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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:17 pm
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Quote:
Retroverbial wrote:
CTS alnico's......a man after my own heart!
Arjay



+1K...Love them CTS Alnicos!

T2

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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:18 pm
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Very nice amp, Beemer!!!! The tubes are a great choice. How's that reverb sound? Art

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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:05 pm
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Art,

Surprisingly good reverb tone. Running Sylvania 12AT7WC driver and a Raytheon 12AX7A recovery. Haven't even looked at the tank. Its tone is not the endless dripping-wet well tone like some Twin reverbs or stand-alone units. But, a nice touch of delay and depth at mid-apps on the dials (depending on pups and other pedally-things hanging-on). :lol:

Vibrato/tremolo is NOT like the brownface ones driven solely by tubes phasing. But, then what is?

CTS spekaers give the amp a nice round, articulation-friendly, Bluesy tone. Good mids with tight transient bass. Clean high note. Slow onset of OD. Not the crunch of the ceramic Oxfords. Nice character. I really like 10-inchers for lead work.

Gonna go up the country, gonna snatch a friends' Sangria and pair of Weber 10A125. I'll get back to you on report as soon as I land safely, back on Earth. :?


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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:38 pm
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" I apologize beforehand but I've seen NOS tubes with the smoked-glass. How different are those? "

No problem... Empirically, two tube, identical in structure, material used, and time of conception --- will have a slightly different tone, if the glass is clear or smoked.

there are several styles of "smoked." Light graphite spray on the inside of the globe. With dimensions varying. And later painted (even dark black, usually). Seen in some mil spec Russian tubes.

The idea of grayed-glass is to reduce electromagnetic emissions and well as some small EM reception.

But, what the graphite does (and painted surfacces do not seem to do the same thing)... is lend a more mellow midrange --- by the coating's interaction with the tranversing electrons. There is a smoother transition to high notes, as well as bass. As opposed to the tighter bass and cleaner, more distinct highs of hard vacuum clear glass.

Once, when 6V6GT sub-type cost below the average income of a small third world country, you could buy an RCA or Sylvania gray glass 6V6GTY and compare it to a black plate similar vintage RCA or Sylvania 6V6GTA (clear glass). Quite a noticeable difference. The GTY and GTA are both uprated 6V6GT's. Both can handle nearly 6L6GC plate votlages and laugh.


But, the tonal differences! That brown based GTY is SMOOTH like butter. The clear glass GTA is clean with great bass. Analytical mids (goofus term to mean "kinda sterile"). Now, I don't like analytical tubes. And esp 6V6GT's! My Peccadillo. :oops:

Talk to some folks lucky enough to ever play the Marshall 1962 Bluesbreaker combo. Loaded with EL34--- it sounds like a Marshall. Loaded with clear GEC/MOV KT-66, it sound like super clean to super crunch (thus some of the early high THD cuts on the Beano album).

BUT, loaded with gray glass MOV/GEC KT-66... Blues Heaven. Power. Clarity. But that warm midrange with crystal clean high notes. But, more natural tone --- not pushed or strident. Like putting just the right Jupiter Beewax caps in the correct places ... no jive.


https://www.tubeworld.com/kt66emit60.jpg


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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:13 pm
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Holy Crap Steve...After that, I am not sure I know a damn thing about tubes :!: Thanks :lol:

T2

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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:37 pm
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+1 but i already don't know crap about tubes. LOL

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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:39 pm
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Yeah the guy's a tube monster!!! Hey Beemer, Happy Landings!!! Art

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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:46 pm
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T2Stratman wrote:
Quote:
Retroverbial wrote:
CTS alnico's......a man after my own heart!
Arjay



+1K...Love them CTS Alnicos!

T2

I hope you have better luck with the CTS speakers than I did in my '67 VR....they blew halfway through the first song in a gig...... :cry: ...and I was really digging the tone too!


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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:02 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
CTS alnico's......a man after my own heart!

+10000

My heart skipped a beat when I saw that pic, I want this amp with 2 CTS in there :mrgreen:

Rebelsoul wrote:
I hope you have better luck with the CTS speakers than I did in my '67 VR....they blew halfway through the first song in a gig...... :cry: ...and I was really digging the tone too!

Get 'em reconed, you won't regret it. The 4 in my SR are recones and sound heavenly in my SR!

