Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum
Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: tubenit on January 07, 2012, 06:19:54 pm
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I have made another discovery. On the D-style builds, I am mostly using Orange Drop PS caps (.001 and larger). Generally speaking in that type of an amp, they seem smoother in the overdrive to me. The typically 715p will sound will have some "hash" in the upper range to me.
So ................
I have discovered that in some cap locations, paralleling an OD PS with an Orange Drop 715P will add some nice harmonics where the same value in another OD PS cap being paralleled will NOT add the harmonics.
My rule of thumb (at this point) is that if I am using an OD PS cap that is .01-.02, I am inclined to try paralleling and OD 715P that is .001 to .0047 in some situations where I am wanting more upper mid tones to be accented.
This is something you have to experiment with. The majority of the tweaks I try, I reverse and don't use. You have to be patient and give your experiment some genuine play time. Clip wires help alot with A/B comparisons. IF you use a pedal alot, also try the tweak with the effects pedal on and off.
Sometimes a paralleled cap improves the tone in some regard. Sometimes it doesn't do anything that I can tell.
AND sometimes a different type of cap paralleled will add something sweet. Sometimes the different caps don't make any difference at all & tend to sound the same to me.
I've attached two current schematics of my two favorite (& current) amps.
So to summarize and give an example, I might use an OD PS of .01 and parallel an OD 715p that is .001 to .002 ............ AND it might give me some more upper mid harmonics and sweetness. IF I use another OD PS paralleled, it may not bring out the harmonics at all when the 715p does.
I have mentioned in a previous post, that sometimes a paralleled Silver Mica or Ceramic pf cap (smaller than .001) will add some harmonics or a vowel tone.
Doing this is helping me shape the amp tone to my personal preference. Just thought I'd share what I am learning.
Maybe DaGeezer will chime in on this. I have noticed he tends to parallel caps to tweak tones also.
I will say emphatically, that at times, I have found that there are some very sweet tones between a .01 cap and a .02 cap.
A .01 with a .001, .0022, .0033 or .0047 ........... may just bring out some harmonics or blooming that would not be there using either the .01 or .02 cap alone, IMO.
So for those of you who like the tweaking aspect to dial in "your" own tone .............. this may be worth a try for you.
With respect, Tubenit