Tag: m80

Ampeg VT-22 Restoration

During the virus lock down I was on the hunt for a project to work on. I picked up an Ampeg VT-22 on craigslist in bad shape for $100. Unknown of it’s true condition, it sounded fun and I decided to tackle this one in stages to stay busy. Keep in mind, I decided to not power on this amp at all until the project was fully completed, a very risky action giving the unknown condition before starting to rebuild. Cosmetically it was filthy, needed a new grill cloth, new hardware, vinyl was peeling and many screws were loose. As for the speakers, one read zero ohms and the other was fluctuating upon reading, additionally a pre-amplifier and power tube was missing.
I started by cleaning the amp, inspected the circuits, and removed the speakers. The speakers I sent over to my friends at Gabriel Sound. They always do a great job restoring my vintage speakers. Check out their website https://www.speakerrecone.net/recones and the work they did on these vintage Celestian G12M-70’s. I requested to have 8 ohm coils installed and wired them up to be in parallel at 4 ohms.

So while the speakers were out for rebuild, I started on the grill cloth and hardware. The cloth I bought on eBay for cheap and installed with a staple gun. The hardware I acquired from home depot and choose a durable stainless. I used my century 100 tube tester on the tubes and determined what needed to be replaced based on strength test. For the missing output tube, I purchased a clear top RCA nos tube to match the GT tubes that were already installed.

Luckily all the electronics were in good shape for their age and the only modification the prior owner made to this amp was an additional pot added to the amp output signal. Below are some pics of the amp’s insides and the tubes that I have installed.

I am glad I fully opened up the amp, when I was at this stage I sprayed all the pots with fader lubricant/cleaner and used deoxidizer on all the connections. So after the amplifier was re-assembled I plugged in the unit and tested for functionality. I lifted the ground switch to reduce noise since the power plug does not have a ground plug. This amp is ridiculously loud and has the ability to sculpt any clean to mildly distorted guitar sound possible. Although there are only a few knobs for adjustment, the switches allow you to grab the correct range for your preference. The channels 1 (clean) and 2 (distortion) are blend-able and you can even send two signals in at once. This is not a stereo amp but it is very flexible and unique. I would have to say, the reverb is lush and overall I fell in love with this amp’s unique rich sound. This amp falls into that category of higher voltage plate amp and really seems alive when powered on, worth every penny in the used market. Best of all, when seeking these type of projects the gear is well documented, discussed and parts are readily available. Unlike my last project an Ampeg VT-120, the push pull pots are difficult to find and the amp guts are way over crowded. Here are some finished refurbished pictures and below you will find all the manuals plus ads I have collected.

VT-22Download
VT-22 SchematicDownload
ampeg_v4,vt22_smDownload
Ampeg datingDownload

Alesis Nano Modules

So apparently there has been a lot of buzz around these modules lately. I fully remember when they came out and no one cared back in 1997. This was the same year Antares launched Auto-Tune. In my opinion, other full rack mount units back then were pretty awesome comparatively and that was the better choice. Small is in now and the sounds within these units are usable. If you want them in a rack, you wont have that flush rack mount look but can fit three side by side. I believe they will have to be adhered to a rack or you can drill custom holes in through a 1u shelf. They were really geared for the small desk user that probably had a USB audio box interface. If I order a few for testing or modification I will open them up and post. Below is the compiled resource for quick reference.

Nano-Bass-ManualDownload
Nano-Comp-ManualDownload
Nano-Piano-ManualDownload
Nano-Synth-ManualDownload
Nano-Verb-ManualDownload

Hunting for Used Rack Gear to Enhance your Setup

Right now many people are uploading their rack gear for sale. To be honest it’s heavy it takes up space and much of it is old and many not high end grade. So you ask why would I mess with it? Well bargain hunters and repair diy people can make it bring a whole lot more for less money. Below you will find some example I was using to bring more to my keyboards, samplers and alternative track takes. Here I created two separate rack cases, one primarily for reverb/effects and the other to lift, sculpt and project my final results. I added a patch to the effects rack so I can quickly play with different settings outputting to my mixer channel aux. The other rack I added to my mixer main inserts for final gloss and lift but did also route it through a patch bay. The tube amp was used for powering my audio main monitors. Other than the tube amp most of these I bought cheap and or broken. They made fun projects to restore and most of the repairs were simple fixes. The key to picking easy fixes is not always straight forward. I collect a lot of spare parts and that always helps. I used to pull broken gear out of the graveyard all the time. Even if it doesn’t work there’s always parts on it that still does so save or sell.

