Mercury Magnetics transformers...

[krhnyc]

Hi,

Anybody using Mercury Magnetics transformers? If so, any truth to the hype? It would cost $300 to replace the OT and choke in my amp... and I want to know if I will hear a desirable change. Right now, the amp (a VK100) is decent sounding... not mind blowing... but definitely serviceable for what I use it for (funk, rock, blues, fusion). I want it to sound more open. Less buzz, more grind in the gain channel. Less compressed overall.

I know that tubes will make a diff, but I like the idea that the choke could make it quieter, and improve the harmonic content. Just wondering if there is any users who can testify "yes. worth it" or "ehhh, just ok" or worse yet "I think someone stuck a Mercury Magnetics sticker on my old tranny and sold it back to me..."

Best Regards,

KRHNYC

[JerryP]

There are many cheaper options.
Jerry

[CharlieP]

Mercury price for VK 4 tube OT is $270 + Choke $30. It can be done cheaper.

[Diablo]

I remember listening to a transformer shootout on the web somewhere. Someone swapped out 4 different transformers in his amp and recorded clips. It was very difficult to hear any significant difference. No one could pick out the MM transformer in a blind test.

[CharlieP]

Ted Weber has 3 different brands to choose from. His, Hybouer and I think Mercury.

[Guitarist]

Well for $600 more you could get a Legacy II and have your Merc. Mag. and midi and...

Save you money and change $10 in parts to bring that sound into your amp. There should be a good tech who wont soak you nearby or post the schematic here and we'll write a prescription.

Guitarist

[SatchmoeddieII]

Mojo music makes decent transformers for much less, and unless you are really wanting to get a Mercury I think Mojo will do about as good a job for a lot less. I have run both through a $5000 LCR, and found them both about the same. The ears are of course the most important instrument for tesing this. For an input (power) I can not justify Mercury's price, but for an output there is some differences that may be worth the price. Lots of botique builders love Mercury, and I have to admit they do make stuff for amps that no one else does. I just did an AC30 based amp with old x-fmrs from an old amp, or organ, and it sounds great. This the exception not the rule. Antique Electronics has Hammond, and other stuff for Marshall, Fender, and Vox + the Hammond line fro about the best prices around. The Hammond JCM-800-100 watt seems great in my latest head. I am really wanting to start winding my own transformers, but i will need a way to cut laminates, and make bobbins. The winding will be easy after doing pick ups. The steel used in the core has an effect, as does everything else, but lots of stuff from the 60s and 70s is NLA due to environmental concerns. A Morley RWV is filled with PCBs for instance, and lots of stuff used chemicals that are NLA. Good luck. I think half the price difference is for quality, and half is for the name, but that is my personal opinion. I still think Merc. Mag. makes great stuff, but worth 100% more great?

[petemoore]

On the second try they got it right for my AC15CCI.
No biggie since I measured the voltages and compared to the new ones before ripping anything out, I needed a 'strange' [Vox I guess changes the taps when needed] 36v tap, they paid shipping and got me an Xformer set that went right into the Vox.
That and the Alnico Blue was a 'transformational event' for the amplifier.
So although I love the product, I think you can do well, and then get the other top shelf speaker too with the difference in price.

[bob p]

a lot of it depends on the transformer design. some transformers, like the Plexi, are more complex to wind than other, more simple transformers.

with that said, if you search the message bases here, you'll find that i've posted detailed commentary about how MM's pricing paradigm has changed dramatically in the past few years -- to the point that i think that they are just bilking their customers. i used to buy dozens of units from them at a time, back when i could buy their iron cheaper than hammonds. my account has seen no orders for several years now.

[Chuck H]

I'm just a builder tweak. But I do have the honor of having my work heard and solicited by a big cootie in the biz. I have used MM, Heyboer and Hammond transformers. Most recently I have had Heyboer wind some proprietary iron for prototypes with this 'big cootie' I mentioned. Alden at Heyboer is a really great, salty guy. The OT's he wound for me sound great. All my personal builds use Hammonds. Not the "guitar amp replacement" line, but their off the shelf units. Unfortunately Hammond won't play ball with pricing so I'm going with the custom Heyboers. But I like the Hammonds a tad better. MM makes the best "Plexi" OT going IMHE (Only since the demise of Obsolete Electronics) if you don't mind pawning you car to get one. Heyboer is also great. The difference is negligable. And though I haven't tried one, I did recommend the Hammond guitar amp replacement line not long ago to someone and they had excellent results. Based on my experiences with Hammond units I would definitely try their OT before any one else's. They have been making musical instument transformers a long time. And they have a special team dedicated to the task to this day even though they now make everything from industrial room sized transformers to little telecom equipement jobbies.

JM2C

Chuck

[HTH]

Mercury Magnetics make some fantastic iron - their RS JTM45 clone is an especially magical sounding unit that will transform any amp it goes in. I do like their quality and tone - never been disappointed yet.

Saying that, I don't use them for everything and find Hammond stuff to be great - their build quality is beyond reproach and the tone delivers. The top end isn't as musical or harmonically interesting as the MM stuff, but then again it doesn't cost as much as MM stuff.

[bmcmusic]

Mercury Fat Stack

Mercury does make a line of Output transformers called the Fat Stack for various model amps. They have more iron and are quite impressive. I used them in my builds for an amp you can crank and keep a tight focused bottom end.

Bob
Bob McGilpin, McMusicsound, Home of Great Tone