You asked for it, so we added a New "Wet Only" Feature on Mr Springgy, This gives Mr Springgy a Ton More Options | more
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Lee Jackson Metaltronix Amplifiers and Effects designed by Lee Jackson
Here I'll post Questions and My Answers, from the E-mails I receive every week from around the World. "These Questions and Answers are not in any order, Please scan over the pages to find your Answers."
Powering Mr Springgy:
Mr Springgy can be powered by any standard Boss style power supply .Just make sure it has at least 100 ma at 9 - 12 vdc , and the plug is 2.1 mm negative tip.
Mr Spinggy Battery Life:
Mr Springgy® does NOT like a low battery, and will make a High Pitch Squeal and Stop Working,
Battery is "TOO LOW" even if Blue LED is Bright. It is best to power Mr Springgy on a power supply (battery eliminator). Mr Springgy® can drain a battery pretty fast if left plugged in for long periods of time, so unplug after each use.
Mr Springgy Dimensions:
Mr Springgy is 3 1/2" Wide and 4 1/2" Long, ands about 2" to the top of the Knob.
Mr Springgy Operation:
Mr Springgy is quieter than the Fender reverb unit it is recreating,
Mr Springgy acts just like the Fender unit, meaning it works in the front of the amp for clean and with a little gain, If you use a lot of gain, then Mr Springgy needs to be in the loop of the amp.
Mr Springgy question: I have a 59 Bassman LTD
410 combo amp with four inputs. I would like to know if i can make
use of both of the pedal output into this amp and get the stero effect?
This allows you to use jumper in the four input to make use of both
channels. i dont want to try it if it will damage my or my new pedal.
I was thinking that all i have to do is slide the internal switch
to the left and use both of the pedal outputs to two of the amp inputs.
It is always great to experiment, Don't worry about hurting the pedal,
The only thing that can hurt the pedal is plugging in the wrong power
supply,
If you use a power supply, make sure it is a standard (Boss Style)
(2.1mm) 9 vdc center tip ground supply. You can definitely use the
Main out as a WET only by switching the small switch inside the Mr
Springgy. I would use the Dry straight on your main amp channel (#1),
and the wet (main) output on the second amp channel (#2), This way
you can mix the reverb into your sound with out effecting your main
sound.
Effects Chain Line up:
On the effects chain, Guitar - Tuners - to Wha's - (EQ's) - Compressors
- Distortion pedals - Chorus/flangers - (EQ's) - Delays - Reverbs
- amp The same goes for the Amp Effects loop, except you DO NOT want
to put Distortion pedals in the Loop.
"TRUEBYPASS":
Can I have a word here about "TRUEBYPASS", because I get
a lot of email concerning this.
Ok, in the 50's 60's 70's electronics and especially solidstate electronics,
was a new frontier and A LOT of the companies had no idea what they
were doing, and really didn't care as long as it was selling. So yes...A
Lot of those earlier effects suck all the life out of your instrument
if you leave it in line. We are now in the 2000's and as designers
we now know how to design circuits that do not suck tone and actually
enhance it. With that said, I have ONLY heard how playing Through Mr
Springgy has improved there Tone On and Off.
GP-1000 - The Different Models:
On the GP-1000's, the first model was designed after my Fender mods, and the Sencond model,
Was designed after my Marshall mods, two completely different sounding pre's.
You can visually tell the differenc by the back of the preamp, on the Fender style one, it has a Tube XLR direct output. The Marshall style one, only has the two outputs, no XLR direct out.
We no longer make the GP-1000 preamp, we are going to be making the new GP-1000II.
It will have the same circuitry, ALL TUBE plus It will have several added features, and it will be in pedal form.
Foot Switching a GP-1000 Preamp:
You can use any generic on/off 1/4" foot-switch, just never use
a switching pedal that has the same ground as your guitar. Not to be
confusing, just use a footswitch box by itself that does not have a
common ground with any of your other pedals.
