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What I take from him is that new PCB stuff can be great (but usually is poorly designed). He has some excellent fixes for common Fender amps which should improve the longevity of those amps, and explains why for example a Suhr Hombre (for example) is a good example of modern construction techniques. Older Fenders can have their issues too - the moisture getting into fibreboards causing DC to wreak havoc in the amp, or the way some '50s Fenders used crappy filament wiring schemes which create noise. So he's not 100% on the old amp bandwagon! :)

He cracks me up with the way he sighs at poor workmanship. The main thing for me is that from watching his videos my own amps have got better.
 
“Uhhayllo. Uh, today.. we arah going to try.. thee, uhh [insert badass legendary amp] anduhh compare it to.. thee [insert another badass legendary amp].. to, uhh.. see how they compayurr.”

Always a treat!
 
HamishR said:
Someone said jazz was doing fine until white people got hold of it - I feel the same way about the blues.

I didn't mind Rhett Schull when he started but now it's like he feels he has "joined the club" of smug YT guitar nerds. He needs to learn more about what he is discussing before pontificating.

I used to listen to YT demos of pedals but realise that they never sound like what I might be able to buy. So I've pretty much given up!

Someone mentioned Forgotten Weapons. I am fascinated by hand guns and have owned a few in my time but am freaked out by a lot of gun videos! Forgotten Weapons is a non-hysterical, dry view of the history and I really like his style. Probably the only gun video guy I can stomach. I'm quite conflicted about guns - where I live owning a handgun is actually quite rare and we definitely don't/can't use them for "self-protection". And we don't need to. I don't want to live somewhere where guns are everywhere. But I do enjoy pistol shooting and classic firearms. Forgotten Weapons is the sort of coverage I enjoy.

These days my go-to is Psionic Audio. As an amp builder I have learnt a lot from him and my amps are better and quieter for it.
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forgotten weapons is a wonderful channel that stands pretty apolitical and tends not to engage in a bunch of childish antics. as a responsible gun owner (to be fair most my stuff is 19th century era), it's difficult to navigate YouTube for content that doesn't skew terribly political and/or fairly irresponsible.
 
andare said:
I also subscribe to Psionic Audio but boy is the man wordy.
What I learned from him is that vintage amps and tubes are better, I can't afford them and now I hate everything :)
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Same, I’ve been binging Psionic for weeks now. He’s the reason I:

Built an amp and used a warehouse speaker.
Bought a Princeton
Bought a hot rod deluxe so I can change the caps and mod it.
Want to built a speaker cab.
 
andare said:
I also subscribe to Psionic Audio but boy is the man wordy.
What I learned from him is that vintage amps and tubes are better, I can't afford them and now I hate everything :)
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You think he's wordy. It takes Uncle Doug 10 minutes to cook minute rice!


jimilee said:
Same, I’ve been binging Psionic for weeks now. He’s the reason I:

Built an amp and used a warehouse speaker.
Bought a Princeton
Bought a hot rod deluxe so I can change the caps and mod it.
Want to built a speaker cab.
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It's a sickness. Don't get me wrong, so is pedal building. But amps?! Whole new ballgame of broke.
 
Giorfida said:
Yea, you can build a few dozen pedals for what one amp can cost you to build.

That said, I’m also itching pretty bad to get started on my next amp!
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Saaaame! This is the year I tackle my white whale: the 6G4-A Super. I also have parts for tweed and blonde Bassmans. Bassmen?

I’d better start hunting down some 5881s!
 
6G4-A Super? Wow - nice! I've built quite a few 5F4/5E7 based amps, mostly as 1x12 (which they never were originally) but also as 2x12 and a 1x12+1x10. I have a 5F4 1x12 as a main amp right now. I originally built it with KT77s but recently put 6L6s in it and it sounds amazing. I don't normally go for 6L6s but in this amp they sound fantastic, and the amp sounds huge.

I built a blond Bassman head once but I wasn't blown away with it. The 5F6-A sounds surprisingly good as a 1x12 and I've built a few of those.

Right now I'm going between the 1x12 Super and a 5E3 Deluxe. I have a brown Deluxe done that I just need to tolex the cab for. And I have a JTM45 done which just needs the cab tolexed too. I hate tolexing!
 
