Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Dmoney on June 26, 2009, 10:02:28 PM

Title: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on June 26, 2009, 10:02:28 PM
yo!
so i had my uber opened up to have a nosey about and changed some of the preamp tube so the amp is less fizzy now. played it slightly cranked which im sure annoyed my neighbors.

anyway.
V6, the Phase Inverter has a dial beside it. apparently it is a symetry adjust for the phase inverter.

can anybody enlighten me as to how this works and its effect and why its on this amp?
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on June 27, 2009, 12:09:42 PM
maybe this thread should be moved to the tech section.

attached a pic of what im on about anyway.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Denim n Leather on June 27, 2009, 02:26:03 PM
Interesting. Have you tried turning the pot to see how it affects the tone?
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on June 27, 2009, 07:43:29 PM
no. i asked bogner about it and the reply was

DONT TOUCH THAT UNLESS YOU ARE A QUALIFIED TECH

but they didnt tell me its effect. lack of info. i dont actually find bogner support very good.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: indysmith on June 27, 2009, 07:45:30 PM
:roll: Doesn't sound like you've been having much luck with customer support services recently Dmoney!
Your email address isn't paedophile@hotmail.com or something is it?
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on June 27, 2009, 07:54:57 PM
:roll: Doesn't sound like you've been having much luck with customer support services recently Dmoney!
Your email address isn't paedophile@hotmail.com or something is it?

nah.
HOWEVER!
today i did go to town to try delays and chorus pedal, and this babe was working in vintage & rare down tin pan alley, and i think i fell in love. i had to go and try a few pedals but (like any self respecting musician) i was too afraid to ask for her digits. lame! if only i'd taken my 'ignorant pills' and ive been straight in there!
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Oli on June 27, 2009, 08:58:50 PM
:roll: Doesn't sound like you've been having much luck with customer support services recently Dmoney!
Your email address isn't paedophile@hotmail.com or something is it?

nah.
HOWEVER!
today i did go to town to try delays and chorus pedal, and this babe was working in vintage & rare down tin pan alley, and i think i fell in love. i had to go and try a few pedals but (like any self respecting musician) i was too afraid to ask for her digits. lame! if only i'd taken my 'ignorant pills' and ive been straight in there!

Hah, balls to the woman, what chorus pedal(s) did you try? I tried a JAM Waterfall in there, and it was the best chorus i've ever heard... it's a shame that i've got to pay for repairs and insurance on my car this week, otherwise i'd have bought it!

Phase symmetry to me sounds like it'll alter the distortion that the PI and the output valves create, perhaps by adjusting the phase of the two outputs on the PI. That's just a guess though, so it's liable to be completely wrong :)
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on June 28, 2009, 02:15:59 AM
chorus notes in the chorus thread.

thats makes sense, but i dont want to mess with it if im not sure what it does... the symetry dial i mean.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: JRM75 on June 28, 2009, 05:05:51 AM
found this dunno if you have seen it or not.... http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-385788.html
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: MrBump on June 28, 2009, 08:45:53 AM
... an hot woman working in a music shop?!?!

... are you sure..?!?!
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: martinw on June 28, 2009, 09:50:38 AM
Possibly a variable resistor in series with one of the Phase Inverter anode resistors. It would allow adjustment of the PI outputs to allow you to balance them, or not if you prefer an imbalance.

Same idea as having 82k/100k anode resistors on Marshall's etc, but a bit more precise. It's not a new idea, and better suited to hifi/PA anyway. The Sai PA amp the sgmypod owns has this feature.

There's debate over whether a perfectly balanced PI is a good thing in a guitar amp. Most would say not, or at least thatbi doesn't make much difference.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: hunter on June 30, 2009, 03:31:20 PM
no. i asked bogner about it and the reply was

DONT TOUCH THAT UNLESS YOU ARE A QUALIFIED TECH

but they didnt tell me its effect. lack of info. i dont actually find bogner support very good.

Call them. Thez are great on the phone, suck on email only.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on June 30, 2009, 03:35:51 PM
thanks for the tip!
i'll give it a try!
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on June 30, 2009, 04:05:42 PM
also, im sure my uber is more noisy today.... weird. hmmm
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: jpfamps on June 30, 2009, 04:52:15 PM
Possibly a variable resistor in series with one of the Phase Inverter anode resistors. It would allow adjustment of the PI outputs to allow you to balance them, or not if you prefer an imbalance.

Same idea as having 82k/100k anode resistors on Marshall's etc, but a bit more precise. It's not a new idea, and better suited to hifi/PA anyway. The Sai PA amp the sgmypod owns has this feature.

There's debate over whether a perfectly balanced PI is a good thing in a guitar amp. Most would say not, or at least thatbi doesn't make much difference.

I would concur.

I expect that it is a method of balancing the AC signal in a long-tail pair phase splitter.