GP-1000 Tubes:
I used hand selected chinese 12ax7, you can still find them and you will have to go through a stack of them to find quiet ones. The other tube that sounds good in the GP's is the sovtek, the new Tungsol 12ax7 is a great sounding tube, with the GP's because it uses the 12ax7's to create its sound, the kind of 12ax7's make a big difference..
GP-1000, SP-1000 and BP-1000 - Changing International Voltages:
It depends on the SP-1000, we did make a lot of the international models. We did make US only models too, these have only one transformer tap at 120 vac. So, open the top on the SP-1000, on the Flat torriod transformer in the middle. Follow the leads from the power fuse and power switch, if there black, it is US only. If they are colored, then it is an international transformer which can be powered by 100 -110 - 120 - 220 - 240. I included a schematic (Here) for the transformer, the SP-1000 uses the same colors as the M-1000 transformer.
Bridging SP-1000 Outputs:
The way the SP-1000's are designed, it will not work to bridge the
outputs. The only way to biamp is to use an active crossover and
then plug into each side. Output 100 watts a side at 4 ohms, 75 watts
at 8 ohms and 50 watts at 16 ohms. That there is an internal fuse
on each channel if you short the outputs, so if you find one of the
sides not working, the fuse inside is probably blown.
Install Tube Effects Loop on Non Master Volume
Amps:
The problem is when you put the loop right after the treble control,
the signal level is so high that you compress the send of the loop,
you can try to put a 220k -470k resistor in line with the input of
the loop circuit. Also every effect handles signal different.
I just got the tube buffered effects loop Dvd
in the mail, it shows you putting it into a marshall master volume
model, I want to put it into a non master volume marshall with four
inputs, can I still do it or do I have to put a master volume in
it ? Also can I put this same effects loop in my friends peavey butcher
it has a pregain and a post gain.
On placement of loop , that is up to you.
You can put the loop after the Treble control on most single channel
Non Master volume Marshall amps. You can also put the loop just in
front of the phase inverter on a multi channel amp, So the loop works
on both channels.
The mod that I mention earlier, is needed if you install the effects
loop any place the signal is hot, like after the Treble control. On
the Four Input marshall, I would start with a 220k 1/2 watt. On other
amps, the amp probably has a power amp Input Jack, install it there.
And of Fender amps I would put it before the Phase inverter (Power-amp). Schematic
Checking Tube Effects Loop:
On the Loop, Unplug anything from the loop, turn the loop off. Play
the amp at the volume your going to play at, turn the effects send
down to the 9:00 position. Put a guitar cable from the send to the
return, turn on the loop set the loops return level so there is no
change between the loop being on or off. Now plug in your Effect
and set its controls so there is no difference between the loop being
on or off.
Level Control on Effect Loops with out Levels:
Most amplifiers have there master volumes after the preamp section,
and before the power amp section. So when you plug into the effects
return you are plugging directly into the power amp section. If you
needed a volume control there, you could make a simple box with a
1 meg control pot and two 1/4" jacks. Connect one side of the
pot to the input jack, the other side to ground and the middle (wiper)
to the output jack. This will allow you to control the overall volume.
Amplifier NOT Switching Channels: (Tech's
Only)
You can put a jump across the Opto to see if it bad, if you short it
and the sound comes on then the Opto is bad, or the switching circuit
is not working. Take a volt meter and see if the voltage changes across
the LED part of the Opto. If there is no change when you push the channel
switch button then the switching transistors are bad.
Testing Blown Speaker:
First Bias doesn't blow speakers, Extreme volume blows speakers.
There are two ways to check a speaker , one is with an ohm meter, set
it for the lowest reading, a 8 ohm speaker should read 6 ohms and a
16 ohm speaker will read somewhere around 13 -14 ohms. If no reading,
bad speaker, you can also use a 9volt battery and put it across the
terminals and see if the speaker moves, The last way is to physically
push evenly on both sides of the speaker and feel if it is rubbing
or scratching on the inside.
The Difference Between the Lee Jackson 4x12 Cabs:
On the cabs, if it has a white logo, and a plastic jack plate on the
back, it is loaded with our custom 4/12" speakers. This cab
originally sold for $699.99 If it has a gold logo and a metal jack
plate with a XLR recording connector then it is loaded with Celestion
vintage 30's. this cab originally sold for $999.99.
