Firebolt 50 clip and picture of my headshell

[metalmaniac93]

Love this thread!!! I would never buy a Blades for obvious reasons, but everyone has the right to buy what they want new or used. Simple as that and there is nothing wrong with expressing one's opinion on the sound of the amp.

 

[Racerxrated]

Someone send me their Blades amp. I'll map the circuit, create a wiring layout, and post it for everybody to have. That way you can just build your own instead of giving Billy $2600. Billy won't mind, he's cool with this kind of thing

Anybody own one in the SF Bay Area? All I need is about an hour with it.

So it's ok for you to do but not allegedly BB? Really?

See, this is where there is something that gets lost in translation in my complaint against him...everyone rips off everyone..but its BB and his ATTACKING of other builders while he's ripping them off. Its the attitude he takes towards people who we all respect as builders and modders that gets me, and his hypocrisy in doing it. Its not the actual stealing of the circuits that bothers me. Amp builders have been doing that forever obviously.

 

[Racerxrated]

And, yes I'm jaded because I also read just about everything he posted in his tantrums a few years back. So there's that lol...

 

[paulyc]

I would buy a used Blades, I'd NEVER pony up $2600, but I'd ALSO love to have the schematic to DIY my own amp...

 

[Hardvalve]

It's hard to believe this is real. People can buy what they want, but seems like a joke/troll. Bizarre.

 

[FourT6and2]

Someone send me their Blades amp. I'll map the circuit, create a wiring layout, and post it for everybody to have. That way you can just build your own instead of giving Billy $2600. Billy won't mind, he's cool with this kind of thing

Anybody own one in the SF Bay Area? All I need is about an hour with it.

So it's ok for you to do but not allegedly BB? Really?

See, this is where there is something that gets lost in translation in my complaint against him...everyone rips off everyone..but its BB and his ATTACKING of other builders while he's ripping them off. Its the attitude he takes towards people who we all respect as builders and modders that gets me, and his hypocrisy in doing it. Its not the actual stealing of the circuits that bothers me. Amp builders have been doing that forever obviously.

Yes. Agreed.

But I'm also just pointing out the hypocrisy of folks who are fine with paying money for an amp that's just a copy of another one. But then they have some moral objection to posting gut shots or letting someone map the circuit, like they're protecting some national secret. That makes no sense. They are ok with a builder doing it for profit, but not ok with the DIY community doing it for free for their own use? lol that gets me. I'm not saying I want to clone a Blades amp. I'm simply setting up a thought problem to prove a point. Blades' own hypocrisy is high. Like you, I don't care if his amps are copies of other designs. That's the way it's always been with guitar amps. They're like cars. New year, new model, same ol' combustion engine under the hood. What irks me is Blades' attitude. He yells and screams about other modders ripping people off with stolen designs and high prices. He sees himself as the Robin Hood of guitar amp builders—stealing from the Big Names and making those designs available to everyone. Yet in doing so, he just becomes the thing he claims to hate. He turns around and does the exact same thing. That's why he'll never get a penny from me. Y'all can buy what you want, of course. I love Chic Fil A. But I have friends who won't go there because of the CEO's political/religious views. That's their choice. The chicken is freakin' delicious though. And Blades' amps sound good. But the dude has a screw loose.

 

[screamindemon]

Someone send me their Blades amp. I'll map the circuit, create a wiring layout, and post it for everybody to have. That way you can just build your own instead of giving Billy $2600. Billy won't mind, he's cool with this kind of thing

Anybody own one in the SF Bay Area? All I need is about an hour with it.

So it's ok for you to do but not allegedly BB? Really?

I was actually waiting for someone to say this in response. And you bit.

My point is this:

If you have a moral problem with me posting up Billy's schematic for all the world to see... for free... yet you are ok with giving Billy $2600 for an amp he built by reverse engineering someone else's amp, then you got some problems. Remember that guy who sold amps under his own name... but it turned out they were just SLO Clone kits? Everybody had a field day with that. But here Billy Blades is, basically doing the same thing. Only difference is he did the leg work to reverse engineer the stuff.

I don't personally have a problem with reverse engineering someone else's product when it comes to guitar amps. These things aren't proprietary to begin with. But there is certainly a lack of integrity on someone's part for publicly bashing other builders for selling amps based on someone else's design, then turning around and doing the exact same thing yourself. That's what Billy has done. He was pissed at Builder X, Builder Y, and Builder Z for selling mods based on Builder W's work. And he said they were too expensive, to boot! So what does he do? He turns around and sells amps based on all of their designs in retaliation? And at insane prices. Seems strange to me. But Billy seems ok with it.

So... if Billy is ok with it... and you're ok with giving Billy money for it... then you should be ok with me mapping out Billy's amps and posting them FOR FREE for the internet to see. Right? Makes sense to me That way y'all can save yourself a few thousand dollars.

But... if you DO have a problem with me doing that... then you should also have a problem giving Billy $2600 for one of "his" amps.

 

[Anonymous]

I would buy a used Blades, I'd NEVER pony up $2600, but I'd ALSO love to have the schematic to DIY my own amp...

