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Topic: Dumb or Dumbler |
David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 16 Oct 2008 8:15 am |
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Well I just spent 3 days missing a hidden ground icon on a layout.
Hiding in a MIDI pedal plug icon no less...
But I found it, and my Ceriatone Dumble clone is sounding VERY killer.
Haven't even tweaked bias up to optimum yet,
but even low biased this is a great sounding amp.
Can be old Fender clear, clean and fat, but then hit the pedal
and you are in Sonny Landreith territory, or Robin Ford too.
I played the Supro 6 for 40 minutes and was going WHOAH! most of the time.
This one will have a 15" tone ring cab,
and a either 210 or 212 open back cab on top.
Now I want to build a second.
Each with different speakers.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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Lynn Oliver
From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 16 Oct 2008 10:06 am
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| Which Ceriatone mode did you build? What do you think of the quality of the parts? |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 16 Oct 2008 5:44 pm
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Mode or model?
I built from scratch with populated boards.
I can build my own boards, but this is faster.
It has many of the same parts I use myself.
No quality issues at all. These guys make great kits.
This kit is NOT for beginners though.
My ONLY problem was finding ONE ground icon,
hidden on the MIDI plug in layout, other than that,
it turned right on no issues at all..
Their own transformers are fine, I have them in my '59 Bassman clone too.
Though that board is from Airtight Garage in Louisiana.
I built the Overtone Special 50w and it has plenty of power.
there is a 100w version, but I never like to be that loud.
It sounds as good on first blush as my Mercury Magnetics OT/PT/choke moded,
and rework '60 Tweed Champ , but with much more flexability.
Next builds will be completely from scratch boards on up.
4, tube mic preamps, an 18 watt Marshal type gt amp.
and redoing my 1st amp for switching and cleaner sound since it got rebuilt 5 times,
but never changed the board to match layout.
Started as Champ on steroids, but now it's half Soldano, part Fender / part Vox. Sounds cool too.
I will also be doing some SS mic pres.
and SS CMOS/Varisistor control of the tube pres from distance.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2008 5:06 am
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| Quote: |
| now it's half Soldano, part Fender / part Vox. |
That sort of Fender clean moving into creamy Vox distortion is one unique thing my Holland Little Jimi does when it's loaded with 6L6's. It ends up playing a lot like a mini Dumble Overdrive Special - totally articulate throughout the range, with James Burton clean (a tad more mids than the typical Fender) at one end and Larry Carlton playing a 335 at the other, all with a Tele. Once you get past "5" on the volume control, the level does not change, just the amp's characteristics do...it's really unique and my favorite 6-string amp ever. Throw 6550's in it and a 12AY7 preamp and it's all-headroom for steel - and darned loud and cutting for supposedly 30-35 watts!
I laid out a schematic once, and it was SO strange several techs and I poured over it trying to figure it out - it's just not like anything else - except for the 3-knob Fender reverb unit that's integrated into the circuit! It's the ONLY amp I use reverb on.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 17 Oct 2008 6:00 am
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Jim, I'd love to see that schematic of course...
Sounds like it has 3-4 preamps stages,
all hitting distortion very closely timed
and cascading into each other.
Builds the distortion up big, but not much level change.
The Fender/Vox is a tighter capaciter change switch on the 6V6 or 6L6
Looser is Vox.
I have two different switchable cathode caps on V1a
to change tone and drive.
I may do both of these on a relay switching foot pedal.
This was originally an Angela SE circuit, a Champ on steroids,
25w SE Weber OT and good sized PT.
I can rebias for two 6V6,
or two 6L6, but one sounds better, and is plenty loud.
I am thinking to 'cathode bias for
one 6V6' and/or one EL84 and call it a day.
Originally it also could swap 12AX7 or 6SN7 tubes for preamp.
It went through MANY incarnations,
including the 6SN7 as a SSRP circuit with
no tone stack
for the MIDI guitar synth in parallel to the regular guitar.
Then it finally became a AX84 lead circuit,
but with a 6SN7 as 2nd tube, instead of 2 12AX7's
and a few Dumblish caps across V1B and V2a.
With a cathode following sorta Moonlight/TMB tone stack.
I like that combinationa lot. Not a typical circuit at all.
I plan to finalize it and match a Mojo lead rhythm switching circuit to it.
V1B to 6V6 or V2B to 6V6
But I need to chop off the P.S. into one board,
and repopulate a new board for the final 2 tube layout.
It is part turret board and part P to P now.
On the list.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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Steve Hamill
From:
California, USA
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Posted 22 Oct 2008 11:30 am Brown Note D'lite
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| I'm thinking seriously about building one of the D'lite kits. I want to then mod it to something approximating the Lindley type tones in my head, if I can't find them in there to begin with. Seeking the even order harmonics. |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 22 Oct 2008 6:17 pm
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Well I am building amps for the studio,
so people need not think about flying an amp out here.
Like in Prego sauces, for amps in my studio, "it's in there."
So far:
a serious little '60 Champ, a mixed Champ/AX84 hybrid on sterdoids
one or two 6V6, one or two 6L6 depending on room.
'59 Bassman clone,
and Dumblish clone.
Next a
18 Marshal clone
Trainwreck clone
maybe another Dumble type too,
but moded a little bit for tone.
And something Voxish too.
Ceriatone just came up with another version
'HRM 50 or 100' haven't asked Nik the difference,
but it looks similar to the Overtone layout.
Haven't finished ANY of my speaker boxes,
bad luck with tools so far.