VL-Series Cabinets:
I did design the ampeg cabs, there were two models.
One model came with Celestion Vintage 30's and the other cabinet was
made with cheaper wood and Eminence speakers. It is easy to tell, the
cabs with the vintage 30's has a little plate in the front of the cab
that says vintage 30's. Also the Cabs with the Cheaper speakers to
not have the Mono Stereo plate on the back.
Lee Jackson and Ampeg 4 x 12 Cab Dimensions:
The cab Dimensions: (H) 29 1/4 x (W) 30" x (D) 14", They
weight about 85 lbs.
Metaltronix M-1000 Blues59 - Changing International Voltages:
On the M-1000, I used a multi tape transformer, so there is not problem getting the different voltages, On the Gp-1000 I used a multi tap on some and a lot I did not, so the only way to know is to look at the transformer, and see if it has (6) input (primary) wires, if it only has (2) your out of luck. I will include a M-1000 transformer schematic, which will be the same for the GP-1000 if it does have the Multi tap. For 240vac operation you would connect mains (input) to the black and the orange wires, and you would tie the white and brown together. I would always use a variac to to power up the amp after changing any wiring to make sure you have wired it right. You can use the heater supply (6.3vac) as a reference.
M-1000 Bias Voltage:
On the M-1000 the plate voltage is so high that I generally just set
the bias voltage around -45v for EL34's and -55v for 6550's.
I need a little help from you, if that's possible.
I have the Master vol 100W, but at small gigs and rehearsals, I can
only run the amp at say number one. Doing this, I lose a lot of gain.
Larger gigs, cranked up, it sounds great.
The other lad in the band, has a 50W Marshall, runs it at three for
rehearsal, still sounds great. I have read that some people, remove
two paired valves and adjust the impedance, to knock the amp down to
50W. My question to you is, is there a mod to add some kind of switch,
to take out two valves.
Yes you can,
Of coarse the amp has to be unplugged and dis
charged before starting.
On each of the output tubes, PIN 1 goes to ground.
Use a heavy duty DPDT switch, you can use an extra speaker jack hole,
if you don't want to drill one.
Detach from the two center tubes the PIN 1 from ground.
Put each tube pin 1 to each side of the DPDT switch, put a wire from
both center pins of the switch to ground.
So all your doing is grounding and un grounding PIN 1 on the two center
tubes.
The impedance isn't as critical, as long as you have 8 - 16 ohms on
the speakers, you''l be fine. If you want the frequency range to be
exact, then you need to have the impedance set at half the cabinet
impedance.
Impedance Selector for M-1000 / XLS / XLA / VL'
s:
On all these amps, we used the same Impedance selector, it is made by Schurter
Part # 0033.4032 . Here is a Part Description.
Fuse Holder for XLS / XLA / VL'
s :
On all these amps, we used the same Fuse Holder, it is made by Schurter
Part #031.3577 . Here is a Part Description.
On the XLS Head, what the order is on the preamp tubes? Like which
ones are for the effects loop, etc...?
The first 12ax7 closest to the edge , is the input stage for both channels,
the 2rd is the second stage for the Clean and Hot channel, the 3rd
is for the Hot channel Gain, the 4th is the Effects Loop tube and the
last is for the phase inverter (driver tube).
The Differences between the XLS and the VL Series
Amps:
The XLS and the VL's are a lot the same, I designed the VL's first,
so the XLS's are an extension of the VL's. I changed stuff I didn't
like about the VL's, like the effects loop which I see is one of your
questions. It is a hybrid of tube and solidstate, whereas the XLS is
all tube with individual trim controls.Don't get me wrong, I love the
VL's, ampeg made me put the effects loop in to save money, other than
the loop the amp rocks.
I own a VL 502 and would like to know how to
adjust the hum balance?
Make sure you are in a quiet room,
Also make sure a cabinet is plugged in, Do Not plug in a cable or instrument.
