The Boathouse
09/11/08, 07:13 AM
Success!
I installed the mod about 2 weeks ago. My favorite of the three selections on the switch is the middle, which gives me an absolutely absurd level of clean headroom. The bottom selection adds a hair more gain, and the top selection adds a fairly large amount with a sort of dark sound to it. I've found that the mod allows the EQ to function more sensitively and reasonably. I had qualms with the EQ for a time on the Blackheart Bh5h, but had grown to adjust to it. The treble, I felt, reacted harshly, and often seemed too cutting. The mod mellowed the highs out, making them more bell-like and less volatile in the mix. The bass has been evened out a bit, which could at times get boomy at higher levels.
Anyway, onto my in-depth analaysis of the middle selection...
The clean headroom on 3 watts rides fully to the end of the volume knob when using my middle pickups and neck pickups on my Gibson Nighthawk. I suspect Strats and Teles would react similarly in similar positions. The two bottom selections break up a bit before the end of the knob, though only slightly, and not nearly as much as I had encountered before I installed the mod. I consider this a huge step forward for the amp, as I have often felt that there was too little clean headroom, and that the gain gradually grew overpowering, with the volume knob seeming to function less and less, with it translating into more of a "gain" knob, instead of growing louder, only breaking up more. I understand that 5 and 3 watts are limited, but I would have preferred volume to extend farther around the knob. With this mod, I have that.
The 5 watt mode breaks up before the end of the dial. This is fine and expected, as it is a higher power channel, and preceding the mod, would breakup earlier than 3 as well, and get considerably ballsier as it broke up. The 3 watt sounds significantly more compressed, in that glorious, tube amp fashion. Rolling back the volume on my guitar on the 5 watt setting seems to chill the breakup a bit, letting me dial in cleans at higher volumes.
This mod, accompanied by a JAN-Phiips 12-AT7 in place of the 12-AX7 generally found in the preamp, has lowered the gain, sweetened the tone in all spectrums (though not previously mentioned, the mids have mellowed as well, making them less abrasive and warmer), and given me SUBSTANTIALLY more clean headroom. If you're concerned about dropping $150+ on the point-to-point turret board mod, or just too poor at the moment, this mod could easily hold you over until you can get the cash together for that one, which was my plan.
Instructions: Clear and concise - 8/10
Parts provided: 10/10
Functionality: 8/10 (I do not care for the top setting, but that's more personal preference than a mod problem)
Value: Now knowing what the parts list is for the mod, without the instructions, it would be unfair to pay such a pricetag on the mod, but with the fellow's instructions, I can deal - 7/10
Overall: 8/10 - Recommended!
I installed the mod about 2 weeks ago. My favorite of the three selections on the switch is the middle, which gives me an absolutely absurd level of clean headroom. The bottom selection adds a hair more gain, and the top selection adds a fairly large amount with a sort of dark sound to it. I've found that the mod allows the EQ to function more sensitively and reasonably. I had qualms with the EQ for a time on the Blackheart Bh5h, but had grown to adjust to it. The treble, I felt, reacted harshly, and often seemed too cutting. The mod mellowed the highs out, making them more bell-like and less volatile in the mix. The bass has been evened out a bit, which could at times get boomy at higher levels.
Anyway, onto my in-depth analaysis of the middle selection...
The clean headroom on 3 watts rides fully to the end of the volume knob when using my middle pickups and neck pickups on my Gibson Nighthawk. I suspect Strats and Teles would react similarly in similar positions. The two bottom selections break up a bit before the end of the knob, though only slightly, and not nearly as much as I had encountered before I installed the mod. I consider this a huge step forward for the amp, as I have often felt that there was too little clean headroom, and that the gain gradually grew overpowering, with the volume knob seeming to function less and less, with it translating into more of a "gain" knob, instead of growing louder, only breaking up more. I understand that 5 and 3 watts are limited, but I would have preferred volume to extend farther around the knob. With this mod, I have that.
The 5 watt mode breaks up before the end of the dial. This is fine and expected, as it is a higher power channel, and preceding the mod, would breakup earlier than 3 as well, and get considerably ballsier as it broke up. The 3 watt sounds significantly more compressed, in that glorious, tube amp fashion. Rolling back the volume on my guitar on the 5 watt setting seems to chill the breakup a bit, letting me dial in cleans at higher volumes.
This mod, accompanied by a JAN-Phiips 12-AT7 in place of the 12-AX7 generally found in the preamp, has lowered the gain, sweetened the tone in all spectrums (though not previously mentioned, the mids have mellowed as well, making them less abrasive and warmer), and given me SUBSTANTIALLY more clean headroom. If you're concerned about dropping $150+ on the point-to-point turret board mod, or just too poor at the moment, this mod could easily hold you over until you can get the cash together for that one, which was my plan.
Instructions: Clear and concise - 8/10
Parts provided: 10/10
Functionality: 8/10 (I do not care for the top setting, but that's more personal preference than a mod problem)
Value: Now knowing what the parts list is for the mod, without the instructions, it would be unfair to pay such a pricetag on the mod, but with the fellow's instructions, I can deal - 7/10
Overall: 8/10 - Recommended!