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Got this Silverface PR with pull boost on the bench for what is supposed to be a simple recap, clean, etc. As I'm sitting here waiting on the cap can to ship (still ESRs good but it's on borrowed time), I can't help but think this thing sounds like crap. I can't get a clean tone at all as breakup starts around 2. Got ghost notes happening everywhere and if I crank it to 10 we are full on Marshall superlead distortion.
So I replace cathode bypass caps, still crappy. Added grid stoppers and screen resistors to the 6V6s and added a grid stopper to the cathodyne.. still bad. Got to be these old microphonic tubes right? Threw in some JJ's, when I went to bias the tubes to 70% the output takes a dive and sounds like it is underbiased. What in the world? Started changing coupling caps which helped with the ghost notes but still bad. I FINALLY thought to check the wattage and low and behold we are 1w max output. I'd almost guarantee this thing has a bad OT now. I normally check wattage at checkin but got in a hurry. Cost me half a day at least and now I get to order even more parts. Grrr!
So I replace cathode bypass caps, still crappy. Added grid stoppers and screen resistors to the 6V6s and added a grid stopper to the cathodyne.. still bad. Got to be these old microphonic tubes right? Threw in some JJ's, when I went to bias the tubes to 70% the output takes a dive and sounds like it is underbiased. What in the world? Started changing coupling caps which helped with the ghost notes but still bad. I FINALLY thought to check the wattage and low and behold we are 1w max output. I'd almost guarantee this thing has a bad OT now. I normally check wattage at checkin but got in a hurry. Cost me half a day at least and now I get to order even more parts. Grrr!
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