Doug's Firefly amp for acoustic, possible??

[ncc]

Hi,
I read that the Firefly amp was not designed to provide a clean sound
but I was wondering, can I do any mod to mine or add another
channel (pre-amp-stage, etc) to make it acoustic friendly?

Thanks,

Norm

[bancika]

You could try, remove cascode boost for starters and maybe you'll need to modify voicing

[Pushtone]

Hey bancika,

Don't look at this link! You'll be sorry

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=482069

[bancika]

Yeah, it's cute  But not very versatile

[Doug_H]

I tried out one of those epi valve jr's in the store and was not impressed. It sounded very similar to the old electar 10. Nastayyyy...

Doug

[Pushtone]

And the FireFly is flexible??

I just thought it was ironic that like me you probable spent
200+ hundred dollars building the FireFly and heres a 99 tube amp.  :icon_evi 

Of course we don't do it for the value, but dang... 99 dollars.

[JimRayden]

I tried out one of those epi valve jr's in the store and was not impressed. It sounded very similar to the old electar 10. Nastayyyy...

Doug

These amps aren't appreciated for their tone, they're appreciated for the material. A cool-looking cab, a chassis, tube sockets and trannies for next to nothin'.

----------
Jimbo

[bancika]

Well, stock version isn't that flexible, but it has boost that Valve Jr doesn't But, you can make is as flexible as you want it to be.
Making your own gear usually doesn't mean saving money. You can save only on overpriced items (like TS808 reissue or something). The beauty of DIY way is you can customize your project to your need and you can pick parts that are better than most companies use. Just my .02

[Doug_H]

And the FireFly is flexible??

I just thought it was ironic that like me you probable spent
200+ hundred dollars building the FireFly and heres a 99 tube amp.  :icon_evi 

Of course we don't do it for the value, but dang... 99 dollars.

I spent about $75 building my Firefly. Flexible? No. The point of the exercise was hard rock output tube distortion. Never intended for anything else. Nevertheless, very usable if you like that sound.

OTOH, I found the epi jr to not be usable for anything other than a modding platform, which is not a bad idea BTW. AFAIC, its "stock" sound is pretty horrific. Of course, YMMV, tone is subjective, blah, blah, all the usual disclaimers apply...

But, while flexibility is one thing- usability is something else entirely...

Doug

[JimRayden]

But, while flexibility is one thing- usability is something else entirely...

Doug

If one thing can do everything, it can do nothing.

-----------
Jimbo

[John Lyons]

The Firefly is actually pretty flexable. It gets everyting from a nice very slightly distorted sound all the way up to a pretty heavy lead sound.
You can get a clean sound out of it but it's really quite. I uses as 12Au7as a power tube the 12Au7 is a preamp tube with only about 1 watt of clean sound, if that, and thats not truely sparkly clean.
For a small amp you either want to buy the Pro jr mentioned above and have it worked on to sound good....Or build the P1 from ax84.com and ask about it over there as far as modifing it fo acoustic...

John

[bancika]

I put 12AT7 at output, now it's even better

[JimRayden]

I agree with Basicaudio. Your acoustic's acoustic volume will eat the measly clean Firefly for breakfast. The purpose of amplifying the acoustic guitar is to bring the level up to necessary (perhaps even giggable) volumes, Firefly just ain't gonna cut it. I advise at least a 5-watt (the P1 at ax84.com, with a little modificating).

If I'm not wrong, acoustic amps are just flat-eq amps, with maybe a mid scoop. A normal guitar speaker won't give you the highs needed for acoustic, so you'll most propably need a full-range one. Or a bass/tweeter combo.

But then again, you can just keep it simple and plug into the firefly, dime it and go nuts. Lots of fun.

-------------
Jimbo

[ncc]

Thanks guys for all the response.
I read them and concluded that the answer was 'NO'

I already have the Firefly and I am real happy with what it does.
I think Doug H. did a great job on this design.

I'll just have to find another design for the acoustic side of things.

Norm

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

the firefly is an awesome sounding little amp. i have to yell to be heard over mine, but that might be partly my 1 x 12 celestion cab, which has a very loud speaker.

definitely not a clean amp. i put a booster/OD/fuzz/dist in front of it and make a mess of it. it sounds good with almost anything pushing it.

[Doug_H]

Thanks.

Yeah, it was definitely not designed with acoustic guitar amplification in mind and I don't think it would be a good fit there. But what do I know? A month or so ago someone wanted to build a fet model of the Firefly preamp for use with an acoustic (?!?!?).

All I can say is I'm never sure of where people are going with anything anymore. So I gave up trying to figure it out...

Doug

[Pushtone]

"I don't know the key to success but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."
Bill Cosby

Doug, the Firefly rocks!
And so does Paul's FF layout!

[Doug_H]

Thanks!

Doug

[ncc]

All I can say is I'm never sure of where people are going with anything anymore. So I gave up trying to figure it out...

Doug

Doug,
You did very well with all your designs so far and
people who build them appreciate the effort you put into this
and your willingness to share.
I was just wondering, do you have another design in your back pocket that
would be more suitable for acoustic?

Here is what happened: I was listening to the demo on this link:
http://www.steinberger.com/news.aspx?NewsID=281

and got  all excited that I could add a piezo to my electric guitar
and try to get a simulated acoustic tone.
Now I have to amplify it to get the right groove..


Norm

[Pushtone]

Sorry to hijack your thread, but while I have Doug's attention I just have to know something...

Doug, does the H stand for Hammond?

Come on now, fess up! Are you part of the Hammond Manufacturing cartell?
Are your amp designs just bait to get us to buy more of your transformers and die-cast boxes?

Where will it end Doug?
Are you right now planning more amp designs to thrust upon a helpless population. A population who have become so addicted to the good tone of your designs that we eagerly buy, buy, buy Hammond products to feed our desire and line your pockets.

Sure there's the feeling of accomplishment when it works, but at what price Doug? Even as I write there is a shipment of parts, destine to become another Octal FATness, is on it's way. I can't stop myself and I'm just one of many before me to fall for your trickery. My kids grow up, I barely know my wife and at 1:00 AM I'm jones'in for a fresh soldering tip.

Dam you Doug,
Dam you to hell.

BTW: If the H stands for Herman... never mind.