Nevermind NAMM BillyBlades has a new website & amps!!!

[stephen sawall]

The specs on the DAR stuff is very good, I have not tried one yet.

if you play modern metal, in my opinion, its THE amp to have(if you can get one, lol). you can create so many different tones. it was to metal for me though, also could of used some more cosmetic detailing....BOWTS!

don't want to hijack this thread though, or beat a dead horse

I would not worry about derailing this thread too much. Jason is a friend of mine & obviously this thread is not too serious. More entertaining than anything.

Metal ... a little. I play pretty much everything. I think of myself more a funk and R&B player than anything else.

 

[benduncan]

ah, i was referring to the FBM by the way. it ONLY does metal, lol. great clean channel though.

 

[EXPcustom]

Don't care where the thread direction goes, just like talking about the amps.

To Billy's credit I think that rat's nest pic on HC of a mod was some dude from the late 80's that did those. I forgot the mod or modder's name but they were cheap and supposedly sounded really good despite looking like a rat's nest.

Unless I am thinking about a different pic?

 

[MississippiMetal]

Metal ... a little. I play pretty much everything. I think of myself more a funk and R&B player than anything

Unless you're just trolling that's a pretty awesome departure from the usual RT player demographic. Not that there is anything wrong with playing metal or hair metal.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Anyone posted this badass Billy Blades custom amp yet? The look is SO Billy Blades!

 

[stephen sawall]

Metal ... a little. I play pretty much everything. I think of myself more a funk and R&B player than anything

Unless you're just trolling that's a pretty awesome departure from the usual RT player demographic. Not that there is anything wrong with playing metal or hair metal.

I play guitar ... I could care less about demographic.
If you look around there is all kinds of players here. But you are correct certain types & taste are more common here.

As far as heavy stuff goes I have been a big fan of Black Sabbath & Tool & a few others as long as I can remember. I like music that comes from emotion... the titles labeling different styles are not important to me.

 

[jcj]

It's amusing that he markets his amps using Mark's name....he's a day late, and a dollar short.

 

[JTyson]

It's amusing that he markets his amps using Mark's name....he's a day late, and a dollar short.

He uses anyones name who has been mentioned more than twice on the web

 

[IndyWS6]

Here's the Venom. The VENNNUUUUUUMMMMMMM.

Solderin' 'em up and throwin' 'em down. Billy style

 

[jlbaxe]

His wood working skills SUCK and the second tube socket hole from the left, looking from the front, is out of line with the rest. If you are not anal enough to make your product perfect on the outside what is the inside going to be like?

 

[Mailman1971]

I do give the guy props...he is putting out a product. Sounds decent. I actually like the finished venom model.

But is this anything new or different that I havent heard or owned before? nope....
But good for him. He just needs to tone down his act....or doucheness.
His amps arent original as he keeps claiming.
But good for him. Making it happen.

 

[russoloco]

Actually listening to a few of his clips....once I got passed his gibberish....that didnt sound half bad.
But his Jose and his Aldrich sounded about the same to me. Again....Its just clips. But sounded decent for sure.
His rambling is what turned me off from the start....

I have no idea what a Cameron is supposed to sound like but I tuned in to a few clips, too. Even without proper mics, that's a pretty blazing tone he ended up with. Sure, I'd at least like my lightning bolts to be symmetrical but as much shit as he gets, seems I could learn from him. But I had no idea this guy is real. Always thought these skits with the automated voices you see now and again were just the embodiment of the community of forum jack-holes that think they know what's up.

They are pretty much based off the Jose schematics that have been on the web since the early 2000's and some newer schematics from the SLO clone forums since those guys love to reverse engineer mods if someone posts gut shots of certain makers/modders amps. I am not knocking those guys I actually thinks its cool they take the time to do that.

I know Billy likes to say he reverse engineered the Cameron mods himself and removing the epoxy was a pain in the ass for him to do but the reality of the situation was Mark never has used epoxy on any of his mods.

So yeah pretty much anyone can get the same tone by grabbing the schematics they want off the SLO clone forums going to their local tech and having them put what you want in your amp or you could print them out, cut some lightning bolts and teeth into a cab then start your own amp company.

He actually did get a hold of the real CCV schematics from the SLO Clone forums ad all the Jose stuff as well. He also got info on the Jose mods people are not familiar with that are used in many boutique amps as well.

Don't know about his quality, but he does have the data to make killer amps. If it weren't for is web antics he actually might possibly have been very successful.

Those ones for the preamp section of the CCV not the power section schematics. Long story but I wound up with the originals when the Barrang people dumped their old Cameron inventory, that guy on the SLO clone forum ended up with some of the files.

