subective "Ice Pick" frequency

[WhopperPlate]

Just curious,

What do you suspect it is about DIY Marshall Super Lead 100 clone's that are making them Ice-picky?

Best,

Phil D.

I think those older Polyester caps like the 'Mustards' and Mallorys have more dielectric losses than modern caps resulting in a smoother sound. During my early years of modding/experimenting, I swapped out all the polyester caps from my 80's PCB Hiwatt and exchanged them for 6PS and 715P caps, and the highs went from a silky 'violin-like' quality to a much harder, more focused high end, which could easily be perceived as more 'ice pick-y.'
I think modern metal film resistors also contribute. Old carbon film resistors will tend to drift up, and that can result in a 'smoother' sound.

Older piher and iskra resistors also have different levels of induction. RLC circuits get superimposed over the entire amp. Combine this with the above factors and oh no !

[WhopperPlate]

Insert one 715 orange drop late in the signal path without careful and intentional placement; instant ice pick . 716p aren’t as grainy , but they still break glass

[Reeltarded]

I responded similarly to the conjunctive thread in tech, ICE is at the frequencies of fingerprints on course wound strings. It is something to consider.

I have to deal with it somewhere on my high gain amps. I do it late preamp with one or a pair of low pass filters. Tiny caps and a little R.

[WhopperPlate]

I responded similarly to the conjunctive thread in tech, ICE is at the frequencies of fingerprints on course wound strings. It is something to consider.

Very good observation

[martin manning]

... or fingernails on a blackboard. There are virtually none of those left. Blackboards, I mean. But if you are old enough to have had the experience, I'll bet you are cringing. That has been measured at 2-4 kHz.

edit: Here's a reference: https://www.wired.com/2011/11/chalk-boa ... ail-sound/
"That physical response is likely generated by the shape of the human ear canal, which prior research has shown to amplify frequencies in the range of 2,000 to 4,000 Hz. What seems to happen, the researchers reckon, is that when a screech on a chalkboard is generated, the sound is amplified within our ears to painful effect."

[Reeltarded]

My mind rings at the resonant frequency of my second grade teacher's little scrapey thing she used like a blackboard bow.

EEeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEE

[WhopperPlate]

piezo pickups without an eq

[BrownIsound]

Speakers with enough doping can tame icepick.

And way back when, when I did some EL34 tube rolling on my 1959 (half clone? It’s actually a reissue SLP that I made into a 1967 ish circuit PTP with an OBSOLETE electronics OT), I found the old original Svetlana’s had an icepicky ness to them that others did not, which were mullards, the original Teslas that came in the amp, and the GT “mullards”. I liked the tone of the svetlanas, other than the icepick.

[WhopperPlate]

Speakers with enough doping can tame icepick.

And way back when, when I did some EL34 tube rolling on my 1959 (half clone? It’s actually a reissue SLP that I made into a 1967 ish circuit PTP with an OBSOLETE electronics OT), I found the old original Svetlana’s had an icepicky ness to them that others did not, which were mullards, the original Teslas that came in the amp, and the GT “mullards”. I liked the tone of the svetlanas, other than the icepick.

Generally older tubes have more accurate sonic reproduction , so more icepick . Newer tubes tend to compress those frequency peaks .