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vibro champ build gallery

exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
edited November 2008 in Musicians and Gearheads
http://picasaweb.google.ca/exhausted1975/MarshAmpsFenderVibroChampClone#

i'm still working on a couple of things with the vibrato circuit.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • TrailerTrailer Posts: 1,431
    That's awesome! How does it sound? That must be an amazing feeling to be able to play out of something you've built... now I want to do that.:D Looks great!!
    Whoa, chill bro... you know you can't raise your voice like that when the lion's here.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    Sounds great so far. Just letting it burn in for a while and I'll try to do clips. I have a hard time with the kids making time to make noise right now.

    edit: fixed one bug with the vibrato and the other "bug" is actually normal for the amp, though not necessarily desireable. not a big deal. so i guess it's 100% now.
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    Looks great bud, really does. keep us posted.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    well, one thing i have to do is adjust the bias on the power tube. it's really hot (a known issue apparently) and the 6V6 is just getting cooked. i just don't have the right resistor right now. so i'll do that soon and probably burn up a tube in the mean time.

    and since, you love clips, here's a teaser. sorry i can't gain it up but my son's asleep. gainy stuff later. this is all the amp except for some guitar rig software spring reverb.

    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_clean_trem.mp3
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    sounds excellent greg, it has that airy dryness to it and the trem sounds really good. I'm sure you'll work out the bias issue.

    I'd enjoy playing that amp all day long.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • TrailerTrailer Posts: 1,431
    that sounds amazing!! nice little vibrato going on:cool:
    Whoa, chill bro... you know you can't raise your voice like that when the lion's here.
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    exhausted wrote:
    well, one thing i have to do is adjust the bias on the power tube. it's really hot (a known issue apparently) and the 6V6 is just getting cooked. i just don't have the right resistor right now. so i'll do that soon and probably burn up a tube in the mean time.

    and since, you love clips, here's a teaser. sorry i can't gain it up but my son's asleep. gainy stuff later. this is all the amp except for some guitar rig software spring reverb.

    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_clean_trem.mp3

    Beautiful clean for sure. Well worth it.

    Yea 6V6's just do not take abuse at all. Can't run them hot and expect them to hold up like a EL84. But the 6V6 when figured out is exactly where it's at. Can't go wrong.

    Until you get the bias right, just say it takes after a marshal.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    here's a couple clips with the dirt. the amp's been on 10 for all of these. the clean clip had the tele on the low input. the strat's on the high and the epi sheraton's on the low. the bass is rolled down a lot on the amp (3) because it farts out pretty fast.

    i'm not enamoured with the dirty tones but from what i'm reading, the bias has a lot to do with it so i'll try again once that's resolved. i'm finding it fizzy and harsh right now. definitely a clean/light OD amp.

    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_strat_dirty_hi.mp3
    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_epi_dirty_lo.mp3
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    exhausted wrote:
    here's a couple clips with the dirt. the amp's been on 10 for all of these. the clean clip had the tele on the low input. the strat's on the high and the epi sheraton's on the low. the bass is rolled down a lot on the amp (3) because it farts out pretty fast.

    i'm not enamoured with the dirty tones but from what i'm reading, the bias has a lot to do with it so i'll try again once that's resolved. i'm finding it fizzy and harsh right now. definitely a clean/light OD amp.

    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_strat_dirty_hi.mp3
    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_epi_dirty_lo.mp3

    Honestly my opinon of older fenders is their sweet spot is the clean to light OD.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    definitely so with the blackfaces. all three of mine really only like the edge of breakup. but that's why i have tweeds and a marshall clone too.

    this champ really does suffer from the small cabinet too. i should do the same settings through something larger. the 5w tweed princeton presents as a bigger, richer amp thanks to it's cabinet (and of course a bit more gain).

    the champ sounds small in the room but the cleans record very well.

    in other news, i just did the paul c phase inverter mod to my 5E3. delays breakup by a couple numbers on the dial and makes it even more lively.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    exhausted wrote:
    definitely so with the blackfaces. all three of mine really only like the edge of breakup. but that's why i have tweeds and a marshall clone too.

    this champ really does suffer from the small cabinet too. i should do the same settings through something larger. the 5w tweed princeton presents as a bigger, richer amp thanks to it's cabinet (and of course a bit more gain).

    the champ sounds small in the room but the cleans record very well.

    in other news, i just did the paul c phase inverter mod to my 5E3. delays breakup by a couple numbers on the dial and makes it even more lively.


