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Thanks! Yes the compression in certain Vox circuits is very addictive. It’s definitely the sort of thing you miss once you don’t have it. The Matchless felt more stiff in that regard but there’s no denying that it sounded on point in this video. It recorded much better in this video than the AC30 did.

Most definitely. All that is required for this method to work is a bolt on neck design. Thanks for commenting and watching.

Hi Steve. Good to hear from you. You and I both know this JMI can sound better. I dialed in the recording chain for the Matchless then used those same settings for the JMI. I think doing this favored the Matchless which I agree sounded better in this video. I made another video about the JMI after this video and the recording of it came out a lot better in my opinion. th-cam.com/video/T9paJcgDNPI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ThHHiljZxo0rtYsK

@@tonecast1 Yes, I saw that one too. Excellent video and very accurate. It's nice to have the JMI/MG story recorded for posterity.

I thought the amp warranted to have its story. The amps were great amps. Did you feel the recording of the JMI30/6 TB in that video was a more “accurate” representation of its true sound?

@@tonecast1 Yes, much better. BTW, I also built a limited quantity of single channel AC30's with a phase splitter located master volume control. Doing away with the lossy channel mixer circuit increased the gain somewhat. That was a _really_ nice sounding amplifier.

Oh I’m sure those did sound great! What was the model designation for that limited run?

Thanks! I’ve never encountered any Rivera amps. You don’t see them often in my neck of the woods. I’ve always wanted to try one of his modded Princeton circuits. Thanks for watching and commenting.

Yeah Tedsco was a character. The photos from the Guitar Player article had a photo with him holding that board. He was in a bathroom sitting in a toilet bc he obviously thought that’d be a funny gag.

It doesn’t seem like he was in San Diego long. That’s cool that you visited that location. What was it like? Judging by his account it sounds like it was probably slow in terms of business before he relocated.

​@@tonecast1 I went to Paul's shop quite a few times back in the day. On one occasion I went to his shop because my '72 50watt Marshall had started to sound dull and unresponsive and needed new tubes. Rather than replace the EL34's and bias the amp, Paul told me he could make it sound better. Being a young guitar player, I trusted him but said no. When I picked it up and plugged it in at the studio it sucked. I had a friend of mine give me a second opinion and found out that the original partridge or drake transformer had been replaced with God knows what and 6550's replaced the EL34's. I took it back to the shop. Paul tried to tell me it sounded better. But it didn't set well with me, it sucked sounded clanky and had lost its warmth, had no sustain worse than when I had originally brought it to him. I demanded as well as my friend Mike Sheel who told me about Paul's shop in the beginning, who I trusted, told him put the amp back using new EL34's and put back the original transformer. He argued but did the work less the transformer I found out later after I tried it out in our studio. He denied removing it. I was pissed. If you know anything about how Marshall assembled their hand wired amps, Marshall used a red die on all the solder joints so a tech can see if there had been any work done on the amp after the factory, so when heat contacts the solder connections the red die would go away. There was no red die on the transformer solder connections. I bought the amp new at Sol Bettman's on Larchmont Ave in LA. When I went back to confront him regarding the transformer, his shop was locked up and he was gone. So, years later I started working in music retail. worked for over 5 different stores while trying to pursue a music career. During that time Paul worked for Fender designing a red knob solid state amps for them. Paul and I crossed paths many times. being professional salesman, purchasing agent and advancing into management we crossed paths yearly from NAMM to instore visits by Paul and his son Paul junior. I have a lot of respect and distain for Paul at the same time as he had adamantly denied his work on my pride and joy Marshall 50 watt. I still have it to this day among other 100-watt vintage MarshalIs as my #1 best sounding amp. It's been through hell and back since. I have no ill will for Paul or after all these years hold a grudge, well maybe a little. But as a result, I never fully endorsed his Fender line or his Name brand while working in retail. The last time I saw his son we were on a plane to the Nashville NAMM show and I still speak to Paul Sr. but not in the last few years This was an exercise in life for me to suck it up and accept what life hands you good or bad and to "try" to never hold a grudge if you are a professional in any field. Life is just too short. To this day I still wonder if I was the only one who had a problem with Paul's "Libratronics" amp repair service and why he left so abruptly.? Unfortunately, I will never know.

Thanks for taking the time to share that detailed story. It sounds like you’re doing your best to relay your experience with dignity and respect for all involved while sharing the truth from your perspective. I’m sorry that was your experience. Glad you were able to get the original transformers reinstalled!

@@tonecast1 The original output transformer was NEVER reinstalled, but the EL34 tubes were replaced with new ones.

Oh wow. I totally misunderstood that. When you wrote, “less the transformers” in your last reply, I thought you meant less the cost of the transformers. That’s awful. And you are certain it had the original transformers before you dropped it off at the shop?

Glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for watching!

I think everyone who takes this approach removes the strings.

Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you learned something new about a player whose music you’ve enjoyed for so long. Thanks for taking a moment to watch and comment. Cheers!

I haven’t done any research on the algorithms in the new VP4. I assume that they’re the same effects as on the current existing Fractal units (FM3, FM9, AxeFx III)?

Glad the short was helpful. It’s easier to tighten the output jack on most other style electrics, but this tool really makes doing it on a Gibson ES style guitar much easier.

Thanks for the kind words and a sub. It was a fun video to research and make.

I haven’t played the Gypsy Vibe. Both the Funky and the Violet play well with overdrive and fuzz pedals. Violet probably responds to pedals with a wider frequency range. The Funky Vibe sounds more like traditional Univibe preamp (rolls of a little lows and highs).

Glad you found the video helpful in finding the sound you preferred. The Mobius was my least fav but that only goes to show that we all have different tastes. Thanks watching and commenting!

The JMIs are harder to find but they can be had for cheaper prices than you see on Reverb if your patient and know where to look. Glad to hear your 90s Korg has stood the test of time. How would you say the Korg era differs from your ‘66 sound wise?

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching and comment. Glad to hear you’re back to playing after a long hiatus.

I once owned a Walrus Audio Arp 87. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t a standout either. To each their own.

I’m usually impressed by the Mutron stuff I have tried. The JHS surprised me in this shootout. Great sound; best value. MXR phase is just a classic sound for cheap. It’s great if you want THAT sound.

Well said. Totally agree.

I’d love to read the article. If you can find it, please share it in a reply. Thanks for commenting and watching.

@@tonecast1 sure.. it was in an old magazine I have somewhere. He used many different amps and different guitars. As I mentioned his signature white strat with lace sener pickups from the fender custom shop. Various vintage Gibson's his famous 64' red one, a 1960 dot neck in tobacco burst. Play birdlyand, L-5's, super 400 with those AlNiCo staple pickups. A few pictures from back then on stage you can even see by the drum kit sitting on a chair what looks like a small Supro. Clapton mentioned using these different guitars and amps because he's copying so many different styles, from different blues players.

If you eventually come across the magazine, let me know the title, year, and month. I’d like to read it for myself. I don’t hear the Soldano on this record, but I’ve been wrong before. You hear him on the Soldano around 24 Nights in ‘91 but it seems he had moved on from it by the recording of FTC. We definitely don’t see it during the Nothing But the Blues concert at the Filmore in ‘94 which the clips are from. That said, I’d love to read your source to confirm this.

"In articles in Guitar World from 1994 and also in Tonequest Report from September 2001, the producer Russ Titleman and Clapton's guitar technician respectively confirmed that "about 99% of Clapton's broad palette of guitar tones on the album were achieved by an old Fender Twin [in this lot]" and that "Clapton used the same modified amp for the blues tour following the release of From the Cradle"." www.bonhams.com/auction/19226/lot/92/a-1957-fender-twin-amp-model-5e8a-serial-no-a-00752-chassis-number-a-00752-2/

@@tonecast1 I'd love to see a breakdown of what was modified on Clapton's twin compared to stock. Also always been curious why he switched to bandmasters on stage. I saw a video on TH-cam here somewhere of Eric saying he bought his first tweed twin in the early 80's because the amp sounded so thick and warm. That it reminded him of the marshall combo he had with mayall. I myself have had to go through some bad times and I had to lose everything I had... Hopefully I can rebuild my life and "toys" pretty soon.

Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching!

Thanks! I appreciate you taking a second to comment. Sometimes videos don’t get the views you’d like. Not much you can do about it other than move on to the next one.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video. I appreciate the sub. I thought it might be fun to produce a follow up video about his “Riding with the King” record. I also enjoy the tones on that record even though they’re a little more subdued. FTC still is my fav tone and playing wise.

Ha! “But wait there’s more!!!”

Yes, a lot of folks love Cream era Clapton. “Took me years to replicate” these days it’s more like “Took me years to afford”. 😂

This particular design has been made in the United States since 2010. They were invented Dr. A. Scott Lawing, an engineer with a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Check out Lawing Musical Products. There’s a good chance Ajo pickups was largely inspired by LMP’s designs.

I definitely skipped over a good bit of Vox history. I simply didn’t have time to include it all. I’m sure your amp sounds great. Thanks for sharing!

@@tonecast1 actually it’s was the closest if not the same 60’s box brain may and edge are using this Amps originally. Only was made for 3 years

I appreciate the encouraging comment. Thanks for taking the time to watch. Glad you enjoyed the video.

