XTC mods? Amp modders question

[gbsmusic]

I've had another XTC at my house for a few weeks now. I just love the blue channel on this amp but the red channel is terrible to me. It gets so compressed and I cant seem to get the nasaly sound out of it. Ive had a few XTC's in the past and the best I had was the one I put the Marvel Mod on and that helped but it still had a little nasal to it. Anyone ever had their XTC modded, who did it and how do you like it. I'd like to get the red channel to pick up where the blue channel leaves off, not become a completely different sounding channel. Opinions.

 

[gybe!]

My XTC is modded by Mark Cameron, so I suppose its not a very viable option...The clean is replaced by the Shiva clean, the Blue was tweaked to have some more bottom and be a bit more aggressive (sounds kind of LG Jose to me now), and the red has two modes: normal, which is a tweaked red channel that is pretty HG Jose/CCV and then a switch on the back that takes it to out of control. The switch is not the same as the marvel mod, theres more goining on. He basically tweaked the living shit out of the amp, very few components are the same as factory spec. The plexi mode does seem to be the same however.

 

[TheMagicEight]

I've had another XTC at my house for a few weeks now. I just love the blue channel on this amp but the red channel is terrible to me. It gets so compressed and I cant seem to get the nasaly sound out of it. Ive had a few XTC's in the past and the best I had was the one I put the Marvel Mod on and that helped but it still had a little nasal to it. Anyone ever had their XTC modded, who did it and how do you like it. I'd like to get the red channel to pick up where the blue channel leaves off, not become a completely different sounding channel. Opinions.

B2 with gain around 1:30 - 2:00 & mids at 3:00. Pre-'04 red channel.

 

[billm408]

Mike Fortin can do a Cali mod on the XTC- although it could be a while since he's so backed up with orders. I was going to do it, but just wasn't willing to give up my Blue channel.

I'm with you... the Red channel (even with the Marvel mod) is too dark and compressed for my needs. I just got an 11R through a friend and use that for my leads now. The amp sims give me what the Red channel can't- more open, less compressed tones with some top end bite.

 

[gbsmusic]

Mike Fortin can do a Cali mod on the XTC- although it could be a while since he's so backed up with orders. I was going to do it, but just wasn't willing to give up my Blue channel.

I'm with you... the Red channel (even with the Marvel mod) is too dark and compressed for my needs. I just got an 11R through a friend and use that for my leads now. The amp sims give me what the Red channel can't- more open, less compressed tones with some top end bite.

I hear ya. It blows my mind that the blue channel can be so magical and then the red just goes to shit. Ive got a BB-Preamp that I'm using on the Blue but it does add noise and it drives me nuts to not be able to use the red!

 

[ericsabbath]

tweak the first two drive stages cathodes
swap the 820 resistor in the first stage for 2k7, and the 2u2 in the second stage for .68
then cut out the 1000p plate bypass capacitor in the second drive stage (that's a huge treble sucker in that position)
that will make your amp a lot less nasal, but still sounding like a bogner (similar to the Brown and Strato channels of the Fish)
you can also swap the high input 68k resistor for 10k only (or even less)
that will increase dynamics/picking response
these are simple, cheap and very effective mods

if you want the red channel to be less gainy and specially more open, you can wire a resistor (anything from 68k to 220k... a 250k trimpot would be perfect for fine tuning) in paralell with the gain pot (to the ground)
this can be a great improvement tonewise, specially for high gain amps
the mid grain tends to get very open and less squishy

the marvel/cameron/post 2004 mods will only make it more saturated, less open and a bit more spikey in the upper mids

 

[gbsmusic]

tweak the first two drive stages cathodes
swap the 820 resistor in the first stage for 2k7, and the 2u2 in the second stage for .68
then cut out the 1000p plate bypass capacitor in the second drive stage (that's a huge treble sucker in that position)
that will make your amp a lot less nasal, but still sounding like a bogner (similar to the Brown and Strato channels of the Fish)
you can also swap the high input 68k resistor for 10k only (or even less)
that will increase dynamics/picking response
these are simple, cheap and very effective mods

if you want the red channel to be less gainy and specially more open, you can wire a resistor (anything from 68k to 220k... a 250k trimpot would be perfect for fine tuning) in paralell with the gain pot (to the ground)
this can be a great improvement tonewise, specially for high gain amps
the mid grain tends to get very open and less squishy

the marvel/cameron/post 2004 mods will only make it more saturated, less open and a bit more spikey in the upper mids

I wish I could do this but I wouldn't even begin to try! I'm very challenged in the amp modding dept

 

[ericsabbath]

tweak the first two drive stages cathodes
swap the 820 resistor in the first stage for 2k7, and the 2u2 in the second stage for .68
then cut out the 1000p plate bypass capacitor in the second drive stage (that's a huge treble sucker in that position)
that will make your amp a lot less nasal, but still sounding like a bogner (similar to the Brown and Strato channels of the Fish)
you can also swap the high input 68k resistor for 10k only (or even less)
that will increase dynamics/picking response
these are simple, cheap and very effective mods

if you want the red channel to be less gainy and specially more open, you can wire a resistor (anything from 68k to 220k... a 250k trimpot would be perfect for fine tuning) in paralell with the gain pot (to the ground)
this can be a great improvement tonewise, specially for high gain amps
the mid grain tends to get very open and less squishy

the marvel/cameron/post 2004 mods will only make it more saturated, less open and a bit more spikey in the upper mids

I wish I could do this but I wouldn't even begin to try! I'm very challenged in the amp modding dept

take the notes, grab a XTC schematic, spend about $2 on parts and pay a local qualified tech to do the job
guys on bogner forum can help you to identify where some of those components are located in the circuit board
you don't need a famous guy to put some famous mod with a huge associated value and shipping costs
what you want is very simple and easy to achieve
unless you're really after some other guys particular tone

 

[gbsmusic]

tweak the first two drive stages cathodes
swap the 820 resistor in the first stage for 2k7, and the 2u2 in the second stage for .68
then cut out the 1000p plate bypass capacitor in the second drive stage (that's a huge treble sucker in that position)
that will make your amp a lot less nasal, but still sounding like a bogner (similar to the Brown and Strato channels of the Fish)
you can also swap the high input 68k resistor for 10k only (or even less)
that will increase dynamics/picking response
these are simple, cheap and very effective mods

if you want the red channel to be less gainy and specially more open, you can wire a resistor (anything from 68k to 220k... a 250k trimpot would be perfect for fine tuning) in paralell with the gain pot (to the ground)
this can be a great improvement tonewise, specially for high gain amps
the mid grain tends to get very open and less squishy

the marvel/cameron/post 2004 mods will only make it more saturated, less open and a bit more spikey in the upper mids

I wish I could do this but I wouldn't even begin to try! I'm very challenged in the amp modding dept

take the notes, grab a XTC schematic, spend about $2 on parts and pay a local qualified tech to do the job
guys on bogner forum can help you to identify where some of those components are located in the circuit board
you don't need a famous guy to put some famous mod with a huge associated value and shipping costs
what you want is very simple and easy to achieve
unless you're really after some other guys particular tone

Nope. Just looking for a tone I like. Thanks for the info, I might give that a shot.

 

[just42dave]

I boost the blue when needed with the bb and thats the tone of the gods...Only channel needed actually