Vintage Wall of Sound (500W Tube + 260W Solid)

Here is a nice pic of my war machine. Believe it or not, in the center a Bloc 100G by Traynor/Yorkville and the Fender Stage 100 DSP head (same as the Fender DSP Stage 160…depending on the ohm load) has plenty to play a stage. Then you have the other tube monsters that were in other posts. All tube Peavey Mace, Peavey MX VTX, Ampeg V-7 & Ampeg VT-120. This is a general showcase pic of some other posts I had made. On the ground is the Ibanez soundtanks.

Peavey 3120 Metal Head

I recently picked up a Peavey 3120 head on craigslist for a great price. This head 3120—a name that is based on the amp’s specifications of three channels and 120 watts of power is a great diverse head. I paired this with the Peavey 212-6 cabinet. I am able to get rich clean sounds to all the way max kill distortion. Totally underrated and super powerful head, I was surprised. Maybe the name threw people off since it’s a lower number than the 5150 or 6505. Lower numbers in this case don’t mean less. What a great pair with the 212-6 cabinet, because of the lower power rating I get great clipping but totally can blow up this cabinet if not careful. I wish I could have added the Invective cabinet but it costs a fortune. I contacted Peavey parts and got the matching Metal head plate to add to the cabinet, very cool and will post a pic later. Here is a peek inside, nice clean layout and quality parts, solid construction, both the head and cabinet.

  • Peavey 212-6 Back
  • Peavey 212-6 Front

Below are some vintage Ad’s for the Peavey 3130 Guitar Tube Amplifier.

3120_ArticleDownload
3120_Cut_SheetDownload
3120_ManualDownload
Peavey_Price_SheetDownload

Keyboard Lights

If you would like to maintain a nice atmosphere in your keyboard room while having the lights out or ambient lighting in place try this easy add. In most dollar stores or online you can find these battery operated led lights. They have magnetic backs and led intensity slide adjusters on them. For older keyboard as in this example the keyboard chassis are made of metal. I just stuck one under each keyboard to provide a quick light to see the keys for performance in a multi-keyboard rack.

Building a Test Rack Stack for Fixing Audio Equipment

Fixing electronic audio gear can be difficult without some good testing equipment. It is important to first consider what it is you wish to repair and which equipment is specifically needed to accomplish those tasks. On a basic level, you first want to start with a multi meter especially one that can measure capacitance, transistors and diodes. Then an oscilloscope can measure the shape of your signal. In this setup example I have a Frequency Generator, Audio Oscillator, Audio Power amplifier, Jitter Meter, Resistor Decade Box, Distortion Meter, Frequency Counter, Flutter Meter, Audio Oscilloscope, AC Variac, Variable DC Power Supply & AC Outlet connected to the AC Variac Output. 

Here are some of the manuals of the equipment in this setup.

Agilent 3325ADownload
ShibaSoku_AD725DDownload
Racal_1990Download
Matsushita_VP-7721Download
Leader_1851Download
Crown_XLSDownload

SAMSUNG CSC

Magnatone Estey M12

Here is a vintage Magnatone M12 “The Brute” tube amplifier under restoration. This amp had some unique characteristics tonally. This version loaded with a 12″ driver is harder to find in the “M” series. Recently the company has been revived www.magnatoneusa.com

This is a fantastic resource link for the vintage Magnatone M12. Unfortunately there site is down so I have placed a link through my trusty way back machine. https://www.magnatoneamps.com/M12.html

This M12 photographed was my first amp for guitar and I played on a Teisco Spectrum. I garbage picked the M12 with original cover still on it. Always worked operationally, the new finish was much needed. Not many manufacturer’s utilize such a large amount of distance between the power supply and circuit. Also bottom weight made it less prone to tipping. I always remember the lows to be a nice natural growl with some clipping. I would blend this amp with a single speaker solid state amp to make up for the lost high’s. Almost always running a Yorkville Bloc 100G.

Magnatone_M12_SchematicDownload
Magnatone_M12_Faceplate_SilkscreenDownload