I suspect that they did change something when they went from the regular supremes to the transtube supremes. Interestingly, i have never even looked inside my transtube to see what the transtube bit is. Probably something stupidly not-that-special like a JFET stage. I would not be surprised.

Beyond that, i don't think they have changed much at all since then, aside from the ones that have digital modeling bits in them or whatever. Peavey seems to be on a bit of a visually-different-but-circuitwise-the-same sort of kick of late, repackaging old amps so they look less old.

Anyhow. At least with the Transtube, the transtube knob actually, as i recall, kind of sucked. The main reason, IMO that the amp sounded good had nothing to do with the transtube bits, but rather the fact that unlike many solid state amps, it has an output transformer. This seems to have a lot to do with how the thing reacts and sounds. It is way more real-amp-like than my old Crate GX130C was. The Crate had some things going for it, but "natural amp response and sound" was not among them.

Now, on the other hand, i HATED the fucking Valvestates. Fucking terrible, IMO.

Inneresting. I know transformers are belovéd in the pro audio world for imparting "warmth" to things- mic pres, mics, etc. Maybe there's some sort of correlation here?

I had a VS100R. It was... Er, I didn't know any better. I traded it for an AVT50H when those had just come out, which actually did sound somewhat Marshally... And not long thereafter I had money and bought a JCM 2000 and a pile of rack gear.

Incidentally, I kept the AVT around as a backup amp for gigs... And it got stolen after a show. All the nice guitars and amps made it home safely.

I dunno, in the case of an amp, it seems to have a lot to do with saturation in the sound, and squishyness in the feel. It maybe lowpasses the harsh in a nonlinear fashion that allows enough of the angry through in a natural way?

It is in part at least, like a much more subtle version of the difference between an amp through a cab, and the same amp direct into a board. There are certain things that just sound better filtered out. The speakers filter in very heavy and obvious ways. I think that perhaps the output transformer does the same.

I dunno, i am no rocket surgeon or nuthin'. But i mean, in a basic sense, there are not really an unlimited number of ways that a dood can use ICs and whatnot to amplify and clip a guitar signal. The only thing that is really drastically different seems to be the transformer presence or absence. An output transformer by itself doesn't do all of the things that we want from a tube amp(correctly progressive preamp clipping is perhaps impossible with non-digital (and perhaps with digital as well) means)) but it does seem to bring things in a positive direction.

I actually feel like the regular SS Marshalls were better than the Valvestates were. I even seem to recall finding the regular old MOSFET ones to be agreeable, though it has been many years since i played one.

I loved the one hundred watt Valvestate combo I tried. Granted I was sixteen, but fuck, the neck pickup on my strat sounded so good through it.

I played a Mosfet Marshall a while back.

It was pretty damn decent, and not pricey at all.

Why not?

No soundcloud for mobile devices, or YOUS JUST A BITCH?

Also, dev whilst on the SC bucker thing, I can tell you I got the GFS Tele Lil Puncher is very nice, but if you want to work something out, I have a real SD Tele Hotrails in my Hamer I was going to take out, and put the stock Pup back in. Not because I don't like it, just want the SC tone for that one.

What's the output on the hotrails?

NOt sure on that, it's hot. Here's SD's link http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/e ... ils_for_t/

14.8 I also have a cool rails for the neck

Hmm I would really only need the bridge pup for my Nashville-style setup, but at 14.8 it would definitely do the trick with some output available for a split coil.

Lemme know what you were thinking for it.

I'm wondering if I'd be better off using 1meg, 500k or 250k pots on this beast. It IS going to be on the brighter side so 1meg might be overkill, but I am running it right into a very dark fuzz pedal and analog delay ...

With a hot bucker, i would go for the 500k. If you put the pickup in and because of the output it seems too dark, i might go up to 1M. But i would probably start at 500k.

Hmm. Interestingly, i thought i was running a bigger pot in my tele, but i just popped it open and it is just a 250k. My pickups are low output buckers though, 6.5k and IIRC 5.5k.

Dev, I didnt think you had it in you to write something like that. That was really good. I enjoyed that. Would change one thing about that mini breakdown though.

Oh yeah, if I do end up sending you anything, chris, I'll make sure to throw in those old phone receivers. :D

YES.

I'd change a lot of things about that mini breakdown :lol:


But thank ye. I gots a ways to goes but I actually dig playing this kind of stuff. No idea how I will be with the weedly weedly bits though.