Oooh I watch way too much youtube. Most things have already been mentioned, so I'll keep it to a few weirder ones that aren't necessarily guitar-focused:
  1. Folks have already mentioned Lantertronics, but it's been a recent favorite for learning more nitty gritty about electronics.
  2. Cyberattack does effects/recording tutorials, but with a totally unique aesthetic. Lots of 8bit art, stop-motion with old action figures, etc. Usually doesn't cover much new ground for me, but they're all so creative and fun to watch.
  3. Audiohaze's series on recreating different song recordings is pretty fun. Forensic productions playlist.
  4. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but Pat Finnerty's "What makes this song stink" series is shockingly engaging and manages to tell very humans stories while aggressively dunking on goofy songs. Tons of Philly lore, Dr Dog cameos, and a healthy spoonful of Beato baiting :)
  5. One last weird one for the "there, I fixed it" crowd of crapsmen such as myself: James Channel is all about "fixing" and "improving" crappy old video games. Mostly short (by modern standards) videos and I usually get a few laughs out of them.
 
HamishR said:
6G4-A Super? Wow - nice! I've built quite a few 5F4/5E7 based amps, mostly as 1x12 (which they never were originally) but also as 2x12 and a 1x12+1x10. I have a 5F4 1x12 as a main amp right now. I originally built it with KT77s but recently put 6L6s in it and it sounds amazing. I don't normally go for 6L6s but in this amp they sound fantastic, and the amp sounds huge.

I built a blond Bassman head once but I wasn't blown away with it. The 5F6-A sounds surprisingly good as a 1x12 and I've built a few of those.

Right now I'm going between the 1x12 Super and a 5E3 Deluxe. I have a brown Deluxe done that I just need to tolex the cab for. And I have a JTM45 done which just needs the cab tolexed too. I hate tolexing!
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I outsource the cabinet builds and tolex work. Done enough of it in the past to know it’s cheaper to buy than build for me (I’m honest about what my time is worth), and I get no joy from the cabinet work.

That said, I’m selling a 5e3 build to help offset my next build. Just can’t crank it enough to appreciate it- and it’s the one amp attenuators and master volumes don’t work well with at all.

I’ve also considered a JTM45, but with a availability of good KT66 being not so great and the fact that I still need to build another Superlead and JCM800 (and ab763 Vibrolux and AC30) first, that may be a while for me.. in hopes I get along with the circuit this time (never could get a tight enough bass and keep one from sounding muddy— likely lack of good KT66 in my life… maybe?
 
HamishR said:
6G4-A Super? Wow - nice! I've built quite a few 5F4/5E7 based amps, mostly as 1x12 (which they never were originally) but also as 2x12 and a 1x12+1x10. I have a 5F4 1x12 as a main amp right now. I originally built it with KT77s but recently put 6L6s in it and it sounds amazing. I don't normally go for 6L6s but in this amp they sound fantastic, and the amp sounds huge.

I built a blond Bassman head once but I wasn't blown away with it. The 5F6-A sounds surprisingly good as a 1x12 and I've built a few of those.

Right now I'm going between the 1x12 Super and a 5E3 Deluxe. I have a brown Deluxe done that I just need to tolex the cab for. And I have a JTM45 done which just needs the cab tolexed too. I hate tolexing!
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I wish I had the tooling to build cabs. My poor 18w Lite build has been sitting in a cabinet as a naked chassis for quite some time!

Too bad about the blondie, but good to hear the tweed sounds good with a 1x12! I’m planning to build mine as a head with EL34 capability and a Fixed/Cathode Bias toggle. May as well do a tweed head since versatility is the name of the game!
 
Giorfida said:
I outsource the cabinet builds and tolex work. Done enough of it in the past to know it’s cheaper to buy than build for me (I’m honest about what my time is worth), and I get no joy from the cabinet work.

That said, I’m selling a 5e3 build to help offset my next build. Just can’t crank it enough to appreciate it- and it’s the one amp attenuators and master volumes don’t work well with at all.

I’ve also considered a JTM45, but with a availability of good KT66 being not so great and the fact that I still need to build another Superlead and JCM800 (and ab763 Vibrolux and AC30) first, that may be a while for me.. in hopes I get along with the circuit this time (never could get a tight enough bass and keep one from sounding muddy— likely lack of good KT66 in my life… maybe?
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This is a fear of mine, I have one set of good KT 66s left and need to start hunting for more. The JTM 45 is a wonderful amp and depending on your preference, a few tweaks make it even better.

