News From Planet Evil Robot....

John Kasha....the man behind Evil Robot has read My Dog's Bollocks....and has given it a big thumbs up....but....and there is always a but isn't there....I have got the tube layout wrong....

The tube layout should read....

V1 - Front End Driver

V2 - A Side - Second Driver

V2 - B Side - Phase Inverter

"remember a tube is made up of 2 identical sides....I have gone over this in another post"

V3 - Mixer

"I have no idea what the V3 - Mixer Tube does - I will tell you when I figure it out"

V4 - loop

V5 - Vibrato

Mr Kasha has also designed a Up-Grade Mod for the C30 Evil Robots that brings these amps up to US standard 30w amp specs....John say's the mod will give "major improvements to the electronics with extended tube life and a warmer edge"....this up-grade is going to be only available from Kasha Amps and I'm asuming will be more of a amp techs job than a plug and play sort of job....He also told me that a new line of Evil Robot amps are coming out soon....

"this is not me talking to Mr Kasha by the way"

Below is the emails of our conversation....read into it what you will....

John Kasha has left a new comment on your post "Evil Robot EVR-C30....and finally....Up-Dated...."

V6 is the Vibrato tube, V5 is the Effects loop... Nice writeup by the way...
I have a new mod for the C30 that changes it into more of the USA standard 30W version. If you want to know more, email me at jkasha@kashaamplifiers.com

***

Me - I thought V6 was the Phase Inverter….so would that make V3 the Loop and V4 the Vibrato….and not the other way round as I thought. Yes your Mod would be awesome and I will change the tube info on my blog as soon as you can confirm the layout….just goes to prove you can never trust the internet.
Do you think you’ll ever do another Evil Robot or was it an awesome one off.

***

John Kasha - The EVR has a unique phase inverter using one side of V2.  V1 front end driver, V2 second driver (1/2), V3 Mixer, V4 loop, V5 Vibrato.  A very unique design, that’s why it is so different...

Yes, I have a new version and a new line of amps coming out soon.  Stay tuned...

My C30 mod is killer with major improvements to the electronics with extended tube life and a warmer edge.

***

Me - Can I be a pain….V3 Mixer….What does the mixer do in the amp….then I can put it all in the blog and how do you get the new mod….is it only in the US from you and what is the cost.

***

John Kasha - that’s as far as I can elaborate on the design to the public.  There’s some secret sauce in this design which is my signature.  The vibrato is my design in the C30, not Magnatone.  I have a new Vibrato design coming out in the new line that is awesome.

The mod is only available through me.  I have worked out a special shipping price for International customers.

***

All this made my day....I can't wait to get my hands on the new Evil Robot Amps....I have had more fun with my C30 than any other amp I have....and when you do email John please mention my bollocks....k.j.


Kasha Amplifiers
jkasha@kashaamplifiers.com

 

AsharpFretworks BiasPro VI....Awesome....

Awesome is the only word to describe the AsharpFretworks BiasPro VI....The black art that is amp biasing has now become easier than changing a set of strings....Again....Awesome....

The hard part of the biasing process in finding your tubes maximum power dissipation rating...."the tubes power output in watts to anybody that doesn't know"....and this is hardly top secret....practically all the online shops that sell tubes give this rating in the information about a particular tube if not in the title line of said tube....

I started off with my Evil Robot....a self biasing amp....?....over 3 days checked both the plate voltage and the cathode current with the BiasPro VI and each time got the same ratings....spot on....this told me two things....1. that the Evil Robot is rock steady and 2. that the BiasPro is also rock steady....any wavering in these ratings and something is not worth the money....

Onto the Egnater Renagade....This amp has biasing probe points on the back panel with a section in the manual on how to bias the amp yourself using any number of tubes...I had always thought that my Renagade sounded sweet....Channel 1 has 6V6's to give me a very retro tone and with a Tele gives a very passable Keef Tone and has Twang aplenty....Channel 2 has EL34's to give a very Egnater modern rock tone....tons of fun....can be a bit much....but dialed in with the 6V6's is just about a perfect do anything amp....the 6V6's taking the edge off the 80s metal tone....

