# Building A Mini Major



## fusionbear

Someone asked me to build a 2 KT88 version of the Major but with a PPIMV and a Switchable "one wire" cascade mod. It came out pretty well:


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## mudman30

I saw this over on tgp! Beautiful job. What would you reckon one of these would cost?


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## Codyjohns

Wow, fantastic work and it sounds great, congrats. 

I see you did your homework on this build.


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## fusionbear

mudman30 said:


> I saw this over on tgp! Beautiful job. What would you reckon one of these would cost?



$2100.00 complete with standard plexi head shell and modern production tubes. The transformers are the most expensive parts on this one.


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## fusionbear

Michael RT said:


> Wow, fantastic work and it sounds great, congrats.
> 
> I see you did your homework on this build.




Its your amp that was the inspiration....


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## chiliphil1

Absolutely amazing.


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## 4Horseman

I love KT88s, nice amp man!


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## Kris Ford

OH I love that!

It would SO cool to name it _*"The MINOR"*_!!


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## coldengray

FUSIONBEAR IS HERE!! Our Builders forum is now "on the map" with the arrival of Carl. 

Thanks for posting man, killer work as always.


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## Codyjohns

fusionbear said:


> Its your amp that was the inspiration....



Well, I'm honored, thank you kindly Sir.


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## fusionbear

I decide to name it "Edward Maximus"

LOL....


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## The_Nuge

Very nice 
You wouldn't want to share the layout by any chance  ?

Cheers
Es


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## soundboy57

That is just stunning to look at, and it sounds just killer, too. Great job. Beautiful. Wow...


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## royslead

Very nicely done! We're the main components sourced as a kit, or did you do it all from scratch?


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## Vinsanitizer

That amp sounds incredible! Nice job!


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## EndGame00

That is a thing of beauty. Been watching your YouTube videos for several years and I really like the 20-watt JCM clone you made.


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## Hogie34

Beautiful work man!! That turret board is huge!!! Looks like you could run a hundred yard dash on that thing


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## dptone5

Really sounds amazing!! Nice work!


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## Tubesag

Have you tried this circuit with a standard output transformer(not ultralinear)?


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## Codyjohns

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## Kris Ford

fusionbear said:


> $2100.00 complete with standard plexi head shell and modern production tubes. The transformers are the most expensive parts on this one.



I have a set of Valve Art 6550s..what is opinion on the Valve Art stuff?


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## Codyjohns

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## fusionbear

Kris Ford said:


> I have a set of Valve Art 6550s..what is opinion on the Valve Art stuff?




Good tubes, but can't handle the high voltage of the screens on this amp. Stick to KT88's


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## fusionbear

Michael RT said:


> It looks like this mini Major is falling into my hands.
> The owner of this amp is sending it to me for a little R/T love.
> He wants it to sound like this instead and I'm up for the challenge.




I don't doubt your skill, but I think the owner forgot that I would re-voice for free as long as he pays for shipping. I voiced the amp for VH1, I could easily voice for what is on this clip


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## fusionbear

Tubesag said:


> Have you tried this circuit with a standard output transformer(not ultralinear)?




No, but it would require either a power resistor or choke between B1+ and B2+


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## Codyjohns

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## fusionbear

Michael RT said:


> If you want to voice an amp to sound like VH1 it would really help if you could play the songs proficiently off it. It's beyond be how anyone can mod an amp easily to sound like mine and not be able to play the guitar style at all.
> 
> There are nuances and mojo in an amp that you don't even know exist.
> You have to have the ability to find them first before you can unlock them out of an amplifier.



First, you misunderstood my original reply. I merely was pointing out the fact that the guy I built it for should have contacted me. I gave him a 5 year warranty and offered to re-voice if he was not happy. He never contacted me. 

Second, your argument is a non-sequitur It does not follow that one has to play like Van Halen to get the voice and feel of the amp. Just ask Dave Friedman who is EVH's tech! (I have met DF and chatted about amps with him many times and even had the pleasure of seeing EVH's #1 amp on his bench btw). 

Again, I don't doubt you are capable, I just am perplexed by the lack of contact from the owner of the amp. And, yes, if you work on it, my warranty to the owner will be null and void. i have built a couple of hundred amps and am very flexible to adjusting feel and voicing to suit the player. Your response is a bit disrespectful IMO...


