Vox VBM1 "Deacy" mods
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- A presentation of the changes in tone achieved through the manipulation of the placement of a Shure 57, close-micing the cabinet of a Vox VBM1, followed by a demonstration of an array of the tonal possibilities which can be expected from the addition or subtraction of any variation of the following components: internal booster, external booster, stock speaker, Dai Ichi DC-65 30, 1uF capacitor and 390uH inductor.
(or nearest available equivalents)
In the long quest to unlock the secrets of the Brian May tone, one finds himself in need of a Deacy amp replica. But not all Deacy's are created equal... this video will showcase a few of the changes suggested by other users and makers to squeeze a bit more Deacy out of the Vox VBM1 amp.
First, is a demonstration of how the placement of a close up mic affects the tone. In this case, I used a Shure 57. No EQ changes were done in post. I think mic placement is possibly equally as significant as any of the other changes in this video. The amp, on it's own, is very versatile... and with time an effort, can be use to great effect.
For hardware changes, I made one of Nigel Knight's internal booster bypass Kat Kables. TRS on one end, TS on the other, plugged into the "booster output" jack, it allows one to add their favorite external Treble Booster. In this video, I used my Fryer Treble Booster Super. Which sounded super!
Next, I made a very common modification to this amp, swapping the stock speaker for a Dai Ichi DC-65 30. I then added in two 2.2uF capacitors (because I couldn't obtain a single 1uF) and a 390uH inductor, as per Nigel Knight's suggestion.
I could not find the exact equivalents in the states easily, so I got my parts from RS-components.com in the UK. The exact parts are:
Panasonic 390 μH ±10% Ferrite Leaded Inductor, 1.3A Idc, 250mΩ Rdc ELC16B
Panasonic 2.2μF 50V dc Bipolar Electrolytic Capacitor, Through Hole 5 (Dia.) x 11mm +85°C 5mm 2mm
Two notes I should make - I played with the mic placement until I got something I regarded as closest to how I perceive certain characteristics of the original Deacy to be. I did not move the mic or alter the placement based on the changing components after I placed it the first time, knowing repositioning it could very well change the subsequent sound for the better. (or worse) For reference, I settled on the "6th" sample in the mic placement portion of the video. Secondly, I wish I would have added in a second, "room" mic... I think this would have captured different characteristics not necessarily present in the close mic, such as those "ethereal" and "far out, man" type things guitar players can feel in their fingers or in the air. When I used the Fryer booster, I got a different response from the strings, I could feel it wanting to sustain longer, and some of the higher frequencies could be coaxed out of the strings easier... which was why my playing slowed down on occasion, because I was seeing what it would do from time to time.
I hope this video is instructive on it's own, but I will make a note here to point out I know almost zero about electronic components, so please keep this in mind if you ask any questions in the comment section. :)
In 2019, the Library of Congress placed this video in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Ha! Finally!
Oh, wow. Amazing. I really don’t know what else to say right now. I’m going to have to rewatch this several times to just soak this all in. Great job!
I feel like I'm trapped in a never-ending loop of different parts from 'Dreamers Ball'. I probably should have only put one or two drops of acid in my oatmeal this morning....
Ha! As Martha Stewart would say... it's a good thing.
@@Lukeyourself Martha Stewart smokes mad trees with Snoop!
@@creamydistortion And what do you imagine they sing on a never-ending loop while they do?
Great work
I’d love to hear all your recordings multilayer and all playing at once...,
It would be HUGE
Ha. Probably so! If only I had played to a click
I prefer the Original speaker as it sounds closest to what is on the recordings. Both with and without the LC filter are better than the replacement speaker. Both misses the quack or honk of the original Elac speaker by quite a bit.
Thank you for this very detailed demo of this little beast. Found one of them going for a bargain on eBay, so I took the plunge. You are getting great tones my man!
Amazing work Luke!!!! I've bought the Vox 5 mini, the white one, awesome sound for a few bucks...
Brilliant demo.
Rabbit hole, never ends. Best example of Rabbit hole.
Great work. What is the reference of your little articulated mic stand ?
Result: I'm leaving mine stock.
I mean its an ok demo of the mods, its not bad at all really.. you know what you should do! Arrange a meetup in Phoenix for fans for the Red Special in 2020.. ;-)
Only if people come. Cause then we could compare things and stuff.
Where did you buy this ? I can’t find any listing as it was discontinued in 2005
I bought it back then. But check Reverb.com or ebay. They pop up all the time.
Why on Earth did they discontinue it? I bought one back in 2005 and it was awesome. I used it on a bunch of recordings. Amazing tone! Did they sell poorly?
@@creamydistortion I think its just a matter of the amount of quality that went into these amps Vs. the profit returns wasn't worth it for the company
I have a Fryer Super Booster and I am thinking of getting a VBM1. I am confused as to how these work together since the VBM1 has a booster built in. Can you explain what input/output is plugged into which input/output, when you use these together? Is the guitar plugged into the Fryer or the VBM1? Does the Fryer go into the VBM1 or vice versa? Is the VBM1 booster output sent to another amp? Or is it more simple - the guitar goes into the Fryer which goes into the VBM1 amp and no other amp is used? Are you putting the Fryer booster through the VBM1 booster (a double booster) ? Thanks!
The VMB1 has a built in booster that some have deemed unworthy. Nigel Knight came up with a way to bypass the internal booster using a cable that is TRS on one end and TS on the other. (Schematic and cable available on his website) If this cable is plugged into the "Booster Output" (as seen at 1:05 in my video) it will bypass the internal booster and allow you to use a booster of your choice. So it's guitar > Fryer TB > Booster Output (with special cable). No external amps or speakers. The other modification outlined in the video is the addition of a capacitor and inductor, first introduced by Greg Fryer, to get the internal speaker to sound a bit closer to the original Deacy. Greg also recommended swapping out the speaker. All the changes are minor, but they accumulate. I tried to outline them all so people can decide which ones they feel are most necessary. If that makes sense.
@@Lukeyourself - That does clear it up nicely. That is very easy to follow. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Jim
nice
Insane work !! Well done ;-)
Could you tell me what capacitors and inductor did you use?
All in the description and on Nigel Knight's website.