"ignore the multimeter in the photos....its not needed....it's plugged into the Renegades test points"  

Using the BiasPro the 6V6's were too hot just enough to lessen their lifespan but not enough to sound too hot using the settings from the Egnater Manual....The EL34's on the other hand were well out....not hot enough....If you have read my other posts on the Renegade you'll know I have spent ages trying to find the perfect tubes for this amp and it would seem all I really needed was to bias the amp better....seems so stupidly simple now but if anybody was going to kill their amp trying to do a DIY Bias it would have been me....

Using the AsharpFretworks BiasPro VI is simplicity itself....all you need to know is your tubes power rating....then with the probes installed under the tubes in your amp the BiasPro gives you the two other values needed to bias your amp perfectly....One of the probes cables has a little box with a toggle switch on it and the switch gives you either the Plate Voltage or the Cathode Current and that's it....Different amps will have different PV's and not knowing your amps PV is going to make any bias setting a wild stab in the dark....you only need to be a little out and your risking bad tone at best and a tube letting go at worst....The CC is your amps bias setting....

Maximum Power Dissipation Rating

 JJ 6V6 S = 14watts

JJ E34L = 25watts

JJ 6L6 GC = 30watts

Tung-Sol 5881 = 23watts

TAD 6L6WGC-STR = 30watts

You then divide your amps Plate Voltage by your tubes power rating....this gives you the tubes maximum bias current....then you need to set your amp to 70% of this maximum current....

JJ E34L 25w/440 Plate Voltage = 56.8 maximum bias current

56.8 x 70 and hit the % button on a calculator gives you 39.7

39.7 being the magic number....it really is as easy as that....

"if you can not see this video in the email Blogger version....click HERE"

The BiasPro VI is designed and built in the US by Ken Koga of AsharpFretworks....they look like they are built to last....not at all like something your mate made for you....the cables that make up the probes are as good as anything I've bought over the years not cheep and flimsy looking...it comes with two probes but if you need or want 4 you can buy two more....The probes are the big eight pin versions....you can also get nine pin versions for EL84's....two more probes would have been best for my Marshalls....it will just take me longer to bias my JCM900 but I can live with that....The BiasPro will also show you how well matched your tubes are....but best of all....it works and works very well....is stupidly simple to use and for the money I think every guitarist with a tube amp needs one....My Egnater is an even better amp that I thought it was with a perfect biasing....now on to my other amps....cheers Ken your a star....this thing ROCKS....k.j.

Asharp Fretworks....
Buy from eBayUK....
Buy from eBayUS....

Tube Biasing with the AsharpFretworks BiasPro VI....

I have always sent my amps to a tech to have them retubed and biased....its not only a pain but its also expensive....But then I got my Egnater Renegade that has biasing probe points at the back and I wondered why if biasing was so easy don't all amps come with easy biasing set up points....Biasing seems very straight forward with the right know how and a multimeter and yet also a bit of a black art....

I started looking for something that would make the biasing process easy but strangely nothing is really out there....TAD "Tube Amp Doctor" make a biasing kit that only gives you one part of the equation....the Cathode Current....but you then need a multi meter to read the Plate Voltage....whats the point of the TAD kit if you have your multi meter out to read the PV you may as well read the CC while your at it....????....

Then I found this on Ebay....The BiasPro VI by AsharpFretworks....This not only gives you the PV but also at the flick of a switch the CC....all you then need to know is the Maximum Power Dissipation of your new tubes....that's easy with the internet....a bit of math....a twist of a screwdriver and your done....that all seems easy enough....

The BiasPro looks well made....all the lethal electrical power strays in the tube connecters plugged into your amp and sends Milli-Volts instead of the Volts to the Readout Module....this can only be a good thing as its these Volts that could kill you....and the reason why I don't want to mess with a multimeter in the internals of my tube amps....

"you will not see this video if you have signed up for this blogs email edition"

This video is a different kit from mine but made by the same guy....Ken Koga in Minnesota, USA

ps....I'm in the UK....the BiasPro was £73.00....Postage from the US was £14.24....and I should have paid a VAT/Duty/Handling Fee of £22.80....

