Blondshell

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

I'm Incinerator wrote:

I just had a quick kind of OT question.

For biasing, I know the blondeshell and most of the reproduction 6G6-B's have test points or a biasing pot so you could do it yourself.

How about the vintage 6G6-B's? Would you be able to do it yourself without adding test points or a bias pot? It just seems like a pain in the arse to take it in to a tech each time you need some fresh tubes, and it sucks the fun out of tube swapping. I mean, in theory, I think I would stick with small bottle 5881's or 6L6WGB's, but preamp tubes is where the most fun and most options is where I would tinker around with until I found my own place.

So if I were to go vintage someday on a 6G6-B or any fixed biased amp for that matter am I at the mercy of a tech for tube swaps?

Yes and no...
Vintage blondes are just that vintage.. You would have to go inside the chassis with a multimeter, soldering iron and
a handful of replacement resistors depending on what you would be doing.. This involves a Tech every time you
put in a new set of tubes that are not the exact same tube with the exact same values.

You can also in that same visit to the tech pay for a bias pot to be installed and from then on do it yourself, but you are gonna pay a nice price

..or do all of the above by yourself once you have learned how to move around inside high voltage electrical circuits.

by the way, just because an amp has a bias pot doesnt make things any easier because you still have to pull the chassis and use the multimeter to the pins on the power tubes.
This is why I have test points on the back that you slide your digi multimeter into while you turn the bias pot
ALL outside the amp, quickly and efficiently. Something I have wanted on my other amps forever.

aye, that sounds a lot like a mess that I'm not capable of taking on, but it'd be something I would love to learn. I've never poked around the inside of an amp, the prospect of getting zapped to the pearly gates keeps me away from amp guts.

I was just weighing some options, since I was offered a pretty decent price on a clean (original trannies, replaced caps and electrolytics where needed) late 62 6G6-B with a 2x12 cab (non-original open back with alnico speakers). The amp seems worth the price of admission alone, but if I need to take it to a tech everytime I get the itch to put a new pre-amp tube in there...the fun will wear off fast. If I have an amp like this I want to play it . I may pass and keep on saving. Just got bit by the vintage bug, and just weighing some pros/cons.

at the risk of being completely and utterly wrong.....
you only need to re-bias for power-amp tube changes, and can swap pre-amp valves as you please, within compatiable types

Makes sense, now that you mention it. Since bias-vary trem works with the power section of the amp.

I've been spoiled by cathode biased amps for the last nine years, which is one year shy of how long I've been playing. I had a Mesa Rect-o-verb combo and a Twin Re-issue, but didn't have them long enough or run them hard enough to change out tubes.

chunkymac wrote:

at the risk of being completely and utterly wrong.....
you only need to re-bias for power-amp tube changes, and can swap pre-amp valves as you please, within compatiable types

yep.. no need for anyone involved with pre-amp tube fondling but the amp owner.. just do it with the amp off

I'm Incinerator wrote:

Makes sense, now that you mention it. Since bias-vary trem works with the power section of the amp.

I've been spoiled by cathode biased amps for the last nine years, which is one year shy of how long I've been playing. I had a Mesa Rect-o-verb combo and a Twin Re-issue, but didn't have them long enough or run them hard enough to change out tubes.

You could always try what i do, bulk buy your tubes from a local good tube shop, trying to get from the same batch numbers and then hopefully they should all be within similar tolerances and touch wood i've never had to re-bias my amps come tube change, but no doubt its not a bullet proof system and i have had to reject a couple of tubes that sounded awful with the others.
Just a thought

chunkymac wrote:

You could always try what i do, bulk buy your tubes from a local good tube shop, trying to get from the same batch numbers and then hopefully they should all be within similar tolerances and touch wood i've never had to re-bias my amps come tube change, but no doubt its not a bullet proof system and i have had to reject a couple of tubes that sounded awful with the others.
Just a thought

sounds easy enough, especially for new production tubes. might come a little more difficult for NOS type tubes, since it would be difficult to find those with the same ratings as new production power tubes...then again I shouldn't pull the cart before the horse and just keep on saving!

but that is not only unfun it limits you to one thing all the time and if you want a blonde that sounds like setzers amp
it needs to be biased hot, not safe and this means you need to learn how to bias an amp OR buy a blondeshell
amp and a simple screw driver and multimeter will have you biased in 15 seconds without opening the back of the
amp. like hammering a nail in the wall simple

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

but that is not only unfun it limits you to one thing all the time and if you want a blonde that sounds like setzers amp
it needs to be biased hot, not safe and this means you need to learn how to bias an amp OR buy a blondeshell
amp and a simple screw driver and multimeter will have you biased in 15 seconds without opening the back of the
amp. like hammering a nail in the wall simple

I like fun and variety! I dislike being limited, though limited sometimes does offer more focus and improvising!