Here ya go... This has been all over the net. I have no idea if it has been changed since this came out... but... if you want my opinion, it would make the sounds you are hearing from that amp. Jose circuit basically, with some of Mark's stuff and PPIMV...

It is all just some minor differences to this design that I gave away to anyone that wants to build it on my website. Mine is two channel though with switching, but the ROD channel is very close to the Firebolt design I attached:

Henning PlexRod design

Check it out - just some small differences and some other features...

Billy originally said that he was going to give away all the circuits he got from other people who reverse-engineered the mods, but never did... Doesn't really matter though, anyone with some time on their hands could get this info if they look around the amp building sites a bit...

Steve

 

[mooncobra]

Someone send me their Blades amp. I'll map the circuit, create a wiring layout, and post it for everybody to have. That way you can just build your own instead of giving Billy $2600. Billy won't mind, he's cool with this kind of thing

Anybody own one in the SF Bay Area? All I need is about an hour with it.

So it's ok for you to do but not allegedly BB? Really?

I was actually waiting for someone to say this in response. And you bit.

My point is this:

If you have a moral problem with me posting up Billy's schematic for all the world to see... for free... yet you are ok with giving Billy $2600 for an amp he built by reverse engineering someone else's amp, then you got some problems. Remember that guy who sold amps under his own name... but it turned out they were just SLO Clone kits? Everybody had a field day with that. But here Billy Blades is, basically doing the same thing. Only difference is he did the leg work to reverse engineer the stuff.

I don't personally have a problem with reverse engineering someone else's product when it comes to guitar amps. These things aren't proprietary to begin with. But there is certainly a lack of integrity on someone's part for publicly bashing other builders for selling amps based on someone else's design, then turning around and doing the exact same thing yourself. That's what Billy has done. He was pissed at Builder X, Builder Y, and Builder Z for selling mods based on Builder W's work. And he said they were too expensive, to boot! So what does he do? He turns around and sells amps based on all of their designs in retaliation? And at insane prices. Seems strange to me. But Billy seems ok with it.

So... if Billy is ok with it... and you're ok with giving Billy money for it... then you should be ok with me mapping out Billy's amps and posting them FOR FREE for the internet to see. Right? Makes sense to me That way y'all can save yourself a few thousand dollars.

But... if you DO have a problem with me doing that... then you should also have a problem giving Billy $2600 for one of "his" amps.

+1

 

[mooncobra]

Which of his amps are based on which other circuits?

Firebolt = Cameron Jose?
Venom = ?
Destroyer = ?
Reaper = ?

follow link and scroll down to the first post, it is titled who da fuk is billy blades, and of course, it was posted by blades himself. a little ways down he says his amps are Cameron and fortin based copies.

http://marshallroadhouse.com/viewtopic.php?t=13880

 

[Hardvalve]

It's hard to believe this is real. People can buy what they want, but seems like a joke/troll. Bizarre.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

At 9:56am it remains just as hard to believe as it was at 8:14am. Bizarre.

 

[sjk]

At 9:56am it remains just as hard to believe as it was at 8:14am. Bizarre.

 

[Hardvalve]

No idea why that posted 2 times. Weird.

 

[sjk]

No idea why that posted 2 times. Weird.

No big deal, any Blades thread on any forum has always turned Bizarre

 

[Jeff Hilligan]

I would buy a used Blades, I'd NEVER pony up $2600, but I'd ALSO love to have the schematic to DIY my own amp...

Here ya go... This has been all over the net. I have no idea if it has been changed since this came out... but... if you want my opinion, it would make the sounds you are hearing from that amp. Jose circuit basically, with some of Mark's stuff and PPIMV...

It is all just some minor differences to this design that I gave away to anyone that wants to build it on my website. Mine is two channel though with switching, but the ROD channel is very close to the Firebolt design I attached:

Henning PlexRod design

Check it out - just some small differences and some other features...

Billy originally said that he was going to give away all the circuits he got from other people who reverse-engineered the mods, but never did... Doesn't really matter though, anyone with some time on their hands could get this info if they look around the amp building sites a bit...

Steve

+1

 

[Hardvalve]

I will stick with guys with a good track record, not someone who rails on other builders costing too much and accusatory statements. I have never seen someone trash so many established, respected builders for theft/cloning, then doing THE EXACT SAME THING. At ridiculous prices. Why anyone buys his stuff is beyond me. Trailer park Mashalls.

 

[PeteLaramee]

I know there have been some issues with this guy and I really try to stay away from the drama. Either way this amp sounds good to me Jeff!

 

[Deleted member 21375]

If anyone actually believes that tool "reverse engineered" anything himself,then you obviously haven't seen his tattoos. Hey for $1200,I can see people buying one just to have a copy of something cool but at $2600,he's ripping off more than just the other builders. Let's not forget in his rants a few years back,he vowed to give all of this away in retaliation for getting screwed.

 

[Racerxrated]

No idea why that posted 2 times. Weird.

No big deal, any Blades thread on any forum has always turned Bizarre

For better or worse, that's why its called Rig talk.