Pretty much the schematics are all out there for the Jose stuff, Cameron stuff, Bogner, Mesa etc... but they are spread around the web. Some of the schematics are incomplete, on other forums and you have to find other users posts to complete them but its all out there. You sometimes got to dig to find the info but its mostly public.

I think the amp industry has kind of just become stagnant. I mean everyone is doing Jose mods or stuff based on other designs from 10+ years ago. You no longer have the innovators like Bogner, Diezel etc. that come up with their own schematics/designs. I think the availability of online information is partly to blame for this.

When Bogner was doing his thing back in the day he kind of had to guess and do his own thing to figure out what parts get what sound etc which lead to alot of really cool circuits and one off stuff he did back then.

Anyways more Blades videos coming at you live:

The amp builder community is comprised of very few actual engineers. Truly innovative amps take an equal combination of vision and technical proficiency. Innovation is going to happen by using circuits that have not been previously tried, coupled with unconventional tube types. A 12ax7 has a rather narrow spectrum of operation, and that entire spectrum has been thoroughly explored and the range of usable performance zoned in. There is some wiggle room where you can develop a hi mu triode preamp with a somewhat unique sound, but it will still be highly derivative. You will still either drive the tonestack from the plate or cathode follower.

Basically if you want to move in a new direction, you have to investigate using uncommon tube types and mix solid state devices where they can offer differing or superior performance. And to that end, Mike Gio at DAR is the only one displaying the vision, balls and knowledge to do that. Say what you want about his business practices, Mike is arguably the only true genius and innovator making valve amplifiers right now imo.

What about driving the tone stack from an inverting feed feedback amplifier? Billy likes to drink listerine with his quaaludes. He loves clipping diodes as well.

 

[Heritage Softail]

But will it do metal?

 

[Mailman1971]

But will it do metal?

from what I hear......No.
My Mesa crushes his clips.
But for good old rock -n- roll......HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YEAHHHHH!!! YEAH HAWWWWWW!!!

 

[Heritage Softail]

But will it do metal?

from what I hear......No.
My Mesa crushes his clips.
But for good old rock -n- roll......HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YEAHHHHH!!! YEAH HAWWWWWW!!!

What he should do is send FJA all the Peavy Windsor's he can find. Put those guts in his Lightning Bolt Fang head shells.

Quadruple the price and mention Cameron a few times.

Workable business model...

 

[Mailman1971]

But will it do metal?

from what I hear......No.
My Mesa crushes his clips.
But for good old rock -n- roll......HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YEAHHHHH!!! YEAH HAWWWWWW!!!

What he should do is send FJA all the Peavy Windsor's he can find. Put those guts in his Lightning Bolt Fang head shells.

Quadruple the price and mention Cameron a few times.

Workable business model...

Yeah.....My FJA windsor sounds better then those amps for about a 1/3 of the cost. He needs to get off Camerons Dick.....and drop his prices. But again....my amp dont have fangs on it or a drink holder.

 

[LP Freak]

But will it do metal?

from what I hear......No.
My Mesa crushes his clips.
But for good old rock -n- roll......HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YEAHHHHH!!! YEAH HAWWWWWW!!!

What he should do is send FJA all the Peavy Windsor's he can find. Put those guts in his Lightning Bolt Fang head shells.

Quadruple the price and mention Cameron a few times.

Workable business model...

Yeah.....My FJA windsor sounds better then those amps for about a 1/3 of the cost. He needs to get off Camerons Dick.....and drop his prices. But again....my amp dont have fangs on it or a drink holder.

....or a handle that's turned sideways making it hard to carry.

 

[Mailman1971]

But will it do metal?

from what I hear......No.
My Mesa crushes his clips.
But for good old rock -n- roll......HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YEAHHHHH!!! YEAH HAWWWWWW!!!

What he should do is send FJA all the Peavy Windsor's he can find. Put those guts in his Lightning Bolt Fang head shells.

Quadruple the price and mention Cameron a few times.

Workable business model...

Yeah.....My FJA windsor sounds better then those amps for about a 1/3 of the cost. He needs to get off Camerons Dick.....and drop his prices. But again....my amp dont have fangs on it or a drink holder.

....or a handle that's turned sideways making it hard to carry.

 

[screamindemon]

Trading in all my amps for the Venom !

It was the cup holder that sold me !

 

[Mailman1971]

Trading in all my amps for the Venom !

It was the cup holder that sold me !

Cup holder.....yeah that was sweet...
but the Limp Bizkit video....Thats what sold me. HELL YES!!