YMI5150 Early '68 12xxx build journal

[vanhalen5150]

There are directions at StewMac on how to do it. Just make sure before you pull out the magnet the entire way(about 75% out) you slap on the new magnet to it. Where it sticks without flipping is how it has to go in. Remember magnatism? Other wise you could use a compass, or pay StewMac $20 for a polarity tester.
Basically you just loosen the screws on the adjustable polls a little, and the screws holding the lug poll post bar. The mag should slide out using a screw driver with some elecrical tape over it. Dont hit the coil wires and mark/match the new mag with it as it comes out.

So think about it...1% per year....but....thats 1% of the remaining magnetism. So, after 30 years you really only have about 50% of the original magnet?

Who wants to buy 45 year old Gibson stock PAF's?.....$400.00!!!!!!

[vanhalen5150]

So that's why my 30 year old SD59 has lost some luster? Is there magic in putting a new magnet in such an old pickup? A8 instead of A2? Come on strat78 your the man here!

I had a load/attenuator with line outs and speaker jacks of various percentages(Koch Load Box II)... so I was diming alomost from the get go...

Red plating... new tubes from TT...

Slaving into Mixer/Stereo cool!
Slaving ->Digitech Reverb->SS PowerAmp better!
Slaving ->Digitech Reverb->100w Plexi iichh!
Slaving ->Digitech Reverb->100w Plexi converted to power amp MONEY!

Re-title this how George got me to buy TWO 100 watt kits!

A2-A8 mags are $5 on ebay. You'd be surprised what that would do. I've gotten a few. Good quality as well.

Got mine from this guy. Has anything you want. Polished or unpolished. Difference?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Alnico8-Bar-Magnet-H ... 4aa230e266" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Strat78]

If you are not getting enough gain with that MM pup, perhaps that pickup had been stored in a box with other pickups in close proximity, thus the degausing. I've got a couple of old SD pickups (8k and 14k) that have no power in them at all, perhaps this is what you are experiencing now? I've been a POD pussy for way too long (not that there is anything wrong with that), I know this now and will never go back -I feel like I'm starting from scratch here. Anyway, the last clip I did was with a NOS "in box" 9k mighty mite with it's original ceramic mag; not sure I like it right now (the shimmering musicality is missing), but the gain is more than enough. I tried it with the 6-band and the gain was way over the top; sloppy slushy on the leads. I think I'm getting ahead of myself here, so I'll weight until the amp is broken in to start testing and comparing pickups. Still, something tells me that a new AlNiCo5 is in order.

So that's why my 30 year old SD59 has lost some luster? Is there magic in putting a new magnet in such an old pickup? A8 instead of A2? Come on strat78 your the man here!

I had a load/attenuator with line outs and speaker jacks of various percentages(Koch Load Box II)... so I was diming alomost from the get go...

Red plating... new tubes from TT...

Slaving into Mixer/Stereo cool!
Slaving ->Digitech Reverb->SS PowerAmp better!
Slaving ->Digitech Reverb->100w Plexi iichh!
Slaving ->Digitech Reverb->100w Plexi converted to power amp MONEY!

Re-title this how George got me to buy TWO 100 watt kits!

[vanhalen5150]

I've been toying with the Blackbelt 2 and the WCR Darkburst, both A5's at about 9k. Hits the mark for sure. Strat78 and YMI5150. both of your amps will mellow out and sound different in a few weeks. Even if your not playing much, turn them on with a guitar plugged in on a stand in front and volume knobs on. Guitar volume as well . Doesnt have to be 10'd. Getting a little bit of mild feed back will help with break in and you'll notice a big difference. I did it for a few hours/day when I wasnt playing. Doesnt have to be loud, just let some sound cycle through.
6 band I find rough around the edges. 10 band is nice.

[vanhalen5150]

I was always under the impression mags only degauss when in contact with larger amounts of none magnetized metal. Im not sure really.

[YMI5150?]

the new magnet was all it needed. sounds great.

great advice to let it cycle at idle. will do. it is like starting from scratch but the depth of tone, even now, even at 1-2 is so profound! I've only been playing a couple years and I feel like this will make me want to play more and play better. its SO much better and more pure than my TSL was. so worth it! and to basically have it run turnkey is a testiment to you guys and George. awesome!

