Mystery Knob on Back of Ed's Amp Was FET ?!?!?

Just some random clip off youtube but goes to show that you need to get it cooking and then get the volume down.. add the JBL's for high end and good enough if you can play.

 
Kapo_Polenton said:
That's essentially it... add to it a tweak or two to your preamp based on how the components have drifted and what you need more of and then a lil push from an EQ of any type for more cut or shaping. Hell, even someone with an EQ pedal and a Plexi can get the sound if they can play. It's fun to see these debates but there is no way any stage on a tv show would let a guy open up a 100 watt plexi. The answer clearly lies in the slaving/reamp process. Or I guess a superlead into a load and the line output into a cab IR.
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I get what you are saying; but listen/watch the EVH/Letterman show clips on youtube. He gets a lot of gain, at a very low volume and it's just the head on a cab; no pedals/slave setup at all. That amp is clearly at a small club volume level; no chance of that amount of gain without something else going on inside the amp.
 
PLX said:
Been there, done that.

It's sounds like crap.

ymmv :poop:
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I'll say this though; the PS100 I had, sounded ok and is great to add a loop/use as an additional amp in a W/DW setup. Great piece of gear. A reactive load, which everyone THINKS is the better choice.....

But my cheap Pulse attenuator(copy of a Jettenuator) sounds better to me than the reactive load PS. By a wide margin....I still don't like to attenuate but if I had to, I'd choose the resistive box vs the more highly regarded PS.
 
What I think is the full picture.

Ed traditionally used a variac, and a load box with a pretty much stock plexi into the effects, then into a power amp.

At some point Ed started getting invited to shows like David Letterman, and asked Jose to add a MV so he did not have to tote all that gear around.
 
Racerxrated said:
I'll say this though; the PS100 I had, sounded ok and is great to add a loop/use as an additional amp in a W/DW setup. Great piece of gear. A reactive load, which everyone THINKS is the better choice.....

But my cheap Pulse attenuator(copy of a Jettenuator) sounds better to me than the reactive load PS. By a wide margin....I still don't like to attenuate but if I had to, I'd choose the resistive box vs the more highly regarded PS.
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Exactly. Just like certain amps don't gel with certain speakers. Same speakers may sound perfect with another amp.
 
CrazyNutz said:
What I think is the full picture.

Ed traditionally used a variac, and a load box with a pretty much stock plexi into the effects, then into a power amp.

At some point Ed started getting invited to shows like David Letterman, and asked Jose to add a MV so he did not have to tote all that gear around.
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Eddie could have walked into that studio and had Paul Shaffer tell him he was using a 1x12 combo and it still would have sounded amazing. It's like the final true acceptance of Eddies tone for people. They will never sound like him.
 
CrazyNutz said:
What I think is the full picture.

Ed traditionally used a variac, and a load box with a pretty much stock plexi into the effects, then into a power amp.

At some point Ed started getting invited to shows like David Letterman, and asked Jose to add a MV so he did not have to tote all that gear around.
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Yes. I think there's a good chance the Jose style MV/clipping circuit is an attempt to replicate that huge pain in the ass slaved setup in a single amp for convenience. I don't think Jose had perfected his circuits as early as the late 70's when he first got together with Ed and designed the slave rig.
 
CrazyNutz said:
Maybe I'll build the restive load described by Christopher Michael.

He say's 20ohm center tapped. So just need 10ohms + 10ohm, and tap into the middle of the two then run that to a pot. Attach it all to a large heat sink with fan.


EDIT:
I was poking around on Jose's facebook page and found this picture
173433443_3878446175524534_8031352669319162775_n.jpg
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Mark Cameron owns that piece.
 
Racerxrated said:
I get what you are saying; but listen/watch the EVH/Letterman show clips on youtube. He gets a lot of gain, at a very low volume and it's just the head on a cab; no pedals/slave setup at all. That amp is clearly at a small club volume level; no chance of that amount of gain without something else going on inside the amp.
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To be fair, you might just be seeing the slave INTO the head which then runs into the cab no?
 
Racerxrated said:
I'll say this though; the PS100 I had, sounded ok and is great to add a loop/use as an additional amp in a W/DW setup. Great piece of gear. A reactive load, which everyone THINKS is the better choice.....

But my cheap Pulse attenuator(copy of a Jettenuator) sounds better to me than the reactive load PS. By a wide margin....I still don't like to attenuate but if I had to, I'd choose the resistive box vs the more highly regarded PS.
Click to expand...

I hear ya... My old Hotplate sounded better at lower volumes than my Two Notes Reactive load Reload box. The hotplate didn't sound as good as the amp opened up BUT it sounded really good dialed back half way on the knobbie. I have not liked the Reload as much. I'm not crazy about the two notes attenuator circuit.
 
ccn said:
Funny , Ed also had to have everything on 11 also . I was reading a piece by Paul Gilbert yesterday and he was saying when he hung out with Ed at his 5150 studio's Paul said he permanently lost a big chunk of his hearing ability because Ed had to have everything dimed to the max LOL.
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Interesting info from Paul, at what stage would that have been? Was 5150 studio around in 77/78? That is the sound, as you mentioned, Ed said he played clubs with his amps dimed or all the way up then back off just a hair" said he covered his cabs with poster board or something cant remember the exact phrase as he felt sorry for thr ones at the front. Not Paul tho lol
 
^ 5150 studio had not been built yet. It was built in ___________. 1983

Here is fun read in this post if you are into that sort of thing. I thought is was interesting but a lot of it frankly was over my head.
https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/van-halen.247213/post-2817091


Racerxrated said:
I get what you are saying; but listen/watch the EVH/Letterman show clips on youtube. He gets a lot of gain, at a very low volume and it's just the head on a cab; no pedals/slave setup at all. That amp is clearly at a small club volume level; no chance of that amount of gain without something else going on inside the amp.
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I have absolutely no idea but do we know for a fact that all he had that night was the head and cab? There could have been shit behind the curtain :dunno:

CrazyNutz said:
What I think is the full picture.

Ed traditionally used a variac, and a load box with a pretty much stock plexi into the effects, then into a power amp.

At some point Ed started getting invited to shows like David Letterman, and asked Jose to add a MV so he did not have to tote all that gear around.
Click to expand...
True, but also by that time he was not toting anything besides coke. What I mean was, he was not physically carry his gear around so it doesn't really matter how big or cumbersome it was. If Ed wanted it there he just had to snap his fingers. :dunno:


PS: I forgot how toward the end David Letterman asks Ed if DLR drives him crazy :lol: Ed holds his guitar up almost in an attempt to block the laughter. At that point in time DLR would have just departed the band. April 1, 1985 IIRC.
 
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