Re: [Harp-L] Victoria 45410-T: some tube etc. advice needed

"Bob Maglinte" <bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx> · Wed, 6 Jul 2005 23:20:58 -0400

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Veli-Pekka Haanmäki" <vphaanmaki@xxxxxxxxxxx>

To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>

Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 10:41 PM

Subject: [Harp-L] Victoria 45410-T: some tube etc. advice needed

I have a Victoria 45410-T on trial here.Nice amp,nice tone.And it seems to 
be working (unlike Fender Bassman LTD I have here too as some of you may 
remember,thanks for everybody for their help on that matter!)
45410-T has 12AY7-12AX7-12AX7 preamp tubes and I feel two AX7s are a bit too 
much.Any suggestions which tube combinations to try?

I'm thinking maybe 12AY7-12AX7-12AU7.
Another question: BASS knob doesn't seem to be doing anything to the sound 
and TREBLE seems to work as TONE knob (adds bass when turned up).Is this 
OK,as it should be on 45410-T?

I'm aware that all knobs are related to each other,more or less and it is 
the combination that counts.I'm using Shure 520DX mostly,CAD HM50 feedbacks 
like crazy.

And one more: how to get a stuck preamp tube cover (that protects the tube 
inside the amp) out? It is STUCK HARD.
Thanks again!
v-p
Hi,

I own a REAL and UNMODIFIED '59 Bassman, and this amp is a LOT closer to a 
real one than ANY of the Fender Bassman reissues, and the tube setup is the 
way a REAL Bassman is, and my advice to yiou, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!!! It sounds 
better this way. Fender tube amps use passive tone controls (look back into 
the archives and I have posted this numerous times, and all this info is in 
Gerald Weber's book, "A Desktop Reference of Hip vintage guitar Amps," which 
contains the best chapter explaining the differences between the reissues 
and the real deal). The tone controls on the vast majority of Fender amps DO 
NOT boost anything, just cut, and the Victoria does the exact same thing.
For harp, turn the treble WAY WAY WAY DOWN, or roll it off completely, 
setting the bass anywhere between 6 and no higher than 10, then set the 
middle anywhere from 3 to 5 max, and the presence generally about 8 and no 
higher than 10. Like I said, the tube combo is set to the exact same way a 
real Bassman is.
This amp and the new Sonny Jr Bassman are the CLOSEST to getting the real 
deal, and the one difference is that the pots on the Victoria are linear, 
and Sonny's are audio tapers, which is what the real ones uses, meaning that 
the amp will be louder sooner, but there are many more settings in between 
the numbers.
The Victoria is still a better harp amp as well as a guitar amp than the 
Bassman RI's, both the first and this new LTD. Never get your setting advice 
from a guitar player (who doesn't play harp) or most sales people in music 
stores because when it comes to harp, 99% of them are as dumb as the day is 
long, and this hasn't changed in over 30 years!!!!!!
BTW, Fender amps were always known to be trebly to begin with. Part ofd the 
treble problem you have can be from how you hold the harp and mic together, 
how you tight cup it, how you face the amp, and the big factor, your 
chops!!!!!
The two volume controls on this amp interact with each other, and what ever 
channel the mike isn't plugged into, the other volume control will affect 
it. I always plug into the normal channel input #1, setting the volume to 
taste, then set the bright volume to 6, which is at maximum gain, and 
actually boosts the bottom end and lower mids, put anything past 6, there 
will be a noticeable volume loss.
On this amp, IMO, if you need to do such tube subs, your acoustic tone and 
chops are your real problem here!!!
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
MP3's: http://music.mp3lizard.com/barbequebob/