Starting a new amp project, Curtomica amp build

[Digital Jams]

yeah so enough is enough with with the sales labels and capitalizing on forum legend, I am taking my 77 JMP 4 holer and having a CURTOMIA built. I am going to pump Curt for everything he remembers and using new Jose mod finds to make a real Atomica.

No Diodes.
Jose inspirered, no credit for anyone else or branded as such.
More on the lines of the Jose EVH mod and the Golden amp.

Should be fun!

Digi - ya know I love ya pal, but I don't get the attitude here...

"enough is enough with with the sales labels and capitalizing on forum legend"?

"no credit for anyone else or branded as such"?

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? It seems that the amp that the Cameron company is gonna put out is gonna be a combo high gain/low gain Jose mod. The low gain may well be what Mark saw in Atomica. Why shouldn't they call it that? I'm just wondering why you seem to have a problem with it? If they are gonna make the amp that a combo of the Atomica lower gain mode and Mark's hi gain Jose mod, isn't that great for everybody?

I think it's cool you're gonna mod your amp and everything, but I'm confused on the animosity...

Also, I don't understand the "No Diodes" thing - like putting a clipping circuit in an amp is some evil thing... Same thing is happening on HCAF right now on that subject. I don't get it. Maybe Atomica wasn't like the Jose you played. Maybe Atomica HAD a diode clipping circuit. The only one who knows for sure is Mark...

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm just trying to understand...

Steve

You know I like diodes, I have a high gain low gain Jose clone and love it so no there is no hcaf stuff here. I saw that thread and you are trying to swim upstream during a flood as that crowd just does not get it. Agreed with everything you posted.

I am not taking anything wrong, I know I would ruffle some feathers with this. You know I have always admitted if I was wrong which over the years has been alot

Both high and low gain in one platform is a better business model no doubt, mass marketing 101 and I would do it as well if in the same position. I have read about this Atomica for 10 years and feel that it should be built that way, that is the point you are trying to understand. Just my opinion, if it pisses off some people oh well. I have time during the winter so this is my project.

The price stuff..................you know I am not opposed to dumping big money on gear as I have unloaded big coin for amps and guitars. I am going by the basic parts to an existing amp just like the Atomica or any other amp that Jose worked on, not a boutique build. I am just talking tone, nothing more. Could my 77 be a dud needing new iron or major work? Maybe and I will tell everyone, I have nothing riding on this. Just trying to get the same amp I have read about for 10 years.

Just trying to get something I have read about, nothing more and no other motives as I am sure Mark's amps will be a huge hit

 

[jcj]

I'm cornfused.

Me too....nothing new, there

 

[Digital Jams]

First of all, no ones pumping anyone. And regarding the above mentioned pumping in the 80's, you can trust me on this.... until my doctors physical after my 40th b-day, I was untampered with.

I had my 39th tonight...still "exit only"...

Clips?

 

[jerrydyer]

First of all, no ones pumping anyone. And regarding the above mentioned pumping in the 80's, you can trust me on this.... until my doctors physical after my 40th b-day, I was untampered with.

I had my 39th tonight...still "exit only"...

happy birthday bro... this thread is gay so........ its just one hypocriticl statement after another.

dudes got issues.

 

[Digital Jams]

Now come on Jerry, that was not very nice After several margaritas I am fine with the world

 

[Chris O]

First of all, no ones pumping anyone. And regarding the above mentioned pumping in the 80's, you can trust me on this.... until my doctors physical after my 40th b-day, I was untampered with.

I had my 39th tonight...still "exit only"...

happy birthday bro... this thread is gay so........ its just one hypocriticl statement after another.

dudes got issues.

Thanks, Jerry... No...not my b-day today. I'll be 40 in a few weeks (!!!) - but I made it through the physical without the dreaded "40-year scratch"...

Okay...anyway...time to re-set the sarcasm meter methinks... Have fun guys. Just trying to lighten up a soon-to-be shit-show. Carry on. I'm out.

 

[Chris O]

First of all, no ones pumping anyone. And regarding the above mentioned pumping in the 80's, you can trust me on this.... until my doctors physical after my 40th b-day, I was untampered with.

I had my 39th tonight...still "exit only"...

Clips?

Nope...just prescriptions...and I'm keeping them to myself!!