The Blondeshell still seems like the way to go. I'm not familiar with techs around here. I've only ever had to take in an amp once to get some crapped out filter caps replaced...luckily it was warranty work. Plus there is always the worry about taking a 50 year old amp out to play. lurking sketchy characters and the embarrassing chance that a meltdown would happen.

I'm not necessarily going for the Setzer inspired tone all of the time. The blonde bassman just seems like an amp that can handle pretty much anything, has some vibe, and definitely has the tone I'm looking for.

Dear HDVDL community,

I hereby like to proudly announce the delivery of my new baby!

I´m the proud owner of #5 now and here´s the story:

After seeing and hearing the first vid by Tavo presenting the prototype last spring I was sold. I´ve been lusting for a Bassman type amp ever since I played one of the early 1990ies reissues of the 59 Bassman and eventually turned to wanting a 6g6-B. A major drawback, besides the rarity of the 6g6, for me was the lack of reverb. Then after hearing the great sound of a 6g6 live back in last November I knew I had to take action on getting either a 6g6 or the Blondeshell.

Although I really dig vintage stuff, the Blondeshell is the better choice for me because
1. it has the reverb I want so much with any amp I play
2. it is reliable: everything is brand new and I don´t have to be afraid of having some recap job done or replacing the OT to soon
3. biassing is maade easy when changing tubes by bias taps and pots - no soldering like on the old ones
4. the plank / F-hole switch might prove to be a good thing as I can´t crank the amp as much as I want every time I play.

So for my birthday in January I ordered one and ever since was looking forward to it and - finally after more than a two weeks journey - yesterday I could pick it up from the local customs office after they ripped some 400 EUR off me - that hurts!

Anyway, I got this HUGE box that almost filled the whole trunk:



After I worked through all the bubble wrap and opened the box in the box (it was so extremely well packed you could have played volleyball with it if it wasn´t for the size and weight) here´s what I got:



.

According to USPS tracking it has been delivered to the local customs on last week´s Thursday so I expected to be able to pick it up before Tuesday when we had our last rehearsal. But as always, it took them some time to send the pickup notice. So here are the lonely playmates:



- a rather compact solid pine cab loaded with 2 V30ies arranged diagonally. It´s about 2 inches higher and wider than my HotRotDeluxe and thus smaller than the original 2x12 cab that would go with a Bassman. Space is rather limited in the band´s car so I had to have it as samll as possible. I also wanted it with the matching grill cloth but then it would have taken until JULY because my seller would have ordered it from MOJO but I couldn´t wait that long. So maybe I´ll have the grill cloth replaced later on.
- also the step down transformer is waiting in its box to do its job (500W should be enough?).

Unfortunately I have to work this weekend so I´ll omly be able to play it as early as next Tuesday. But the amp looks and feels sooooooooo good that it helps me being patient.

I´m planning to do a video review of it as soon as possible,

so stay tuned!



Sorry, but I REALLY felt like showing off a bit... hope you don´t mind.

looks great!

I have to finish saving up. It's going a little faster than I anticipated, but not fast enough. I originally thought that I'd be good by st paddy's day, but I have a little bit left to go. If I can sell off some stuff I'd be there in no time. If I didn't have to get a cab, speakers, cable and a speaker wire harness...I'd have already placed my order by now

enjoy that great amp!

Wrock wrote:

Dear HDVDL community,

I hereby like to proudly announce the delivery of my new baby!

I´m the proud owner of #5 now and here´s the story:

After seeing and hearing the first vid by Tavo presenting the prototype last spring I was sold. I´ve been lusting for a Bassman type amp ever since I played one of the early 1990ies reissues of the 59 Bassman and eventually turned to wanting a 6g6-B. A major drawback, besides the rarity of the 6g6, for me was the lack of reverb. Then after hearing the great sound of a 6g6 live back in last November I knew I had to take action on getting either a 6g6 or the Blondeshell.

Although I really dig vintage stuff, the Blondeshell is the better choice for me because
1. it has the reverb I want so much with any amp I play
2. it is reliable: everything is brand new and I don´t have to be afraid of having some recap job done or replacing the OT to soon
3. biassing is maade easy when changing tubes by bias taps and pots - no soldering like on the old ones
4. the plank / F-hole switch might prove to be a good thing as I can´t crank the amp as much as I want every time I play.

So for my birthday in January I ordered one and ever since was looking forward to it and - finally after more than a two weeks journey - yesterday I could pick it up from the local customs office after they ripped some 400 EUR off me - that hurts!