@@tonecast1 You are welcome. I actually followed the story on the forums. Steve Giles himself was quite forthcoming about it all. The amps were quite heavily advertised when launched……. So they had a relatively high profile. Anybody who was aware of them back in the day knew that they were good, very good……. Aware of the price tag, too. So they were highly desirable, but not within the comfortable reach of many. But their reputation has prevailed. Anybody who knows anything about amps would gladly sweep one up. No one is going to run away. Some will be twitchy about price, but I believe most would be happy to pay a fair price and set aside any of those dumb “Will I get my money back?” Thoughts. It’s a high quality hand wired amp that does what it is supposed to do. What’s not to like? At the end of the day, the so called “Boutique” amp market can get a bit fickle at times, and prices of the amps from a given maker can fluctuate. For example I believe Top Hat prices are low. Ditto some Victoria prices……. And there are plenty of others who have been subject to fickle consumers migrating to the new kid on the block. The JMI’s may have had a down cycle, as many have. But that is just folk being dumb. And the low visibility is also partially due to the fact that there are not that many out there……. Incidentally, the Harrison’s snapped up as many lapsed trademarks as they could. They did relaunch Hi-Watt some time before the JMI’s iirc. In fact I recall the sales counter in one of their London stores was made from Hi-Watt speaker cabs!

A lot of players younger than us missed the drama from the Harrison ownership of JMI during the early 2000s. I knew the story from various forums as well. I had heard parts of the story here and there. Once I got the amp I thought it would make for a great research project that could be turned into a video that would consolidate the story into a single condensed narrative. A lot of the story had been scrubbed from the internet. I had to use the Internet Archive to find all those old articles. I agree that brands like Top Hat and Victoria are undervalued. I’d love to own low powered tweed twin clone a la 90s Eric Clapton. I think Victoria, Clark, and Germino have each made one in the past.

That’s what several people have told me. 😂

The Dig is special. I get why you kept it. I’ve since gotten rid of my El Cap but I still have the Dig for now. I’m getting into early digital delay units. I have a Free The Tone Future Factory that I keep wired up on a stereo board. The Dig does the 80s early digital delay thing on my mono board.

The Violet / Midnight Vibe are both great. I especially love the most recent version Rick is making. I still own the Midnight Vibe and the Sabbadius Tiny Vibe 68. They get swapped around between my boards depending on the available space.

@@tonecast1 Great feedback. Any opinions on the Jam Pedals Retrovibe ? A lot of great players love it and the reviews are pretty good.

Unfortunately, I’ve not owned one so I can’t speak on it. I do own their Wahcko which is a great modern day Wah.

That first riff is an instrumental song by Andy Timmons called EWF; which is sort of an homage to Earth Wind And Fire’s, Shining Star. My guess is that Foals was also influenced by Earth Wind and Fire.

@@tonecast1 i think you're actually onto something. foals started as an art rock band with math rock influences but gradually became more and more funk driven as they went. and what's more funk than EWF right?

The Valvetronix amps were interesting (I owned a VTX decades ago) but very different from a 60’s AC30 circuit.

I think it was obvious that the limited run of Shadows JMI30s just had a different cosmetics from the standard JMI30 they were selling at the time. I wasn’t in the UK at the time they were being sold so I can’t speak to how they marketed to buyers. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were marketed as something more special than the standard models given Music Grounds questionable business practices. I’m sure The Shadows could’ve used any amps they wanted to for their reunion tour. They were likely given the JMI amps or paid to feature the JMIs on stage. Steve and I did not talk specifically about Hank Marvin and JMI so thanks for the comment sharing those insights.

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll keep an eye for the Subdecay Quasar v4. And thanks for watching too!

Glad it helped! I knew someone else would eventually have the same problem and be looking for an easier solution.

How much did it set you back and when did you buy it? They’re great amps.

I remember that appearance. Yet another great example of this specific tone. A lot of artists’ live tones didn’t always translate on SN but this specific one did.

You’re welcome! I’m glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for taking a moment to comment and let me know.

*Pete Townshend circle 197 0 live

Pedalboards are great. That said, there’s definitely magic to embracing the guitar and amp alone. Great reference in Pete Townsend’s early work with the Who. He’s a great example of that. Thanks for the insightful comment!

I’d say $2,000-$2,500 but someone else may feel differently. Thanks for watching!

@@morenoteslesstalk there’s another video about JMI on my channel if you want to learn the story behind the 2000s owners of the brand and how this the amp was made.

@@tonecast1 oh thanks that is precious. Link saved, will watch tonight without fail

Thanks!

If you’re seriously on the hunt - they show up every now and then; just be patient. Thanks for commenting and watching.