From hof–(at)–leeb.com Thu Nov 12 09:18:08 CST 1998
Article: 138458 of alt.guitar.amps
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From: hof–(at)–erv.net (Cybermonk)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.amps,alt.guitar.effects,alt.guitar,rec.music.makers.guitar,alt.music.4-track
Subject: Re: Replace loud power tube by 2-watt preamp tube
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 09:30:22 GMT
Organization: http://www.cybtrans.com
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From: “The Jester”
To: Cybermonk
Subject: Re: Please send info about Triode Convertor
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 22:17:35 -0600
>Please send any information you might have about the Triode Convertor. This stands to be a red-hot product! Do you
*know* what a *tremendous* demand there is, lately, for products that enable
quiet cranked-amp tone?! I have put together a
major site about such products, based largely on input from other people
who, like me, have been seeking a way, for years, to
get authentic cranked-tube-amp tone at low levels.
It didn’t looked like as a red hot product to us, we stopped the production
of the triode converter three weeks ago, we sold the
rest of the stock to a company in Japan. We marketed the triode converter
for two years, sent to all major magazines a set of
BJ EL 84 converter and triode converter, with no response. In those two
years we sold two pairs here in the US! All other of
the 500 units produced went to Japan.
>The entry in the 1998/99 Guitar and Bass Buyer’s guide only says, “Changes EL34, 6L6, and 6V6 tubes to a triode Class A
sound”. But what they don’t say, the most important thing, is that this
“triode Class A sound” is attained by using any standard
*preamp* tube, resulting in just 2 watts of output.
Yes, the basic idea was to change the output tubes of an existing amp to
EL84 (with BJ84) to get a 15 Watt output, or even
between 1 watt (12AX7), 2 watt (12AT7), 5 watt (12AU7) or 5.5Watt (12BH7)
with the triode converter. Both converter types change the existing output
stage to Class A. We still offer the EL84 converter but are considering
stopping production on that as well.
>The ADA Ampulator used a comparable approach, to achieve tube power amp saturation into a load by using a 12AX7
“preamp” tube configured as a power tube, with 1 or 2 watts out. Most users
exclaimed that this power-tube saturation pedal
(actually a rack unit) works very well and preamp distortion can’t even come
close to the creamy power-tube saturation. So I
expect that the Triode Convertor could sound as great as the Ampulator.
I checked out your web-site. It looks fine to me; there are only a few minor
technical errors.
Thanks for your mail,
Best regards,
Oliver
Jester Enterprises, Inc.
Damn it. So you see, we must raise consciousness! The magazines don’t
understand, the marketers don’t understand, the users don’t understand.
This sort of thing is exactly what everyone is looking for. But where now
is the Crunch Master? Designers are making the solutions to the problem so
many guitarists have, yet no one knows it. We must raise consciousness
about these products, and support them. Ask for them, and they will appear.
Having a perfect solution is no guarantee of product success. The Marshall
Power Brake is an expensive, unsatisfactory solution, with such tonal
compromise at extreme attenuation, yet since Marshall chooses to market it,
it is available at Guitar Center and Musicians Friend, while good products
such as the Hot Plate are relatively rare.
Please email Jester and ask where you can order the Triode Converter from.
Can someone hunt down these 500 units in Japan? I should ask him for a
contact. I should buy the lot myself!
__________________________
On a sad and frustrated note,
http:/./www.cybtrans.com/guitar — Amp Tone and Effects Placement. Lists
many products that were too well designed to be understood, that met with a
blank stare because they were too far ahead of their time. May all these
products be reissued. Attenuators, power-tube saturation pedals,
power-reduction technology, speaker isolation cabinets, very low-power tube
amps
