Tweedy Bluesmeister non-HRM

[Geezer]

PAB is just a ground lift (increased resistance) of the mid pot......I have mine "hard wired", so there is no switch for that on mine.

The 2x relays I have are:

OD select, front panel switch and footswitch controlled.

Trim boost, no front panel switch, only controlled by the footswitch. It is also just a ground lift of the trim pot, but it works really well....very useful.

I'm having the front panel made as I type this, so that's an indication "I'm done" with this amp!
Attached a mock-up of the panel.

G

[Willabe]

Hey guys,

Do you think this will work? I have a set of transformers for this already, I've had a SE 6L6 build on my list for a while now, any ideas or comments are welcome.

I'm tryin to attach an SCH schemo I modified, I'll have to read Dougs notes on how to post attachments.


       Brad    

[tubenit]

Willabe,

Geezer tried a 6L6 single ended version of a Dumble build maybe 6 months ago or so.  (May 2010) Didn't work out. Look back in the Tweaks forum around May.

IF you have the correct trannies, you could do a EL84 version that is successful:

http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9149.0

With respect, Tubenit

[Geezer]

Well, she's done & in the cab (finally!....WHEW)

I had a couple of extra mini-switch holes, so I put switchable bright caps on the master (Bright) & the trim pot (OD Bright)

Here's a poor pic taken with my flip video

[Tone Junkie]

very nice 

[TIMBO]

Another great build.Geezer how do you do your faceplates. At the moment i am using a coloured vinyl sheet with a sticky back with DYMO clear tape for the lettering and the a another clear vinyl sheet over the top. It looks ok from a distance.

[Sundhy]

Great demos Geezer, two questions.

What speaker were you using during the recordings?

What effects device were you using in the loop?

[drumslinger2000]

Nice job on the cab Geezer!  That's one fine looking amp!

[zendragon63]

Congrats on the project--tasty chops, man. Way sharp looking cabinet. Thanks for sharing your journey with the likes of us; I, for one, remain in awe. Regards

dennis 

[tubenit]

Guys,

Please accept my apology ......... I found an error on the Hoffman Style  Geezer Tweed BluezMeister layout. Left out the
slope resistor.

For those of you who already downloaded the layout, please go and download the revised/correct one here:
http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9498.msg99329#msg99329

With respect, Tubenit

[Geezer]

Please accept my apology

Well, I missed it, too!

Thanks for all your work on the drawings!

G

[Geezer]

Great demos Geezer, two questions.

What speaker were you using during the recordings?

What effects device were you using in the loop?

Thanks Conrad!

The speaker is an older Weber "Signature 12" (Ceramic, one of the 1st Ted had made)....I think it's Eminence made.
Not sure if Weber still has them made the same way, or if maybe you could contact Eminence & see if they have the specs, but it's a great little (inexpensive) speaker.

For these recordings, I don't have any effects in the loop, just an 18' cord plugged in to simulate something in the loop. I added a little verb & delay in mixcraft.

My normal stage setup is to run an old Digitech unit in the loop for just a little delay & verb, but I'm not happy with the quality of those effects anymore (& the signal degradation) so I'm looking for a good used TC Electronics unit or something similar.

Geezer

[Geezer]

Another great build.Geezer how do you do your faceplates. At the moment i am using a coloured vinyl sheet with a sticky back with DYMO clear tape for the lettering and the a another clear vinyl sheet over the top. It looks ok from a distance.

I have developed a (cheap) technique:  

I use a free program ( www.frontpanelexpress.com/ ) to do the design work, then use another free program ( www.primopdf.com/ ) to "print" the plate to a PDF file.

I then either print the PDF file (@ 100%) on my home printer, or take it to Kinkos or Staples & have them print it. Use either card stock, or a source for cheaper & heavier duty stock is to get white poster board & cut it to size.

Then have the panel laminated.

Trim the laminated edges, then use an exacto knife to cut out the control openings & you're set!

Most plates cost me from $5 to $10.

If I were building the amp for someone else (resale), I would either have a plate made at a sign shop or at one of the online makers specializing in amp plates, but for my own amp, this technique works great!

The faceplate "mockup" (below) is the exact file I printed. Notice that I even put in the correct size holes so I knew exactly where & how large to cut out the control holes.
The frontpanelexpress program has a small learning curve, but is simple to use once you get used to it.