[vh junkie]

I do breakin this way:

Computer plays Rockstah's demo he did for George in a loop
Lineout to little box with Jensen transformer and pot to adjust level
Into amp with load/ line out

Run the amp on about 4 or 5, monitoring the sound with the load's line out. Once you've got every thing adjusted so that you sure you've got the right size signal going into the amp let it run over night.

Funny thing is you can hear what its playing even with no real sound coming out! Tubes/OTx singing?

[vanhalen5150]

I do breakin this way:

Computer plays Rockstah's demo he did for George in a loop
Lineout to little box with Jensen transformer and pot to adjust level
Into amp with load/ line out

Run the amp on about 4 or 5, monitoring the sound with the load's line out. Once you've got every thing adjusted so that you sure you've got the right size signal going into the amp let it run over night.

Funny thing is you can hear what its playing even with no real sound coming out! Tubes/OTx singing?

You know, I was thinking about looping some of the Ed only VH iso's and putting them through a line load into the front for the amp as well as some new speaker break in. Will it add some mojo? Bettter than nothing or playing just a few hours a week.

[YMI5150?]

could you use the pod in a similar fashion? computer feeds pod via usb, line out to line in on amp. problem is i don't have a load box. I will have the attenuator built tonight. does that have enough resistance to act as a load by itself?

[vanhalen5150]

could you use the pod in a similar fashion? computer feeds pod via usb, line out to line in on amp. problem is i don't have a load box. I will have the attenuator built tonight. does that have enough resistance to act as a load by itself?

Yeah, that should work. I dont recomend putting anything through your amp without a speaker of somekind in tandem with the load. That way your amp is seeing both a reactive load and a resistive load.
I'm taking my ipod shuffle headphones(CRAP!) and attach a 1/4" jack to one end and then running it into Mark's line level box to be sure of the signal level. Then into front of the amp set to clean (2), hotplate, 4/12 cab with new Warehouse Greenback clones.
I have all the ED iso's linked together. Cool to hear it coming out of your own amp

[YMI5150?]

I'm still riding the high...

another thing I'll be doing to this soon is adding some killer preamp tubes. I got some advice over at Marshall forums about 2 years ago when I was on a quest to make that TSL work for VH stuff. Marty, the tube guru suggested upgrading preamp tubes. so I'm sitting on these:

Raytheon Black Plate (1962)
RCA Gray Plate (1959)
2 - Sylvania Gray Plate (late 60s)



something else to noodle with anyway...

Can one of you point me to a decent and reasonable link to lar mar installation? i see the schematic in wiki but it lacks the resistors. the 80 page thread is missing old pics that Mark posted. I'm only 20 pages in so they could appear again later. I'd like to avoid reading the remaining 60 pages if possible...

Thanks!

[vh junkie]

See this link for speaker breakin:
http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=27266

[vanhalen5150]

I'm still riding the high...

another thing I'll be doing to this soon is adding some killer preamp tubes. I got some advice over at Marshall forums about 2 years ago when I was on a quest to make that TSL work for VH stuff. Marty, the tube guru suggested upgrading preamp tubes. so I'm sitting on these:

Raytheon Black Plate (1962)
RCA Gray Plate (1959)
2 - Sylvania Gray Plate (late 60s)



something else to noodle with anyway...

Can one of you point me to a decent and reasonable link to lar mar installation? i see the schematic in wiki but it lacks the resistors. the 80 page thread is missing old pics that Mark posted. I'm only 20 pages in so they could appear again later. I'd like to avoid reading the remaining 60 pages if possible...

Thanks!

http://metroamp.com/wiki/index.php/Lar/Mar_PPI-MV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This has the resistors.

[YMI5150?]

thanks.

to be clear - the only things that are removed from the original setup are the two 220k resistors and the second speaker jack. then just follow the simple circuit, correct?

[vanhalen5150]

thanks.

to be clear - the only things that are removed from the original setup are the two 220k resistors and the second speaker jack. then just follow the simple circuit, correct?

Yup.