Warren Haynes and a Amp Push-Pull Pot for Switching its Bright Cap

[syscokid]

Back story:
Warren Haynes has been one of my most favorite musical artists since I witnessed him with the Allman Brothers Band in 1992. This event also opened my mind to the Soldano SLO 100. At Warren’s request, Mike Soldano helped him with his SLO 100 with a mod that removes the amp’s 1000p bright cap on the preamp overdrive control by adding a SPST mini toggle switch to cut the bright cap. This became the Warren Haynes Mod for the SLO 100.

Fast forward: A month ago I was fortunate to see the Warren Haynes Band perform locally, and it reinvigorated my love for Warren’s music, and especially his guitar playing skills, and his preferred tones. Even though Warren is not using his Soldano for his overdrive tone with his solo band, it still made me think about finally trying the WH-Mod on my C3 SLO 50 amp that I slapped together a few years ago. I haven't turned that amp on in about a year. So while I was waiting for parts for yet another amp build, I got myself a push-pull spst CTS 500K linear pot and went to work. Took me about an hour to get it all done. If I had to do it again, I think I can whittle down the time to about 20 minutes.

The original preamp overdrive control pot is the second pot from the right:


The push-pull pot fully installed. The dipped-in-blue ceramic cap, is a cute little booger too!


I couldn't bare myself to drill a hole in this beautiful chassis. A pot with a simple switch is the ticket. The bright cap is out of circuit when the knob is pushed in.


And...


Anyways, switching and pre-volume control works as intended. Mr. Warren Haynes likes his SLO overdrive channel set to about 3 1/2 (10:30-ish?), and cutting the bright cap at these lower levels of gain adjustment helps smooth out the high end to his liking. Me likey too!

 

[SG John]

I got turned on to Warren when Dickie Betts released the Pattern Disruptive record in 1988. Got to meet Warren and Alan(and the entire band) at the Orpheum Theatre in 1990 when the Allman Brothers recorded their live album there. When they started Government Mule, they would always spot me in the crowd before the show started and call me over to the side of the stage. Wicked nice guys. When I first saw him play, I always wanted a Soldano. I have the DST version of a Soldano, so I should call it a day. But, you never know...........



I love this tune off of the Pattern Disruptive record.

 

[syscokid]

I got turned on to Warren when Dickie Betts released the Pattern Disruptive record in 1988. Got to meet Warren and Alan(and the entire band) at the Orpheum Theatre in 1990 when the Allman Brothers recorded their live album there. When they started Government Mule, they would always spot me in the crowd before the show started and call me over to the side of the stage. Wicked nice guys.

What a very cool story!

When I first saw him play, I always wanted a Soldano.

Ha ha, I was really surprised to see a Soldano guitar amp on that Allman Brothers concert stage. Up to that point, I was assuming that those Soldanos were reserved for the west coast hard rockers and metalheads of the 80s. But ‘the proof was in the pudding’ and Warren made it work. Watching Warren and Dickey play off each other was spiritual.

 

[SG John]

What a very cool story!


Ha ha, I was really surprised to see a Soldano guitar amp on that Allman Brothers concert stage. Up to that point, I was assuming that those Soldanos were reserved for the west coast hard rockers and metalheads of the 80s. But ‘the proof was in the pudding’ and Warren made it work. Watching Warren and Dickey play off each other was spiritual.

I had never heard of them before seeing Warren with one. I was actually disappointed to hear that none of them sounded like his.

 

[ibmorjamn]

Back story:
Warren Haynes has been one of my most favorite musical artists since I witnessed him with the Allman Brothers Band in 1992. This event also opened my mind to the Soldano SLO 100. At Warren’s request, Mike Soldano helped him with his SLO 100 with a mod that removes the amp’s 1000p bright cap on the preamp overdrive control by adding a SPST mini toggle switch to cut the bright cap. This became the Warren Haynes Mod for the SLO 100.

Fast forward: A month ago I was fortunate to see the Warren Haynes Band perform locally, and it reinvigorated my love for Warren’s music, and especially his guitar playing skills, and his preferred tones. Even though Warren is not using his Soldano for his overdrive tone with his solo band, it still made me think about finally trying the WH-Mod on my C3 SLO 50 amp that I slapped together a few years ago. I haven't turned that amp on in about a year. So while I was waiting for parts for yet another amp build, I got myself a push-pull spst CTS 500K linear pot and went to work. Took me about an hour to get it all done. If I had to do it again, I think I can whittle down the time to about 20 minutes.

The original preamp overdrive control pot is the second pot from the right:
View attachment 106535

The push-pull pot fully installed. The dipped-in-blue ceramic cap, is a cute little booger too!
View attachment 106536

I couldn't bare myself to drill a hole in this beautiful chassis. A pot with a simple switch is the ticket. The bright cap is out of circuit when the knob is pushed in.
View attachment 106537

And...
View attachment 106538

Anyways, switching and pre-volume control works as intended. Mr. Warren Haynes likes his SLO overdrive channel set to about 3 1/2 (10:30-ish?), and cutting the bright cap at these lower levels of gain adjustment helps smooth out the high end to his liking. Me likey too!

