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Date: Tue, 07 Aug 2001 15:12:40 -0400
From: Steven Rousseau
Subject: Blues DeVille tubes and mods

Hi,

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents worth...

It is true that adding a tube rectifier to the
DeVille is an expensive project! You need to
install a 5 volt power supply, new tube socket,
and that is not easy or cheap.

The guitarist in my band uses a DeVille that I
modified for him with a "simulated" tube
rectifier. The mod is simple, effective and
he uses it all the time.

You can find the exact details for this mod in
"The Ultimate Tone" by Kevin O'Connor of London Power.
www.londonpower.com

My version of the mod replaces the amps STANDBY
switch with an ON/OFF/ON switch. In one of the
ON positions, the amp functions like a stock DeVille.
In the other ON position, the high voltage power supply
going to the power tubes ( B+ ) first passes through a
100 ohm / 10 Watt power resistor. The B+ voltage
drops as it goes through the resistor and this simulates
the voltage drop (sag) through a tube rectifier.

Another excellent mod we did to the DeVille was to replace
the standard particle board cabinet with a custom made,
finger joint pine cabinet. The effect on tone and sustain
was surprising, very surprising to say the least!

All that being said, both of these mods work very well
for a guitar application. The effect is not that apparent
when using the amp for harp. Since a lot of us
amplified harmonica players go for a thick,
overdriven sound, the more subtle changes in tone,
tube compression, etc... are somewhat masked. Some
harmonica player's style will highlight the mods, while
others will not be able to hear any difference. You really
need to test a mod to see if it works for you.

Last year, Carlos Del Junco was in town for a show at
the Cafe Campus. He was using his Bassman RI that had
just been modified to replace the tube rectifier with a
solid state rectifier. Carlos wanted a bit more power
and headroom. Well, after the first set Carlos disliked
the mod so much that he was up on stage with a screw driver
and cutter pliers to remove those solid state diodes before
his second set! I did not hear a big difference but he sure
could.

Best regards.... Steven Rousseau
Ampli-Tubes, Montreal