Splawn Nitro "Mods" Completed

Bash_Man

Bash_Man

Well-known member
Hey everyone,
So i took my Splawn Nitro the "local" amp tech located in Cambridge, Ontario (Amplifiers Plus).. had him do a bunch of "mods" on my Nitro for me. Hopfully videos coming soon.

  1. 9V outlet up to 2000MA using a gutted but safely installed and internally secured Power-All adapter and using sheilded cables so it doesnt interfer with internals. Tested this out with a pedal and works like a charm. For simple setup times. Leave a noise gate or delay pedal on top of the amp and into the loop and dont have anything on the floor. This is also hooked up to the mains power switch. so as soon as I power up the amp, the 9V comes on.

  2. Mids Mod that takes the 10K factory dial and makes it a 25k (This one I LOVE)
    What can i say.. this one works magic with the amp. Takes's the amps tone and just make it more cutting, gives it alot more body and fullness. Crank the amp up and you can just drown in this cause of how good it sounds.

  3. Manual Channel switching (Only Between Clean and OD1)
    works great for those moments when you want to test something out like a cabinet or guitar and dont want to setup the whole rig, footswitch etc..

  4. Tubes Bias Points
    this will of course come in handy when retubing the amp without having to take the amp out of the chasis. He put the bias points near the tubes so I only need to open the back panel.

Cheers

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That's cool! I especially like that 9v out mod. What is that cover that over the front panel? Was that something that came with the amp, or aftermarket?
 
War_in_D said:
That's cool! I especially like that 9v out mod. What is that cover that over the front panel? Was that something that came with the amp, or aftermarket?
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Sorry, you're refering to the shell of the amp? if so, its the factory shell/face that came from Splawn when I bought the amp.

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Bash_Man said:
Sorry, you're refering to the shell of the amp? if so, its the factory shell/face that came from Splawn when I bought the amp.

View attachment 80522
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Yeah, just the part where the controls are. My Nitro isn't like that, just a flat panel without the little "cutouts/recesses" where the writing is. That's cool though, makes it look interesting.
 
War_in_D said:
Yeah, just the part where the controls are. My Nitro isn't like that, just a flat panel without the little "cutouts/recesses" where the writing is. That's cool though, makes it look interesting.
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ah ok. I am not sure if they changed the design over the years. Mine is a 1st gen I bought I think in 2007 or 2008. Whenever they first introduced the Nitro.
 
Bash_Man said:
ah ok. I am not sure if they changed the design over the years. Mine is a 1st gen I bought I think in 2007 or 2008. Whenever they first introduced the Nitro.
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Nice.. yeah, it's an 08 by the serial number. What type of tubes are you running?
 
War_in_D said:
Nice.. yeah, it's an 08 by the serial number. What type of tubes are you running?
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Power tubes i am running Ruby EL34BSTR's i got about almost 2 years ago from Doug at Doug's tubes. Phase invertor running a Sovtek 12ax7LPS, V1 running a JAN-PHILIPS 12AT7WC to give the amp's clean channel less gain so I can crank up the gain to give it more body without breaking up as quick. V2 and V3 right now i have the EH7025 tubes. I kinda like them actually, especially with the 25K mids switch mod. Helps turn down the presence and treble and still have plenty of cutting high end without sounding harsh. they kinda balance things out.
 
Is your PI tube balanced, and do you have any kind of opinion on a balanced tube in that slot? I've run a few balanced tubes in the PI slot on other amps, and I can't really tell if it makes a difference or not. To hear the guys over at Eurotubes tell it, if your PI tube isn't balanced then the amp is going to sound like crap. lol

My Nitro is at Scott's shop right now getting the "fully loaded" mods added to it, and he's also modding it to take KT88's. I've got an EL34 QR, so I'm kind of hoping the KT88 power section in the Nitro will give me some more tonal options. Not that the QR and the Nitro sounded that similar to start with. I'll probably start playing around with preamp tubes in both the amps once the Nitro makes it back to me.
 