So the only one gone gigging isthe Champ/AX84
And it screamed with 1 15"
I like Linley's sound too.
I think I can get it decently in the Overtone now.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2008 4:03 am
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David,
You mention an 18 watt Marshall clone .....The AX84 November amp is a fun build and has UNBELIEVEABLE tone for 18 watts ....I have the 2- EL84 version, and also have a 4-EL84 version ....BOTH great sounding amps ..... Build one of those and you'll be happy you did ....Jim |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 23 Oct 2008 4:59 am
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I have looked at the November and they are also intetresting
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I have a "17watt" unpopulated Thai circuit board for an amp also
Got it and a book on the spur of the moment one afternoon.
I have just placed an order for 125-0-125 PT's for my preamps,
and the same place makes the iron for this board,
Seems a fast to finish unit.
I do have Mojo 18w PT 230v and OT, but not the choke... oops.
I also have a reverb tank not in anything yet... decisions, decisions.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 12 Dec 2008 9:02 am
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Well I FINALLY got boxes on the Ceriatone and a speaker cab usable.
Various shop related burps, road trips and health delays, not withstanding.
I took this out Wednesday evening, had to play some,
even with a semi-healedwound on left forefinger pad....
The harp players 'house amp' died as he walked to the stage,
not the one I built him, Austrailian AC plug, American or Euro sockets,
and somebody steps on the ONLY adaptor....
So I plugged him into this.
Other than the food poisoning he was starting to endure,
he loved the amp. This was used for their new years gig audition,
and he just wailed through it, till he fell over.
And then went and barfed in the parking lot.
But they got the gig. In spite of the bad tuna...
A short time later I played my Fernandez strat clone through it
and was very, VERY happy with it.
But this made the other guitarist unhappy,
because he couldn't get close to the tone.
He started tweaking atbhis amp and frowning...
At the break he started asking what in the heck it was.
Ceriatone Overtone Special 50w that I built,
w/Zoom 507 Reverb in the patch,
into a home made Tone Ring style cab with
Celestian Vintage 30 speaker.
The sides of the big cab were built before my shop
and I 'saved' them for 7 months, only to find
the fool had made them 1/2" off written specs and
the 4 10" Webers wouldn't fit in the cabinet...
for the '59 Bassman, that I built before the Overtone.
Urge to scream...Reasons to build things myself.
But I cut it down and made a 1st Tone Ring cab.
The little cab is a 1 10" I built for harp to
extend from the Epiphone Valve Jr. I mod'd for lil Willie.
1st decent Dovetail cab I did.
Awaiting for Willie to report back on the small cab,
after he recovers.
And the amp is the 1st Isolok joining cab I did.
I never had time to get the amps back-lit logo-front plate
It should be 2 blue LED lighting the interior,
and brightness controled by how loud you play.
Nor the grill for the Tone ring cab yet,
similar to the little cab.
But they worked well and that was the point.
Wednesday night I ran the master volume at no
more than 2.2 at loudest all night. This thing cranks.
All the tones I had dialed in got thrown about when harp got plugged in,
but it came back pretty quick.
I finally had to surrender my rig to the other guitarist to try,
and after the 1st song, he actually started making sounds
like he was having the best sex of his life...
maybe a little tipsy by then.
I had grabbed another strat and we did
a Bob Marley tune as a ska with blues lead on top.
I was hoping for some; 'Nice amp.', 'Sounds great.', comments,
but he was on another plane for sure.
Even the drummers noticed how good it sounded.
There are also, the Ceritatone Overtone HRM
and Overtone S& M, with slight changes in controls and a bit of eq. changed in one. And come in 50w and 100w versions.
I can't imagine needing the 100w, except for PSG in a LOUD band.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!
Last edited by David L. Donald on 12 Dec 2008 9:57 am; edited 3 times in total |
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 12 Dec 2008 9:12 am
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Donald,
I'm VERY familiar with Nik's work ....He makes some AMAZING sounding amps, not just kits ...
Not a bad price even when you have to pay shipping from so far to the States ....Still a great deal ....Jim |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 12 Dec 2008 9:38 am
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Uh, 1st name David...
Yeah Nik's got some interesting projects and finished amps.
I was planning on of these,
but he had the whole thing as a complete parts package,
so made sense to save time and use one supplier rather than a half dozen.
Especially when they are real close to me.
No regrets.
Working on a 18w Marshal from scratch right now,
an more speakers.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 12 Dec 2008 11:57 am
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David,
Sorry about the name screw up !!..My apologies !!....I was running out the door when I wrote that ....Sincerely, Jim |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 25 Dec 2008 8:13 pm
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I took this out to an Xmas night jam.
A much more rock affair than the other one.
It really cranked though I never put master past 4.
And that vs TWO OTHER guitarists. One very good,
the other not, but VERY loud. He owns the place...
I also had ther GR-9 guitar synth on it for the 1st time.
A lot of organ and some Doors style piano stuff,
and acoustic piano patch on some Bob Marley.
Handled it well and I was getting a nice Deep Purple,
Jon Lord organ sound with the overdrive kicked in.
Did several solos with a touch of organ mixed into the lead guitar.
It sounds killer, I am really happy with it each time in actual use.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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Wayne Franco
From:
silverdale, WA. USA
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Posted 26 Dec 2008 11:34 am Here's an idea
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Why don't you put a little decorative band of Cobra hide around it. You didn't waste that part of the snake did you?  |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 26 Dec 2008 11:56 am
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Sweet!
Actually, I just wanted that sucker GONE!
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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