Anyway, I got this HUGE box that almost filled the whole trunk:



After I worked through all the bubble wrap and opened the box in the box (it was so extremely well packed you could have played volleyball with it if it wasn´t for the size and weight) here´s what I got:



.

According to USPS tracking it has been delivered to the local customs on last week´s Thursday so I expected to be able to pick it up before Tuesday when we had our last rehearsal. But as always, it took them some time to send the pickup notice. So here are the lonely playmates:



- a rather compact solid pine cab loaded with 2 V30ies arranged diagonally. It´s about 2 inches higher and wider than my HotRotDeluxe and thus smaller than the original 2x12 cab that would go with a Bassman. Space is rather limited in the band´s car so I had to have it as samll as possible. I also wanted it with the matching grill cloth but then it would have taken until JULY because my seller would have ordered it from MOJO but I couldn´t wait that long. So maybe I´ll have the grill cloth replaced later on.
- also the step down transformer is waiting in its box to do its job (500W should be enough?).

Unfortunately I have to work this weekend so I´ll omly be able to play it as early as next Tuesday. But the amp looks and feels sooooooooo good that it helps me being patient.

I´m planning to do a video review of it as soon as possible,

so stay tuned!


Sorry, but I REALLY felt like showing off a bit... hope you don´t mind.

You'll LURVE it!!

I gigged with it a few days ago and LURVED it!!

Thanks guys,

@Incinerator:
Just do it step by step: If you can afford it, order the amp now, it will take some time (approx. 8 weeks) until it´s ready to be shipped. I was lucky enough to have saved enough by early January for the amp, the cab was ordered by the beginning of March and last week I had to scrape the last money together to pick it up from the customs office.

Good luck!


@Pete:
I´m really looking forward to (and am quite excited about) the test run tomorrow night. I hope (and somehow do know) it will sound great although the speakers are brand new and not yet broken in. I hope I can play it on our next gig this friday and they don´t sound too harsh.
It´s hard to explain how I could bear a couple of days of having it around and not playing it but I didn´t have the time due to a massive workload.
i KNOW I´ll love it becaues I enjoy watching the videos on YouTube by Tavo and the extensive comparison you did in comparison to Rene´s Bassman over and over again (BTW thanks for the great job!).

About 18 hours to wait...

Wrock wrote:

@Incinerator:
Just do it step by step: If you can afford it, order the amp now, it will take some time (approx. 8 weeks) until it´s ready to be shipped. I was lucky enough to have saved enough by early January for the amp, the cab was ordered by the beginning of March and last week I had to scrape the last money together to pick it up from the customs office.

Good luck!

Thanks!

I still have a few weeks until I can come up with the rest of the money for the Blondeshell. I figured since you could get cabs through Tavo as well, that I would just order an unloaded cab through him. I think the toughest part might be finding some good V30's. I have also thought about getting the Heritage H's or (heritage M's) Greenbacks (don't tell TV ). If I can sell my les paul and a few other things in the meantime, I will get to that end result a lot sooner!

I've defnitely gone back and forth and round and round about vintage vs. new bassman for years. Even recently I had a vintage itch that quickly went away after I finally got all of the info on biasing! The Blondeshell is it...now just gotta enlighten the wife!

Alright, first test run done!

Here´s the rig:



First I have to admit I always liked the sound of my Gretsches with the Fender BluesJr, my Nocturne classic (2nd run of September 2009, #25), the RE-20 for delay and once in a while a little Boss FBM-1 as a booster for soloing and the TR2 used occasionally. I thought it sounded quite decent but I was always aware that if didn´t provide me with the bottom end. Yes, I liked it, it sounded OK to me.

Then this happened:

I first plugged the Gretsch directly into the Blondeshell with "standard" settings (Volume 2, Treble 7, Bass 2, Presence 10) without any effects and there it was: full tonal range, nice bass, a very clear, bright sound. The sound I only ever experienced with vintage Fenders but not with the recent ones I have, neither the HotRodDeluxe (upgraded with C12N speaker) nor the BluesJr. After a little tweaking (it didn´t ake much), very subtle changes of the settings did the job and within minutes it was gorgeous. The Gretsch sounded like it never did before and I started drooling.

