J
Junk Yard Dog
Well-known member
RedPlated":2su18mbs said:
Nice. Sounds like mods I’d like. Do you find the Response is a game changer/necessity or not as much?
Nice. Sounds like mods I’d like. Do you find the Response is a game changer/necessity or not as much?
RedPlated
Well-known member
Response is great too. You can essentially get the pre-2016 negative feedback circuit, post-2016, and more with the control. Worth it.
I’ve got the post-2016 circuit updates, depth and response controls, 50/100watt switch, gain structure switch, high/low voltage switch and SS100 clean channel in this amp. Running JJ KT77’s which this amp loves. High grade Chinese 12ax7 in v2 (BE stage) and a Tung sol in V1 (HBE/Clean). EHX 12ax7 in the PI which to me is way better than a Sovtek LPS, which many people recommend for PI spots.
I’ve got the post-2016 circuit updates, depth and response controls, 50/100watt switch, gain structure switch, high/low voltage switch and SS100 clean channel in this amp. Running JJ KT77’s which this amp loves. High grade Chinese 12ax7 in v2 (BE stage) and a Tung sol in V1 (HBE/Clean). EHX 12ax7 in the PI which to me is way better than a Sovtek LPS, which many people recommend for PI spots.
fusedbrain
Well-known member
Lots of good info in this thread.
I own a 2015 BE100 - Hybrid PCB & DC heaters, Mallory caps and the greasy filtering scheme. I've made a few changes to the amp, and since I'm about 5000 miles and 1 country away from Dave's shop, I did the work myself. The hybrid PCB is super high quality, so these amps are a tech's dream and very easy to work on if you know what you're doing. Here's my take:
Moving the NFB from the impedance selector to the 4 ohm tap is single best thing you can do for any version that isn't already set up like this. Makes the amp a bit brighter, but opens it up and lifts the blanket off. You don't need a Response control. Just connect the purple wire to the 4 ohm and your good to go, without the option anxiety that one more knob to adjust will add to the equation. I tested this with a pot plumbed in here and couldn't stop futzing with it. Just said fuk it and went with the stock 47k resistor off the 4ohm tap, and I've been happy ever since. I think Dave has now gone to a switch on the 100 DLX for 2 or 3 set values vs infinite possibilities.
The DI output jack and level control are perfectly situated on the back panel to be converted into a resonance control and "thump" switch. If you want the resonance control on the front, then sure, go ahead and get out the drill, but drilling holes in the faceplate of a 3k amp is not usually something people want to do. In this case, you have options. The 1 meg Resonance pot can go where the DI level control is, and do like CrazyNutz and put a .0047uf across the pot and add a switch in the DI jack hole to parallel a .0022uf for the .0068uf Slax / JJ value.
Convert the clean channel to Fender Deluxe values. You have to move a wire and swap out 1 resistor, 1 mica cap and 2 film caps. Like I said earlier, the amp is very well made and very easy to work on, so this mod will take you, or your tech, about 10 minutes to do. Boom! Killer clean tone for days....
If you don't have a structure switch, add one now. It lets you lower the overall gain structure without the tone thinning out like it used to on the older amps when you turned the gain knob way down.
The chassis on my 2015 already had the hole in the sheet metal, so I only had to drill the plexi panel. Notwithstanding what I said earlier about drilling holes in amps, this switch is now standard on these amps, so I don't view doing this mod as a problem.
That's it!
Best amp ever
I own a 2015 BE100 - Hybrid PCB & DC heaters, Mallory caps and the greasy filtering scheme. I've made a few changes to the amp, and since I'm about 5000 miles and 1 country away from Dave's shop, I did the work myself. The hybrid PCB is super high quality, so these amps are a tech's dream and very easy to work on if you know what you're doing. Here's my take:
Moving the NFB from the impedance selector to the 4 ohm tap is single best thing you can do for any version that isn't already set up like this. Makes the amp a bit brighter, but opens it up and lifts the blanket off. You don't need a Response control. Just connect the purple wire to the 4 ohm and your good to go, without the option anxiety that one more knob to adjust will add to the equation. I tested this with a pot plumbed in here and couldn't stop futzing with it. Just said fuk it and went with the stock 47k resistor off the 4ohm tap, and I've been happy ever since. I think Dave has now gone to a switch on the 100 DLX for 2 or 3 set values vs infinite possibilities.
The DI output jack and level control are perfectly situated on the back panel to be converted into a resonance control and "thump" switch. If you want the resonance control on the front, then sure, go ahead and get out the drill, but drilling holes in the faceplate of a 3k amp is not usually something people want to do. In this case, you have options. The 1 meg Resonance pot can go where the DI level control is, and do like CrazyNutz and put a .0047uf across the pot and add a switch in the DI jack hole to parallel a .0022uf for the .0068uf Slax / JJ value.
Convert the clean channel to Fender Deluxe values. You have to move a wire and swap out 1 resistor, 1 mica cap and 2 film caps. Like I said earlier, the amp is very well made and very easy to work on, so this mod will take you, or your tech, about 10 minutes to do. Boom! Killer clean tone for days....
