| Author | Message | ||
     alex davis |
my musicman amp is a 112 Sixty-Five. it is not an RP or an RD or and HD or any such animal... is that rare? when i posted a review of this amp on harmony central almost 5 years ago (link attached) the h/c adminstrator emailed me to ask what designation it was (rd, rp, hd, etc)? http://harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data/M usic_Man/112_SixtyFive-01.html i love this amp for clean... but it will not overdrive worth squat, so i have always used stomp boxes for that. is it supposed to overdrive? terry (a regular here) is getting it in the mail this week for an overhaul, but was wondering if one or more of you could comment on this model of amp. thanks, alex | ||
| Steve Kennedy |
112 Sixty Five is the model designation. This is distinctly different than the 112-65 designation. The amps with "Sixty Five" or "One Thirty" written out in text rather than numerically were the earliest Music Man amp models, made from 1974-1976/77. These amps have the 12AX7 phase splitter tube rather than the solid-state phase splitter circuit of later models. They were designed to play cleanly and loud with minimal distortion. The only way to get natural tube distortion out of them was to run the Master volume control all the way up, the adjust the input Volume control up until the output tubes start to overload. They sound rather nice at this point but also VERY LOUD. You have to use an external preamp or overdrive pedal in order to get distortion at lower levels... unless you want to use a "power-brake" or speaker emulator load. Using an artificial load is still hard on the amp because you are still pushing the output tubes to their limits, however you won't have the sheer volume your would normally. | ||
| alex davis |
thanks terry, i was wondering what year it would be. i have looked inside the chasis, but it's hard to tell by the scribble. however, there is a set of initials on one of the circuit cards that looks a lot like "LF"... !!! i wonder if it was Leo's? i suppose using a front end effects/processor like a pod pro or the johnson j-station (both amp modelers) wouldn't hurt it much?? alex | ||
| alex davis |
it is not my imagination... this amp has a better/ smoother break-up since i've gotten it back from terry. it still stays real clean even at high volumes... but when you 'dig in' on the strings now it has a nice growl to it. not an overdrive type sound, more brown'ish. of course... if i dig in too hard it can still get a bit too grainy/raspy as previously described... but it is (now) very controllable so i can stay out of that zone easily. alex | ||
| Ben |
I have a "One Thirty" HD 410 with a solid state phase splitter, not all of them have the 12AX7 phase splitter. The space for the 12AX7 socket is still on the board. I can't remember the revision number of the board right now, but it is obviously the latter revision of the "One Thirty" series. I think it's a 1976 but I'm not sure. Is it possible to change the circuit back to 12AX7? Would that be pointless? Or even a bad thing? | ||
| Steve Kennedy |
While it should be possible to to retrofit an original tube Phase-Shifter circuit to an amp with the later solid-state PS circuit, this mod carries with it the increased possibility of catastrophic failure. From what I have heard (all second & third hand of course), Music Man rushed to the solid-state PS circuit (and would automatically update tube PS units upon return to the factory for repairs) because of the alarming number of total output stage failures caused by certain repeatable combinations of factors that were inherently possible in the tube circuit's design. It is true that the tube PS models are generally "warmer" and "sweeter" when run at overload (full power), but it is precisely at these levels that the amp is most vulnerable to a catastrophic failure if something goes wrong at full throttle! I have one MM 410-65 of each flavor. I tend to use the solid-state PS unit (1979) as my everyday-usage amp since much of my "overdrive" tone is produced through external preamps. I only pull out the older tube-PS unit (1974) when I NEED to have that sweeter overload quality that the old amps are capable of. These are GREAT for straight-ahead blues with nothing but a guitar and an amp! | ||
| Matthew Jones |
like alex, i have a music man 112-sixty five, and i was wondering if there was any way of increasing the gain in the amp? In my pedal board im currently using a Boss DS1 distortion, akai wah, and a boss flanger. I was also wondering whether the problem may lie in my guitar, an SG copy by vintage. Im thinking of upgrading my guitar to an ibanez rg 2570ex would this change my sound? is it possible to link some kind of cab to the sixty five whilst still using the amp's speaker? any help would be appreciated. Matt Jones ps the kind of music im playing varies from hendrix and santana to grunge and tool type music. | ||
| Langley |
First, the Gain question: These amps are clean sounding amps. My 210-65 browns up very nicely for blues, but even then I help the gain out by using a Boss Blues Driver. If I have to play some Foo Fighter stuff - like "Learn To Fly -(yeah, 50 years old with a beer gut playing Foo...) I keep a Boss Metal Zone directly after the BD-1. (They never run concurrently.) This does the job, and costs much less than a Mesa-Boogie. Has better bottom too! (BTW, verify that your wah has "true bypass" when it's off. Many wah pedals dont have this feature and your tone will suffer. I rewired my Vox wah for true bypass, and it made a world of difference. Take a look at the "Fultone.com" site for parts and wiring ideas. 2 l's?) Now, for the guitar change question: Yes, a different guitar should sound different. Now for the Cab Question: If you want to move more air, another cab would definately do it. Another 12" to compliment the one already in your amp. It should be similar in wattage ability, equal in impedance, and the cabinet, IMHO should be similar to the amp's cab. But be aware that if the speakers aren't an equal match, one will be more efficient than the other. Study the back panel of your amp. | ||
| Matthew Jones |
thanks a lot langley, that really helps. my wah is true bypass. thanks alot i do love the clean sound though!!!  i'll start looking for a cab when my exams are over, and let you know how it goes. | ||
| Jay Hammond (jead) Username: jead Registered: 01-2011 |
I also have LF initials on the board of the 212-65 I just got. Interesting..... |