Ignorance is bliss...

  • Thread starter Thread starter GuitarGuy08
  • Start date Start date
I’m surprised with all the advances in output tech for an amp these days, power reduction, internal loads, auto biasing, IR’s etc that they haven’t tried voltage regulation for the input of power. They know the amp is optimal at eg. 117VAC have it automatically regulate to that. Sure would solve those gigs where the venue has crappy stage power.
 
The tone search is fun until it becomes a paralysis by analysis kind of deal which then can be a hinderance. every day i usually pick a different guitar, amp, boost and speaker and just jam out and see what happens, and its where 95% of my riffs come from, but at the same time i never actually get full songs done cause i feel like i gotta try something else. That last clip I did I tried six or seven different mixes all with different techniques, and really in the end there wasn’t one better or the other just different, and any of them would have been fine to release. Basically, I’m done obsessing over minor things that in the end don’t really matter, I gotta start getting shit done now that I have a clue what I’m doing
 
I'm not too worried about minor tonal changes. In most cases it's nothing that can't be compensated for with a little EQ adjustment. If it's a the point where I'm just not feeling it I play though something else. I also have a decent variety of guitars/amps/speaker cabs and am not chasing any specific tone. So those minor variations don't bother me. I work with what I have at that given time and it can inspire me to come up with something different.
 
Now I am wondering if I should get a Variac. Looks like they are cheap. I could just run my Furman strip off of that. The unit just keeps steady voltage at whatever you set it at, even if the input fluctuates? Seems like a no brainer for like $75-$125.
 
GuitarGuy08 said:
Now I am wondering if I should get a Variac. Looks like they are cheap. I could just run my Furman strip off of that. The unit just keeps steady voltage at whatever you set it at, even if the input fluctuates? Seems like a no brainer for like $75-$125.
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If you decide on the variac, make sure you do a setup like @c+addict has. The dials on most variacs are more for reference, not for accuracy. Also keep an eye on the power rating.

 
Erock said:
If you decide on the variac, make sure you do a setup like @c+addict has. The dials on most variacs are more for reference, not for accuracy. Also keep an eye on the power rating.

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Would an Isolation transformer be more of what I am looking for? I just want to make sure the voltage keeps steady and clean.
 
GuitarGuy08 said:
Would an Isolation transformer be more of what I am looking for? I just want to make sure the voltage keeps steady and clean.
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If you want constant power, that won't fluctuate up or down, you would need an actual voltage regulator, like the Furman units. I looked at them before getting a BB, but it was way more than I wanted to spend at the time. My power doesn't usually dip below 118V. A variac or BB is only going to be able to throttle what it's working with from the wall, versus a regulator that will keep the voltage steady, (almost) regardless what it's seeing at the wall.
 
Erock said:
If you want constant power, that won't fluctuate up or down, you would need an actual voltage regulator, like the Furman units. I looked at them before getting a BB, but it was way more than I wanted to spend at the time. My power doesn't usually dip below 118V. A variac or BB is only going to be able to throttle what it's working with from the wall, versus a regulator that will keep the voltage steady, (almost) regardless what it's seeing at the wall.
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So if the wall goes between 110-120, the variac could keep it at a constant 117, regardless of the variance from the outlet, correct?
 
GuitarGuy08 said:
So if the wall goes between 110-120, the variac could keep it at a constant 117, regardless of the variance from the outlet, correct?
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Might need to do some searching for verification but I don't think a varian is dynamic like that. it may follow the ups and downs from the wall. I guess an indulgent setup would be a voltage regulator that feeds a Variac. But even the Furman has a margin of fluctuation of up to +/- 5 volts.
There may be more expensive units that regulate incoming voltage and let you set a custom fixed output, all in one.
 
GuitarGuy08 said:
So if the wall goes between 110-120, the variac could keep it at a constant 117, regardless of the variance from the outlet, correct?
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Like @skoora said, it's only going to be able to work with what it's getting. If your wall power dips, it's going to dip on the variac as well. The main reason I got a BB, was because my wall voltage was going way over the 120V most amps are designed around. It's just much less strain on all the amp components.
 
OK thanks guys! I recently picked up a Furman AC215 and when I used it with my amp briefly, it changed how it sounds. It would have to be something to do with the power here, though I know everything is wired correctly and solid. I would assume that the tonal change was either due to it cleaning up or changing the voltage and therefore the plate voltage and the bias on the output tubes. Everything got a bit louder but it's like everything was mostly upper end. The bass and mids all sucked up a ton. Weird. I have more testing to do of course but will update the AC215 thread I have going when I can figure it out.
 
Noise filtering is going to be different than a regulator or variac They are awesome though. I have a couple WAudio filtering units, and really like them. I have a Furman strip, but it's just coming out of the BB to feed the other side of my room. I looked at that unit as well, will be checking out the thread. :cheers:
 
Tested the Furman, reads exactly the same as the outlet directly, which goes up and down between 120-121 every 3 seconds or so. This sounds crazy, but this is very reminiscent of when I tested my amp using the Mogami gold cable I made against the EB braided ones I tend to use. Again, a wayyyy tighter bass, a leaner mid-range, and extended top end. Will do further sound testing with the Furman, as I can't figure out how that would change the sound at all.
 
Tone Monster said:
Who the fuck EVER said speakers don’t make a difference? I’d argue they make the most difference.
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A Marshall will always sound like a Marshall and a Mesa will always sound like a Mesa, no matter what speakers you use.
Different Speakers sound and feel different though. :D
 
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