Adjust the Hum Balance for the quietest position.
VL-1002 and VL-502 Reverb Pan:
It is an Accutronics 4AB3C1B
VL-Series Front Panel Key Types:
There were two different key switches through the VL production. the only way to tell the difference is to think of the front of the switch like a clock face, On one of the switches, the the key goes from 12 to 2, and the other Switch it goes from 12 to 3. Both Switches use a different key. You can get the keys at the Ampeg service center, call 1-800-727-4512
VL-Series Light Bulbs:
The bulb is a Incandescent Lamp #47
Chicago Miniature Incandescent Base Bayonet T-3 1/4 6.3V .15A
You can find them at www.mouser.com.
VL-1002 - Tubes:
On your Vl-1002, KT-88's will not fit in the output tube sockets,
They are too big around.
VL-1002 Bias Switch:
Don't switch the bias switch without changing the output tubes, the
switch is only good for switching bias between 6550's and EL-34's
output tubes. If you have 6550's in the amp and switch the bias switch
to EL-34's, the amp will melt the output tubes. The opposite would
cause the amp to sound horrible and cold. A fellow musician (Jimmy
Page), did the exact same thing and just melted His Vl-1002 amp,
because when he saw the switch saying EL-34 / 6550. He though the
amp would give him both sounds (EL-34 or 6550). I later put the switch
on the inside on my XLS-1000 amps.
VL amp Foot Switch Question: Can a regular 1/4
in jack be used to access the channels ? I saw the picture of the
channel-switch you are offering on your site . It appears to have
a "stereo ring
end" on it , and I'm guessing that would be to control the channels
and the reverb function. Would a regular 1/4 in. jack work for just
the channels ?
On the VL's they use a Stereo 1/4" jack, the tip is the Channel
Switching and the Ring is the Reverb on/off, If you plug a standard
1/4" plug into the foot switch jack, it
turns the Reverb Off.
You can use a standard single foot switch, you just have to put a Stereo
1/4" plug on the end,
and leave the Ring of the plug open.
A Word on KT-88's. 6550's, EL-34's and 6L6's:
Selection of tubes (kt-88, 6550, EL-34's) depends on how loud you play.
If you play clubs then the EL-34's would be best if you want a smooth
lead sound, Kt-88 are really clean and keep there note definition at
extreme volumes. There not as smooth as EL-34's, but EL-34's do not
have the bottom end of Kt-88's or 6550's. If you can find Sylvania
6CA7's there the best of all worlds, they distort like an EL-34 and
have the power of a 6550. There really expensive when you find them,
(100.00 each), eddie vanhalen uses them in all his marshalls because
of the way they sound. Another tube we put in a lot of our amps is
the 6L6, Sovtek has a great one (6L6 WXT), again the amp has to be
biased for it. The 6L6 has great low end and the distortion is smooth
for solos.
What kind of Mod you would have to do on a Marshall
JCM 800 - 100 watt. To convert the amp from 6550B Tubes to EL 34
Tubes?
On the bias difference between the 6550 and the el-34's, all you have
to do is add or subtract a resistor value. The 6550's operate at a
higher voltage -50 to -58,
EL-34's operate between -40 to -48, As always,
this should be done by a qualified tech.
On tubes if you would like some suggestions:
On Tubes, you have multiple choices with the VL's,
You can use EL-34's, I like the J/J and Electroharmonix EL-34's
You can use 6550's, My fav's right now are the Tungsol 6550's (Note:
these will not fit in the XLA's, XLS's, VL's) If not them, then Svetlana
6550's If you use 6L6, I do like the Sovtek wxt's and the 5881 wxt's.
On 12ax7's I like the sovtek's, the Electroharmonix 12ax7EH and the
Tungsol 12ax7's
Do not ever buy the J/J 12ax7's. they suck, they are really dull sounding.
If you play more drop tunings, I like the 6550's they have great low
end, great at concert levels. The EL-34's are going to have the marshall
sound, more distorted, great at club volumes. The 5881/6L6 are smoother,
less output, good low end.
