I have a customer who thinks he wants to have me swap Mercury PT & OT into his Orange Tiny Terror, also do mods according to their directions. I'm looking for feedback from anyone who's done it, whether good or bad. Also I think it's fair to state I'm not all that impressed with Mercury's hyper-priced iron. I expect most of the tonal changes would come from the circuit mods. But - I could be wrong. TIA for your comments.
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Has anybody done the Mercury "Holy Terror" mod?
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Putting Mercury iron into an OTT is a great way to turn an inexpensive lunchbox amp into an expensive lunchbox amp.
For example: I paid $300 locally for my OTT. Your customer is talking about putting a $300 kit into a $300 amp. He's doing to double it's price and the amp isn't going to sound very different. If he wants to spend $600 there are better amps out there.
If he likes the amp, then he should play it as it is.
If he doesn't like the amp, then he should sell it.
Spending as much on the iron as the amp is worth is just effing stupid. There's no way I'd ever consider doing it, and I'd never consider paying someone to do it for me."Stand back, I'm holding a calculator." - chinrest
"I happen to have an original 1955 Stratocaster! The neck and body have been replaced with top quality Warmoth parts, I upgraded the hardware and put in custom, hand wound pickups. It's fabulous. There's nothing like that vintage tone or owning an original." - Chuck H
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Originally posted by bob p View PostPutting Mercury iron into an OTT is a great way to turn an inexpensive lunchbox amp into an expensive lunchbox amp.This isn't the future I signed up for.
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Forgot about your mods question: my understanding is that the Holy Terror kit isn't much more complicated than an iron upgrade and a pentode/triode switch, but I could be wrong on that.
I don't find triode/pentode switching to be a very useful mod, but then I've never liked the tone of power pentodes switched into triode mode. I've always thought that mod sounded bad. IMO there's a limit to how much tone you can get out of a low powered amp by continually cutting back on it's power. The OTT already has a half-power switch, and I don't use it because I don't like the low power sound of the amp, and I don't think that going farther in that direction with tri-pent switching isn't likely to make the amp sound better.
That amp already has the ability to provide all the dirty crunch that you'd ever want out of an amp. If I were to mod the amp, I'd focus my attention on modding it to make it louder and cleaner, rather than quieter and dirtier. that would give the amp something new in an area where it's lacking.
I haven't bothered with modding it because for me, it's easier to just move to a different amp when I want clean. I just use the OTT as a one trick pony."Stand back, I'm holding a calculator." - chinrest
"I happen to have an original 1955 Stratocaster! The neck and body have been replaced with top quality Warmoth parts, I upgraded the hardware and put in custom, hand wound pickups. It's fabulous. There's nothing like that vintage tone or owning an original." - Chuck H
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Woops I meant to add the link to Mercury's ad for this mod, here 'tis:
Mercury Magnetics -- Orange "Tiny Terror" Upgrade Kit
Gosh I just don't know if I can live another minute without it...This isn't the future I signed up for.
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I've looked ... no schematic has been published. I guess you only get the schematic if you buy the iron.
I recommend the $5 solution: paint the endbells orange. We all know just doing that will make the amp sound better.
"Stand back, I'm holding a calculator." - chinrest
"I happen to have an original 1955 Stratocaster! The neck and body have been replaced with top quality Warmoth parts, I upgraded the hardware and put in custom, hand wound pickups. It's fabulous. There's nothing like that vintage tone or owning an original." - Chuck H
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Originally posted by bob p View PostI recommend the $5 solution: paint the endbells orange. We all know just doing that will make the amp sound better.
BTW my customer found an MEF thread from @ 6 years ago where you're laying down the bob p attitude on Merc & mods for the Tiny Terror. All consistent with right now, extra points for you! http://music-electronics-forum.com/t1477-8/This isn't the future I signed up for.
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I'm a Mercury dealer, too. I think I have some of their badges laying around here. If you want, I can send them to you to stick on top of the orange paint. Booteek transformers at a fraction of the price."I took a photo of my ohm meter... It didn't help." Enzo 8/20/22
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Originally posted by The Dude View PostI'm a Mercury dealer, too. I think I have some of their badges laying around here. If you want, I can send them to you to stick on top of the orange paint. Booteek transformers at a fraction of the price.
"It's always fatal and it never gets better, it's the best kept secret in the West!"This isn't the future I signed up for.
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"Stand back, I'm holding a calculator." - chinrest
"I happen to have an original 1955 Stratocaster! The neck and body have been replaced with top quality Warmoth parts, I upgraded the hardware and put in custom, hand wound pickups. It's fabulous. There's nothing like that vintage tone or owning an original." - Chuck H
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Originally posted by bob p View PostLeo! You've brought back an old memory -- Graham Parker is one of those guys who lives in my vintage vinyl collection.This isn't the future I signed up for.
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This is my experience with this mod. I have one at my shop now. "Triode mode doesn't sound good. And the switch is broken. Can you just hardwire it to pentode and get rid of the switch?"
Don't put that triode/pentode switch sticking out of the back panel so when the player puts the amp in the "gig bag" or whatever it's called, the switch breaks off, getting stuck in one mode.
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I can't say that I really understand the whole gig-bag concept. Guitars and amps get protected in hard cases and broken in soft cases.
I think the best mod for the OTT involves a can of Orange spray paint."Stand back, I'm holding a calculator." - chinrest
"I happen to have an original 1955 Stratocaster! The neck and body have been replaced with top quality Warmoth parts, I upgraded the hardware and put in custom, hand wound pickups. It's fabulous. There's nothing like that vintage tone or owning an original." - Chuck H
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