tone that I wanted to try out. I joined SEWatt.com and some time ago they mentioned they have a schematic on their site that is better than Pats mod. I have their schematic. Its called wild thang. I havent gotten all the parts just yet though. I did get the heyboer ot for it which I know was kinda expensive for a valve jr but again for a beginner I felt it was a start for meddling on these things.

I think the link you provide would be a good 2nd step for a beginner as well. I think Im gonna just try this out and see where it all goes. I cant thank ya enough for the push in the right direction.
Once you put the new PCB in, it isn't a Vjr anymore. With the better OT, and setup properly for the tube you want, I think you'll really enjoy it.

Good luck, and be safe on your amp build/mods!

Thanks,
Josh
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

Post by zaphod_phil »

You really don't need a Heyboer OT for that amp. I instead recommend the Hammond 125 DSE, which should be perfect and much more affordable.Always keep in mind that the OT is the foundation of a guitar amp's tone.
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

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Josh, Will I be able to run a KT66 in it?

zaphod_phil, Yes I was inexperience when I made the purchase for the Heyboer a few years back. I was reading some forums on people modding them as I was never happy with the original tone from it. But when I read about most mods I still wasnt set on doing anything. Then I read someone said the OT was the main culprit on the map and that they bought a Heyboer. I took his advice and after the purchase I learned that there were other cheaper options available. I was bummed I spent so much on it.

The only mod I found was Pat Furlan Billy Gibbons tone that got me wanting to really take a stab at doing it myself. I found SEwatt thru some more research and also found a member there that has a schematic for his Wild_Thang mod. I have yet to meddle trying to do the mod. I need a little more research on how to find the parts they used from the schematic. Im a lil vague reading them yet and picking the parts. Needed some guidance or walk thru on what to do. That's when I searched for a kit with parts as I figured it would be easier.
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

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" I found SEwatt thru some more research and also found a member there that has a schematic for his Wild_Thang mod."

Several years ago I built the Wild Thang from scratch based on that thread on SEWatt. It is still here, is used irregularly and is great for home recording. But since it is a "spare" amp it is also useful as a tool for practical learning about mods to the preamp. That may be because it is a single knob circuit with very few losses. Mine has a 6X4 rectifier and 6AQ5 power valve but the EL84 is just as good for this design.

Dd
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

Post by colossal »

Daviedawg wrote:
Wed 03/09/22 3:50 am
" I found SEwatt thru some more research and also found a member there that has a schematic for his Wild_Thang mod."

Several years ago I built the Wild Thang from scratch based on that thread on SEWatt. It is still here, is used irregularly and is great for home recording. But since it is a "spare" amp it is also useful as a tool for practical learning about mods to the preamp. That may be because it is a single knob circuit with very few losses. Mine has a 6X4 rectifier and 6AQ5 power valve but the EL84 is just as good for this design.

Dd
How did you like that amp, Dd? My understanding of it was that it was chasing a Billy Gibbons-esque sound.
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

Post by Daviedawg »

It can provide that sort of sound but at a volume appropriate to the output valve you are using. I use it for recording at home. But it would never be my only amp. if you try you can get very nice smooth sustained distortion with a Tubescreamer. But why try with an 18 watt sitting beside it?

Dd
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

Post by spider »

Daviedawg- thanks for that info. Can you tell me how much tonal difference there is between Wild Thang and Pat's mods? I am dying to mod mine to Wild Thang as I remember hearing it was well designed and I believe they said you couldn't get it any better sounding than what they did for that particular amp.

Pat's tone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZRveNnv0L4
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

Post by Daviedawg »

Did not see if Pat says but I assume that is an EL84. The first thing I say is that comparisons of similar amps where one is live in your room and one over the internet can be deceptive. Also it depends on what guitar you are playing.
But it seems that the Wild Thang is louder, noticeably, and the tone looked for is at a higher volume setting. Mine is in a combo in a small Fender cab with a 10" 30 watt high efficiency speaker. A 10/10 will give an earlier break up and less volume. Not sure what is in the VJr. So there are other variables too.
All I can say is that they sound similar and you will get that sort of response from it but maybe after some effort.

Dd

Edit. That made me dig it out. Most of what I say above is sound. But at risk of annoying next door's enormous dog I turned it up bit by bit. As soon as it gets too loud for home use it sounds very close to what I am hearing on the video. If you want that and stay friends with dog and spouse you will need maybe a treble boost of some kind. Or maybe a very low efficiency speaker. Dd

Edit again. With the 6AQ5 it has a very nice clean tone. Dd
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

Post by zaphod_phil »

colossal wrote:
Thu 03/10/22 6:09 pm

" I found SEwatt thru some more research and also found a member there that has a schematic for his Wild_Thang mod."
Daviedawg wrote:
Wed 03/09/22 3:50 am
Do you have the URL for the schematic of this mod? I haven't managed to find it on sewatt.com :?

Several years ago I built the Wild Thang from scratch based on that thread on SEWatt. It is still here, is used irregularly and is great for home recording. But since it is a "spare" amp it is also useful as a tool for practical learning about mods to the preamp. That may be because it is a single knob circuit with very few losses. Mine has a 6X4 rectifier and 6AQ5 power valve but the EL84 is just as good for this design.

Dd
How did you like that amp, Dd? My understanding of it was that it was chasing a Billy Gibbons-esque sound.
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Re: Clone Kit Am I asking for to much?

Post by spider »

Dd, thank you so much for the great detailed info on it and checking your amp out again. I was very excited about doing this mod and was having a hard time choosing which to do. I think I will try pat's first as lower volume is key for home use. Maybe after I actually complete that I will have more confidence in trying the Wild Thang mod.

Again much appreciated for the information. It has greatly helped me decide which way I need to go now. Thank you!
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