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Here's my 1973 Super Lead. I recently replaced the filter caps with LCR 50x50/500V cans, which I managed to find a good source for at $9 a piece. It really cleaned up the tone ... at least I think it did. I'm a big fan of the custom-colored amps ... especially red (you know, it's been said that red sounds better). The circuit for this one was originally the 1959 Mk II found on p. 206 of Doyle. While replacing the filter caps, I replaced the 82k bias splitting resistors with a pair of 220k. Seems a bit more boomy to me now, which I'm not sure I like. This is a PCB amp. Aside from ease of maintenance, I really don't think PTP amps have any advantage over PCB amps of this period. Here's a clip from this amp. The power tubes are Svetlana biased on average at around 73 percent. The pre-amp tubes are NOS Mazda 12AX7. The clips are played through 1/2 of a Mojave 4x12 loaded with G12H-30s. The guitar is the Explorer on this page. 1973 Super Lead - Unchained |
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This is a picture of my 2002 Mojave Ampworks PeaceMaker - 100 watts of mojo tone. This amp is a beautiful piece of work -- stainless steel chassis, bullet-proof Mercury Magnetics trannies, and super-clean point-to-point wiring. As an anal-retentive "type-A" gear head, I appreciate the clean, high-quality circuit build almost as much as the tone. If you're looking for EVH/Plexi tone, look no further. You can spend yer bucks on a "vintage" plexi, but why when you can buy a new amp with the same (or better) tone. After working with this amp for a couple of months, it just keeps getting better. With a few more tweaks (guitar, etc.) you won't be able to tell my chops from Eddie himself (heh ... you buy that?). Here's a clips from this amp. The power tubes are NOS Sylvania 6CA7 (Svetlana on Unchained) biased around 60 percent and the pre-amp tubes are NOS Sylvania 12AX7 in V2, V3, & V4 with a NOS GE 12AX7 long plate in V1. The clips are played through 1/2 of a Mojave 4x12 loaded with G12H-30s. The guitar is the Explorer on this page. 2002 Mojave PeaceMaker - Unchained 2002 Mojave PeaceMaker - Heavy Metal |
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This was my first Marshall, bought brand new back in 1980. It's a 100W Master Volume (Model 2203). It came tubed with 6550s, and that's what I ran for over 20 years. Through sources and info on the Internet, I learned about EL34s and converted this amp to those output tubes. It really improved the distortion characteristics of the amp by lowering the headroom significantly. It has Electro-Harmonix tubes in it now, but I prefer Svetlana or JJ. I also switched to 220k bias splitters (from the original 150k) and have fiddled with the bright cap and other tone experiments. I'm going to remove most of the tweaks though, except the EL34s, since I don't like the tone as much now. Also, this amp is the only one of my four that picks up radio stations ... very irritating. If anyone knows how to eliminate this, I'm all ears. |
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This was my first "real" guitar, if you don't include the K-Mart special that I started with. It's a 1975 Ibanez Les Paul Custom (copy, of course). In my opinion (IMO), Ibanez made some great copies of other guitars back in the 70's, and this is one of them -- nice and loud without an amp, with tons of sustain. This was my main gigging axe for years, and the frets, bridge, and nut are trashed. I'm in the process of refurbishing it so I can play it once again. The neck pickup is the original Ibanez Super '70 and the bridge pickup is a Bill Lawrence that I put in years ago. This one has lots of sentimental value. |
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This is my main guitar right now. It's a 1982 Greco Exlporer. I bought this on a trip to Japan in 1983 for something like $130. As I understand it, Greco built/sold guitars in Japan that were Ibanez by any other name. In other words, due to some sort of legal mumbo jumbo Ibanez couldn't sell Ibanez guitars in Japan so they sold Greco guitars. This would probably be a "lawsuit guitar" in the US (at least I think so). Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's mahogany ... nice and toneful without an amp. The neck pickup is original, but I don't know what they call 'em (Super '70 - like). The bridge pickup is a Kent Armstrong from Mojave Ampworks. It's supposed to help provide the early EVH tone. My only regret with this guitar is that I didn't play it for about 20 years and it got kind of beat up since it doesn't have a case. Live and learn. |
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This was one of those "image" purchases. Well, not completely but mostly. In other words, I love the way this guitar looks ... handmade maple with a natural finish. The picture doesn't do it justice ... not even close. Through the middle, it's one piece from headstock to tail. I also bought this because my favorite guitarist at the time, Rick Derringer, was playing one. This was my main gigging axe near the end of my road to stardom. While it looks great, I've never been completely satisfied with the tone. I disconnected most of the fancy tone switching in favor of simple volume and tone control. What this guitar really needs is an effort to match a set of pickups to the wood (at least that's what I think). Maybe one day. Right now, the original DiMarzio pickups are still in there. Still, this is an awesome guitar. |
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Tone considerations had nothing to do with my purchasing this guitar -- it was all looks. In the early '80s, the lead guitarist in the band I was in had a Dean V and I always loved the way it looked. He played it through a Marshall Major, which didn't hurt either. I wanted both, and he ended up getting rid of both without telling me he was going to do it!!!! Dangit Jim!!!! Anyway, it's actually not a bad guitar, although the original pickups leave something to be desired. I put the Super '70 from my Les Paul at the bridge, which really helped a lot. I'm planning to get a set of Seymour Duncans of some sort for this sometime in the future. I just love the Vee headstock. What the heck, it was only $400 (it's the Vee Select with a set neck) and another Jones bites the dust. |
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This particular guitar, a Washburn 12-string, was a wedding gift from my first wife. In fact, it's the only good thing that I can recall coming from the whole ordeal. It got me through my "blue" period after the relationship ended. It sounds fantastic, which sometimes makes it hard to pick up my six-string acoustic. It has piezo pickups in the bridge, but I've never used them to record with since I prefer a mic. |
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Continuing my theme of sort of off-brand guitars, this is a Westone six-string (acoustic, obviously). A very nice guitar that I still play a lot. I don't remember when or where I got it (hmmmm ... must have been in the 70's then). It has a nice abalone inlay around the hole and in the binding. I think the action is kind of high, though I've been told otherwise. This will give your fingers a workout and thicken the callouses on your finger tips. Here's a clip of an original song of my own, made with this guitar. It was captured with a Shure SM57 mic. I added the reverb, and an ever so slight touch of chorus to the right channel. '70s Westone - Will To Live |
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I bought this "axe" for my daughter for $15, just to see if she might want to learn to play guitar. That's her in the picture. So far, we haven't gotten past the "it hurts" stage (remember, no pain no gain). To be honest, it's quite fun to play and doesn't sound all that bad. In fact, I might look around for something a little nicer in this size (it's a 30-inch guitar) for myself. It's perfect for sitting back and noodling around while watching TV. |