....but for some reason I was never asked to pay the charge...."maybe someone at the Royal Mail reads this Blog"....gotta love the Royal Mail....So all in the BiasPro work's out at £115 here in the UK....and that's still cheaper than the TAD biasing kit that only does half the job....it was posted by Ken in the US on the 6th and I got it on the 13th here in the UK....

 I'll have a play....bias some of my amps and tell you all how good the BiasPro VI is....k.j.

Living with my Evil Robot C30....Up-Dated....

I've had my Evil Robot for a while now....so what have I found playing it over that time....

It's a aggressive S-O-B in Phil X mode that benefits from a reduction in gain that comes from changing the V1 12AX7 tube for a 12AU7. I have also placed a modded BOSS GE-7 in the C-30's loop to allow me to tweak the EQ....the C-30 has a very focused tone that sounds great with a drummer....but on its own can be a little too much....the GE-7 lets you take the edge off....and that the Vibrato only works with a 12AU7 tube....oh and that the footswitch is rather piss poor....

The C-30's cab is very tightly packed on the inside....changing the speaker for something else is going to be a challenge....I found that the magnet on a Vintage 30 too big to fit in-front of the transforms....To make the fan work better it needs something to channel the air flow upwards....

....and that White Knobs look way more cooler than the standard black one's....in the dark....black on black is really hard to see....

....not that my C-30 needs to stand out more....

My C-30 is mainly for home use and is the best small amp I've ever owned....I have played better amps....but they have all cost 5 times as much so should be better....for the money the C-30 is an outstanding little amp....

Over the weekend I started to hear a harshness in the C-30's tone....the tell tail signs that the power tubes were on their way out....I have been giving the 6L6's in the amp a real pounding and decided to try out EL34's but then found a set of 5881's I have had for years and had never used. 5881 tubes are lower powered 6L6's....6L6's give out a maximum of 30watts....24watts for the 5881....more importantly 5881's will break up earlier than 6L6's. I found that with the 5881 tubes....the C-30 became very clean....too clean with a 12AU7 in the V1 position....

With my C-30 now back in Phil X mode with a 12AX7 in V1 and with the 5881's I found I could drop the gain in the Pre Amp Channels and crank up the Master Volumes giving as near as perfect home low volume tones....the 6L6's staying clean with louder Master Volume levels you have turn up the gain in the Channels thus making standard Evil Robot tones too much for my talents....but with the 5881 power tubes I seem to have found a balance that I can work with....the C-30 still gets loud when you need loud....and now runs a lot cooler than with the 6L6's....which is cool also....k.j.

V1 - 12AX7 - ECC83 - Pre Amp

V2 - 12AX7 - ECC83 - Pre Amp

V3 - 12AU7 - ECC82 - Vibrato

V4 - 12AT7 - ECC81 - Loop

V5 - 12AX7 - ECC83 - Phase Inverter

2x - 5881 - Power Amp Tubes

All tubes are JJ's

***********************************************************************

And so to the Up-Date...."for jojopereira12"

Unfortunately new Sovtek 5881's are not the same as the old ones I had and the Tung-Sol's that I hoped were going to be similar to the old Sovtek's...."Sovtek and Tung-Sol are the same company....Tung-Sol is the name given to their up market tubes"....were a bit disappointing so I have gone back to 6L6's....

I thought I would give a full set of Tung-Sol's a go in the Evil Robot and again a bit disappointing....

Too warm....all the bite had gone....a very nice tone....but not enough top end for my liking....

For the power tubes I have gone for a set of TAD 6L6's....these being the best so far....After a lot of messing again with the tubes I have gone with Tung-Sol's for the channel tubes and JJ's for the rest of the pre amp tubes....the Tung-Sols warmth keeping all the harshness under check with the JJ's keeping the presence and the bite from desapering through the Loop and Phase tubes....

In the Evil's V1 tube I have settled on a Tung-Sol EEC803S Gold Pin 12AX7....now before you say "gold pin bullshit"....the EEC803S has to be the best sounding tube I have ever played through and all of my amps are going to have one fitted....before you buy any other pre amp or power tubes try one of these....this one little tube could very well save you a load of cash....

I'm still using a EQ pedal last inline in the loop to help shape the overall tone....I not boosting or cutting any frequencies massively....just tweaking the EQ more to what I think is sweet sounding....