VL-Series Amplifiers Front Panel Keys:
The Amps originally came with an extra key on the inside of the head
stapled to the side of the head cab. The original key switch was
special and had to be UL approved for the voltages.You can try and
get one from the Ampeg service center 1-800-727-4512 The key is only
needed if you want to dis able the amp from coming on. If the amp
is stuck in the off position, a tech can bypass the switch internally.
VL-1002 - No Sound - Logo Doesn't Light:
0ne of the things that fail with the VL-1002's is the Tube Heater supply,
Ampeg used a Molex connector between the main board and the tube
board, these connector would fail, To do the repair correct they
would have needed to dis-assemble the amp and replace the wiring
between the boards, taking the connectors out. We have a Dvd that
shows the whole Service and Repair, Bias etc (This
work should only be done by a tech) Here
VL-1002 and VL-502 Tube Placement and use:
Starting from the far right, looking from back.
Tube 1 is for both input channels, Tube 2 is for Channel 1, Tube 3
is for Channel 2, Tube 4 is for channel 2 Gain, Tube 5 is reverb,
Tube 6 is mixer and Tube 7 is phase inverter.
VL-502 and VL1002 Foot switch:
On the VL-502 and VL-1002, Foot switch you can use a Daul button Foot switch (On/Off) to switch the channels, Use a stereo cord, Because it will turn off your reverb when you plug into the foot switch jack with a mono guitar cord, If you want to use a single Foot switch, You will need to do is put a stereo 1/4" plug on the end that plugs into the amp, and connect the wires to only the Tip and ground and leave the ring open. This will allow the reverb to work and you can change channels. We make a custom foot switch for the VL's Here
VL-503 Foot Switch:
The Foot switch cable is a Cat 5 cable, you can get at any computer
store.
You need to get one that is straight and not twisted pair, Both ends
have to be the same: pin 1 has to go to pin 1 on the other end. and
so on. I think the one you do not want to use is the Cat 5 reverse
cable. The VL-503 is a custom foot switch, Ampeg is no longer producing
them, and there is not a substitute, your only option is to have someone
near you to make one. Here is the foot switch schematic: Here
GT-50 - Half power Mod:
On your Stealth Amps you can take out either the center two 6V6's or
the outside two 6V6's
Generally if you buy a good set of 6v6's, you will not have to rebias
your amp.
We have a service dvd for that model, it shows you how to service and
bias your amp. Here
Converting Stealth GT-50 to 6L6's:
On the stealths, you can NOT use the 6L6's, the reason is first the
current draw of the heaters would melt the power transformer and
second, the bias supply would not adjust in the range to bias the
tubes. You need to change all four 6V6's with a matched quad, the
electroharmonix 6V6's are good, I like the tung sol 6V6's too,The
good news if you put a new set of 6v6's in, you wont have to rebias
the amp.
Crate GT-100H Power Section:
On the Crate 100 watt Stealth I used the same parts in the output section
as I did on my VL-1002 amps, so the amp really rocks.
Concert Mod Difficulty:
The concert mod does make the concert sound warm and smooth.
The difficulty in doing the mod isn't too bad, if you have anyone near
that services amps could follow the dvd and install the parts.It takes
about 2 hours to do the mod.
Make sure you buy the dvd and parts kit, because all the parts that
are needed are included.
Finding the parts near you could be difficult.( Concert Mod Here)
Concert Mod _ Mid Mod on Clean Channel:
On the mid control for the clean channel, there is several things
that can be done.
On the back of the Bass control on the clean channel, there is a resistor
soldered to ground.
You can either exchange the resistor for another control pot (10K),
or change the resistor value till you get the mids your looking for.I
think the resistor that is in there is a 6.8k, so you can try from
680 ohm to 10k.
I have a XLS-500. Could you please tell me the
pre amp tube placement and uses:
On the XLS - series both the 50 and 100 watter is the same except the
number of outputs.
The first 12ax7 farthest from the output tubes (6L6), is the effect
loop tube.