 

[OBGYNkanobi]

Dang, I wasn't trying to knock anybody or dismiss any amps that are currently being offered when I brought up the Golden amp subject. I was just curious if there was any similarities b/w the Atomica amp and the Golden Amp, since we can get a pretty good idea of what the golden amp was and how it sounded. I do think there is something unique about Ed's OT in his main Plexi, and that's based on trial and error after setting a 1200 series up identical to what Dave Friedman and John Suhr have confirmed that Ed's is; my ear tells me that the early sound is a 2" core with a primary impedance of somewhere between 2.2k-2.5k. You guys listen to this and tell me if you don't hear a little something special in the midrange...there's still some issues with the power tubes to work out so the gain isn't quite there yet. This is strat78 playing here.

https://www.soundclick.com/player/single ... i&newref=1
C'mon if you want to talk core tone, that is THE sound right there! It helps a lot that he can really play, but this is just getting silly. I say, if you want the atomica tone, start with the specs that Dave Friedman gave for Ed's main Plexi and go from there. That's pretty much what the new Metro-Friedman is with a built in Variac. If you want more gain, set the rhythm channel up as a second lead channel, voiced maybe a little darker, and jump the channels at the inputs or better yet, at pins 2 and 7 of V1. Curt, that Mojave is closer than you think.

I'm sure Mark is all over this one, and this new amp will be the best of both worlds; hi and low gain. He's has probably forgotten more about amp building than most of us will ever learn in a lifetime. That being said, I don't have the coin to drop mad stacks on the latest and greatest amp to come down the pipe or flip $3000.00 amps every 6 months, so my options are limited to sitting at my kitchen table with a soldering iron. Anyways, there's no harm in taking things past where they found it; it's called progress.

Happy Birthday Chris!

 

[Chubtone]

Dang, I wasn't trying to knock anybody or dismiss any amps that are currently being offered when I brought up the Golden amp subject.

Curt, that Mojave is closer than you think.

Your posts on here have been nothing short of kick ass lately so keep them coming.

I know the Mojave is close. I'm sure a guy like strat78, Rockstah or Ralle500 would kill on it.

 

[ConcreteVampire]

Quotes from Curt on Curtomica........................

My memory of the amp was that there was a single, added master volume on the back. I don't think it was even a a push/pull. I think Mark used to do a Low Gain/High Gain Jose that was switchable between the two with a push/pull master.


It was not a very high gain amp at all, but it did Van Halen very well. Anything more gainy than that, for example Lynch, DeMartini etc you had to boost it.

Hold the phone! Jerry put a push/pull Jose Master in the back of my Little Giant, (other wise "Untouched" Solder joints from the original Chinese board...)

"Lil Gian-tomica"

Lemme grab my Baretta and turn this bad boy up! (It's 5 watts so if I step on the power cord real hard, I "Should" be able to get some Variac action!)



I kid....

OR DO I!

 

[mentoneman]

Curt, that Mojave is closer than you think.

I know the Mojave is close.

...hello...welcome to 2001!
it's not as grinding or honking as a cameron, but a fantastic plexi core tone you can saturate with '.

how do you like your peacemaker?

mono

wet/dry

or w/d/w

for me, vh tone sounds best wet/dry with 2 4x12s

 

[OBGYNkanobi]

Dang, I wasn't trying to knock anybody or dismiss any amps that are currently being offered when I brought up the Golden amp subject.

Curt, that Mojave is closer than you think.

Your posts on here have been nothing short of kick ass lately so keep them coming.

I know the Mojave is close. I'm sure a guy like strat78, Rockstah or Ralle500 would kill on it.

They would indeed, as do you and Mentoneman, because you guys can play, and it's an amp where you have to be able to play in order to make it work for you; the gain is there, but there isn't the level of saturation that you can hide behind. That amp...just like Ed's main Plexi, will expose your playing for what it is. That's why most guys that think they want Ed's early tone, bail on it when they start getting close. There's no faking it when you do it the way he did; you either have it in your hands or you don't...found that one out the hard way.

However, what I was getting at, is that the amp itself can be closer, and I really wish Vic would incorporate a few small changes and re-release the Peacemaker because he wouldn't be able to make them fast enough to keep up with the demand.

 

[King Guitar]

Good Luck with that.

Do not need any luck, public free information with the aid of some amps that have surfaced and an outstanding person to do the build

yeah its easy to build killer sounding amps, thats why all amps made sound great and everyone does it.

I think I am going to build a killer playing violin in the kitchen tomorrow cause I got this bitchin "Make your own Stradivarius" in your free time book at the library and my buddy cooter built a few of those Ship in the Bottle kits so he can help me with the hard stuff.

 

[King Guitar]

yeah so enough is enough with with the sales labels and capitalizing on forum legend, I am taking my 77 JMP 4 holer and having a CURTOMIA built. I am going to pump Curt for everything he remembers and using new Jose mod finds to make a real Atomica.

No Diodes.
Jose inspirered, no credit for anyone else or branded as such.
More on the lines of the Jose EVH mod and the Golden amp.