G

[Geezer]

Here's a good picture of an amp (Vista 12, aka "Sligh Vox", aka "Vox on the Run") with one of my home-made plates.

I'll try to take a better pic of the TweedMaster & post it later.

G

[Tone Junkie]

Geezer thanks for sharing that program with us.Bill

[drumslinger2000]

Hey Geezer,

    I was looking at the layout vs your amp and the Mid/Bass are different.  Is this a typo?  Your amp has T/M/B but the layout has T/B/M.


doh!  nevermind. 

[Tone Junkie]

Hey is there any way you guys could put the new layout and schematic up on a .Gif file so i can print it out i cant remember how i got JSchem to convert for me last time and yes I reread the post from then and still couldnt make it work, i think i need to download bitmap might be helpfull to me.Bill

[tubenit]

Please, always check for errors and compare the schematic with the layout.

With respect, Tubenit

[Tone Junkie]

Thanks guys your the best.Bill

[Willabe]

How about this, using the reverb mixer tube right before the output tube?  Clean and OD preamp, then passive FX, then 2 tube reverb, use verb mix tube to feed OP stage.

Not sure what to do with the NFB.


     Thanks,     Brad      

[Tone Junkie]

Geezer with the 250r resister in the bias stage are these 6l6,s or 5881,s biased alot hotter than TOS amp was.Thanks Bill

[Geezer]

Yes, slightly hotter, but still below max dissipation.

I've been trying some other tubes:

E34L JJ's, OK, but a bit too stiff

Old RCA 6L6GC Blackplates, really good, very warm tone

Old 60's Sylvania 6L6GC's, the best so far, warm & BIG sounding, smooth....these are staying in for now.

G

[Tone Junkie]

Isnt it amazing when rolling tubes how differant tubes just pull something out of the tone off the amp. weather positive or negative the right set off tubes for any given circuit really make a differance. Thanks Bill

[John]

Just now got to listen, and downloaded the schem as well. Sounds great, sweet playing, and thank you (and everyone else) for sharing your work!

[weege]

Geezer
Your clips are great.
I have a question concerning the latest schematics:  is the first gain stage plate resistor really changed from 220k to 121K?

Just wondering out loud...

[Geezer]

Yes, the schem is correct.

"High Plate" ODS is usually 220k V1a & 150k V1b

"Bluesmaster" is 150k V1a & 121k V1b

I accidently switched the plate values when I was "re" building this amp into the TweedMaster, making V1a 121k & V1b 150k.

After I realized my mistake, I swapped them back to "correct", but didn't like the tone as well, so I switched them back to the "incorrect" positions.

G

[weege]

Thank you, sir.

[sjturbo]

I just joined a couple of days ago and I am completely amazed at the level of knowledge, creativity and incredible tones that are coming out of my computer headphones! The tones in the Geezers clips of the Tweedy Bluesmeister non-HRM are ear candy! I realize this is going to be a huge undertaking as this will be my first amp build but from the various posts I have read the community is a great resource. I have some electronics background but it is all analog and digital, not much in the way of tubes. I am a bit stumped though. First, where and which is the correct layout and schematic for the Geezer Tweedy Bluesmeister non-HRM, and second what program do I need to download and open a .sch file, or should I just print the pics. Also I know the type/brand of componants can make a huge difference so is there a BOM available? I appreciate any help!

[Willabe]

http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?board=12.0     Look around in here.


             Brad         

[tubenit]

sjturbo,

 

I realize this is going to be a huge undertaking as this will be my first amp build but from the various posts I have read the community is a great resource. I have some electronics background but it is all analog and digital, not much in the way of tubes

I am not trying to talk you out of building this amp. If you know how to work on one safely and you really want the amp, go for it.

Having said that, ......... this is a VERY complicated build. You will have to be able to punch out your own blank chassis, create your own layout board from scratch or use a paralleled turret/tag board, use a good layout inside the amp, have good soldering skills ................ etc.......

After you have built the amp, you will have to be able to TWEAK the tone to your personal taste, because these amps are different and perhaps more tempermental than something like a 5E3 Fender Deluxe clone. You can learn what to tweak but it will take time to figure it all out. We can help you.

I've built close to two dozen different amps. I've learned ALOT about trouble shooting thanks to the forum guys and Sluckey in particular. Both the Tweed BluezMeister an Tweed Overdrive Special are wonderful amps but they took ALOT of time to build and even more time to tweak to get the tone I want.

