BeZo
Well-known member
When I first got the thing, it needed fixing up. It sounded decent, but it lacked punch and definition. I knew it needed tubes for sure, but I figured I'd get it fixed up while I was at it. So, I took it to Kirk.
He modded the output section to bring the bias up to par. The bias was pegged, and it wasn't hot enough. He changed the bias circuit to give him enough room to bias it properly. He changed out some of the old caps with SoZo caps. He did what he called a "punch mod" to it to give it extra oomph. That increased the gain in the preamp section. He then re-tubed it. The preamp tubes were the original tubes that came with the amp. Red Bear used a special preamp tube wired differently than a normal 12AX7. He rewired the preamp sockets to fit 12AX7s.
I plugged it into my 4x12 when I got back and the thing rips now. I like the presence knob, because it is not like other presence knobs. Turning it back past half way gives you a real dark tone, but having it pegged is not overbearing. When the presence is up all the way, it really sounds like the JCM800 it's modeled after. The Intensity switch is great for an extra boost. It just changes a resistor in the input to increase the gain to the preamp circuit.
Since Kirk did the punch mod, the amp cleans up really well now. You can roll the volume knob back and get a good clean tone, and the amp is really responsive to pick attacks. The harder you pluck, the more gain comes through the amp. It is like night and day. I've had amps re-tubed in the past, and never been so drastically different. The amp really sounds like a dark JCM800. I love it!
He modded the output section to bring the bias up to par. The bias was pegged, and it wasn't hot enough. He changed the bias circuit to give him enough room to bias it properly. He changed out some of the old caps with SoZo caps. He did what he called a "punch mod" to it to give it extra oomph. That increased the gain in the preamp section. He then re-tubed it. The preamp tubes were the original tubes that came with the amp. Red Bear used a special preamp tube wired differently than a normal 12AX7. He rewired the preamp sockets to fit 12AX7s.
I plugged it into my 4x12 when I got back and the thing rips now. I like the presence knob, because it is not like other presence knobs. Turning it back past half way gives you a real dark tone, but having it pegged is not overbearing. When the presence is up all the way, it really sounds like the JCM800 it's modeled after. The Intensity switch is great for an extra boost. It just changes a resistor in the input to increase the gain to the preamp circuit.
Since Kirk did the punch mod, the amp cleans up really well now. You can roll the volume knob back and get a good clean tone, and the amp is really responsive to pick attacks. The harder you pluck, the more gain comes through the amp. It is like night and day. I've had amps re-tubed in the past, and never been so drastically different. The amp really sounds like a dark JCM800. I love it!
