THE HW Marshall thread. Tweaking it step by step.

[VelvetGeorge]

Unchained sounds terrible. Diming the treb and pres just doesn't seem to work anymore. The other clips all sound good. It sounded good stock. I felt that the tone knobs just needed to be adjusted to get a great tone. For VH, just boost it with a mid/gain boost.

And the lack of objectivity on this board is a joke. Most of you are so biased away from Marshall/Dagnall and toward Metro/sozo/Dagnall replica that you're incapable of making a fair assesment. Oh, how different your responses would be if you didn't know what you were listening to. If George had posted that first clip of the stock HW and said it was his latest build, you guys would be saying it was the best thing you ever heard.

This forum has a credibilty issue. Listen with your ears, not your eyes.

I agree on the unchained clip. I've never made an acurrate sounding EVH clip with my LP. The output is too low and the lows are too loose.
But that's what I felt like playing when I hit record, so I went with it. I should had made a better choice of clips.

Contrary to how it sounds in the clips, the presence is usable. In fact, only now can I dime it without squealing. And use it to add to the tone, rather than cutting it to take away shrillness.

On objectivity: I have tried to document the changes I'm making without putting too much of my own personal spin on this thread. I do have strong opinions. But it's unfair to call me anti-Marshall. You'll have to look long and hard to find a bigger Marshall fan. Hell I built my business around putting great Marshalls on a pedestal.

Also, if anyone wants full resolution wav files of these clips, let me know. You lose so much going to MP3 that it almost defeats the purpose.


george

[MacGaden]

Hi George:

It´s a great thread, one of the best documentations of how different things affect tone. I was especially amazed at the difference between stock and Sozo caps. There are some who have claimed that Sozo´s are just hype. Even if you don´t like the change in sound you have to admit it sounds hugely different. I´ve played the HW for a few hours, and while I think it´s better than a stock RI, it still felt stiff and fizzy to me. I know I´d be thinking of ways to get rid of the annoying fizz all night if I were to play a gig with one. But with the changes you´ve made so far it has gotten real nice, and useable. But not quite there yet ?

I´d feel really bad if I had just bought one of these because of the name and hype, and then have to spend so much to get it to sound like Marshall claims it sounds like..
Great job, George.

How big are your files i .wav format ? I´d like to hear them. Maybe zip them all and upload them to my website ?

[rockstah]

*clears throat* parasitic oscilation...

[VelvetGeorge]

Mac, I'll compress and send them. What email addy should I send them too?

Mark, are you hearing PO still? I'm not hearing it anymore. Except if I lean in close to the bench to adjust something.


George

[rockstah]

Mac, I'll compress and send them. What email addy should I send them too?

Mark, are you hearing PO still? I'm not hearing it anymore. Except if I lean in close to the bench to adjust something.


George

if u lean in close to the bench? hmmm i hear PO on the dimed clip.

[MacGaden]

Send to:

macgaden@mac.com

BB has direct access to upload stuff. Maybe you should have too ?
Just say the word.

But you should wait until you have tweaked it some more ?
It needs another OT soo bad ! I can feel it !

[novosibir]

It needs another OT soo bad !

I agree!

Also that the sound is getting more "ass", as we are saying here in Germany

The amp still sounds too much like cardboard in the lows.

Larry

[novosibir]

Mark, are you hearing PO still? I'm not hearing it anymore.

Mark is right!

PO especially the first 15 seconds, then after 20...22 seconds and again after 28...30 seconds of the dimed clip. Also while the last few seconds still some PO is audible.

But I assume, that the amp was been played out of its head shell, meaning w/o the shielding plate in the head shell. Mounted back into the box might solve this?

Larry

[rockstah]

Larry,
perhaps replacing the 1.5k shared by each pair of output tubes to 5.6k on each output tube is the place to start here?

Mark

[wdelaney72]

Stiff and "tinny" is how I would describe the stock recording.

Choke not bolted down? Bad soldering? 3K for this amp? I'd be pissed.

BTW George...

[novosibir]

perhaps replacing the 1.5k shared by each pair of output tubes to 5.6k on each output tube is the place to start here?

Shure, that might help! But there's some more:

Originally the presence wire nearly has touched the wire to the mid pot's wiper, but that George already has fixed.

But the mid pot's wire still is running next to the OT's primaries, where these are going into the chassis through the grommet.

Anyway I'd recommend to tie all the tone control's wires to the ground wire on the back of the pots.

Larry

[VelvetGeorge]

OK, I hear what you guys are talking about. It's in the MP3 but not the wave file. I think it's a product of conversion.

Here's a short wav file of the 26-30 sec mak of that clip.

VG

[rockstah]

i still hear it - its the mosquito, non musical high crang on the notes - PO resembles a blown speaker - hard to explain it but i still hear it in the clip.

[Crunchboy]

Unchained sounds terrible. Diming the treb and pres just doesn't seem to work anymore. The other clips all sound good. It sounded good stock. I felt that the tone knobs just needed to be adjusted to get a great tone. For VH, just boost it with a mid/gain boost.

And the lack of objectivity on this board is a joke. Most of you are so biased away from Marshall/Dagnall and toward Metro/sozo/Dagnall replica that you're incapable of making a fair assesment. Oh, how different your responses would be if you didn't know what you were listening to. If George had posted that first clip of the stock HW and said it was his latest build, you guys would be saying it was the best thing you ever heard.

This forum has a credibilty issue. Listen with your ears, not your eyes.

I agree on the unchained clip. I've never made an acurrate sounding EVH clip with my LP. The output is too low and the lows are too loose.
But that's what I felt like playing when I hit record, so I went with it. I should had made a better choice of clips.

Contrary to how it sounds in the clips, the presence is usable. In fact, only now can I dime it without squealing. And use it to add to the tone, rather than cutting it to take away shrillness.

On objectivity: I have tried to document the changes I'm making without putting too much of my own personal spin on this thread. I do have strong opinions. But it's unfair to call me anti-Marshall. You'll have to look long and hard to find a bigger Marshall fan. Hell I built my business around putting great Marshalls on a pedestal.

Also, if anyone wants full resolution wav files of these clips, let me know. You lose so much going to MP3 that it almost defeats the purpose.


george

I wasn't referring to you George. I think you're a good honest businessman. But your bright. Surely you can see how biased some of your supporters are. I could hear nice tonality in the stock clip. With some tweaking of the tone controls, I felt it could have been very nice indeed. What would have been fun is if you would have asked for opinions on the clip without divulging what it was.

In fairness, perhaps you could point out some positive aspects of the HW to offset the pointing out of the choke screw and solder joint.

Certainly, every little change affects tone. Best of luck with the tweaks.

[Bad Kitty]

It could be my inexperience talking here but I'm hearing a buzz on everything. Before anything is played I'm hearing it and it's like on top of every note played.