Now if you're truly somewhat knowledgeable about electronics, a very patience and persistent individual who doesn't mind taking reasonable risks that may or may not work out to your satisfaction, then give it a shot.

The first amp I ever built had the most difficult problem to diagnose of any amp I built. It literally took me 6 wkends to find the problem and fix it.  This build is waaaaaaayyyyyyy more complicated. So you need to ask yourself if you have the patience and persistence to take this on?

Honestly, if you want to attempt this, I'll watch your posts and offer help and suggestions & I am sure others will also. I also will cheer you on all the way and be rooting for your success!

Think thru this one before you take it on. Make sure it's what you're wanting to do.

With respect & support, Tubenit

[sjturbo]

Thanks tubenit!
 I think I have the basic electronics knowledge to work through this but I will need to bone up on tubes and wiring protocal. The board layout and chassis will be a challange since I'm not familiar with the spacing, ect., and I'm not sure what sizes are needed for the board and chassis, can you give me some ideas please? I do have the time and persistance to see it through. I'm hoping that others that will build and have built the amp can post some gut shots that will give me some ideas for the layout. One thing I noticed is that this build appears to be similar to the BN d'lite and I have seen some photo's of that amp. I do appreciate the offer of support!!

[tubenit]

I have added a DRAFT Bill of Materials to the SCH thread.  Check for errors and compare with schematic.

http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9498.0


With respect, Tubenit

[Tone Junkie]

Jeff I have to say the good Lord loves a man who helps people for no other reason than,
they asked.
Thanks Bill

[drumslinger2000]

"a very patience and persistent individual"

so true. 

[tubenit]

THANKS to Doug/EL34 for his help creating an accurate Hoffman style layout for this amp.

The SCH file for this amp has been UPDATED and edited to simplify reading and gathering info.
The file is far more organized at this point with all the essential info in one place now.

http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9498.0

This is a great amp and really super fun to play, IMO!!

With respect, Tubenit

[Geezer]

One last clip of this amp....a higher-gain version of an earlier demo, showing the bloom & sustain available.
All OD.... http://soundcloud.com/dageezer/tweedmaster-demo-higain-floyd

[drumslinger2000]

Geezer,

     I'll be calling on your help once i get this thing wired up. 

[tubenit]

Wow!!!  That may be my favorite tone that I've heard from your amps yet!  That sounds incredibly sweet. It definitely shows the blooming with the notes swelling.  

With respect, Tubenit

[tonewood]

Wow!!!  That may be my favorite tone that I've heard from your amps yet!  That sounds incredibly sweet. It definitely shows the blooming with the notes swelling.  

With respect, Tubenit

Wow!!! indeed. Beautiful.

[Tone Junkie]

Very inspiring Geezer made me want to get my guitar out An trade riffs, great backing track i can get lost those for days. The tone on your amp was killer.
Bill

[tubenit]

My playing is nowhere on par with Geezer's, IMO.  However, here is some slow blues showing the tone contrast between the clean and OD on my small combo TBM with 6V6's.   I like the clean tone alot and the clean here has the mid switch engaged adding mids.
On the OD, it wasn't cranked. The trim and drive and level all set about about "3".  There is alot more OD on tap.

http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=10251365&q=hi&newref=1

Clean ....... playing with fingers & neck pickup
clean ........ fingers and mid/bridge pickup

OD (at 2:38) ....... playing with fingers and neck pickup
OD ....... playing with pick and mid/bridge til end

Only some EQ and a very small amount of delay was added in the mix.

With respect, Tubenit

[Geezer]

Excellent tone & playing!

I like the way you build the intensity & emotion of your playing throughout the song....really shows what we were trying to acheive with this amp, the ability to easily go from clean to mean at reasonable volumes, using just the amp itself (vs OD pedals) & the guitar's volume & tone controls.

Way to go.....give us more!   :icon_thumleft:

ps.....is the schematic & layout updated/current with what you have in your amp at this point?

G

[tubenit]

Thanks for the nice comments!

"is the schematic & layout updated/current with what you have in your amp at this point?"

Yes, I posted my current schematic (& yours) in the SCH library.

However, to avoid confusion ..... I did not post my layout, BUT the Hoffman style "standard" layout that is posted can be easily converted to what I used. The OD on "the standard" is pretty close to mine anyway.

With respect, Tubenit

[EL34]

Made time to cut some Tweed BluezMeister boards.