Band of Dans said:
Oooh I watch way too much youtube. Most things have already been mentioned, so I'll keep it to a few weirder ones that aren't necessarily guitar-focused:
  1. Folks have already mentioned Lantertronics, but it's been a recent favorite for learning more nitty gritty about electronics.
  2. Cyberattack does effects/recording tutorials, but with a totally unique aesthetic. Lots of 8bit art, stop-motion with old action figures, etc. Usually doesn't cover much new ground for me, but they're all so creative and fun to watch.
  3. Audiohaze's series on recreating different song recordings is pretty fun. Forensic productions playlist.
  4. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but Pat Finnerty's "What makes this song stink" series is shockingly engaging and manages to tell very humans stories while aggressively dunking on goofy songs. Tons of Philly lore, Dr Dog cameos, and a healthy spoonful of Beato baiting :)
  5. One last weird one for the "there, I fixed it" crowd of crapsmen such as myself: James Channel is all about "fixing" and "improving" crappy old video games. Mostly short (by modern standards) videos and I usually get a few laughs out of them.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the recommendations, subscribed to the first three!
 
Giorfida said:
I outsource the cabinet builds and tolex work. Done enough of it in the past to know it’s cheaper to buy than build for me (I’m honest about what my time is worth), and I get no joy from the cabinet work.

That said, I’m selling a 5e3 build to help offset my next build. Just can’t crank it enough to appreciate it- and it’s the one amp attenuators and master volumes don’t work well with at all.

I’ve also considered a JTM45, but with a availability of good KT66 being not so great and the fact that I still need to build another Superlead and JCM800 (and ab763 Vibrolux and AC30) first, that may be a while for me.. in hopes I get along with the circuit this time (never could get a tight enough bass and keep one from sounding muddy— likely lack of good KT66 in my life… maybe?
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If you can't crank a 5E3.... I have a '68 50W small box plexi clone I built not too long ago - I LOVE those amps, both to build and to play - but damn it's loud. I'm not a fan of attenuators. But it does sound great with a good OD pedal.

The JTM45was an idea I had to build after selling a 1x12 5F6-A Bassman. I thought built as a 1x12 it could be an interesting replacement. I used JJ KT66s. Maybe not the most authentic but they do sound good. I built it thinking that if necessary I could sub in EL34s, KT77s or even 6V6s. I've used 6V6s in plexis before with very good results and a significant drop in volume. They don't quite sparkle the way a good EL34 or KT77 does but they still sound excellent. Now I wonder what 6L6s might sound like.

Yes the JTM45 has rather a huge low end. I used a 25µF bypass cap on the first gain stage - a no-brainer really, but it didn't really drop the lows much. In the past in similar amps I have gone as low as 68nF or 1µF there which has helped, especially if you split the cathodes and still have one channel with a larger bypass cap. But I don't want to split the cathodes on this one just yet. I have .022 PI caps and on the treble channel went to a .0022 coupling cap which has really tightened things up in that channel even though I still need to use Bass at zero - 9.00. But it's fantastic with a Strat! I always try and then remove bright caps on volume pots because they sound harsh and artificial to me. In this amp I even removed the bright cap on the mixers because it wasn't necessary. It's still a work in progress!
 
HamishR said:
If you can't crank a 5E3.... I have a '68 50W small box plexi clone I built not too long ago - I LOVE those amps, both to build and to play - but damn it's loud. I'm not a fan of attenuators. But it does sound great with a good OD pedal.

The JTM45was an idea I had to build after selling a 1x12 5F6-A Bassman. I thought built as a 1x12 it could be an interesting replacement. I used JJ KT66s. Maybe not the most authentic but they do sound good. I built it thinking that if necessary I could sub in EL34s, KT77s or even 6V6s. I've used 6V6s in plexis before with very good results and a significant drop in volume. They don't quite sparkle the way a good EL34 or KT77 does but they still sound excellent. Now I wonder what 6L6s might sound like.

Yes the JTM45 has rather a huge low end. I used a 25µF bypass cap on the first gain stage - a no-brainer really, but it didn't really drop the lows much. In the past in similar amps I have gone as low as 68nF or 1µF there which has helped, especially if you split the cathodes and still have one channel with a larger bypass cap. But I don't want to split the cathodes on this one just yet. I have .022 PI caps and on the treble channel went to a .0022 coupling cap which has really tightened things up in that channel even though I still need to use Bass at zero - 9.00. But it's fantastic with a Strat! I always try and then remove bright caps on volume pots because they sound harsh and artificial to me. In this amp I even removed the bright cap on the mixers because it wasn't necessary. It's still a work in progress!
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That’s one thing I can say about most Marshalls, they hold up decently with a well implemented MV or attenuator.

so it sounds like you semi-JMP’d the JTM with those values, which I would like. I do snip bright caps on my JMPs (although I’ve put on push pull pots before), and although I rarely if ever use the dark channel (and NEVER jump channels- that adds mud not gain), I still keep the bypass cap on that one low— like no more than 10u, but more commonly 1u or 2u
 
Interesting - In my '68 50W because the first stage has the split cathodes the bright channel doesn't have enough thump and the dark channel doesn't have enough cut, so I kinda have to jumper the channels! But in something like a Bassman I completely agree. Jumpering just adds mud. In this JTM too.