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## Codyjohns

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## Codyjohns

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## coldengray

Michael RT said:


> Well, you don't get it & you don't understand and that's why the amp is coming to me.
> 
> I hope one day you'll understand what I'm talking about.
> Keep an open mind my friend, you'll learn more with that mind set.



Michael, I watch you post about your Majors regularly and of course the never ending masturbatory clips, which I just pass by because they are the same thing over and over. You are a great player, I will give you that, and you've obviously created Major mods that deliver what people want, though it seems like it's mostly the one-wire mod with some minor tweaks. 

Without all that said, your ego is out of control talking to Fusionbear so disrespectfully. Carl is one of the greatest builders and techs out there and he has earned the respect of Greg Germino and other famous master builders...why? Because he knows his stuff, is humble and never stops learning. Carl is a MASTER builder, not just a modder, and you could learn a lot by actually engaging him instead dismissing him as "not getting it". I'm sure had the amp customer spoken to Carl he would have got it, but the owner chose to bring it to you. Nothing you are going to do to that amp will surprise Carl, because he knows it all. All the "nuances and mojo in an amp" are well understood by Fusionbear, and I'm speaking from personal experience not hearsay. 

Resist the temptation to treat someone disrespectfully, it makes you look petty and competitive. Carl is a fantastic builder and a kind person too, he has helped me a lot with builds and learning. And he's a pretty great player too. There's no need to be so dismissive of someone who worked hard to build a totally custom amp.


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## Codyjohns

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## coldengray

Just treat people with respect and you'll get the same in return. Check your ego at the door.

Resorting to troll tactics isn't helping you look very mature either.


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## BowerR64

I hear something different in the Michael RT amp, his has more of a staticy sound or more sensitive power section or something.

The mini major sounds more clean and smooth something doesnt sound as hot to my ears as the major that RT has. It could be his mod

Its not just in the fingers either i hear something else in there

I think the term im looking for is tube saturation? seems looser more open in the major and tighter maybe compressed in the mini


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## fusionbear

Some of the places I adjust is the B+ string. You can go up or down in value on the first resistor after the B1+ point.

You could also experiment with the plate resistor value on V1a. By going up slightly in value, you could increase gain and add looseness. Some guys like to add a cap across the V2a cathode. On EVH's number one amp, there is a 330uf there. Another point is that this amp is brand new. The filter caps are going to be tight in spec. On an old Major, everything is 30+ years old. That is a "Major" factor (I couldn't resist the pun, sorry...)


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## Codyjohns

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## coldengray

Wow man. You have no qualms about bashing someone in their own build thread. How about you start a new thread on your mods and try to use constructive criticism. There's a way to be a gentleman about this. Carl is a brilliant builder and does all the Scumback wiring for the DBL attenuators. He has an excellent reputation for good reason. Everyone has different ears and he could tweak away if given a chance.


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## soundboy57

Michael RT said:


> Well. I had a chance to play through the amp for awhile and I can tell you that the sound clip posted in the OP was a clip of the amp head cranked up very loud. To get it to sound like this I had to play it at a volume loud enough to drown out a drummer.
> It sounded alright at this volume but kinda anemic and it really doesn't have a early VH vibe to it. However, at low volumes the amp sounds lifeless and gutless. After I'm finished with this amp, it's going breath fire at low volumes and rip your face off at higher volumes. I'll post a sound clip of it once I get a chance to work on it and finish it.



Your posts on this thread, crapping all over this guys build, and being generally a pompous ass, are pretty much as bad as I have seen.

Whatever the case....time to stop shitting on this guy who obviously is not only light years ahead of you on knowledge, but has something else you lack....CLASS.

Unbelievable.


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## Codyjohns

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## coldengray

Carl is a very well known and well respected builder. When I helped get this building section launched I asked Carl if he would post his builds here too, in addition to TGP. The way you're acting could turn off someone who has a lot to offer and contribute to the forum...his expertise goes far beyond mods for one amp model. 

It's great that you have perfected your mods but show some respect for your fellow builders and resist the temptation to rub it in. One can learn a lot about someone by the way the act when they drink and by the way they handle themselves online. I recommended you look up the word "hubris".


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## Codyjohns

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## BowerR64

Did the OP design the amp? or just build it?

I dont understand all the tension from either side?


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## mickeydg5

I want to hear before and after recordings, playing the same thing with the same recording setup.


