This website is a record of my journey of guitar tone and circuit designs. I am simply going to post clips and ideas I have here for everyone to see and enjoy. If you have any questions, or would like me to possibly modify or work on an amp, please email me at tjgrund@hotmail.com

This is my number one amp. I was lucky that, when I got the amp, it had already had parts swapped out inside so I was never afraid to modify a prestine example of a Fender® masterpiece.
The changes I have made to the amp have been years of exploration and testing. I no longer list the exact changes I made, but they are not too intensive. The biggest alteration to the original circuit is a post phase inverter master volume so I could play the amp cranked at a much more reasonable volume.

3.15.09
'72 Strat Straight in with EVM 10m Speaker
'72 Strat w/TS808 through EVM 10m Speaker

I now offer a Super Reverb Upgrade service where i do my specific tweaks to a super reverb circuit. Here is a before and after video of a already modified super that I upgraded for a customer.

One big aspect to my mods is a optional Post Phase Inverter Master Volume (PPIV). This well-designed master is one of the absolute BEST master volumes available. The "After Modification" video demonstrates how dramatic the volume drop can be, without much tone loss at all. Try listening to the video first, and then listen a second time and compensate the volume of each step on your speakers to help demonstrate how the sound is very close, just quieter.

Feel free to contact me if you're interested in having me work on one of your vintage fender amps. tjgrund@hotmail.com...

For more information regarding this service, visit:

www.tylergrund.com/supermods.htm

This Traynor amp started out as a stock YBA-1a amp. The cleans on these amps, stock, are breathtaking. But the overdrive, when pushed, gets harsh sounding and can tend to sound like blocking distortion. I have since modified the amp to a Marshall Superbass spec and added switched for the bright cap and a switch to go between a shared and a split cathode arrangement on the V1 preamp tube.

3.15.09
'71 Les Paul Straight into Traynor -- Scumback H75 Speaker

'71 Les Paul Straight into Traynor -- Scumback M75 Speaker

71 Les Paul Straight into Traynor -- M75 & H75 Mixed

'72 Stratocaster Straight into Traynor -- Scumback H55 Speaker

'72 Stratocaster Straight into Traynor -- EVM 10m Speaker

This little 12w 1x12 amp is practically useless in its stock form. I bought this amp for the purpose of playing with custom circuit designs and have had a blast. After fiddling around, I decided to take the entire preamp of a Marshall 1974 18w circuit and wire it up inside. Its great for quieter jamming, but don't let the size fool you. 12w is VERY loud.

3.15.09
1970 Musicmaster amp with 18w Marshall mods w/Strat

1970 Musicmaster amp with 18w Marshall mods w/Les Paul

The Vibratone cabinet is a rotating speaker cabinet that has a single 10" speaker inside with a foam drum that rotates horizontally spreading the sound all around. Very cool effect. Here is 3 clips done with it being driven by my super reverb. I mic'd both sides and panned them to the respected left and right positions:

3.15.09
Vibratone Clip 1
Vibratone Clip 2
Vibratone Clip 3

Here is a special Post Phase Inverter (PPIV) Master volume design that I encorporate in all my amps. This design is particularily great because of the fact the ground reference is actually the negative bias supply to the power tubes. Why is this so great? This means, when the master is full up, its completely out of the circuit. This is unlike other master volumes which still have a 1meg of resistance to ground when turned all the way up. This Master sounds just great at whisper bedroom levels, but truely shines when up about 3/4. It shaves a considerable amount of dB of the sound, but retains ALL the beef and beauty of a non-master amp cranked.

The was a debate a while back on a forum on which way to wire a 4x12 cab the best way for the best tone. Since "Best" is an opinion. I wired my 4x10, loaded with EVM 10m Speakers, both ways and made recordings with my Traynor amp (pictured above). I'll let you decide.

3.15.09
Series/Parellel Wired cab

Parellel/Series Wired cab