The '68 style 50W has an incredible sound when the channels are jumpered and both volumes are around noon. It sure is loud though!

FWIW I once played a JCM900 100W head when they were the latest thing through two quads - the classic stack -with everything dimed. Not as loud as anticipated. More recently I played a Metroamp Super Lead clone through a single quad and it was way louder, even with the volumes at around noon. And what a glorious sound. It really is a joy to behold. The 50w isn't much less loud but the bigger difference is it doesn't thump as much. I really like the 50 Watters.
 
HamishR said:
Interesting - In my '68 50W because the first stage has the split cathodes the bright channel doesn't have enough thump and the dark channel doesn't have enough cut, so I kinda have to jumper the channels! But in something like a Bassman I completely agree. Jumpering just adds mud. In this JTM too.

The '68 style 50W has an incredible sound when the channels are jumpered and both volumes are around noon. It sure is loud though!

FWIW I once played a JCM900 100W head when they were the latest thing through two quads - the classic stack -with everything dimed. Not as loud as anticipated. More recently I played a Metroamp Super Lead clone through a single quad and it was way louder, even with the volumes at around noon. And what a glorious sound. It really is a joy to behold. The 50w isn't much less loud but the bigger difference is it doesn't thump as much. I really like the 50 Watters.
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I think my lack of love of the 5e3 attenuated at any level falls on the phase inverter. Seeing as 99% of the “cranked power section” tone is phase inverter, it follows. I’m also one who loves Princetons up until the point they start to break up then hate them.
I’m also the same guy who has been known to tweak the tail resistor values to better “match” the 2 sides of the phase inverter for a tighter tone

And that’s my biggest dilemma. The 50w, esp with the right transformers are just glorious. Chewy, thick crunch that just sits so well in the mix. But my first love was a 100w, and there was just a different air and openness to the sound that I’m torn. As much as I like the 50w, I know I found myself playing my 100w so much more often, and I want to build what I’m going to play more often
 
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As you should. BTW I completely agree re the Princeton. How can anyone like that distortion/mud?

I recently built a brown Deluxe. I discovered that removing the NFB made it sound more fun and open, but only up until the onset of breakup. So I put the NFB on a switch so that if I ever get the opportunity to crank it I can switch the NFB back in to help keep things tight.

One of my favourite amps for break-up sounds is the 5F11 Vibrolux with a 12" speaker. I don't use the NFB at all in that one. When cranked it's doesn't get spongey or super saturated at all. It stays tight and crunchy. As with anything it helps to use good quality transformers and bias properly. The 5F11 is a real sleeper. It's not that loud either - loud enough dirty to gig with though.
 
HamishR said:
As you should. BTW I completely agree re the Princeton. How can anyone like that distortion/mud?

I recently built a brown Deluxe. I discovered that removing the NFB made it sound more fun and open, but only up until the onset of breakup. So I put the NFB on a switch so that if I ever get the opportunity to crank it I can switch the NFB back in to help keep things tight.

One of my favourite amps for break-up sounds is the 5F11 Vibrolux with a 12" speaker. I don't use the NFB at all in that one. When cranked it's doesn't get spongey or super saturated at all. It stays tight and crunchy. As with anything it helps to use good quality transformers and bias properly. The 5F11 is a real sleeper. It's not that loud either - loud enough dirty to gig with though.
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Never heard a 5f11 vibrolux…but the 1164 Vibrolux is my favorite clean amp. The smaller speakers and transformers give in my opinion the best balanced fender clean (not as wooly as a deluxe, not as sterile as a twin)…and when pushed into light breakup, its one of the few cranked fenders I don’t hate lol

Another Marshall tone secret: Celestion G12-65 (NOT the cream back!). Kinda sounds like a Celestion/JBL hybrid. It’s the speaker they designed before the g12t-75. It has enough of a scoop in the right place to make a JCM800 sound right, enough honk to make a plexi sing, but the big dust cap smooths Out the tall top end to give you the Duane Allman Fillmore tone. Listen to some live clips of Warren Haynes from the last few years. He’s exclusively using this speaker under his Homestead top, and alternates between these and vintage 30s under his Soldano
 
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