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## neikeel

No one is whining - just dislike your rude patronising attitude to another forum member and respected amp builder, at first I used to listen to you clips, but now (like I have to add many others) I just walk on by, be happy..................... in your world


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## Codyjohns

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## Codyjohns

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## mickeydg5

Not saying it is or is not, but for basics make sure it is not a preamp tube.
Verify the preamp tubes, pins and socket prongs and socket lugs all for good contact.


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## Codyjohns

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## mickeydg5

Well yes, that is what I meant. The tubes should be quality for designs as these or gremlins will show their faces.
But it is always a good idea to check everything supporting the preamp tubes as well to make sure there are no problems there either. (connections, contacts, components, design)


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## 2203xman

Completely rude behavior Rt.Your skills are overshadowed by your childish treatment of a very capable tech,and a fine player.He has been much more gracious,and polite than I could have been after you so rudely attacked what was a very fine thread without this nonsense.


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## Codyjohns

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## fusionbear

BowerR64 said:


> Did the OP design the amp? or just build it?
> 
> I dont understand all the tension from either side?



I researched the parts, transformers that would work, came up with a layout for the custom turret board, researched what chassis I could use, etc... 
So it is mostly my engineering to put together a lower wattage Major Amp. I had no issue with MichaelRT. I merely pointed out that I was perplexed why the guy I built it for never contacted me if he was unhappy. 

MichaelRT is the one who then started the insults. I have thick skin, so I am not bothered by his immature attitude. I am willing to humbly learn, just like I have from other builders like Fuchs, Bludotone, Cameron, Friedman, Red Iron, Bogner, Germino, etc... If there is something to profit tone wise, great! I look forward to MichaelRT sharing.


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## fusionbear

Michael RT said:


> Well it's all fixed and I gave the customer the sound he was looking for this time around.
> I snuck this one in between amps because I felt bad for the owner.
> So anyways, it's back to amp modding I go.
> Mickey, here's the finished product, my mod sound clip for comparison.





So all you did was add a bypass cathode cap on V2a? What value and voltage? You also replaced the couplers on V1a and V1b with Phillips or Bianchi mustard caps? What values? You also replaced the two tone stack caps with what value Phillips or Bianchi mustard caps? You also changed the PI entrance cap to a mustard as well. And last of all, I see a Mustard .68 on the Presence pot. Anything else?

One last thing. The head shell has a Wizard logo. Why? I did not do that. That is not cool toward Wizard amps.


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## fusionbear

Michael RT said:


> You're kinda correct and on the right track.
> It's cheap preamp tubes that's causing this problem.
> Now, here's a heads up to amp builders:
> When modding an amp with a PPIMV and OWM together, make sure you use high quality preamp tubes. The cheap chinese tubes can't handle being driven this hard.




You are wrong here, I buy lots of those Chinese tubes and sort them out. They are well made and sound really great. I did a shoot out with a friend who brought a suitcase full of NOS Mullard, Brimar, Amperex, etc... and he was blown away how good these sounded in his 1969' 1986 circuit plexi.


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## allwheelz

From an outsiders perspective, the amp should've went back to the builder if the owner was not happy, for final adjustment, tweaking, etc....i'm sure fusionbear had an idea of what the owner was looking for, but nobody is a mind reader. Mike, you pretty much went straight out and said that fusion CAN'T build this amp, or get the sound because of his playing style, that he can't play like Eddie Van Halen, or pick strings a certain way. But YOU can fix this amp right because of you play exactly like Eddie??? Fusion has been nothing but nice about this, shared the build pics, and continues to be nice about it....the hard work was already done anyways???? Like building a full on race motor, all your doing is tweaking the carb, when the engine was already bored, honed, stroked, ported, polished, matched....etc...


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## slagg

The God Of the one wire mod,ha!


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## Codyjohns

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## mickeydg5

Fushionbear it is a nice build that sounded good while playing in a proper manner. But the amplifier freaking under certain conditions was not impressive and MichaelRT rid that and brought extra depth to the amplifier when comparing the before and after recordings. I cannot see everything that was changed but it does seem to have made a hell of a difference.

You cannot have fun with or gig with an amplifier that freaks out as depicted in the pre mod video.

I will also note that I do not know the output of the guitars, the signal level feed through the amplifier, the recording method of each individual video nor the amplifier control settings of each recording session.


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## BowerR64

It does look like a quality build, nice and neat and clean.

He tweaked the Marshall amp so why be so upset if some one tweaks yours

I think its great the MichaelRT has the ear, knowledge and talent to know what to do to the amp to get the sounds some of us are wanting.