This is hardly a new. The earliest schematic I've seen this feature on is the Harman Kardan Citation II from 1960! Not many guitar/ bass amps have this feature, although Ampeg used it in the SVT.

The jury is still out as to whether perfectly balanced AC drive to the power amp is of any benefit in a guitar bass amp, although my personal view is that it isn't, and that balance in most guitar amps is "good enough for rock and roll".

On a more practical note, pots/ variable resistors are relatively unreliable compared to fixed resistors, so unless there is a very good reason for using a pot here then you will ultimately be compromising the reliability of the amp.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on June 30, 2009, 06:22:02 PM
Possibly a variable resistor in series with one of the Phase Inverter anode resistors. It would allow adjustment of the PI outputs to allow you to balance them, or not if you prefer an imbalance.

Same idea as having 82k/100k anode resistors on Marshall's etc, but a bit more precise. It's not a new idea, and better suited to hifi/PA anyway. The Sai PA amp the sgmypod owns has this feature.

There's debate over whether a perfectly balanced PI is a good thing in a guitar amp. Most would say not, or at least thatbi doesn't make much difference.



I would concur.

I expect that it is a method of balancing the AC signal in a long-tail pair phase splitter.

This is hardly a new. The earliest schematic I've seen this feature on is the Harman Kardan Citation II from 1960! Not many guitar/ bass amps have this feature, although Ampeg used it in the SVT.

The jury is still out as to whether perfectly balanced AC drive to the power amp is of any benefit in a guitar bass amp, although my personal view is that it isn't, and that balance in most guitar amps is "good enough for rock and roll".

On a more practical note, pots/ variable resistors are relatively unreliable compared to fixed resistors, so unless there is a very good reason for using a pot here then you will ultimately be compromising the reliability of the amp.

I've heard the 82K 100K anode resistor setup is a legacy thing that goes back to the early marshall's and isn't reeeeeeeeeeeeeally needed. meaning you could get away with 100k/100k

i was just tapping on the V1 tube and i could hear some nice 'TINGS' out of the speakers. so im guessing this is microphonic and probably where my noise is coming from.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: jpfamps on June 30, 2009, 06:42:55 PM
The 82k/100k resistor values originated in the tweed Bassman which of course Marshall copied. Later Blackface Fender circuits used 82k/100k values as well, although 91k/100k would have given better balance with the circuit values they chose. Maybe they didn't bother recalculating the values, or perhaps 91k resistors were harder to get, I don't know. Anyhow, all the resostors used in the Fender amps of this era were 10% tolerance band anyway.

In the later Silverface amps Fender went to 47k/47k to reduce gain in the PI, probably to give more clean headroom

Incidentally, the current Hot Rod Fenders use 91k/100k.

From my experience it really doesn't make much difference and I tend to use 100k/100k in new builds, but in older amps will replace with the original value.

Regarding tapping V1, in a high gain amp virtually any 12AX7 will make a noise if you tap it.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on June 30, 2009, 06:49:52 PM
only V1 did.
i just swapped it for another gold pin, when i put that in i tried the tapping test again and it made no sound. initially it made a very dull and very quiet 'thud' sound if i tapped it pretty hard. now it doesnt make a noise.

there is still high gain hiss from the amp, but there is an improvement.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: AndyR on June 30, 2009, 08:00:25 PM
Can't tell you naff all about the amp stuff.

But back to the important part of this thread: she is mighty fine ain't she? :D

She tried to sell me all sorts of stuff...

In fact, I was so scared I might be tempted to get my wallet out, I took the missus in on the next few visits :lol:

And then I went in on my own again one day...

And I bought a resonator :roll:

(If you find out her name, let me know - I'll name the reso after her!)

There you go, that's an in for you! "There's a guy I know on the BKP forum wants to know your name so's he can name his resonator after to you..." ... never know, might work!

:lol:
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: hunter on July 01, 2009, 02:59:59 AM
Just wondering, I watch you investigating a lot into how to improve the amp and all. My feeling is that in fact you seem to really want to like it but maybe it's just not the right amp?

Please take no offense, it's just I had similar experiences in the past trying to make things work for me that were just not right in the first place, but I might be completely wrong here.
Title: Re: uberschall question... the mystery dial! Phase Symetry Adjust
Post by: Dmoney on July 01, 2009, 11:51:19 AM
no offence taken
i had the same feeling.
i think its an amp that sounds much better loud.

i had a lot of fun yesterday using the chorus and boosting the cleans with an OD-808
the gain side is dark at low volume but it gets better when its louder. there is definetly a point where it kicks in and its like some of the brightness comes back. i think its also taken me a real long time to get the hang of the presence and mid controls, and how all the tone controls interact.

i will say, i am happier with it, but my favourite amp is still my avenger.
but a two channel avenger with EL34's and a fx loop is a rare thing. (or is it a Hot Rod + with a depth mod and EL34's?)