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Vintage threads from the first ten years

ultra linear

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5/4/2003 11:16 PM
nigelbrew	ultra linear How do you best describe the tone of ultra-linear output sections compared to the traditional fixed screen supply commonly used in guitar amps. thanks in advance for any info Nigel http://www.mp3.com/nigelbrewer

5/5/2003 2:41 AM

Based on my rather short time (but intensive ok) experiences you can make them sound pretty similar way...and before I tried it myself I always thought the UL is "colder", "thinner" or something like that, but find out thats not true at all. Think it depends much how the rest of circuit is wired and is there additional/traditional nfb-loop included too (this combination sounds pretty liveless and bad to me at least with high gain pre) or is the nfb-loop is completely removed (which I just love now!)

Don't know much tech stuff behind it but I think UL gives some benefit for the overall tighter bass response too, but nothing too dramatic compared to my earlier tries with common setups though. (fixed screen supply.) Also - can't say if its mostly because of the UL or full bandwith tranny or removing the trad nfb-loop, but I've found it very cool that I can now (almost) go from clean jazzy maj7 chords to full shred with only changing my picking attack...and all those different intervals like min/maj 3rds, min/maj 7ths don't go "mushy" in high gain situation.

So now, after this speech (like from Beck's guitar shop record, haha) you just gotta give it a try?

5/7/2003 1:07 PM

My assumption is that Ul would sound More "hi-fi". If someone gets their tone mostly from pre amp gain and plays at low to moderate volume, this may not make a huge fifference. A tighter bass response would certianly be a good thing for modern heavy rock sounds.

In a four tube amp, The power stage could be wired up in the way Kevin O' Conner describes in his TUT book in the section demonstrating how a 135 watt UL twin can be warmed up by hooking the two inner tubes in UL and the two outer tubes in triode mode.

peace,

Nigel

http://www.mp3.com nigel_r_brewer

5/7/2003 6:55 PM

Never played 135w UL twin myself or heard clips, but obviously it was somehow cold & liveless when being not too popular amonst players...perhaps because there was trad nfb-loop in work too.

But the thing that UL alone makes amp cold is kinda myth for me, I can also make my non UL super rever sounding cold if I like. You just gotta give it a try.

This 135w fender still kinda bothers me...can't say if its true but I remember reading somewhere the man himself SRV kinda liked that amp!?

Hey - gotta stop RIGHT now, Teemu Selänne have just made his second goal against Sweden team in Hockey World Champion Games...!!

Mikko

5/7/2003 8:54 PM

Re: way off-topic, but..

"Hey - gotta stop RIGHT now, Teemu Selänne have just made his second goal against Sweden team in Hockey World Champion Games...!!"

Ooooooh noooooo-0000!!!!! He made still another one, a hat trick, and the rest of our team even more goals BUT !? BUT WE LOST THE GAME 6-5 AFTER LEADING IT 5-1 IN SECOND ROUND!!!! In this level...

Well, Peter Forsberg (made two goals for Sweden) - think nobody is wrong when sayig he is the best hockey player in the world right now. Sad day for us though.

Mikko

5/7/2003 9:23 PM
hasserl	You lost after leading 5-1 in the second period?! Wow, what a let down. You'd better go crank out some loud tunes for awhile to get it out of your system! About twenty minute with the volume at about eight ought to do it.

5/7/2003 10:33 PM

Yeah..I'm still like paralyzed.

Incredible game, you just CAN'T lose the game from that situation!!! Btw, Sweden changed their goal keeper Tommy Salo in first round when Finland led 5-1 and our team changed goal keeper too after Sweden made two fast goals in round 2...after those two fast goals Finnish team "panic"-button was sure dialed up to ten!

Thanks for this short therapy session man.

Mikko

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