I have also found using a clean boost....I'm using a Rothwell Atomic Boost....in the loop helps give you a big sounding tone at home friendly volumes....you can get the same tone from using the amps master volume but by the time you have dialed in the same punch and power you have also turned up the amps overall volume and are now playing at a home unfriendly volume....The Clean boost also helps to keep the Evil Robot clean sounding....as you turn up the gain in the pre amp your going to get more break up....more volume and your tone is going to get fuller....using a clean boost your just tuning up the volume and also end up having more control over keeping the amp in the sweet spot at home lowwer volumes....I have always played too loudly at home but with this set up I'm surprised at how quiet I can play and still keep the amp in the sweet spot....

This video is not the best sounding but you can hear what the EQ and Boost pedals are doing....I will re-do the video first chance I get....For home use this set-up is killer....

Tubes I'm using now are....

V1 - Tung-Sol - 12AX7 - ECC803S - Gold Pin - Pre Amp Channel

V2 - Tung-Sol - 12AX7 - ECC83 - Pre Amp Channel

V3 - JJ - 12AU7 - ECC82 - Vibrato

V4 - JJ - 12AX7 - ECC83 - Loop

V5 - JJ - 12AX7 - ECC83 - Phase Inverter

2x - TAD - 6L6WGC-STR - Power Amp Tubes

Remember....I'm using this amp at home....If your going to want to Jam and do Gigs with yours....I would stick to using a quad set of 6V6's....and get yourself an EQ pedal for some extra tone shaping....but before anything else try a Tung-Sol ECC803S Gold Pin tube in V1....Hope this helps....k.j.

Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Klon....

The whole world has gone Klon mad it seems....everywhere you look Bill Finnegan or some other Klon related stuff....do I need one....do you need one....well I have come to a decision....but it's not the one I honestly thought it was going to be....?

First thing...."what is so great about the Klon"....NOS “new old stock” Germanium Diodes....Bill Finnegan set about making himself a pedal....and for four years he beavered away trying to build himself something that would make his Fender Twin sound as good as it did at 8 on the Volume Knob as it did when it was set at 3....He didn't want something that would add masses of gain....he wanted less master volume....but with power and drive. His design was built around a plain old set of diodes....that to Bill....were the best sounding diodes that he could find.... that would clip his guitar signal in a way that was perfect for driving a tube amp into a loud sounding sweet spot.... he had come up with the Klon Centaur....With no gain the Klon acts as a very clean volume boost....then as gain is added the circuit also adds more clean signal to add body and stop the gain taking over completely....It also has a buffer circuit that is always on....it's a very clever pedal....

Now it would seem that Bill Finnegan never wanted to make pedals as a business....he wanted to play his guitar in his band and become rich and famous the usual way.....but still managed over the next 14 years or so to make over 8000 Klons....making about 700 a year....that's a lot of pedals. If Bill ever did think about producing Klons for the mass market....the idea was quickly forgotten....it's a lot of work....legalities....wages....taxes and then the need to come up with Klon 2....3 and 4 to keep the business in business....You can't blame him for not wanting any part of that....The problem was that  the Klon was becoming huge....the Klon Centaur is to Bill Finnegan as the Telecaster and Stratocaster was to Leo Fender....a pain in the ass....

From the start Bill did his best to protect his circuit and the cleaver use of diodes....that up until that point was his and his alone by covering the Klons circuit board with a epoxy potting compound gloop that hid the electronics from the gaze of thieving eyes. He also says that after he had found just the right Germanium Diodes....he tracked down and bought up the last remaining large quantity of said NOS diodes....Now for a dude who never wanted to run a Boutique Pedal Business....you have to admit that was very Donald Trump of him....But then to stamp on his new Klon KTR Pedal the words...."Kindly remember: the ridiculous hype that offends so many is not of my making." ....err....yes it fucking is....well sort of anyway....