Nice work and nice build.

 

[CoyotesGator]

Back story:
Warren Haynes has been one of my most favorite musical artists since I witnessed him with the Allman Brothers Band in 1992. This event also opened my mind to the Soldano SLO 100. At Warren’s request, Mike Soldano helped him with his SLO 100 with a mod that removes the amp’s 1000p bright cap on the preamp overdrive control by adding a SPST mini toggle switch to cut the bright cap. This became the Warren Haynes Mod for the SLO 100.

Fast forward: A month ago I was fortunate to see the Warren Haynes Band perform locally, and it reinvigorated my love for Warren’s music, and especially his guitar playing skills, and his preferred tones. Even though Warren is not using his Soldano for his overdrive tone with his solo band, it still made me think about finally trying the WH-Mod on my C3 SLO 50 amp that I slapped together a few years ago. I haven't turned that amp on in about a year. So while I was waiting for parts for yet another amp build, I got myself a push-pull spst CTS 500K linear pot and went to work. Took me about an hour to get it all done. If I had to do it again, I think I can whittle down the time to about 20 minutes.

The original preamp overdrive control pot is the second pot from the right:
View attachment 106535

The push-pull pot fully installed. The dipped-in-blue ceramic cap, is a cute little booger too!
View attachment 106536

I couldn't bare myself to drill a hole in this beautiful chassis. A pot with a simple switch is the ticket. The bright cap is out of circuit when the knob is pushed in.
View attachment 106537

And...
View attachment 106538

Anyways, switching and pre-volume control works as intended. Mr. Warren Haynes likes his SLO overdrive channel set to about 3 1/2 (10:30-ish?), and cutting the bright cap at these lower levels of gain adjustment helps smooth out the high end to his liking. Me likey too!

Curious as to why you haven't played it in a year?

Does sound like a cool option, though.

 

[Amp Mad Scientist]

What a very cool story!


Ha ha, I was really surprised to see a Soldano guitar amp on that Allman Brothers concert stage. Up to that point, I was assuming that those Soldanos were reserved for the west coast hard rockers and metalheads of the 80s. But ‘the proof was in the pudding’ and Warren made it work. Watching Warren and Dickey play off each other was spiritual.

should be this
switch on cap in circuit
switch off cap out of circuit
( cap should be in place of the white wire, not across switch terminals.)

 

[syscokid]

Curious as to why you haven't played it in a year?

Opening a can of worms here, but in a nutshell, it’s probably laziness! Too many amps: I might key on one of my amps for a couple of months and then go onto another one for a couple of months. With this silly schedule, there isn’t enough months in a year to properly rotate all my amps within a year. Technically, I now have 13 amps. I go through the same BS with my guitars and pedals too!

 

[syscokid]

should be this
switch on cap in circuit
switch off cap out of circuit
( cap should be in place of the white wire, not across switch terminals.)

View attachment 106549

Hey AMS! Hope you’re healed up from your funky hernia debacle…

EDIT: The following info I posted is all wrong. AMS’s info and illustrations are correct. See post #11
Anyways… Your illustration will definitely work if there’s a jumper connected between the two lugs of the black switching module. The way I’m viewing your illustration is that you made an attempt to erase the cap and move it between the pot’s wiper and one of the switching lugs. But without a wire connecting to the other lug of the switch, there won’t be any continuity to the cap to complete the circuit. The switching module is completely independent of the pot’s variable circuit. Also, since I reused the same cap, it’s leads where only long enough to fit between those two lugs of the switch module.

 

[Amp Mad Scientist]

Hey AMS! Hope you’re healed up from your funky hernia debacle…

Anyways… Your illustration will definitely work if there’s a jumper connected between the two lugs of the black switching module. The way I’m viewing your illustration is that you made an attempt to erase the cap and move it between the pot’s wiper and one of the switching lugs. But without a wire connecting to the other lug of the switch, there won’t be any continuity to the cap to complete the circuit. The switching module is completely independent of the pot’s variable circuit. Also, since I reused the same cap, it’s leads where only long enough to fit between those two lugs of the switch module.

should be:
same as before but cap is in series w/ the switch, not parallel.

The way it is now:
switch on, wiper and high side of pot are shorted together, cap is bypassed.
(wiper and high side of pot should not be shorted together by switch.)

 

[syscokid]

Thanks AMS. I have another CTS push pull pot and checked the wiring based on your illustration and it all checks out perfectly. Now I’m trying to figure out why the amp’s top end is mellowing out when the switch is pushed in the off position… which is what I want in the first place, right?

 

[syscokid]

Ok… The OD preamp control pot is now wired up the proper way, thanks to AMS’s input. The difference in the end result between my first attempt and the revised attempt is actually quite different. Compared to my original wiring when the pot is pushed in, the volume and gain would drop slightly with a dulled top end. And now, the volume and gain remains mostly the same (Yay!) while the high end sizzle is seriously tamed. Funny, that I was ready to accept the results of the original wiring mod as “it is, what it is ”. The corrected wiring is much more musically better. I owe AMS a robust round of beers!

 

[WavMixer]

Yeah baby!! Warren Haynes rocks!!!

 

[mcblink]