How can I describe it ? I hope I use the best matching expressions:
- VERY clean, clear shimmering sparkling TONE! amd a very dynamic response
- very balanced. Even with the new speakers it didn´t sound that harsh as I expected before the test
- tight bottom end, well defined mids and clear singing, not too stinging heights

But it got even better:
The Reverb: The Blondshell´s Reverb can be used at any setting - even at 10. With my other Fenders I always felt like every setting past 3 or 4 sounds just like deep down from the sink; tinny, not splish-splash surfy wet. This one isn´t too surfy either (what I don´t need as I don´t surf) but exactly gives me the ambience I want and I can adjust it in a very subtle way.
Now the sound was perfect! (almost).

Then I had the pedal board engaged. Before, I got the FBM off and the 90ies RI TS9 back on (didn´t want the FBM here ´cause it pretty much colours the sound), the signal chain now being: Gretsch > Pitchblack tuner > TS9 > Nocturne > TR2 > RE-20 > Blondeshell. Nocturne settings: Bass roll off at noon, finding the sweet spot with the "Gritsch" know at almost 4 o´clock and then THERE it was - THE sound I´ve been waiting for sweet, nice, PERFECT! The delay and the reverb didn´t interfere and also the TR2 on a slow number or two really shined.

I´d really like to put up some sound samples here but I don´t know how.

The only thing I was a little disappointed about was the TS9. I intended to use it as a booster with Drive at minimum adjusting the level to m,y needs but it actually sounded better without it. The TS9 added a little unwanted distortion and mud to it so I think I have to think about some real booster peadl. Maybe it´s atomic time? (NO, NOT NOW!).

I was expecting it to be louder with the volume at 2 but it was still quiet enough for our small rehearsal room (the HRD was way too loud and so I stepped down to the BluesJr before). I tried to tell the two guys that Tavo recommended I should at least run it at 4 fopr the first 30 minutes (not ture) but this was too loud - too bad.

The final improvement (yes, that´s possible!) took place when I flicked the F-Hole/Plank swith to "Plank". This resulted in an extra mid-boost and now it sounded like I would play with the amp at 4 and no later than this the bandmates were convinced that i really NEEDED to upgrade to the Blondeshell.

Thanks you Tavo for building and letting me have this masterpiece of an ampkifier

Now I really look forward to the gig on Friday, Iguess I can turn it up there.

So if you´ve already got a Brain I can strongly recommend to get yourself a blonde, too!

Very nice review Wrock! Thanks for taking the time to write that and for the photo as well!

LOVE that review.. almost felt like we were there with you!

I'm still floored that it got into your hands without incident, this ordeal with WROCK to get it from california to germany was a bit awry to say the least(they would only allow $500 insurance on an $1850 amp).
the CE laws in europe particularly germany are stringent and little ol' me has no way of paying for CE licensing, and those
import taxes are ROUGH!
I'm also realizing its more affordable for Europeans to fly to the states and carry the amp back as luggage. Poor Pete
had to cough up like $360 to ship our unloaded blonde bassman cab to Oz!!

Glad the amp made it safe and sound!! btw.. even though the blondeshell is using a 350K tapped treble pot like the
original I find the amps presence all the way open is key for maximum bite (not talking treble just gain structure), and
the treble should then be used to control brightness particularly with the filtertron variety of guitars.
Also when the Plank switch is engaged the bass control needs to be almost turned completely off when using
the nocturne pedal... again if you look at setzer's amp settings..there is a reason for their somewhat wacky
settings..but its that way to coincide with the re301 whomp of mids.

also as much I still hold strong to the Ruby 12AX7 -C5 HG+ preamp tube for gretsch guitars into blonde amps, the reverb
circuit we are using seems to work better with a more grunty 12ax7 tube like the Tungsol 12AX7.
I just popped one in the other day and there was a bit of "wow" factor as I felt like the reverb had more splatter effect
with the tungsol than I did with the chinese tube. If you find the 'verb is "too spacey" a lower gain 5751 (a 12ax7 w/ 30% less gain)
is the perfect match to turn the verb into a dimensional effect.
If you want to go the other way and really want a watery longer reverb you need to swap the tank for the long 17" tank. (just be
sure its an 8ohm tank) I just put the MOD tank 17" long spring in mine and dang it wild west surf time.

ps. I also should mention that I biased your tubes in the "safe zone". I'm running mine at 70mv on the hotside
of these small bottles. If you swap to large bottle 6L6 for the full 50 watts ( currently with the stock tubes and
biasing the amp is about 40watts) there will be much more grunt.
When I was first working out the amp, I told Ron I needed it to work best with my preamp so you
will find that if you put the amp in plank mode, turn bass to 1, treble 7, presence 9 and vol. at 3.. the
nocturne will really give you the sound at reasonable levels ...although I do suggest a dynobrain.