What are the brand of peamp tubes that can handle these kinds of mods? which ones will take the most abuse? tweak wise abuse? I think maybe that Dailey amp ive been messing with might need better preamp tubes


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## fusionbear

First, I am not upset that MichaelRT tweaked the amp. I want the owner to be happy. I just think MichaelRT's demeanor was overly snarky.

Second, I am perplexed why the guy I built it for never contacted me. It would have been a easy e-mail, phone call, or text to discuss and adjust. If a tube went south, I would have sent him a replacement. I told the owner of the amp before I even built the amp that I would re-voice and/or adjust the circuit for free as long as he paid for the shipping.

Third, I hope that MichaelRT will share all the mods he did, just like I shared the whole process of developing this build so that we can learn from him.


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## SmokeyDopey

Michael RT said:


> Well the customer is very happy now and *that's all that matters to me*.


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## Silverburst

I was completely goosed up when I discovered this Mini Mayor vid on youtube, so figured I had to come here for the details  Jup! Build thread wooohoow!
End result sounds like a total winner, whereas the initial clips sounded already very good to me as well. Too bad the OP didn't get the chance to correct his original build. A completely new design needs some iterations no doubt. You guys could form a great team actually 

Must say I was a bit floored when reading through the thread RT, I wouldn't know why you would talk like that in some responses since I never heard you respond like that, and I don't see the benefit in it.

Anyways, this Mini Mayor would sell like hot sandwiches, no doubt. How many guitarists aren't looking for this kind of tone for a more or less affordable budget and without the need of an 100/200watt engine? Plenty! Too bad I live in EU!  Team up and start a biz!


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## coldengray

Michael has gotten a bit of noteriety for his one-wire mod and it's gone to his head. He went out of his way to be a jerk to Carl, which is not the spirit of the rest of the builder community as a whole. We help each other, share info, respect others work, donate parts, etc. 

The amp sounds great but the comments in the thread were unfortunate. There was a much classier way to handle it. I guess this is where Michael accuses me of whining now.


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## solarburn

Reputation and notoriety. PFFT!

Peeps sure can fight over such fleeting accolades. Bummer.

Michaels tuning of the Major is what I would want. The original sounded good sands the bad preamp tube.

Great to see guys tuning these amps up. Results are interesting and exciting.


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## BowerR64

fusionbear said:


> Third, I hope that MichaelRT will share all the mods he did, just like I shared the whole process of developing this build so that we can learn from him.



Yeah i dont see that happening


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## wakjob

BowerR64 said:


> Yeah i dont see that happening



IDK, I've always found RT pretty open and fourth coming with his tinkering and adjustment knowledge.

Is he doing this as a business now? 
If so I'd understand if he held a few cards to his chest.


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## fusionbear

wakjob said:


> IDK, I've always found RT pretty open and fourth coming with his tinkering and adjustment knowledge.
> 
> Is he doing this as a business now?
> If so I'd understand if he held a few cards to his chest.



I do amp repairs and builds as a steady part-time gig, but I share with whoever asks....

It is not rocket science....


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## BowerR64

Ive seen this kinda stuff happen on forums before. Everyone is friendly and very helping then money starts getting involved where some one turns the hobby into a business and then everything goes south.


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## mickeydg5

Nothing is going south here. This is a democracy. We will keep MarshallForum great!


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## fusionbear

So, I have been looking at the clip R/T posted and it looks like the only two values that are different from my original build are the Treble cap? from 250pf to 500pf? And, the bypass cap on V2a: from 25uf to .022uf? I can't see anything else changed. Obviously, the Sozos were changed to mustards on most of the preamp, but other than that, it looks minor. Any of you look at it and document the changes? I also have come up with a cleaner layout. I will post once I finish drawing it for all to use at their discretion. Thanks!


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## Big Mike

Dude it's a one wire mod. Pfffft. That's far from rocket science. That's not even Jose level interesting. It's easy. Change the V1 A/B cathodes to suit. Done.

It sounds impressive because you start with a JTM45 which is a warm and wooly and undergained beast compared to a lead spec later head.
Change the mixers, do the one wire, season the V1 A/B to taste (or leave unsplit and just run a .68/2k7 shared) and you're golden. It's all there on the metroamp forum.


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## Big Mike

BowerR64 said:


> Ive seen this kinda stuff happen on forums before. Everyone is friendly and very helping then money starts getting involved where some one turns the hobby into a business and then everything goes south.


