Something must have got lost in translation. A bridge rectifier is a "circuit" for converting AC to DC. 4 diodes can be used to accomplish that.
Hot Rodding a DSL40C???
- Thread starter Inspector #20
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Something must have got lost in translation. A bridge rectifier is a "circuit" for converting AC to DC. 4 diodes can be used to accomplish that.
OP
Could be.....I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment.
If my DSL40C could match the gain and crunch/clarity that my 1997 VS265 delivers with the gain set at 1/2, I'd be jazzed.
OP
So, a discovery was made....and quite by accident.
Swapping tubes (in full sets) doesn't seem to make much of a difference, as Johan Sedgeborn has demonstrated on his videos. However, swapping mixtures of different tubes really does seem to make a huge difference in tone, at least to my ears.
So, I began to look at the amp in theory and how the cascading gain stages work and then the behaviors of the tubes recommended by Doug, and to be honest, his sporadic mix of hot & cold tubes seemed odd to me. In my head, high gain should be at the front and each tube should be in a descending order. So, taking what I had on hand, I installed the following:
V1: Russian Genelex B759 Gold Lion (With silicone 0-ring)
V2: Marshall Branded JJ-ECC83S (With silicone 0-ring)
V3: JJ-ECC83-MG
V4: JJ-5751
Instantly, I got a tone from the amp I had never heard before with any other tube combination I have tried, without ever disturbing the knob positions. Immediately, I started tweaking the knobs and found a really great tone on Lead 1 with the gain knob at 12 noon, treble at 1/2, bass at 1/2, mids at full, presence at 9am and resonance at 3pm. I also pushed 'Tone Shift' in which trims high frequencies a little and takes some of the brightness off. This produced a very nice palm muted F#.
With volume knob at dial position 6 on 40 watt setting (ungodly loud) the muted riffs were clear and each strike of the pick produced a kick in the chest from the WGS 50 watt 55Hz Reaper.
Lead 2 is great for solos, but since it makes even single string passages sound like chords (big and fat) it doesn't lend itself to rhythm playing. However, by lowering the gain to 9am on Lead 2, I could get a nice, clean F# palm mute, but with less presence than Lead 1 with gain at 12 noon.
One thing i am noticing is that speaker presence has a lot to do with the tone in my head. My VS265 (2X12) has the 'mojo' and the DSL40C is a destroyer of worlds when plugged into my Jackson/Eminence 200 watt 4X12 cabinet. I cannot quite get the single 55Hz Reaper to sound quite as good as 2X12's, but it's damn close.
I played about an hour with volumes on ranging from dial position '4' (our reversal level) and '6' (live gig level) and the amp was very dynamic. The Gibson 498T was hitting the pre-amp section fairly hard ad gain was abundant and easily managed/wielded with the pick attack. Harmonics are effortless to obtain and five feet in front of the amp, the plam muted sections would literally hit you in the chest and would almost make your nose run.
Of interesting note, the amp didn't have the 'kick you in the chest' quality on the 20 watt setting, no matter how hard you pushed it.
Big improvement!!!!
Swapping tubes (in full sets) doesn't seem to make much of a difference, as Johan Sedgeborn has demonstrated on his videos. However, swapping mixtures of different tubes really does seem to make a huge difference in tone, at least to my ears.
So, I began to look at the amp in theory and how the cascading gain stages work and then the behaviors of the tubes recommended by Doug, and to be honest, his sporadic mix of hot & cold tubes seemed odd to me. In my head, high gain should be at the front and each tube should be in a descending order. So, taking what I had on hand, I installed the following:
V1: Russian Genelex B759 Gold Lion (With silicone 0-ring)
V2: Marshall Branded JJ-ECC83S (With silicone 0-ring)
V3: JJ-ECC83-MG
V4: JJ-5751
Instantly, I got a tone from the amp I had never heard before with any other tube combination I have tried, without ever disturbing the knob positions. Immediately, I started tweaking the knobs and found a really great tone on Lead 1 with the gain knob at 12 noon, treble at 1/2, bass at 1/2, mids at full, presence at 9am and resonance at 3pm. I also pushed 'Tone Shift' in which trims high frequencies a little and takes some of the brightness off. This produced a very nice palm muted F#.
With volume knob at dial position 6 on 40 watt setting (ungodly loud) the muted riffs were clear and each strike of the pick produced a kick in the chest from the WGS 50 watt 55Hz Reaper.
Lead 2 is great for solos, but since it makes even single string passages sound like chords (big and fat) it doesn't lend itself to rhythm playing. However, by lowering the gain to 9am on Lead 2, I could get a nice, clean F# palm mute, but with less presence than Lead 1 with gain at 12 noon.
One thing i am noticing is that speaker presence has a lot to do with the tone in my head. My VS265 (2X12) has the 'mojo' and the DSL40C is a destroyer of worlds when plugged into my Jackson/Eminence 200 watt 4X12 cabinet. I cannot quite get the single 55Hz Reaper to sound quite as good as 2X12's, but it's damn close.
I played about an hour with volumes on ranging from dial position '4' (our reversal level) and '6' (live gig level) and the amp was very dynamic. The Gibson 498T was hitting the pre-amp section fairly hard ad gain was abundant and easily managed/wielded with the pick attack. Harmonics are effortless to obtain and five feet in front of the amp, the plam muted sections would literally hit you in the chest and would almost make your nose run.
Of interesting note, the amp didn't have the 'kick you in the chest' quality on the 20 watt setting, no matter how hard you pushed it.
Big improvement!!!!
OP
The cleans do not seem to be changed. Clean channel has volume and gain controls, so naturally, I'm running low gain and high volume. It's a surprisingly clean amp.
syscokid
Ambassador of War & Peace
Is this the amps phase inverter?
If that's a half-power switch that knocks it down to 20 watts, that could be a pentode to triode switch... In other words of my own: At 40 watts the tubes are fully operated with 5-odes, and at 20 watts they are operating with only 3 of their odes. The latter difference is a slight bit of reduced volume, more compression, and just a softer feel!
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OP
Yep...phase inverter is the 5751 and yes, this has the pentode/triode switch
OP
A happy accident is still a good thing!!!
but you still need a Mesa---
looks a little like an F30
F30 is a simpler --kinder --gentler BOOGIE----- AS IF!!! BUWEAHAHAHAHA things a SCREAMER
Nice little amp!
I got my heart (and ears) set on a Engl 645 Powerball II
OP
OP
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Some heavy-hitter on that list. I had no idea that Michael Romeo played Engl's. That guy has vicious tone:
OP
Agreed...and Richie Faulkner and Blackmore too....
They make a few combos...The Raider 100 and The Soverign
OP
While I think the Engl is head and shoulders above the DSL40C, I am just not able to swing an amp purchase like that right now....so I am very happy this latest tube combination was so positive!!!!
eSGEe
Ferengi Ambassador of Trade
the MEsa Can do that------
OP
Tone!!!!
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OP
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
No doubt. They absolutely can, and I absolutely believe that Mesas are the best high-gain amps on the market, and I'd put the Mark 5's and Triple Crowns up against any Metal amp from any maker any day. They're also pretty much bullet proof.
Even the "baby" ones deliver the goods:
OP
