The Amp Garage

First post for me here in a while, and with the disclaimer that many others here know much more than I do. Having said that, I do have some advice for preamp tubes in an Express generally. One thing to keep in mind is that in an Express, there is a progression of which gain stages distort when. Unli...

Thought I'd resurrect this thread for a few more views as I went ahead and placed my name on the list for an Ethos pedal. I currently have 3 ways to get close to Dumble-land - a Zen, a Fuchs Traynor mod, and a Ceriatone Overtone with vintage iron. The Ethos would be specifically for use direct as a ...

Can't believe I missed these. I was briefly at the Nashville Amp Expo, mostly to hear Jack Pearson play. We didn't have a lot of time to look around at the vendors, but did play a couple of things briefly. I didn't discover Token amps until getting home and looking over pictures from others. I would...

In trying to tune up my TR Ruby, I've done some Google research and post reading lately. I've developed a couple of thoughts about tube selection for a 'Wreck style amp I thought I'd share. I came across some oscilloscope traces that show distortion at various points in the amp at different gain lev...

I did some tube rolling, and it sounds significantly improved. I think the amp itself is healthy - the owner is taking some work. I'll detail my thoughts on tubes in another thread as I think it may be helpful generally. I don't know if it now sounds as good as Amanda Lynn, but I would welcome a rem...

I've got one of those I've considered trying to convert to resemble either an SLO Clone or a Komet Concorde. They're great mod platforms - you've already got several extra preamp tube sockets, lots of room, and great iron. Maybe someday I'll get around to it. Congrats on your nice amp!

Thought I'd resurrect this thread to post the answer to the OP question. Amanda Lynn is currently for sale at Carter's Vintage Guitars in Nashville. She was apparently previously owned by a lawyer/guitarist named Charles Daughtry, and apparently used by Warren Haynes on a solo album.

I realized last night while messing with the lead dress that some of the squeal issue was my pickups. After messing with the leads it did seem to sound better for awhile, then suddenly lost significant power (but still playing). Probably lost a tube or something - I didn't have time to investigate f...

Nope, squeals with all controls 3/4 way up. I'm rechecking lead dress now. Thanks!

Thanks for the help so far. Mark - that thread does give a couple of thoughts that are relevant, thanks. Matt - I did put each amp through the same speaker cab, but didn't change tubes out. The 'Wreck seemed to have new, mostly JJ I think, tubes, while mine had an old Mullard in V1, a USA old stock ...

I just found a post on the "Huge Racks" forum - an ad for a Ruby that claims the Ruby was blueprinted from a 'Wreck named "Amanda Lynn"! How wild is that - I may have been A/Bing my Ruby with the exact 'Wreck it was cloned from! If that's true, they must have missed something, 'cause the Ruby defini...

Hmmm. Me likey tubey magic. The 'Wreck I compared the Ruby to definitely had a tad more tubey stuff goin on. Maybe I'll try dropping the tail to 10K and the 3rd gain stage cathode resistor slightly, maybe to 8 or 9K and see what I get. What I'm hoping for is slightly more complexity and musicality, ...

This one is named Amanda Lynn. This is 'Wreck I got to play to compare to my Two Rock Ruby. After playing it I finally understand the magic from the player's perspective rather than just as a listener.

I recently got a chance to A/B my Ruby with a real 'Wreck. The Ruby didn't sound quite as good, but it was close. The Ruby was a tad gainier, less smooth, and slightly less complex/musical, but again, just barely. I'd like to tune it the right direction. Looking at the schematics I've seen, the most...

Thought I'd resurrect this thread to give results of more sonic experimentation. I recently got a chance to play through a real Trainwreck and A/B it with my Ruby. Bottom line is, the Ruby is REALLY close, but the Trainwreck sounded a little better to me. The 'Wreck was a tad less gainy, smoother, a...