Is the transformer the real clincher when it comes to clone amplifiers these days?
For example if you were to get a Ceriatone Dizzy 30 (Matchless dc 30 clone) and source the original transformers and get a reputable tech to wire it up....
For any of you who have done it - please jump in...
Its complete guesswork but i'd imagine you'd be pretty close to the real deal...
I know that the real amplifiers will always have a mystique or mojo about them but im very very curious!
Ive checked out loads of YT clips of both Matchless and Soldano clones (I've read all about the famous SLO trannies) and i'd love to jump in the boat so to speak..
Ive got an empty Matchless combo shell with original speakers waiting to be filled with the right chassis
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Comments
Transformers, particularly (but not only) the output transformer, affect the sound an amp makes.
If you build an amp with different transformers, the amp will sound different. How different depends on how much you vary from the original spec.
Whether the difference is better, worse or 'neither, just different' is mostly subjective, given sensible choice of transformers.
Amplifier manufacturers (and some amp owners) would like you to believe that only their original transformers have the 'magic'. Some pedal manufacturers are the same about diodes and chips.
All the Ceriatones I've built have been excellent sounding amps, whether with C'tone trannies, or the stuff I've substituted (Metroamp, Hammond, Mojo etc.)
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I read an article by peavey on the bandit, and how it's evolved and it had a lot of technical jargon. It basically said something about why an electric guitar amp has a "bad" transformer, relative to a hi Fi amp, which has a "good" one. Is there any truth in this? I think it was talking about the way a transformer can sort of filter out certain things in a sound. Or leave them in (hifi).
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
..and leading on from this, it's why there's not much point bragging about quality (and hence charging more) for certain components.
Sometimes the cheaper option sounds better.
(Of course it's possible to go too far, or make bad choices, but for example a decent 'basic' output transformer might sound subjectively better than an expensive one. Certain companies get round this using marketing BS and pretty powder coated shrouds, allowing visuals and price to override the ears!)
No idea about that, but for rock and blues it's the best sounding amp I've ever heard! Still rather have the ironheart though...
It is interesting about all different components. I always think of gibson bumblebee reissues and people insisting they sounded better...
I still wonder whether they sound better now that they've been exposed as a fraud .
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Class A...guess what if you're running your 100w head at bedroom level it's running class A.... That fact annoys a lot of class A purists.
Distortion is what you want, even when it sounds clean. If you like it crispy go hifi. We're after cool sound generation, not accurate reproduction. Harmonic distortion and uneven frequency response, crap power supplies and dubious transformers all become part of it. Although recreating the dubious nature of some of these components can be expensive/impossible.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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