What could I build starting from a Peavey Ultra?

[mushy]

I started a thread on this amp here: http://music-electronics-forum.com/t36544/?

I'm wondering what I could build from this thing. What might be a good circuit for the transformers and speakers in this amp?

[tedmich]

I started a thread on this amp here: http://music-electronics-forum.com/t36544/?

I'm wondering what I could build from this thing. What might be a good circuit for the transformers and speakers in this amp?

You'll be building a push pull (PP) 6L6 based amp with (up to) 4 preamp tubes including the phase inverter (PI) You'll be using a solid state (diode) rectifier on the power supply and a voltage tripler circuit off the 24VAC tap to get a reasonable bias voltage, or opt for a cathode bias and use the bias tap for something else. You can run the std, Ultra's voltage or lower it with a zener or zener/mosfet trick described at GeoFex or AX84. You could inclulde a triode/pentode switch, lots of possibilities. Ax84 is a great place to start, and be careful not to electrocute yourself! You could run EL34s if you modify the bias circuit too.

[mushy]

You'll be building a push pull (PP) 6L6 based amp with (up to) 4 preamp tubes including the phase inverter (PI) You'll be using a solid state (diode) rectifier on the power supply and a voltage tripler circuit off the 24VAC tap to get a reasonable bias voltage, or opt for a cathode bias and use the bias tap for something else. You can run the std, Ultra's voltage or lower it with a zener or zener/mosfet trick described at GeoFex or AX84. You could inclulde a triode/pentode switch, lots of possibilities. Ax84 is a great place to start, and be careful not to electrocute yourself! You could run EL34s if you modify the bias circuit too.

Thanks for the info tedmich. I'll try not to kill myself, and if I do, it was for a worthy cause. I'll hit up ax84.

Are there any generalizations to be made about the tonal differences between 6L6's and EL34's? I know that 6L6's are used a lot in Fender amps, but I don't know why they are chosen over other types.

[tedmich]

Ahem....guitarist have no strong opinions about the tonal differences between 6L6 and EL34 power amp tu......BWAHAHAHAHA! I couldn't even get it out...


Its pretty much a preference thing, Fender came with 6L6s while Marshall used EL34... there are subtle differences but they are more alike than different IMHO. I like 6L6s but I also love my modded Ultra+, so you may prefer EL34s... ;P

[mushy]

Ahem....guitarist have no strong opinions about the tonal differences between 6L6 and EL34 power amp tu......BWAHAHAHAHA! I couldn't even get it out...


Its pretty much a preference thing, Fender came with 6L6s while Marshall used EL34... there are subtle differences but they are more alike than different IMHO. I like 6L6s but I also love my modded Ultra+, so you may prefer EL34s... ;P

While I'm getting my head together on the what and how of building something else out of this amp, are there any known mods for opening up the clean channel on the Ultra? I have mentioned that it sounds hard and mid focused to my ears. If I can get the clean in shape for running an overdrive in front, that would buy me some more time.

[tedmich]

You'd likely have to drop an entirely new clean tone stack in there, not impossible but a pain to do. You could make up a Fender type tone stack on a separate board and tack it in maybe... at least noise is much less of an issue on the clean channel as the gain is pretty low. I've never used or wanted a clean channel (truthfully) so I cannot give anything but theoretical suggestions.

Enzo was a part of a similar discussion in 2009
Peavey Forum ? View topic - How to improve Peavey Ultra 112 tone?

[soundguruman]

I started a thread on this amp here: http://music-electronics-forum.com/t36544/?

I'm wondering what I could build from this thing. What might be a good circuit for the transformers and speakers in this amp?

"What could I build starting from a Peavey Ultra?"

A mailbox?

[Justin Thomas]

Mushy, check the $7000 Peavey thread... explanation there. (Rolls eyes...)

Justin

[mushy]

Mushy, check the $7000 Peavey thread... explanation there. (Rolls eyes...)

Justin

Maybe the chassis is made out of pure silver? That cab is kind of neat, though, I guess.

[silverfox]

A Fender Band Master. Simple circuit and the type of tone you are looking for. Fender Delux?

Silverfox.

[tedmich]

Mushy the other thread I linked to on the peavey boards had guy who bought Eurotubes low gain tube set and really liked it, it'd run you $90
https://www.eurotubes.com/cart/index...category_id=93
much more Fendery and you'll likely need new tubes anyway...

[mushy]

A Fender Band Master. Simple circuit and the type of tone you are looking for. Fender Delux?

Silverfox.

I was thinking maybe starting with a bassman circuit and moving from there. I haven't had the chance to hear a bandmaster in person. What are it's characteristics?

Mushy the other thread I linked to on the peavey boards had guy who bought Eurotubes low gain tube set and really liked it, it'd run you $90
https://www.eurotubes.com/cart/index...category_id=93
much more Fendery and you'll likely need new tubes anyway...

I missed that post. I'll check it out. I would like to first unload the v30's, replacing them with something that has come character. You might be onto something, though. Maybe a speaker and tube swap would get this amp much closer to what I want. The speakers are a definite. Some guys like v30's. I'm not one of them.

[mushy]

So, in that guy's last post in that thread, he says that new tubes increased headroom for the clean and made the crunch sound fatter with less saturation. This amp's clean is already cleaner than I like, and the crunch channel is already fat. I think he did say that he couldn't access the crunch channel, so maybe he meant the ultra channel. The ultra channel does have less low mid/low than the crunch channel. I didn't catch where he said that the tube swap made the amp more 'fendery'.

[tedmich]

which makes them easy to resell! Maybe listen to the samples on the Eminence web site, you may find a better fit.

[soundguruman]

bandmaster= boring, dull...overly polite and reserved.

Marshall 2204 50 watt is very close to a bassman, with the input stages in series (instead) to beef up the gain.
You should do it that way instead of using an overdrive pedal.
Real tube overdrive will be a change, and when the guitar is turned down, it's a very clean amp.
You should build it.
marshall JCM800_2204.pdf