I've just ordered this amp

[kiteman]

Ok, did some more tests and the pedal's (Adrenalinn III) too much for it. I had to cut the output level way down from 50 (unity) to under 20. The amp seems to have sensitive input. The guitar alone is plenty already.

I put the Mullard RIs in it and it's staying in there for now. Nice clear tone from them.

Now will the amp be good for bedroom playing level? Hard to say as the darn thing's loud. I barely cracked the volume to get the comfort level. I'm sure it's putting out more than 5 watts when cranked. I didn't play it long as my ears are ringing.

All done in my bedroom so when I have a chance to take it out I'll know more and more tests to be done on my Windsor 4x12 cab.

Damn, my ears are still ringing.

 

[kiteman]

Here it is again, too strong the input that I had the pedal to zero volume and it's still putting out loud. I guess it doesn't like the pedal very well.

Something ain't right if this amp is going to be as loud as my 15 watter. I pulled the tubes and put the Chinese EL84 back in. I put my RCA 5751 in the preamp. That made it a lot better and I have more range with the volume. It sounded good with the guitar and it'll jam when you crank it. I still think that it's putting out more than 5 watts.

Tried the pedal, not very well. The effects sounds overwhelmed.

Now to the amp gurus, Changing a resistor will change the impedance of the input? This sounds like the high level and too much of that. Rather have the low level input. Thanks.

 

[kiteman]

Now that I put my HD head back on it sounds different. Something happened to the speaker. It sounds cleaner and not as much sustain as it used to have. My noise gate is now on 2 instead of 4 to get some sustain back.

I jammed on it though and my playing sounded cleaner and I had fun to tell you the truth.

Not as noisy as I used to be so what the hell happened to the speaker ??

Broken in?

I can tell you that the Kustom was hard on it. I gave up trying to hear my drums when I was playing on it. That's with the 5751 and cranked up around 10 oclock to get the tone.

At any rate it'll be my project when I get the book. I'm gonna tame that sucker.

 

[deeaa]

This thread sounds so much like what I went thru with my Valve Jr. almost word for word and same tube changes. I ended up changing the transformer and some resistors as well, and then sold the amp finally

These type amps are probably much the same. Awesome tone, but it's also such a tone that isn't very usable in general terms and many applications, there's always something to tweak about it, right? Like with the Valve Jr, with the right speaker and guitar and right volume you'd get marvellous tones - but where to use that tone? It was way too loud for home playing when the tone came, and way too quiet for band. Superb tone, yes, but on which songs would it have been usable? Very few for me.

I would very much like to get one of these amps...I'd have learned my lesson and I would use it as a poweramp only, and not spend aeons tweaking it forever, because no matter what you do, the basic properties of the amp will never change.

 

[kiteman]

This thread sounds so much like what I went thru with my Valve Jr. almost word for word and same tube changes. I ended up changing the transformer and some resistors as well, and then sold the amp finally

These type amps are probably much the same. Awesome tone, but it's also such a tone that isn't very usable in general terms and many applications, there's always something to tweak about it, right? Like with the Valve Jr, with the right speaker and guitar and right volume you'd get marvellous tones - but where to use that tone? It was way too loud for home playing when the tone came, and way too quiet for band. Superb tone, yes, but on which songs would it have been usable? Very few for me.

I would very much like to get one of these amps...I'd have learned my lesson and I would use it as a poweramp only, and not spend aeons tweaking it forever, because no matter what you do, the basic properties of the amp will never change.

I had a VJr and it worked well. Controllable and take pedals very well. Swapped tubes on that and got different flavors. This amp sounds much better than the VJr but no control, too sensitive and too loud to be a 5 watt amp.

I probably blew the warranty fiddling with it so it's my modding platform now. There's too much gain in there somewhere that the sound is over saturated. Using the 5751 made it more controllable but I think there's too much gain in the output stage. Most likely a bad resistor or cap.

I'm going to sit on it and wait to see what others have to say about theirs.

 

[kiteman]

Hah! It was my pedal that made it sound bad. Did a factory reset and all is ok.

By the way I ordered two tubes, an AT7 and an AY7.

 

[Eric]

Hah! It was my pedal that made it sound bad. Did a factory reset and all is ok.

By the way I ordered two tubes, an AT7 and an AY7.

What, that Adrenalinn III? Did that account for the change in the cab sound too?

Glad you got everything resolved.

 

[kiteman]

What, that Adrenalinn III? Did that account for the change in the cab sound too?

Glad you got everything resolved.

That it did. The cab sounds fine whew. I don't know what happened to the ADIII but I'm glad it's ok, just had to rewrite my patches, not spend another $400.

The defender still won't handle pedals but the tubes I've ordered will be the judge of that.

 

[kiteman]

Ok, got my tubes in. Tried the AT and still pretty loud. No luck with the pedal.

Tried the AY and it's much better. About as loud as the VJ amp was and the pedal worked as long as the volume's under 10 oclock. Any more and the effects washes over. Sounds like too much gain somewhere.

Now the fun part, plugged the guitar straight in and dimed the volume. Sweet power tube distortion from the Mullard RI.

Now I'm thinking the amp will work nicely with my keyboard. The line output from the keyboard are not very strong.

 

[deeaa]

Didn't it get cold with AY or AT? I've a bunch of those, AY, AT, 588x, etc, lower-gain variants of AX anyway, and in my amps using them also makes the sound go cold and tinny :-( except the H&K CreamMachine which works best with, well, most anything else than an ax. At some point I was so much into testing different tubes I have a big box filled with pre- and power tubes.

I may have to get myself one of these amps some day...

 

[kiteman]

I guess it did sound cold but more tolerable. I haven't heard about it from others to make a comparison. I can't find out if it's defective like a bad cap or something.

 

[kiteman]

Here's why this amp is so wild, from a review on MF:

Tested output ranges from 4-16Watts RMS. Volume is actually 2nd stage gain, power amp is full power. Two cons: no attenuator setting and amp is too loud for reasonable room use. Contains 12AX7B high gain preamp tube from China.

 

[TWANG]

I bought the KD5H.
I have modified it already, a fair amount.
Changing R9 to 270 Ohm for Sovtek tube.
A few silver mica caps and sprague orange drops.
also put a 470 Ohm 5W cement block in .. R12 I believe it is.
the first R on the B+ where R10 is on the vj's.
also a conjunctive filter.
and a tone *treble* pot.

If the amp is too hot for your pedals.. I use a fulltone fat boost and it's just peachy.. you should add a lo input.

Eventually I'll add gain and master volume and nfb.
I want to do all of this with the exisiting transformers.

I get break up now around 9:00 on the volume dial. And I can push back the highs nicely to reduce so much string noise. I can also increase it for tons of jangle chime etc...
The CF smoothed out the distortion a bit, very nice.

Still getting 319 at pin 7, so I may take the 470 Ohm up a bit.
I'd like 310 I think.

I'll get some pics up pretty soon.

For my money it seems to be a bit squealy compared to a vj..
that is, it will feedback.. in certain registers.. if I'm close to it and it's set loud..moreso than any vj I've done.
But with a metal cab and often I have the top off..that's fairly understandable.

I'm doing another one after this, this is my mod test unit, with a 6V6 and a Weber OT, so I'll post about that, too.

Got it for 80.00 shipped at GC using a coupon.
way good deal at a hundred

 

[TWANG]

the following picture contains an error.
the white cement block should not be there.
working on too many amps at once.
it goes on the other end to the right
the CF is connected between the OT plugs.
on mine when you unplug the OT you unplug the CF with it.

 

[kiteman]

Yo Twang!

I'm Wrenches on the Agile forum.