Bill Finnegan makes it clear he does not like Klon clone's....Adamant that if you try to make a copy of his circuit....the clone would not have the right Germanium Diodes as a real Klon...."remember he has the only remaining supply"....and therefore will not sound as good a real Klon....But even I know the electronics world is not like that....several company's will all manufacturer their own version of a component that will do the exact same thing...."look at tubes....everyone makes a 12AX7"....Then you have the usual 5/10% tolerance that means a 500ohm pot can be as low as 420ohm's or as high as 580ohm's....and all that changes things....Wouldn't that mean that some Klon's sound better than others....and if we all agree that for a Klon to be a Klon it has to be one of the 8000 Klons that Bill himself built by hand....where does that leave the new Klon KTR....OK....so it has the right Germanium Diodes....but it ain't hand wired....it's built on a mass produced circuit board with machine picked parts....dipped in solder by a outsourced electronics company....No Way on this earth is the KTR going sound like a hand built Klon Centaur....if it does....then why can't a hand wired clone sound at the very least as good as the mass made KTR....”or am I just trying to convince myself I don't need an original Klon”....

The thing is that these clones that Bill hates so much are filling a void in the market that he himself has made by not wanting to make any more hand wired Klons...."Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"....and that brings us to all the company's like J.Rockett Audio and Electro-Harmonix that have “borrowed....?” his circuit....tweaked it and then given it their own names....”I'd be pissed too”....Where does that leave his mate Paul Cochrane of Timmy fame....here is another dude that seems not to be bothered about making money from his awesome designs....isn't Paul C's very own now discontinued Tim Pedal....just a tweaked up on steroids and reworked turbo Klon pedal....”I guess Imitation is OK if it's from a mate”....

 OK but what does all this have to do with my Klon or Klot Shootout....

The Archer made by Rockett is a Klon....”well....a KTR anyhow”....J.Rockett Audio Designs was the company that Bill Finnegan got to make his red KTR pedal...."who then decided to make their own when Bill wasn't happy with how it was working out"....so I now have a Klon....how do my other pedals stand up against it....As you would guess they all sound the same in a generic sort of way but then again they don't....The Soul Food is just dreadful....it has no bottom end to speak of and as you push the gain it gets fuzzy rather than smooth....this just goes to prove what Bill has said all along....it's not the circuit that is important....it's the component's that makes up the circuit that's important....In a word the Soul Food is just plain WRONG....

The Golden Eagle....as soon as you start playing....jumps out at you and grabs your ears in a way that the Soul Food just doesn’t do....It has less gain than the Archer and as you push the gain you do hear some noise....but nothing compared with the Soul Food....Out of the three pedals the Archer is the better overdrive pedal...But here's the thing....The Klon....like a Tube Screamer are pedals from another age....both pedals were designed for loud amps....You used a TS for control....tighten the lows....focus the mids....A common complaint of TS pedals is the lack of bottom end....With a loud amp your pushing a lot of air and this naturaly will produce plenty of bottom end....so the TS dosn't need a lot of bass....The Klon on the other hand was designed to create the overtones found in a amp being played loud....that are then lost....when the volume is turned down....a Klon is trying to simulate your speaker pushing more air....it's not trying to be an overdrive pedal as such....it's trying to be a loudness kind of pedal if that makes sense....and that's why Klons are more relevant today than they have ever been....

We have gone from playing stupidly loud amps....to playing 30watt amps....to playing at home but still want the tone that sounds like our ears are going to start bleeding at any moment....Tube Screamers sound horrible quiet....but add a Klon....and they get their scream back....and even turned down your amp will regain it's thump....So you would think the Archer would be the best Klon like pedal....sadly no....the Archer just frustrates me....no matter how much I try....I can not find it's sweet spot....The Golden Eagle on the other hand hits the sweet spot every time with no messing about....it's almost as if Fredric Effects knew what they were trying to bring out of their pedal....whereas Rockett were making just another overdrive pedal and missed the whole point of what a Klon does....or maybe to do a what a Klon does....if it's not handmade you lose what the Klon it supposed to sound awesome at doing...."is that why Bill stopped making the KTR"....My opinion is if your going to get a Klon type pedal....get a handmade clone....

“now back to the rant”....