Rockstah comes to mind. Mark was a brilliant guitarist, but that 'mod' was sussed out in real time with input of several members on Metro forum.


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## soundboy57

My band opened a show for Mark Abrahamian (Rockstah), when he was playing with Starship. He was a great and humble guy. The last thing he would do is crap on someone elses thread, or besmirch their work for his own gain and ego, after swapping a half dozen parts. Big difference.


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## Big Mike

soundboy57 said:


> My band opened a show for Mark Abrahamian (Rockstah), when he was playing with Starship. He was a great and humble guy. The last thing he would do is crap on someone elses thread, or besmirch their work for his own gain and ego, after swapping a half dozen parts. Big difference.



Didn't say he thread crapped, I'm sayin the mod he was charging for was a lot of trial and error by him but also a lot of input on the forum from other folks.
Once he made it a 'business' then the info was deleted and it became 'his' mod. Just telling you my view point, I liked mark prior to that point and he was indeed a fantastic player and seemed to be a nice enough guy. But frankly the 'mod 5' was essentially a 2203 front end with the VH V2A mods and bigger PI resistors.


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## soundboy57

I didn't say Mark thread crapped either


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## stickyfinger

To be fair to R/T his OWM is tweaked/voiced per amp as needed. Your paying for R/T and I can see how it be annoying having the first posts of his thread guys trying to dissect the mod rather than enjoy it.

I will say his Mod sounds great but tone is mostly in his hands.. The customers vid didn't sound like rocket science..


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## fusionbear

So, back to what I was asking. Apart from the only cap value changes on the V2a and Treble cap value, anybody see anything else on the R/T mod? I want to document and publish for all to use in the future. thanks!


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## Big Mike

soundboy57 said:


> I didn't say Mark thread crapped either


I agreed with you


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## Big Mike

fusionbear said:


> So, back to what I was asking. Apart from the only cap value changes on the V2a and Treble cap value, anybody see anything else on the R/T mod? I want to document and publish for all to use in the future. thanks!


Nothing I see


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## bulldozer1984

I am floored at what an asshole Mike became in this thread. Wow. Just wow.
For a guy that was so nice to everyone and so humble once upon a time....

FusionBear actually engineered this amp. He designed it. Michael wouldn't know how to design this amp. Yes he knows how to mod a Marshall, but he couldn't engineer a Mini-Major. 

To me it sounded like the amp was delivered with a faulty tube - could have happened to anybody. And a return from the customer to FusionBear could have rectified this and the sound. Mike didn't do much. 

Sorry for digging up and old thread, but I am appalled at the way Mike treated FB.


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## coldengray

You hit the nail on the head and that is why Michael RT has left this forum and started up his promotional posts on The Gear Page. I tried to bury the hatchet with the guy multiple times but he would not accept my offer to be friends. Such is life.


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## fusionbear

Here is the schematic and to the best of my ability incorporates all of the so-called M R/T's mods. One exception is that I preferred a .0068 coupler instead of a .0022 in the cascaded circuit. Feel free to use this as a starting point and experiment.


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## shermanpup

Hey fusionbear
I was a Tech at CTS Corp. in the early eighties .I built a lot of custom electronics that were used in automotive component production lines world wide .My construction used plug in circuit boards with hand wired edge connectors underneath.Your construction and wiring is impressive .Did you buy the chassis pre-punched or did you punch all the holes yourself ? I have not been involved in electronics for a long time so I am not hip to all the jargin like "1 wire "and other things tied to and commented on your project .I have an early Lee Jackson _Metaltronix_ modified plexi Marshall 50 watt that I had to trace a long time ago. I have never got anyone to verify if my schematic is correct and the old guru in my town said he would take the mods out if I wanted him to.The amp sounds real good, so I declined .It has an extra stage with a push pull pot mounted in the back of the chassis to control the extra gain,and a rotary switch in the front to modify the mid range, which I find a waste of space and not really necessary. Your amp sounds good and punchy, but the demo did not include any super pick squeals like on VH-1. Great job !!!


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## fusionbear

The Chassis is a Valvestorm for a 2203 amp. That seems to be the easiest to work with. Thanks!


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## proxy

fusionbear said:


> The Chassis is a Valvestorm for a 2203 amp. That seems to be the easiest to work with. Thanks!



How about PT and OT?
Thanks


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## grainman

wow !!! bravo my friend superb construction and what a TONE !!


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## Thomas Steven

grainman said:


> wow !!! bravo my friend superb construction and what a TONE !!


yep


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