Tube Type Distortion at AMZ

[petemoore]

Has anyone tried the distortion, the circuit Jack Orman drew up at AMZ, using a patented drawing of a circuit from what was used in Crate Amps?
  It looks rather interesting in that the OA feedback clipping diodes are facing both ways. l<-->l Unlike what I've seen in other distortion devices.
  The write up about the tube amp like harmonics....lol...I thought All Distorters 'make' that.
  Anyway different looking distortion concept to me and I wonder if anyone could offer any additional input on it.

[runmikeyrun]

I personally wouldn't build anything designed by crate.

[MartyMart]

Sounds interesting Pete, are you sure they are facing opposite poles?  not just asymetrical is it ??
wouldn't that stop the flow, like when using a power protection diode ?
Marty.

[Dirk_Hendrik]

Funny

going to //www.uspto.gov and punching in that patent number gives:
Treatment of disorders associated with pulmonary hypertension and/or right heart failure  :shock: yikes!

That should be:
5,032,796

[petemoore]

Sounds interesting Pete, are you sure they are facing opposite poles?  not just asymetrical is it ??
wouldn't that stop the flow, like when using a power protection diode ?
Marty.

The Schematic is on AMZ's Site...check it out !!!
 First of all I only mentioned Crate to identify the schamatic, Jack Orman's made something different from it. I'm not a Crate fan boy...one Can find Gems in the garbage if one looks long enough though...
 I just found this clipping arrangement to look quite 'unique' and see the 'stop the flow' question as a perfectly valid one, I had the same thought.
 Anyway it said something about harmonics that sounded enticing' just wondering if there were any experiments/results/conjecture/theories/comments on this type of [odd?] feedback loop clipping circuit.

[toneman]

do U mean the Peavy Patent?
can't find "Crate"....(?)
In "schematics" all I find is the Peavy.  
No ref 2 Crate.
LMK
Thanx
tone

[PB Wilson]

Don't knock Crate 'til you try it. I have a great sounding Crate amp, a Vintage Club 60 watt combo with 2X10 speakers. It uses a pair of EL-34s and has two independent channels. I and others that have heard it think it sounds very nice. Now some of the practice amps Crate has put out sound pretty lousy, but their Vintage Club amps are nice, especially for the money.

Also, Ampeg amps are often regarded as nice amps, so I'll share a little fact with you: Crate and Ampeg are made by the same company.

As for the Crate circuit used in a stompbox, I've never heard it, but I've heard great things about Jack's pedals.

My $0.02

[smashinator]

I've got 2 crappy crate practice amps.  The funny thing is, even though mechanically they are pieces of crap (anyone have one that's been around for more than a year that doesn't have a funky input jack, bad pots, and a buzz coming from... somewhere?), if you play around with them long enough you can get some great sounds out of them.

Also, they work great with my fuzz face, which is more than I can say about my buddy's valvestate.   :wink:

On the other hand, if someone dumped a jcm or (please please please) an Orange AD-somethin' in my lap, I wouldn't say no.  

[vanhansen]

I happen to have a GX-15 practice amp that I've owned for over 10 years.  It sounds good to me.  The clean is clean, the OD is OK but sounds best with bass and treble at 10 and mids at 5.  I then drive it some more with my SD-1.  You should hear it hooked up to my 4X12 cab.  Not a bad sounding 15 watt amp.  I've never had a problem with it either.  Yes, some Crates are crap (*cough* Blue Voodoo *cough*), but there are some good ones too.

[PaulC]

The really cool part of that patent is in the bias shifter.  The circuit has a nice "bounce" to it as it offsets, and a cool asym clipping because of it.  It's the most triode looking way of running  opamp/diodes I've seen.

Another cool one is the peavey transtube patent.  Very simple circuit to get trans to bias shift like a triode.  Again - cool bounce and asym clipping.  Both of these are things I'd like to play with when the patents run out...