BF Deluxe Reverb - how to get overdrive smoother?

[johnny99]

What speaker are you using, i find a 20-25 watt speaker to be much brighter than a 50-100 watt and regardless of amp i try to use at least a 50 watt speaker. Just seem warmer to me.

Hi pops, I'm using a Jenson Falcon ( http://www.jensentone.com/jet_series/falcon_12 ). 50W ceramic with possibly a hemp cone? The reason I say possibly is that I've never seen any official pages saying that it's made of hemp, just that it's a "new style of secret, magical cone". So that either means it's just regular paper with some green dye and some marketing spiel, or they're unable to say hemp for trademark reasons.

[rp]

You need to get those mfs out and replace them with cc for starters, really. Just shot gun all of them and be done w/ it. If still too hard or bright then:

Neither 6PS or 150s are right in old Fenders but maybe you'd be better off w/ 150s, they are a bit less clear. No idea if sozos or jupiters can help.

NOS tubes too help a lot towards smoothness - nice old 6v6s. Mullards or Brimars for the pres will darken it up a bit. Some modern 12AX7s can be too gainy and hard.

Speakers are a BITCH in 2015 - just too f'ing many, but that's half the sound.

SF to BF - still 5U4 or 5AR4? If not you need to put it back to lower the voltage.

I'd do the above before I started modifying a circuit that is pretty much perfect and time tested.

[johnny99]

You need to get those mfs out and replace them with cc for starters, really. Just shot gun all of them and be done w/ it. If still too hard or bright then:

Neither 6PS or 150s are right in old Fenders but maybe you'd be better off w/ 150s, they are a bit less clear. No idea if sozos or jupiters can help.

NOS tubes too help a lot towards smoothness - nice old 6v6s. Mullards or Brimars for the pres will darken it up a bit. Some modern 12AX7s can be too gainy and hard.

Speakers are a BITCH in 2015 - just too f'ing many, but that's half the sound.

SF to BF - still 5U4 or 5AR4? If not you need to put it back to lower the voltage.

I'd do the above before I started modifying a circuit that is pretty much perfect and time tested.

Thank you for the reply, this is a silverface converted to blackface but still using the 5U4GB rectifier.

I'm hesitant to replace all of the resistors as you suggest, because the normal channel doesn't have the brittleness that the vib channel has.

[pdf64]

Have you tried it with the 10pF cap removed yet?

[bcmatt]

I played with another guitar player who has some special edition reissue with wine tolex and an alnico speaker. He found that speaker still too harsh and swapped in a Celestion Creamback after trying one of mine. Speakers can make a huge difference in smoothing tone or altering the EQ.
Also, he always jumpers and blends the two channels together. Then you can get your trem and verb with some more normal channel characteristics.

[madryan]

You need to get those mfs out and replace them with cc for starters, really. Just shot gun all of them and be done w/ it. If still too hard or bright then:

Neither 6PS or 150s are right in old Fenders but maybe you'd be better off w/ 150s, they are a bit less clear. No idea if sozos or jupiters can help.

NOS tubes too help a lot towards smoothness - nice old 6v6s. Mullards or Brimars for the pres will darken it up a bit. Some modern 12AX7s can be too gainy and hard.

Speakers are a BITCH in 2015 - just too f'ing many, but that's half the sound.

SF to BF - still 5U4 or 5AR4? If not you need to put it back to lower the voltage.

I'd do the above before I started modifying a circuit that is pretty much perfect and time tested.

Thank you for the reply, this is a silverface converted to blackface but still using the 5U4GB rectifier.

I'm hesitant to replace all of the resistors as you suggest, because the normal channel doesn't have the brittleness that the vib channel has.

Yeah, resistor type doesn't matter as much as most would have you believe. IF they drift sometimes they'll drift and sound "better" which obviously MF's won't do. But I'll take stable and quiet any day.

[Stevem]

Feedback applyed to a stage extends the Amps frequency range so what you might want to try is to disconnect the feedback and replace the 82k on one of the PI tubes plate with another 100k.
This will give a good amount of added gain also, and a smother transistion into output stage clipping.
In responce to this added gain you may then like a 12ay7 in the V2 tube slot!