    This is why supers never were quite IT for me. I never understood why they didn't take the 59 bassman and include that tube reverb circuit and tremolo.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    This is why supers never were quite IT for me. I never understood why they didn't take the 59 bassman and include that tube reverb circuit and tremolo.


    That's because they took the Twin Reverb curcuit and put it in a 4x10" box.

    I've had varying luck with my Vibro Champ on overdrive... sometimes I find a sweet spot, sometimes I don't, and it varies a lot with what I'm putting into it. I've had a lot of luck with Tele and Strat bridge pups (like you said, the low end can be pretty flatulant, especially with HB's) and it makes for a pretty good slide tone.

    I do, however, love the tone of my '66 Deluxe Reverb when it's cranked to around 7 or 8. Great natural overdrive! Tweeds are great and all, but I think that there are some blackface amps that can kick. A blackface Bassman on a Marshall 4x12" with Greenbacks... oh, la, la...

    Besides, Fender amps are made to play at the edge of breakup, with a great OD pedal to kick it's ass over the edge.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    mccreadyisgod wrote:
    Tweeds are great and all, but I think that there are some blackface amps that can kick. A blackface Bassman on a Marshall 4x12" with Greenbacks... oh, la, la...

    mmmm. social distortion.

    i just tried the VC through my valve jr 1x12 (vintage 30). much richer and better for the overdrive. it's really just hampered by it's cabinet (and i even went with the 10").
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    exhausted wrote:
    mmmm. social distortion.

    i just tried the VC through my valve jr 1x12 (vintage 30). much richer and better for the overdrive. it's really just hampered by it's cabinet (and i even went with the 10").


    Tell me about it... I'm playing thru a Weber alnico 8", and it can get really woolly or fizzy on me. The clean tones, though, are heavenly. I've got the original speaker boxed up (thank GAWD I was able to find a spyder for the re-cone), and it would probably sound better, but I'm still toying with the idea of buying a replacement back panel from Mojo and putting a speaker jack on it (right now the leads go straight from the amp chassis to the speaker). I have a feeling it would open up if I plugged it into a bigger cab like my 2x12" or 4x10".
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    i think it will. all the good stuff is at the output. it just needs more space to breathe.

    here's the same clean trem sample through the epi cab. same software reverb etc. once again, can't do gain as the kids are down.

    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_clean_trem_12cab.mp3

    very little difference in the finished product when recording clean but it fills the room much better in person. i probably don't have the settings exactly the same on the amp or guitar either.
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    exhausted wrote:
    mmmm. social distortion.

    i just tried the VC through my valve jr 1x12 (vintage 30). much richer and better for the overdrive. it's really just hampered by it's cabinet (and i even went with the 10").

    Social D and a lot of recordings over the years.

    Social D still blows my mind.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    ok, here are some gainy clips with the epi cabinet. it's much better this way. it's a gristly overdrive for sure. we'll see after i adjust the bias.

    amp's on 10. strat into the high input. sheraton into the low.

    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_strat_dirty_hi_12cab.mp3
    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_epi_dirty_lo_12cab.mp3

    also, one with a boost pedal on for the hell of it. it's still the sheraton into the low input.

    http://fridgemagnetmanifesto.net/audio/clips/VC_epi_boost_lo_12cab.mp3
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    All Those Yesterdays wrote:
    Beautiful clean for sure. Well worth it.

    Yea 6V6's just do not take abuse at all. Can't run them hot and expect them to hold up like a EL84. But the 6V6 when figured out is exactly where it's at. Can't go wrong.

    Until you get the bias right, just say it takes after a marshal.

    i fixed up the bias today and it did smooth out the breakup a bit. it's still a scrappy little amp but i can definitely hear the change and it's better.
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