Then you also have Xotic's AC and RC Boosters....more Klon type pedals....The Lovepedal AMP Eleven that shares similarities to Paul Cochrane's Tim....He has stopped making the Tim in favour of the smaller Timmy....a pedal that Lovepedal completely ripped off....A clone of a Timmy without the asymmetrical/symmetrical clipping switch and Lovepedal's own COT 50 boost pedal added for good measure....all unashamed Klon type pedals....”your beginning to see why Bill Finnegan gets so pissy”....I bought my Amp Eleven because here in the UK Timmy's are very hard to get hold of....”sorry Paul....I did try and find a Timmy....honest”....

It would seem that you can't patent circuits the same way you can a men's vibrating razor or else people would be being sued left right and center....The thing is....it would be helpful to us pedal geeks if company's were honest about the origins their pedals. If the Klon started the whole clipping diodes thing off...."and to some people....nailed it"....and makers like Xotic were honest and said that their pedals were their own version's a Klon....but with tweaks that in their view makes them better or takes the Klon Tone in another direction....we would all be better informed for our next guitar pedal purchases....basically if you read “transparent and dynamic”about a pedal....8 out of 10 times it's going to be doing something Klon like on the inside....EHX is sort of being honest....”or cashing in on the Klon magic as it ain't no Klon”....

There are so many pedals on the market that owe a hell of a lot to Bill Finnegan....to pick the best one....it comes down to what you want from the pedal....do you want boost....gain or both.....Now that I have a Klon and a Timmy....or....a Golden Eagle and a Amp Eleven....it is very obvious that no one has bettered these two legendary pedals....they sound amazing on their own or working together....Xotic's AC and RC Boosters have tried to expand on the Klon thing ....but their own AC+ in my opinion is the better pedal and that's a Tube Screamer type pedal....So the answer to my shoot out is either a Klon....a Timmy or both....they are simple to use and awesome sounding pedals....Saying all that....if I could only have one guitar....one amp and one pedal would I choose a Klon or a Timmy....NO....I would choose a TC Electronic Vintage Tube Primer or a T-Rex Moller...."they are the same pedal"....again they are TS type pedals....but with a klon thing going on that makes them better than just a Klon or TS pedal....Since I've had my Tube Primer....it's the only pedal that has stayed on every pedalboard I've made up....I love my Golden Eagle....but it's a one trick pony....The Tube Primer/Moller is one hell of an overdrive pedal....and about the best Tube Screamer you can buy....and even better with a Golden Eagle in front of it....

No Video - Link Here

No Video - Link Here

After all I have read in the last week or so to help me write this piece I have been left with a couple of stand out opinions....1. that Paul Cochrane sells the Timmy too cheaply....2. that the new Klon KTR is never going to out shine the Klon Centaur simply because it's not hand wired.....and ….3.both Bill Finnegan and Paul Cochrane in my view have been royally screwed over....both having had their designs stolen by unashamed harpies....

Definition of a Harpy
1. Greek Mythology One of several loathsome, voracious monsters with the head and trunk of a woman and the tail, wings, and talons of a bird.
2. harpy A predatory person.
3. harpy A shrewish woman.....

Now if Bill Finnegan and Paul Cochrane would join forces and together set up a company making hand wired Klons....Timmys....and dual Klon and Timmy pedals....it was Paul C that Bill got to help him make the buffer/true-bypass switch for the KTR....quite frankly the world would be a better place...."it would sound better anyway"....and it would definitely be a huge Up Yours to everybody that has ever ripped these guys off....I do feel bad that I have had so much from Bill and Paul but never given either of them any of my money....but instead given it to others....that are a little less deserving....

….so to cut a long story short for all those who don’t want to read my ramblings....yes the EHX Soul Food is as good....if not better....than a Klon Centaur....k.j.

Useful Links....

Klon

PaulC Audio

Fredric Effects

Xotic Effects

EHX

Lovepedal

T-Rex Moller 2

All the Klons

"I have re-done this post....it now incorporates the Klon Klot Shootout Post....I hope this stops any confusion with Tube Screamer/Klon circuits....I have also got rid of a number of things....

The OKKO Diablo vs Xotic's AC+ vs DigiTech Bad Monkey vs T-Rex Michaelangelo Overdrive bit

....on reading....didn't make much sense....rofl....it's not like the post has been up for a couple of years....oops....Thanking You Ms OD....k.j.

.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....

To Tom Pope....Sincere Apologies....