Should be fun!

Digi - ya know I love ya pal, but I don't get the attitude here...

"enough is enough with with the sales labels and capitalizing on forum legend"?

"no credit for anyone else or branded as such"?

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? It seems that the amp that the Cameron company is gonna put out is gonna be a combo high gain/low gain Jose mod. The low gain may well be what Mark saw in Atomica. Why shouldn't they call it that? I'm just wondering why you seem to have a problem with it? If they are gonna make the amp that a combo of the Atomica lower gain mode and Mark's hi gain Jose mod, isn't that great for everybody?

I think it's cool you're gonna mod your amp and everything, but I'm confused on the animosity...

Also, I don't understand the "No Diodes" thing - like putting a clipping circuit in an amp is some evil thing... Same thing is happening on HCAF right now on that subject. I don't get it. Maybe Atomica wasn't like the Jose you played. Maybe Atomica HAD a diode clipping circuit. The only one who knows for sure is Mark...

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm just trying to understand...

Steve

+1 I dont get the hate either.

 

[King Guitar]

Heres the deal from my perspective...

The one guy who everybody admits knows the original ATOMICA amp inside and out is Mark Cameron.

The one guy who Eddie Van Halen trusted to rebuild his legendary #1 Marshall Plexi is Dave Friedman.

The one guy who is credited for being "the" if not one of the worlds foremost experts on Plexi Marshalls is George Metroplous

Guess who I have working on the ATOMICA and the OLD BITCH Mod Series Amps?

Cameron. Friedman and Metroplous. .

I have put together arguably the 3 best living guys in the world to pull this off and you get it for $2500 bucks brand new. I am a gear fiend just like you guys and I can tell you that as a regular guy who loves this stuff that I would be all over that regardless that I own Cameron, Rig-Talk or whatever.

I realize haters are gonna hate and its part of it and maybe its not for you but I think lots of guys will dig it at a pretty reasonable price with a warranty, fx loop and the best guys in the business making it.

just sayin...and I wish you luck with modding your Marshall and asking your "friends" to donate time to help you but trust me when I tell ya it ain't that easy and there is a reason why guys with unlimited budgets who could get anybody to do their amps track down one of the 3 guys I put together on this mod series project.

Its only rock and roll...

 

[Vrad]

I got a novel idea...
How about more time wood-shedding and less time chasing your tail around looking for a tone that someone described to you on a forum once? I guarantee that if you're warmed up enough, every amp in your extensive arsenal will sound better.

Go take a VH song and spend alot of time dissecting it and learning the nuances of Eddie's playing. That's a much more worth-while investment if you ask me.

 

[OBGYNkanobi]

Well, you've got to start somewhere, and in lieu of a proper work bench, I've got a perfectly good kitchen table; although my last build was mostly built in a barracks room in Bagram. My "ship in a bottle" was one of George's kits, and my buddy Cooter, was his instructional DVD and every bit of info I could find that Dave Friedman, Chris Merren, Mark Cameron and a few others had posted. No hate here Brad; please don't lump us DIY'ers that have actually built a few decent amps in with those that have a tendency to run off at the mouth and poop where they sleep. A lot of guys, myself included, already owe George, Mark and Dave a lot just based on the knowledge they've shared alone. I have no doubt that this amp is gonna flat kill, and I'm eager to hear it.

...and yes Vrad, practicing helps.

 

[King Guitar]

Well, you've got to start somewhere, and in lieu of a proper work bench, I've got a perfectly good kitchen table; although my last build was mostly built in a barracks room in Bagram. My "ship in a bottle" was one of George's kits, and my buddy Cooter, was his instructional DVD and every bit of info I could find that Dave Friedman, Chris Merren, Mark Cameron and a few others had posted. No hate here Brad; please don't lump us DIY'ers that have actually built a few decent amps in with those that have a tendency to run off at the mouth and poop where they sleep. A lot of guys, myself included, already owe George, Mark and Dave a lot just based on the knowledge they've shared alone. I have no doubt that this amp is gonna flat kill, and I'm eager to hear it.

...and yes Vrad, practicing helps.

Nothing but respect to you and I dont doubt there are very skilled guys making cool amps on their own. I was just saying it isnt paint by numbers and my comment was not directed at you.

Semper Fi

 

[King Guitar]

I got a novel idea...
How about more time wood-shedding and less time chasing your tail around looking for a tone that someone described to you on a forum once? I guarantee that if you're warmed up enough, every amp in your extensive arsenal will sound better.

Go take a VH song and spend alot of time dissecting it and learning the nuances of Eddie's playing. That's a much more worth-while investment if you ask me.

no arguments with any of that.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Damn Scott catching some blowback here.