Boosting Tube amps?

[Milerky2]

Clean boosting the front end of a gain stage is what made Randall Smith famous. By cascading the gain stages you increase the voltages across the entire preamp. This modification on Fender Princeton Amplifiers is how the Boogie Mark 1 was born.

And Mesa/Boogie was born... and boosting within the amp was accomplished.

Wasn't Jim Marshall the first to cascade preamp tubes to create preamp clipping? I could be wrong, but that's what I thought anyway.

Probably, but the Randall Smith story is cool. Like Bow-Tie cool...

 

[blackba]

The Boss OD mod for your Marshall

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and powered bt Archer!!!!

Now that is classic.

 

[Shask]

The Boss OD mod for your Marshall

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and powered bt Archer!!!!

AMAZING!!

I echo that, lol. The power adapter just sends it over the top

 

[Captain Chunkulus]

I'm still laughing..

 

[lolzgreg]

You know, it's really a good idea... it would be a better idea if it were done RIGHT.

I know one builder who incorporates a TS circuit that is channel assignable to his amplifiers

 

[petejt]

I've got an alternative to boosting a valve amp with a pedal or amp mod: Cascade a cranked preamp signal into the amp head's input. It sounds a bit crude, but with some fiddling might work. I only just got back from work so can't wait to try this out tomorrow.

Would I have to get a device to convert the preamp's line level (+4dB) signal into instrument level? (-10dB) Or if I just keep the amp head's gain set really really low, it won't get too ratty?