My Blogging skills have been shown again to be somewhat lacking....it has never been my intention to write this blog to settle scores or slag people off....this blog is written to pass on information that I have found useful and pass on links to other site's that again I have found useful and interesting....in my piece "Fender System One Tremolo...." their should have been a few paragraphs on a site called StratConnection.com....but they were deleted in error....

To anyone who owns a Fender System One Strat or Tele....StratConnection is pretty much the only site you will find that is of any use....it is not just useful it's massive....covers most Fender Guitars and Fender history....full of photos and helpful information....it's written by a guy know as PapaTom who I have emailed on more than one occasion and found him to be a genuinely nice guy....if you do talk to him you won't get a two line response you will get a page full....and that's not really a bad thing in this day and age....

PapaTom is not hosting StratConnection to get rich....rip anyone off selling crap....he genuinely loves Fender Guitars and his site clearly shows this....and the missing paragraphs said that....but without the missing paragraphs the comments at the bottom of the piece could be read like a warning to not go to StratConnection....on the contrary PapaTom's should be your 1st stop for anything system one related....it has some really nice examples of vintage Fender guitars for sale as-well as system one parts....and not the scruffy tat you find on ebay....his prices may be high but then again he is selling vintage parts that are becoming rarer and rarer to find....

I don't know how I deleted part of the blog....it's not the first time I have done this....and have to admit that after the fifth or sixth read through and more cut and paste editing that I do to make this the professional piece of blogging that it seems....it gets a bit dull to me....


To Tom Pope....sincere apologies....Rock On....k.j.

"the missing paragraphs have now been inserted back into the blog....from memory not a back-up....the new bit is not as long as I remember the original section being"....k.j.

Living with my Evil Robot C30....

I've had my Evil Robot for a while now....so what have I found playing it over that time....

It's a aggressive S-O-B in Phil X mode that benefits from a reduction in gain that comes from changing the V1 12AX7 tube for a 12AU7. I have also placed a modded BOSS GE-7 in the C-30's loop to allow me to tweak the EQ....the C-30 has a very focused tone that sounds great with a drummer....but on its own can be a little too much....the GE-7 lets you take the edge off....and that the Vibrato only works with a 12AU7 tube....oh and that the footswitch is rather piss poor....

The C-30's cab is very tightly packed on the inside....changing the speaker for something else is going to be a challenge....I found that the magnet on a Vintage 30 too big to fit in-front of the transforms....To make the fan work better it needs something to channel the air flow upwards....

....and that White Knobs look way more cooler than the standard black one's....in the dark....black on black is really hard to see....

....not that my C-30 needs to stand out more....

My C-30 is mainly for home use and is the best small amp I've ever owned....I have played better amps....but they have all cost 5 times as much so should be better....for the money the C-30 is an outstanding little amp....

Over the weekend I started to hear a harshness in the C-30's tone....the tell tail signs that the power tubes were on their way out....I have been giving the 6L6's in the amp a real pounding and decided to try out EL34's but then found a set of 5881's I have had for years and had never used. 5881 tubes are lower powered 6L6's....6L6's give out a maximum of 30watts....24watts for the 5881....more importantly 5881's will break up earlier than 6L6's. I found that with the 5881 tubes....the C-30 became very clean....too clean with a 12AU7 in the V1 position....

With my C-30 now back in Phil X mode with a 12AX7 in V1 and with the 5881's I found I could drop the gain in the Pre Amp Channels and crank up the Master Volumes giving as near as perfect home low volume tones....the 6L6's staying clean with louder Master Volume levels you have turn up the gain in the Channels thus making standard Evil Robot tones too much for my talents....but with the 5881 power tubes I seem to have found a balance that I can work with....the C-30 still gets loud when you need loud....and now runs a lot cooler than with the 6L6's....which is cool also....k.j.

V1 - 12AX7 - ECC83 - Pre Amp

V2 - 12AX7 - ECC83 - Pre Amp

V3 - 12AU7 - ECC82 - Vibrato

V4 - 12AT7 - ECC81 - Loop

V5 - 12AX7 - ECC83 - Phase Inverter

2x - 5881 - Power Amp Tubes

All tubes are JJ's