Hi Tavo,

thanks for the tips. I´ll check my final settings tomorrow. Actually I never tried using different types of tubes on my amps before but it sounds really interesting. I have to admit that until recently I didn´t even know how tube amplifiers work from the technical side (physics has never been my subject of choice). Most probably I´ll just check it out together with my amp tech, he might have different tubes at home and I´m still a bit shy when it comes to f/tooling around with these electric things.

After I´ve read some posts on a german rockabilly board about the Dynos (I know some people over here have both versions), I´m seriously thinking about that OR the Atomic Brain, too. I think I have to go threough some videos again to see how the ABBY mode affects the tone. I just want a mere loudness boost without any extra distortion - more bite is OK, but I don´t like ths edgy distortion like my TS produced on Tuesday (I think I need to check some TS settings without the other effects, too).

Coming over to the US would have been a nice idea, too, but officially you´d also have to pay the same import sales tax and customs if you bring the amp home, so the saving would just be on the transport. I only now realize that it´s been almost 24 years since I´ve been to California.

And if somebody has an idea how I can present sound sample mp3s here, I´d gladly present some.

Great review! Makes me excited for when I can finally get one for myself!

...Funny, but actually on the final settings I had the bass reduced almost to zero.

Last Fridy I played the Blondeshell for the first time at a gig and it was AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!
I never had such a good sound on stage. I had the volume between 3 and 4, treble somewhere between 6 and 7 (rollled it back a bit compared to rehearsal room settings), bass almost off and presence wide open at 10. Didn´t need much of the reverb, becauese the venue was large enough for natural reverb. It made me smile right away because there it was: that great dynamic clear twangy TONE that I´ve been looking for - even better than last Tuesday (hard to believe, but yes it was).

And as always: if you like your sound, this turns into more self confidence and so I think I played even better than usually (At least some people told me after the gig).

I had the gig recorded with a Panasonic SD10 but unfortunately the camera cut off or at least didn´t record the low frequencies to well so there´s virtually no bass and the whole sound is shifted towards more mids and heights. I intended to post some videos, but the recorded sound doesn´t really reproduce the actual sound. Any idea on how I can enhance the bass frequencies (I edited the viedeo with Corel Studio 2010) are appreciated.

Anyway, it was a great gig with a great guitar TONE!!!

hmm, tax return should finally be on its way...little more than I expected...maybe a lot more.

I think it would be a good time to sneak a comment or two to the wife and see if I get the green light for the Blondeshell and a cab!

Hopefully my return check comes in a timely-ish manner...

I'm Incinerator wrote:

hmm, tax return should finally be on its way...little more than I expected...maybe a lot more.

I think it would be a good time to sneak a comment or two to the wife and see if I get the green light for the Blondeshell and a cab!

Hopefully my return check comes in a timely-ish manner...

Lucky.

Dig the envy.

The Squirrel wrote:

I'm Incinerator wrote:

hmm, tax return should finally be on its way...little more than I expected...maybe a lot more.

I think it would be a good time to sneak a comment or two to the wife and see if I get the green light for the Blondeshell and a cab!

Hopefully my return check comes in a timely-ish manner...

Lucky.

Dig the envy.

don't get too green, I won't breathe a sigh of excitement until an order is placed with Tavo. It seems like something or another thing has kept a Blonde Bassman or the Blondeshell just out of reach for me.

Until then I will have a glimmer of hope.

I'm Incinerator wrote:

The Squirrel wrote:

I'm Incinerator wrote:

hmm, tax return should finally be on its way...little more than I expected...maybe a lot more.

I think it would be a good time to sneak a comment or two to the wife and see if I get the green light for the Blondeshell and a cab!

Hopefully my return check comes in a timely-ish manner...

Lucky.

Dig the envy.

don't get too green, I won't breathe a sigh of excitement until an order is placed with Tavo. It seems like something or another thing has kept a Blonde Bassman or the Blondeshell just out of reach for me.

Until then I will have a glimmer of hope.

already put the order in for your alum chassis...figured I should get a jump start

I'm Incinerator wrote:

The Squirrel wrote:

I'm Incinerator wrote:

hmm, tax return should finally be on its way...little more than I expected...maybe a lot more.

I think it would be a good time to sneak a comment or two to the wife and see if I get the green light for the Blondeshell and a cab!

Hopefully my return check comes in a timely-ish manner...

Lucky.

Dig the envy.

don't get too green, I won't breathe a sigh of excitement until an order is placed with Tavo. It seems like something or another thing has kept a Blonde Bassman or the Blondeshell just out of reach for me.

Until then I will have a glimmer of hope.

I can dig it.

Money has been really sliding away lately but... I am keeping my nose above water.

I am hoping I can get a one off Tavo one day. That'd be very cool.