The time I got to hang with the Van Halen brothers

Chula Vista · 02-05-2017, 12:37 PM

Everyone knows what a transformer does, right? You put a certain level of voltage in one end and can then get various different levels of voltage out of the other end. In the case of a tube guitar amplifier you plug it into the wall so that one end of the transformer sees 110-120 volts. That's way too much voltage for tubes and other components so the transformer steps it down to the appropriate amounts needed.

One of the most critical aspects of a transformer is the steel core. Different grades of steel will have different points at which they begin to saturate - distort, and not in a desirable way like say a distortion pedal. First thing to happen when the steel saturates is the low end impedance goes up and your low end tone starts to fart out.

Eddie discovered this by accident early on by experimenting with a variac and finding out that his 100 watt Marshall head sounded much better with only ~90 volts going into it instead of the 110-120 volts coming out of the wall. The transformer was no longer saturating. Voila! His legendary "brown sound".

One of the first things a transformer manufacturer will do to reduce theirs costs is to switch over to lower grades of steel which is often times very hard to detect. The changes in tone are very slight, especially if you play with lots of overdrive and effects.

TLDR: We talked about how to do QC tests to insure that transformers are consistent and the same as the approved standard.

**Frownland** · 02-05-2017, 12:41 PM

*ensure

Chula Vista · 02-05-2017, 12:44 PM

Drinking one right now.

The Batlord · 02-05-2017, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

Everyone knows what a transformer does, right? You put a certain level of voltage in one end and can then get various different levels of voltage out of the other end. In the case of a tube guitar amplifier you plug it into the wall so that one end of the transformer sees 110-120 volts. That's way too much voltage for tubes and other components so the transformer steps it down to the appropriate amounts needed.

One of the most critical aspects of a transformer is the steel core. Different grades of steel will have different points at which they begin to saturate - distort, and not in a desirable way like say a distortion pedal. First thing to happen when the steel saturates is the low end impedance goes up and your low end tone starts to fart out.

Eddie discovered this by accident early on by experimenting with a variac and finding out that his 100 watt Marshall head sounded much better with only ~90 volts going into it instead of the 110-120 volts coming out of the wall. The transformer was no longer saturating. Voila! His legendary "brown sound".

One of the first things a transformer manufacturer will do to reduce theirs costs is to switch over to lower grades of steel which is often times very hard to detect. The changes in tone are very slight, especially if you play with lots of overdrive and effects.

TLDR: We talked about how to do QC tests to insure that transformers are consistent and the same as the approved standard.

Trollheart · 02-05-2017, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

That's not a real punchline.

Yes it is.

The Batlord · 02-05-2017, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Yes it is.

****ing kill yourself, snot ****.

Trollheart · 02-05-2017, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

****ing kill yourself, snot ****.

Once again, I must respectfully decline. My work on this planet is not yet done.

The Batlord · 02-05-2017, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Once again, I must respectfully decline. My work on this planet is not yet done.

Your work sucks ****.

Trollheart · 02-06-2017, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Your work sucks ****.

This is not in dispute.

02-05-2017, 12:37 PM	#21 (permalink)
Chula Vista Toasted Poster Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SoCal by way of Boston Posts: 11,332	Everyone knows what a transformer does, right? You put a certain level of voltage in one end and can then get various different levels of voltage out of the other end. In the case of a tube guitar amplifier you plug it into the wall so that one end of the transformer sees 110-120 volts. That's way too much voltage for tubes and other components so the transformer steps it down to the appropriate amounts needed. One of the most critical aspects of a transformer is the steel core. Different grades of steel will have different points at which they begin to saturate - distort, and not in a desirable way like say a distortion pedal. First thing to happen when the steel saturates is the low end impedance goes up and your low end tone starts to fart out. Eddie discovered this by accident early on by experimenting with a variac and finding out that his 100 watt Marshall head sounded much better with only ~90 volts going into it instead of the 110-120 volts coming out of the wall. The transformer was no longer saturating. Voila! His legendary "brown sound". One of the first things a transformer manufacturer will do to reduce theirs costs is to switch over to lower grades of steel which is often times very hard to detect. The changes in tone are very slight, especially if you play with lots of overdrive and effects. TLDR: We talked about how to do QC tests to insure that transformers are consistent and the same as the approved standard. __________________ “The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”

02-05-2017, 12:41 PM	#22 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	ensure __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.* d e a f b o x

02-05-2017, 12:44 PM	#23 (permalink)
Chula Vista Toasted Poster Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SoCal by way of Boston Posts: 11,332	Drinking one right now. __________________ “The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”