The 2nd tube is the input tube for both channels, so this tube effects
both channels,
The 3rd tube is half for the Clean channel and the other half for the
Hot channel Input,
The 4th is for the Hot Channel only, and the 5th is the phase inverter.
XLS-1000 issues: I've been having some recent hiccups and I'm having a hard time isolating the cause. While playing the amplifier will completely drop any output from the amp to the cab. I verified the cables, checked the battery in my guitar, took the footswitch out of the equation and plugged directly into the amp. Whether it be channel 1 or 2 it will simply just stop outputting sound. This is really weird because if I let it sit or change guitars it just comes and goes, sometimes letting me play an entire practice, but after letting it sit in standby while we break, I turn it back on and get nothing... I checked the fuses (clean) and obviously if it's still getting sound off and on they can't be torched so do you have any ideas what may cause this?
It can one or two different things, and it can be both.
First have you done the Tube Heater update?
http://www.leejackson.com/MasterSeries/Service__LeeJackson_Dvds.html
That would cause what your talking about.
If you have done the update , then it could be a bad impedance selector
switch.
With the amp unplugged, try switching the impedance switch through
its positions,
If it feels wobbly and broken, or it sounds like your crunching rocks
when switched.
I would change that out too.
The amp mods need to be done by a qualified tech,
that is used to working with high voltage tube amps.
VL and XL Series Fuses:
The fuses are: mains (5 amp slo blow) B+ (2 amp slo blo) if your in
the states, radio shack has them, don't use 32 volt car fuses, they
look the same. If not there you can buy them on line at mouser.com.
XLA-500 and XLS-1000's:
The XLA's are copies of my modified marshall's, and get really close
to them in sound. You would have to change out the output transformer
to a Marshall plexi output to be exact.
XLS or XLA Series - The Differences:
They are really different. The XLA-1000 is a direct copy of my Modified
Marshall Amps. The XLS-1000's are a whole new design and it is two
complete preamps, one for clean and the other for distortion. The
XLS is a more versatile amp overall.
AMP output Power Soaks:
External Power Soaks are bad on output transformers, they will make
you amp permanently sound dull after a while of playing. They over
heat the transformer windings, causing a physical breakdown.
Quantity of Lee Jackson Products Around the World:
I was just talking to Ampeg the other day to get the production numbers
of my products, I'm updating Vintage Guitar Buyers guide and they
need production numbers. Between Metaltronix, Perfect Connection,
Lee Jackson Amps, Ampeg, and Crate, I have more than a 100,000 pieces
worldwide.
ALL Power transformers:
If the fuse blows with all the secondary wires from the transformer
are dis connected including the heaters, then the transformer is
bad.
Tubes are really subjective:
It depends on guitars, pickups and the volume you play at, because
each tube acts differently at different volumes.The Vl's originally
came with GE6550's which sound great especially at extreme volumes,
they sound clean at lower volumes, compared to EL-34's.6L6's and
5881's sound great at lower volumes, but don't have the output like
the 6550's, Akira (Loudness) uses 6L6's in his amps. On 12ax7's they
make a big difference too. My favorites are the Chinese 12ax7's,
the problem is you have to go through a box of them to get quiet
ones, and when you do they sound great.The best right out of the
box is the sovtek 12ax7's, stay away from the J/J 12ax7's they a
dull.The Electroharmonix 12ax7 sounds great too Their really is no
way other than just trying them all out, to really hear the difference.
Which Marshall's are Best to Modify:
The best marshall's to mod are the early 1969 marshall 100 watters,
they are really expensive though when you find them, Next would be
the early single channel JCM 800's 100 watters that came out in the
late 70's early 80's. All the re -issues mod up well too, so the
Plexi re -issues and 4 input re -issues sound great modded,You want
to stay away from any of the channel switching models, or if the
have reverb in them, they generally never sound good. The general
rule is if they sound good un modded, they even sound better modded,
because if you have a dull output transformer, The amp is just going
to sound dull. Check out our Marshall Modification Dvd's Here
Are the mod kits good for "early jcm 800s":
On the earlier 80's 2204's they had the four and two input jacks on
the front. On the 2 input jack model, normally they were vertical,
on a couple runs of the model, they made some with two horizontal
input jacks, They are harder to mod, because everything is mounted
to the PC board.With all that said, any qualified
tech can do the work and some feel the Versions with Horizontal
jacks sound better.
