Question:
If you buy an amp, like say, a Marshall Dsl-50, can a tube-rectifier be modded into it?
Answer:
Oh, you probably could do it, but I think you'd need a really good reason why.
Are you familiar with the function of a rectifier - do you know what a rectifier's "job" is in an electronic device?
Nate
Answer:
probably, since the rectifier just converts AC to DC. how to do it would depend on the amp. i'd expect it to be kinda a seperate device from all the amp circuits.
Answer:
wait, is that amp tube or SS?
Answer:
Originally Posted by What5647 wait, is that amp tube or SS? it's tube, but most tube amps made today have SS rectifiers.
Answer:
Since its a tube amp, it would be within reason to do that - it has the right kind of voltages and so forth already in place. I'm not sure that it would be worth the effort and $ for the "sag" effect of a tube rectifier though. I have seen schematics for a mod to SS rectifiier circuits that are supposed to sound like tube rec sag, that would be much less $$. Years ago I had 2 amps with tube rectifiers, an old Super Reverb, and a BF Bassman head. In the context of using them with a live band, un-mic'd, I don't think I ever had either one cranked enuf to ever achieve that sag. That only occurs when the amp is really pushed hard, and of course is putting out serious SPL's. You might not even like it if you had it, if you are using heavy distortion I'm not sure it would even be desirable.
Answer:
Originally Posted by nate95366 Oh, you probably could do it, but I think you'd need a really good reason why.
Are you familiar with the function of a rectifier - do you know what a rectifier's "job" is in an electronic device?
Nate
Yup.
Originally Posted by Major Tom Since its a tube amp, it would be within reason to do that - it has the right kind of voltages and so forth already in place. I'm not sure that it would be worth the effort and $ for the "sag" effect of a tube rectifier though. I have seen schematics for a mod to SS rectifiier circuits that are supposed to sound like tube rec sag, that would be much less $$. Years ago I had 2 amps with tube rectifiers, an old Super Reverb, and a BF Bassman head. In the context of using them with a live band, un-mic'd, I don't think I ever had either one cranked enuf to ever achieve that sag. That only occurs when the amp is really pushed hard, and of course is putting out serious SPL's. You might not even like it if you had it, if you are using heavy distortion I'm not sure it would even be desirable.
Oh, ok. I always was under the assumption that tube rec's sagged at any-volume.
Do the SS mods operate bassically the same way? I mean that, you would have to crank the amp way high to get the sag?
Answer:
Only when the amp is pushed hard enuf to where its current demand exceeds the abilty of the power supply to supply it. The whole thing is, back in the old days, there were no high gain amps; guys played clean, and didn't have preamps or hi-output pickups to drive an amp into serious OD. The designers of the amps basically unintentionally under-engineered the power supply since the level at which it would sag was not anticipated. I guess it was in the mid 70's or so that tube rectifiers pretty much disappeared from amps probalby 'cause the solid state rectifiers were coming down in price.
Many tube amps will never sag - ones that have beefy enuf power supplies. One example is a Fender Champ - I don't think you can get it to sag since its a low watt output and the rectifier tube is probably capable of more current than it will ever demand.
But yeah, the sag only occurs at a certain point, and I would imagine that if you were able to go too much further with it that it may well produce an undesirable amount of sag.
Here's a webpage about one sag mod
Answer:
cool, thanx