freestompboxes.org

Hey guys, got back around to using my 18 watt.
It's built on a PCB from one of the late Terry Stinger's boards, and I have a VVR module from Hall Amplification.

Here's my deal. When I run the amp, I have both the volume up all the way, tone up all the way, and the VVR quieting it down a bit.
I'm finding myself needing a little bit more gain.

I can build myself a Dallas Rangemaster, and I'm sure that would do the trick, but I'd like the amp to be able to do it on it's own.

So in short, I'm looking for a little bit more bite and a little bit more gain.

Any thoughts as to mods I can do?

I wouldn't mod it. It's a PCB so it could be a pain to mod.
You could build a tubescreamer or something like that. It can act as a cleanish boost or add drive.

He there,

I would look thru the 18 watt forum http://www.18watt.com/modules.php?name=forums
I have a 18 watt head with a 2X12"cab wich works like a charm.
I only use a zendrive in front.

18watt.com has lots of info. The subject used to come up often there, so a search should provide lots of thoughts.

Depending on how much more will be *enough* more, you could get more dirt out by adjusting values.

I didn't spend that much time on that myself, as the pedal solution was sooo much quicker/easier.

What i finally ended up doing though, as i wasn't ever 100% happy with the 18w amps that i built, was i rebuilt my amp(not a pcb) as a sort of hybrid/vox/fender sort of amp. Gainier preamp, added a cathode follower(i used a mosfet) to drive the tonestack, and used a more vox-like very angry phase inverter setup. It is not buckets more distortion than the 18w, but it is delivered in a different way that suits me better, and "feels" like a lot more dirt.

You can get a little more dirt out of just the couple stages. One thing might be to try to set the triode up in series/cascaded. I don't know about the z.stingray pcb, but i thought they were drawing various popular mods into the design? I haven't been on those forums in a long time, but i thought i remembered that. Might be worth reading through the documentation he did up and see if simple gain mods were provided for(i *think* they were, but i don't remember exactly).

Yeah, I looked at the GuitarAmplifierPCB website and found some mods to give it a bit more gain, and increase treble response. I'm going to try those, see what happens. No PCB modification needed!

good luck, let us now how things work out

If it's a LiteIIb there's a parallel/cascade mod that some people do, not sure how easy it would be to do it on the pcb, allows you to either run the two triodes of the preamp tube paralled... or throw a switch and the two are cascaded for more gain.

Barring that there's aways an AMZ Mosfet Booster, SHO or Microamp to throw in front to bump up the crunch.

dave