240 v or 120 v- Which sounds better:
Most English amps do have multitap transformer which allow them to
work at 100 -120- 220- 240 volt ac. It is best to set them at the
voltage of your country ie...U.S 120 v, Europe 240 v What I have
found true is the English amps do sound better at 240 v "BUT" that
is at 50 hz which can only be done in Europe, so the variac will
not help you. We have found even our Amps sounded better at 240 vac,
when we were at the Summer Frankfurt Namm Show.
Using a Variac:
The variac can be used to turn down the voltage to make the amp distort
more at lower volumes, That is what eddie vanhalen did on the early
VH Albums. You can only go so low before the Tube Heaters Turn Off.
Ozzmosis tone and gear? OK, so a quick couple
of questions. I already bought the DVD Marshall Mods 2 and it ain't
getting me that Zakk tone. What mods if any do I need to do to get
my JCM800 2203 sounding like Zakks. I'm trying to get his sound on
the Ozzmosis album. What speakers was he using on that album in his
cab that was being mic'd. What effects was he using? Was he using
an effects loop installed on the JCM800 he was using or going in
the front door of the amp? Was he using those EVM 12L in his cabs
or Something else? What kind of pickups? The EMG stuff? I know this
is 1995.
I know it was 1995, and I can actually still remember back then.
First thing I did for Zakk was modify his Marshall's with my Mod that
I show on my Volume One Dvd, you need to add the extra tube to get
the sound on "No Rest for the wicked" CD. We did add Effects
Loops to his heads. Zakk also used a DS-1, an Octave pedal, and of
coarse a Vox Wha. I remember Ozzie walking around the Studio yelling
at Zakk; do you really need to play Wha on everything!
We also had three GP-1000's powering a stereo 800 watt mosfet amp.
All of this went into four 4 x 12 cabs loaded with Vintage 30's and
Celestion 65 watters. Live we had to change to 75 watt speakers, because
Zakk kept blowing them. Because of the 800 watt mosfet amps, he was
pushing the cabs pretty hard. By the end of the tour we replaced out
his modified Marshall's with My Metaltronix M-1000 heads. Zakk's Les
Paul did and does now have EMG's in it.
My employee named Scott Quinn sold Zakk that signature Guitar with
the Bulls-eye.
I was at my shop when Zakk and Ozzie came by to hear his new rig, Zakk
forgot his guitar and Scott handed him his, the rest is history, there
are pictures in our picture area of Zakk playing the Les Paul without
the Bulls-eye Strips.
Installing Tube Reverb
For about a year or so Ive been looking oround the net for a good reverb
schematic to put in my Modified Marshall amp,but to no avail. The
circut on the AmpPeg VL-502/1002 would probly work but Iam having
trouble shorting out where to put the circut in the JCM 800,before
the FX loop, or after the loop and also finding the input and output
of the ampegs reverb circut.
So By your question, you want to install a spring reverb.
There are a couple things you can not get around if you want a great
sounding reverb. The circuit you should be looking at, is like an old
Fender Twinn with reverb,
The reason is, your going to need a mixer circuit, and there pretty
standard with a 3.3meg resistor feeding the grid of another tube stage.
You'll need a fender reverb driver transformer , another 1 - 2 tube
sockets, I used only one with the VL's and it worked just fine.
1/2 the tube to driver the reverb transformer and the other 1/2 as
the reverb return.
The last thing is a good pan, you can choose from 2 - 3 string long
decay, get the Accutronics pans.
Now with that said...if you ever wondered why most my amps do not have
reverb is because there is no way you will put the reverb in with out
changing the sound of the amp.
The original VL-1001's did not come with reverb, it was ampeg that
pressured me into installing it on the VL-1002's. Musicians swear they
like the 1001's better..
So with that said, know your giving something up for it.