Valvecaster "38"

[petemoore]

  one 12at7 running with ~38vdc on it's plates.
  12au7 must have something wrong with it.
  LM317 doesn't seem to mind 'HV" [rated for 40vdc input], stays mighty cool with no heat sink.
  7812 12v regulator is a little 'stove burner' it's heat sink is coupled to the case [Gnd. pin shares connect with the tab], it can do it's regulatin' and keep the box warm too.
  The whole VC thing at 12vdc with the tubes I had wasn't cutting it.
  Bumped to a be ValveCaster 38v...well...the tube certainly does various sounds that are characteristic of the component it is.
  Frequency response, compression, distortion, and a certain type of 'blurring' which is it's own unique thing.
  Although GE transistors have little tonally in common with LV tubes, the amount of character tubes and GE's as components can impart on the signal is similar [they both do many tricks and alter tone quite noticably], for 1 little part, the amount of 'messin' they can do to the signal is outstanding.
  Pretty neat as an effect, just get your tube barely working and you're basically done.
  The 'hard' part is the power supply, chassis, mounting hardwares [such as I wish I could find the pot nuts for it !] etc., pretty easy really.