Metropoulos Forum

Gents--->


Here are a couple live clips recorded earlier this week, I was using the 69 100w loaded with KT88's. The amp has a different character with KT88's and I am enjoying them quite a bit. I like the sound and thought I would post it.

The clips here feature two players who I had never played with before. I just threw a couple things out to them on the spot and we just jammed while it was recorded, so understand it's not super tight (I will have more KT88 clips next week with tighter versions). One is a backing track I wrote recently (no vocal/solo) and the other is a very loose rendition of Sick Agains live solo section (the guy's were not familiar with the mechanics of Sick so I winged it).

I also recently started using two 4x12 cabs at once so the notes are a little fuller sounding to me.

Let me know if you guy's dig the KT88's...

Cheers, Merry Christmas

Eric

Cocaine Mummy's
http://www.supload.com/listen?s=O13D5JVQJCXE

sounds killer eric... really nice warm tone happening there... been kicking around the idea on throwing KT88's in my 100w... what brand kt88's? did you have to change any board values to put them in? nice clips, thanks for sharing...

Mike

sounds killer eric... really nice warm tone happening there... been kicking around the idea on throwing KT88's in my 100w... what brand kt88's? did you have to change any board values to put them in? nice clips, thanks for sharing...

Mike

Hey Mike..Thank you my friend I have tried KT88's twice. The first time I had to change a couple of parts to get it to work right. I did not like the sound of the amp with KT88's. This time I did not have to change anything, which is strange as it seems every one I have spoken with has had to change some parts. I was lucky or they are an odd batch of JJ tubes..who knows?

Cheers,

Eric

Sounds great! Nice "air" to the tone.

Nice playing and tone. Hope you don't mind me sayin' so, but the sound is very much like Page/Zep I think - which is good in my book. The vibe is there for sure.

Winder wrote:Nice playing and tone. Hope you don't mind me sayin' so, but the sound is very much like Page/Zep I think - which is good in my book. The vibe is there for sure.

Sounds great! Nice "air" to the tone. Smile

Thanks Fellows I am happy with this setup. I think I am going to rest here for a while and explore this tone with the two cab setup...

Cheers,

Eric

absolutely brilliant. absolutely.

rockstah wrote:absolutely brilliant. absolutely.

Thanks Matt (Mr Beasty) & Mark Happy New Year To you both!!

Cheers,

Eric

I added a couple more clips to the KT88 sampler batch...

Cocaine Mummy's
http://www.supload.com/listen?s=O13D5JVQJCXE

Loose Sick Version Two...Neck PU New
http://www.supload.com/listen?s=MBO8R48UIQTQ

Loose Sick Neck-Middle PU...
http://www.supload.com/listen?s=VQGYKWTDFUKI

1968 Vox Wah with KT88 69 amp New
http://media.putfile.com/Vox-1968-WAH

Me likey! The neck pickup "sick again" cop is pretty dead on...has that weird liquidy spank that Page gets. Dig the wah clip as well. I just had my vox reissue modded with an old brown TDK inductor and some tweaks but haven't used it at realistic volumes yet...the Q on it is pretty wide so you have to be really minimal with the foot movement to pull off the Page stuff. It does Hendrix' "Up From the Skies" really well, though...heh! How are you liking the 88s compared to the 34s?

Pete

NitroLiq wrote:Me likey! The neck pickup "sick again" cop is pretty dead on...has that weird liquidy spank that Page gets. Dig the wah clip as well. I just had my vox reissue modded with an old brown TDK inductor and some tweaks but haven't used it at realistic volumes yet...the Q on it is pretty wide so you have to be really minimal with the foot movement to pull off the Page stuff. It does Hendrix' "Up From the Skies" really well, though...heh! How are you liking the 88s compared to the 34s?

Pete

Thanks my friend!! Pete I recently added this late era vintage PAF to the neck. You know after going through a half dozen boutique and production neck PU's I have come to the conclusion there is something to the PAF "mystic". Not just voodoo BS. There is a hollow, flutey, open charactor with a PAF that is just not there with anything I tried. I really strove to be objective about the PAF and did tons of clips and PU swapping etc. I have found a tone I dig for me. I think I'm finished trying PU's for this Historic LP.


Inductors....they can make or break a WAH. TDK is good I understand. I tweaked my reissue VOX WAH until I was blue in the face. It never sounded right. So I just said screw it and bought a stock 68 crybaby with the ICAR pot, Trash can inductor and bingo there was the tone.

As for the KT88's I am getting ready to convert the other 69 to KT88's. GEC brand I am hoping, I want to put this JP KT88 mystery to rest and educate myself with them. After researching with ED/A (LPF forum) and doing a shit ton of testing in the studio I feel KT88's are legit and get me where I have been wanting to be. I don't think the KT88's are going to be to everyone's taste (not a forgiving tone) but they work for me. The final tweak and test will be trying the GEC brand KT88's to see if there is a difference. Damn prices are RIDICULUS for GEC!! Wish me luck finding a set at a decent price.

Save the 67 I think I may be done with El34's for the forseable future. The KT88 fullness, extra headroom and power I dig.

A few Caveats: I blew a few speakers in the testing stage . I am now using two 4x12 cabs but a third one would not hurt . The extra power is quite obvious. Avoid standard 100w attenuators, this is just my opinion but I don't trust that they can deal with the extra power KT88's put out. I would never use a attenuator on a Major 200 for this same reason. There also appears to be more heat from the KT88's so I use a fan. For whatever reason I did not have to change any parts in order to install KT88's I have no idea why but others note having to change a few values to get the KT88's to work.

Cheers,

Eric

Eric, you crack me up. So many people spend hundreds of dollars to put a leash on their 50s and 100s and you're making yours louder and louder. I think I need to move to that part of FL!

eric,

man - do you ever play something that isn't cool as $h1t?

amazing!

i tried KT88s a while back but left the 220k bias resistors in from the el34 config. i put them in again and this time i lowered the bias splitters to 68k a 6550 config.

i think maybe it's a better sound with the lower bias splitters.

just curious what value you have?

NitroLiq wrote:Eric, you crack me up. So many people spend hundreds of dollars to put a leash on their 50s and 100s and you're making yours louder and louder. I think I need to move to that part of FL!

I dont really have a choice using the KT88's now . Speakers will die left and right unless multiple 4x12 cabs are used. The upshot is I like the sound of two cabs. I don't see a return to one 4x12 again. I can feel it better too, plus I swear there is a tone difference. Perhaps the OT's 8ohm tap plays a part along with the additional speakers? Anyways I needed more power to compete with my bandmates rigs.



Cheers,

Eric

rgalpin wrote:eric,

man - do you ever play something that isn't cool as $h1t?

amazing!

i tried KT88s a while back but left the 220k bias resistors in from the el34 config. i put them in again and this time i lowered the bias splitters to 68k a 6550 config.

i think maybe it's a better sound with the lower bias splitters.

just curious what value you have?

Hey Rob,

I really apreciate it my friend . I don't know why but I did not have to change the values. Others said I would need to but it worked stock. I just have the standard 69 values in the bias section. I think I will leave it as it is. If I find GEC KT88's I may need to change the stock values. What do you think about the GEC's? I am hunting for them but still wrestling with the ridiculus price's.

Cheers,

Eric