If you don't have a structure switch, add one now. It lets you lower the overall gain structure without the tone thinning out like it used to on the older amps when you turned the gain knob way down.
The chassis on my 2015 already had the hole in the sheet metal, so I only had to drill the plexi panel. Notwithstanding what I said earlier about drilling holes in amps, this switch is now standard on these amps, so I don't view doing this mod as a problem.
That's it!
Best amp ever
J
Junk Yard Dog
Well-known member
fusedbrain":1hetz5nc said:Lots of good info in this thread.
I own a 2015 BE100 - Hybrid PCB & DC heaters, Mallory caps and the greasy filtering scheme. I've made a few changes to the amp, and since I'm about 5000 miles and 1 country away from Dave's shop, I did the work myself. The hybrid PCB is super high quality, so these amps are a tech's dream and very easy to work on if you know what you're doing. Here's my take:
Moving the NFB from the impedance selector to the 4 ohm tap is single best thing you can do for any version that isn't already set up like this. Makes the amp a bit brighter, but opens it up and lifts the blanket off. You don't need a Response control. Just connect the purple wire to the 4 ohm and your good to go, without the option anxiety that one more knob to adjust will add to the equation. I tested this with a pot plumbed in here and couldn't stop futzing with it. Just said fuk it and went with the stock 47k resistor off the 4ohm tap, and I've been happy ever since. I think Dave has now gone to a switch on the 100 DLX for 2 or 3 set values vs infinite possibilities.
The DI output jack and level control are perfectly situated on the back panel to be converted into a resonance control and "thump" switch. If you want the resonance control on the front, then sure, go ahead and get out the drill, but drilling holes in the faceplate of a 3k amp is not usually something people want to do. In this case, you have options. The 1 meg Resonance pot can go where the DI level control is, and do like CrazyNutz and put a .0047uf across the pot and add a switch in the DI jack hole to parallel a .0022uf for the .0068uf Slax / JJ value.
Convert the clean channel to Fender Deluxe values. You have to move a wire and swap out 1 resistor, 1 mica cap and 2 film caps. Like I said earlier, the amp is very well made and very easy to work on, so this mod will take you, or your tech, about 10 minutes to do. Boom! Killer clean tone for days....
If you don't have a structure switch, add one now. It lets you lower the overall gain structure without the tone thinning out like it used to on the older amps when you turned the gain knob way down.
The chassis on my 2015 already had the hole in the sheet metal, so I only had to drill the plexi panel. Notwithstanding what I said earlier about drilling holes in amps, this switch is now standard on these amps, so I don't view doing this mod as a problem.
That's it!
Best amp ever
Agree. Lots of great info on this thread. ...I never thought of the Response knob as the 'differentiator' or variable knob to get the BE100 to sound like the 2015 and down gens and also the 2016 updates gen. That's a good way of looking at it. I have it on the BE50 and it does soften/darken or brighten/open the amp further.
J
Jon BCN
Active member
RedPlated":1gxv3ss4 said:
This is relevant to my interests.
I guess your frequency switch is the same Dave has incorporated into the BE100 Deluxe. Seems like it can go from JJ/Slax to classical BE to more Marshally with it?
Really gasing hard for the BE Deluxe.
J
Junk Yard Dog
Well-known member
Jon BCN":2x1m3ds2 said:
Wait, I think I'm getting confused...can you clarify what The Frequency Switch does? It sounds like it has to do more with Mids than the tightness/punch of the amp? I thought at one point were we talking about tightness of the amp and then we morphed to Frequency switch and it sounds like it's a Mids thing...?
With multiple generations and mods, it would be great and REALLY helpful to start a thread in the Friedman forum that details what each mod does to the tone/sound and feel... An example would be below...
Voltage Switch Like on the Phil X, it takes away compression and blah blah....
Half Power Switch Drops volume noticably and softens the attack of the amp, and you can increase the EQ to make up for anything...blah, blah...
Frequency Switch Blah, blah...etc, etc...
Gain Structure
Etc, Etc..
Response Knob
J
Jon BCN
Active member
Junk Yard Dog":vuxqtuhd said:
I just know what Dave has said in the Namm videos. The Frequency switch allegedly makes the amp sound more like the JJ/Slax in one setting, like the Classical BE in other setting and more midrangey in the last setting. To me, I guess more midrangey is code for more Marshally, but I can be wrong.
RedPlated
Well-known member
The frequency switch is simple. It's switches out capacitors of different values. If you don't know the basics of how a capacitor in a depth circuit works, do a google search and check it out. Basically, each different value allows different frequencies through. Others restrict those frequencies and let a different set of frequencies through.
Whether or not that's more "punchy" is up to you. I can't really quantify that for someone else. I described the differences between settings the best I could earlier in the post. Maybe someone else can do a better job.
Whether or not that's more "punchy" is up to you. I can't really quantify that for someone else. I described the differences between settings the best I could earlier in the post. Maybe someone else can do a better job.