I use one reconed CTS in my Victorilux with two C10Q, that one CTS completes that amp.


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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:33 pm
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cedarblues wrote:
Get 'em reconed, you won't regret it. The 4 in my SR are recones and sound heavenly in my SR!

I use one reconed CTS in my Victorilux with two C10Q, that one CTS completes that amp.


+1!

Specify a traditional seamed-and-ribbed paper cone with a modern Kapton-wound 30-watt coil and you'll have no problems. It will look vintage and it will sound vintage, and it'll keep an otherwise original amp all-original.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:48 pm
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Anyone have a good recommendation for the CTS being reconed. That includes VC, too? Correct?


Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:51 am
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BMW that looks like a dream machine. Congrats! Post some recordings!!

And thanks for the mini tube lesson, that is some in-depth knowledge you shared with us :shock:


Arjay have you tried the Weber Chicago Vintage speaker? How does it compare to a real CTS Alnico?


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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:30 am
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I've installed close to sixty Weber speakers (of all types) into amps belonging to my clients. Most of them sound *okay*. For my personal harem though, I fail to see the need for a "modern equivalent" replacement while vintage speakers of all brands remain plentiful and affordable. Even factoring in the expense for re-coning, a vintage speaker made by Jensen, CTS, JBL etc, is still more cost-effective than a new contemporary speaker that can be purchased and installed immediately. Authentic tone from a vintage amp is more important to me than such instant gratification. Of course, few are possessed of my level of patience.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 9:20 pm
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Been playing the VLR most of the day (after gettting off GY shift--- so not much sleep). The thing oozes Fenderosity. Really, GREAT response to fingering input and nice clean tone to "7." Much Bluesier and responsive with those CTS alnicos, versus the stock ceramic Oxfords. Has that DR big brother tone, if you catch my drift.

Up past "6" the SFSR ---- I was A-B these amps ---- takes over. It terms of fuller, richer tone. I can't imagine what these guys would sound like through a 8 X 10-inch stack. Gonna try to get down to San Diego soon, where friend as several SVT setups. And an original redone Ampeg full stack.

As for the AA270 circuit versus the AB763... I can't really hear a difference when both the AA270 VLR and the AB763 are below "5-6." I think that the GZ34 makes more of a difference (compared to the 5U4GB). Stouter tone and cleaner, faster bass and sustain galore with the GZ34/5AR4. But, still the sag or "breathing" quality of a tube rectifier (versus the tone of a solid-state rectifed driven Bandmaster Reverb, for instance).

The 6L6GC, in the VLR, are within 5mA of each other, so tweaking the "balance" pot gets them right to 40mA each. The SFSR has spot on RCA matches (same manufacturer dates). So, biasing them is not too big of an issue with single AB763 bias pot. I can get them to within 2mA of each other. Just shows you how much difference each leg of the bias supply makes. And I'm running 1% tolerance 220k-ohm resistors (in grid-to-ground on the 6L6GC's) and !% tolerance 1500-ohm grid stoppers.

One little tidbit... a good set of 7581A really makes the VLR sound BIG. Almost as big as the SR. The 7581A in the Super Reverb is amazing. Almost TR range. Certainly as big as a dual 6L6GC amp fitted with a bigger Bassman OPT. 7581A, JBL speakers in the TR is LETHAL. You lose some of that RCA midrange magic, even with the best Sylvania STR-7581A.

Played my MIM Telecaster (with Duncan 5-2 pups). My LPS with 500T/496R pups. And 335 with original zebras. All sounded very good, once you tweak the dials about. Pots were a bit scratchy, at first (prolly due to long downtime). Caig Fader Lube did the trick. Stone quiet, now.

Only tried a touch of Tube Screamer (Keeley modded 808), a recently re-built Matchless OD HotBox, and usual Cry-Baby, Comperssor, Phaser, Flanger... whatever. All sound pretty good through this amp.

I really love these dual 6L6GC Fenders. 36-40 watts of pure Heaven.

The CTS alnicos seemed to be built for these amps.


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Post subject: Re: New Toy
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 10:29 pm
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Uh, there are no "AB763" or "AA270" circuit revisions for a Vibrolux Reverb.

You have your choice of AA864, AA964, AB568, or AA1270. Based on the build date I'd offer that it's the latter chassis.

HTH

Arjay

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