JEL mods with diode clipping

peterc52

peterc52

Well-known member
Hi!

Waiting on some parts on my chupa Jose 50 watt project - I decided to take on the JEL on a 2203 I have.

Pretty much just the mod Jason shared. But with diode clipping with help from @RedPlated. Thanks!

Only differemcee are instead of 22uf on cathode follower it’s a 10uf. And a 560pf instead of 470pf snubber on the cathode 2b

Diodes are 18volts and mpsa06

Depth is .0043 with 47k NFB resistor to 4 ohm

Sounds pretty good but a bit brittle with diodes on
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You may want to make sure you get that solder blob out of the amp before it shorts something.

Your assessment is why I hate diode clipping. Makes amps thin and brittle with a ton of lost headroom.
 
Looks good except for the blob :ROFLMAO: Gotta snag that right quick

I don't hate diode clipping, but it's situational - I think it can sound good for lead tones, but i'm not a fan for rhythm tones
 
Diode clipping can sound amazing if done right. Tight, aggressive, mid-heavy, harmonically-rich overdriven sounds. But you can't just slap some diodes into an amp and call it a day.
 
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glpg80 said:
You may want to make sure you get that solder blob out of the amp before it shorts something.

Your assessment is why I hate diode clipping. Makes amps thin and brittle with a ton of lost headroom.
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Every amp I’ve modded with diodes or transistors sounds thick with them engaged. Thin and brittle are completely opposite of my results.
 
FourT6and2 said:
Diode clipping can sound amazing if done right. Tight, aggressive, mid-heavy, harmonically-rich overdriven sounds. But you can't just slap some diodes into an amp and call it a day.
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I’m not retuning an entire amp for two diodes. If I’m touching all stages to compensate for what they fuck up, they’re coming out and I can get more tightness and aggression without them. They have their place but I have always preferred sans diodes.
 
glpg80 said:
I’m not retuning an entire amp for two diodes. If I’m touching all stages to compensate for what they fuck up, they’re coming out and I can get more tightness and aggression without them. They have their place but I have always preferred sans diodes.
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For a modded Marshall, the only other options I'm aware of are a plate-fed stack or adding more tubes—both of which are more work. But if you can get there with just 3 stages + CF, I'd love to see that schematic.
 
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FourT6and2 said:
For a modded Marshall, the only other options I'm aware of are a plate-fed stack or adding more tubes—both of which are more work. But if you can get there with just 3 stages + CF, I'd love to see that schematic.
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You’re very much correct and definitely agree. Getting the amount of gain desired with just 3 stages is near impossible and 4 stages requires a complete amp redesign for noise, voicing, and stability.

However to me it’s worth it as I’ve never liked what diodes do to the top end or bottom end. They don’t add more mids to my ears - they neuter the top end and bottom end making the mids more pronounced. Once you’ve tuned that out and have it balanced, the amp typically sounds off when diodes are disconnected again.

Of course that’s the great thing about tone - we are all searching something different.
 
glpg80 said:
You’re very much correct and definitely agree. Getting the amount of gain desired with just 3 stages is near impossible and 4 stages requires a complete amp redesign for noise, voicing, and stability.

However to me it’s worth it as I’ve never liked what diodes do to the top end or bottom end. They don’t add more mids to my ears - they neuter the top end and bottom end making the mids more pronounced. Once you’ve tuned that out and have it balanced, the amp typically sounds off when diodes are disconnected again.

Of course that’s the great thing about tone - we are all searching something different.
Click to expand...
Are there a nice schematic of a cool 4GS I could try?
 
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