War_in_D said:
Is your PI tube balanced, and do you have any kind of opinion on a balanced tube in that slot? I've run a few balanced tubes in the PI slot on other amps, and I can't really tell if it makes a difference or not. To hear the guys over at Eurotubes tell it, if your PI tube isn't balanced then the amp is going to sound like crap. lol

My Nitro is at Scott's shop right now getting the "fully loaded" mods added to it, and he's also modding it to take KT88's. I've got an EL34 QR, so I'm kind of hoping the KT88 power section in the Nitro will give me some more tonal options. Not that the QR and the Nitro sounded that similar to start with. I'll probably start playing around with preamp tubes in both the amps once the Nitro makes it back to me.
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I've always gotten the PI tube balanced. That's what's always been recommended, so I just do it anyways. Only costs couple of bucks extra, so nothing that hurts the wallet. But I only get the PI balanced, not the rest of the preamp tubes.
 
Cool mods! I had an 08 Nitro just a few numbers above your serial number. I ended up selling it a few weeks and now having a new one built fully loaded in 50 watts. Can’t wait to get it
 
Tyler142 said:
Cool mods! I had an 08 Nitro just a few numbers above your serial number. I ended up selling it a few weeks and now having a new one built fully loaded in 50 watts. Can’t wait to get it
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Congrats on the new amp! When you get it, report back on how it compares to the 08 you had. Someone here had mentioned that their new QR with the new/old switch really didn't represent the "old" flavor of their original QR. So, I'd be curious to know how the Nitro compares.
 
I sure will report back here. I’m not familiar with an older QR but I do run the old switch on my 16 model. Like everyone else says, more aggressive and IMO, more gained up. Nothing wrong with the new switch just not my thing. It is a lot clearer than the old switch. On the new nitro I’m more excited to check out the mid switch. Scott told me up is the QR mids but it’s still 100% Nitro
 
Tyler142 said:
I sure will report back here. I’m not familiar with an older QR but I do run the old switch on my 16 model. Like everyone else says, more aggressive and IMO, more gained up. Nothing wrong with the new switch just not my thing. It is a lot clearer than the old switch. On the new nitro I’m more excited to check out the mid switch. Scott told me up is the QR mids but it’s still 100% Nitro
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Yup, I run my QR on the old switch setting as well. I can't wait to get my Nitro back with the fully loaded mods on it! Scott's had it at his shop going on 12 weeks now. I'm not worried about the time it's taking, but I'm getting antsy wanting to hear it! I hate to do it, but I may have to give him a call to check on it. I need to ask him about doing a Street Rod head anyway.
 
I’m also curious about a SR head. My SR combos RIPS. Apart of me prefers it over the QR but isn’t it basically a 40 watt QR? Maybe it’s the 1x12 sound that I’m drawn to. Maybe I should try it through a 2 or 4x12
 
Tyler142 said:
I’m also curious about a SR head. My SR combos RIPS. Apart of me prefers it over the QR but isn’t it basically a 40 watt QR? Maybe it’s the 1x12 sound that I’m drawn to. Maybe I should try it through a 2 or 4x12
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Yes, that's my understanding.. basically a 40 watt QR. My thought process for getting the SR is that I don't need 100 watts, and usually amps are designed around the max wattage they will be pushing. So, even a QR on the half power switch probably won't sound optimal because it was designed to run at 100 watts. I've already got a nice 1x12 cab, and a couple of Splawn 4x12's so I'm itching to try a lower wattage QR that was designed to run at 40 watts so I can open it up and let it breathe. That's why I want it built as a head, so I can play around with my existing cabs. I'm also going to request that it be built into the smallest head shell possible for portability, and use it with the 1x12 cab for playing out with friends, etc..
 
If you don't use a balanced PI tube you would be...un-balanced. The humanity.

Seriously tho, don't take your engagement ring suggestions from a jeweler...or your oil change intervals from a Jiffy Lube...or your PI tube's need for balance from tube vendors. ;)
 
I have yet to buy and run a 'Balanced' PI tube. Honestly been meaning to try though. Have had great luck though with the Phillips JAN 5751 in there and I've only heard good things about the Sovtek LPS in the PI as mentioned.
 
I've tried balanced PI tubes in some of my amps, but I can't honestly say I've heard much difference. From my understanding, the PI regulates the phase of the power tubes and makes everything run "smoother". That being said, it would seem to me that it might take away some of the character of the amp as well.
 
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