You can find them on this page
http://www.hoffmanamps.com/MyStore/catalog/parts12.htm

Here's a pic of one with the lugs installed, all laced up and soldered
The bottom one with no lugs is the one I sell

I updated the layout to look more like what the actual board looks like.
I renamed the Schematic and layout files so it is easier to figure out which is which.

The documents are in this post
http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9498.0

[tubenit]

The boards look really GREAT!!!   Thanks for doing those for us!  It'll definitely make the build easier to put together.

With respect, Tubenit

[tubenit]

I had a chance to play my small 6V6 combo version of Geezer's Tweed BluezMeister this wkend with the band.  It sounded really nice with the band. Got some nice compliments on the tone. I played it once before but made a few more tweaks that made a significant difference to the tone I was looking for. (My tweaks are in the SCH file)

I added a relay switch in this small chassis by double deckering it over the LTPI section. So the clean/OD is footswitchable. Works excellent.  The amp is super quiet at idle whether on OD or clean. The relay did not seem to add any significant noise that I can hear.

The overdrive is the clearest (not clean) smoothest OD of any amp I've played or built. Creamy smooth and since my last tweaks I am getting similar nice harmonics like I get on the Tweed Overdrive Special.
The OD cuts thru the mix just great!

I had the volume at 5-6,  all OD pots around 3-4 range & Mstr volume at about 3. No problem at all being heard thru the mix.  Switching between the clean and OD is nicely balanced with only the slightest volume bump on OD. PAB and mid boost were both on. With the guitar vol on "8", the notes bloom and sustain well.

The clean has a very warm, natural and full tone to it. Geezer designed this amp to have a nice contrast between the clean and OD.  It has better contrast between the clean and OD than the TOS, IMO. This clean channel has a very rich sound to it, IMO & the mids are more accented than something like a midscooped Fender.

This is my favorite combo amp that I've built or owned. Most versatile combo I have owned also. It is a very fun amp to play and has that "wow factor" tonewise that I am looking for. In contrast, I built a typical D-HRM design before (cathode biased) & thought it was a good sounding amp but it definitely did not "wow" me.  Geezer's design has more of the tone I want  than the original D-HRM design I tried.   Wished I was a better player cause this amp has better tone then I have playing ability.

I still think the TOS is more touch sensitive & has a better  "blooming" feature. But the overdrive on this TBM is creamy smooth.  Both have great sustain & harmonics. The TOS has a dash of chime to it that I think maybe prevents it from being as smooth as the TBM?

This amp is around the same size as a 5E3 combo. So it's very easy to carry around. I'm using a digital delay or my FX-reverb unit with it in the passive effects loop. I'm using a quasi Tube Screamer homemade clone with it but I use the LM833 chip which I prefer more than the 4558 chip. I think the LM833 is smoother and less edgy than the 4558 chip, IMO. However, I almost never use the OD effects pedal unless a specific song calls for it.

Just thought I'd share how much I like Geezer's design. It's a winner for me. I anticipated it being noisey at idle being a small combo but it's  very quiet especially for a high gain amp.

With respect, Tubenit

[Tone Junkie]

Thanks Tubnit I had always worried that the switching over the board would be noisy, thanks for sharing that it worked for you, I might try it on the next  tight build Im in.
Bill

[drumslinger2000]

excellent news Tubenit!!  Did you find the 100k-L pots more useful than the 250k-L on the Trim, OD Level and OD Drive?  What tubes and speaker/s did you settle on?

[tubenit]

I never tried the 250kl pots on the OD.  I started off with 100k pots, so I don't have a comparison.  Having said that, Geezer gave me some of his measurements on his pots & if you factor in the differences in resistors going into the pots, there are some similarities (I think) to what we're using.

I used a Red, White and Blues Emminence speaker.  I have NOS 5751's in V1 & V2. Almost every combination of tubes I've used have sounded good but this so far seems to be the best balance for smoothness of what I like.  LTPI is 12AX7. 5V4 rectifier with JJ 6V6's.  Using a 12AV7 in V1 (similar to 12AY7) and a 12AX7 in V2 sounded pretty good also.

With respect, Tubenit

[moonbird]

I am thinking that Geezer's "BluezMeister" preamp and tone stack into the TOS overdrive section using a 5879 might be a pretty cool tone?

Hi all - great stuff. Did the above mentioned spin ever get tried?? thx.