Hello sir, below is a list of stuff you should read through (basic

well known tuning methods for this circuit), attached is the

schematic and layout with current values. With regard to tuning
the amp, there are several things I would like to do listed below.
The following is just a quick comment on each thing on the “wish
list”, it’s a little haphazard, but the rest is very organized. I’m
very familiar with the circuit as well, so for every suggestion I
have a decent idea of how it works/lays out. I’m not just asking
you to do “random stuff” (meaning typical guitar player idiocy,
dude the lows need to be more brutal!!!), I’m trying to approach
it from a circuit design perspective (which is the only way we can
hope to communicate effectively), I’ll do my best… Feel free to
correct anything, and as always, suggestions are aways welcome.
Take a look at the circuit and let me know what you think.
Thanks!!! P.S. Let me know about the pedals. Thanks again.

The most important thing, common to all amps that use this
dumble circuit. There is a certain strained/pinched quality to the
distortion. I like the tone at higher gain, but at low gain, eh… I’m
not positive what causes it (I’m guessing it has to do with the
local NFB on v1b as the amp is not all that different from a super
reverb, which certainly doesn’t have that quality), but I will know
as soon as we adjust it.

Second, the eq is before the overdrive circuit, and as a result

really doesn’t do much except steal gain and clean up the low end
if you dump all the bass. Most of the time I play it with the
tonestack bypassed anyway. It really doesn’t drastically change
the tone of the amp. What I would like to do is move the eq to
after the overdrive circuit. This would be the equivalent of using
an eq in the loop (which I have done with great success, btw the
loop is passive, I have a tube buffered loop device I use it with).
The low end can be woofy with the tonestack bypassed, but we
can clean this up with either filtering, or through playing with
cathode cap values. Speaking of which, I would like to audition
both 25uf (fender super reverb) bypass caps for the clean stages
to restore bottom to the clean channel (I realize I may have to
compromise as the increase in bass will only add to the
woofyness, but we may be able to get around it other ways).
Between that and adjusting the mid boost cap, we should have it
sounding perfect.

Match the global negative feedback to that of a super reverb

“The Super Reverb's 2 ohm output transformer supplies the negative
feedback circuit with 41% less voltage so it has less negative
feedback than the 4 and 8 ohm 6L6 AB763 amps (it would need an
870 / 200 ohm NFB circuit to get the same NFB voltage as the other
amps). Lower negative feedback leads to earlier dirt and a thicker
clean tone. The Super Reverb, use .022uF mid caps where all other
AB763's use .047uF”

The only other complicated mod involves the relays and switching (where I
need a little work in my studies), essentially I would like one pot (volume) to
go to 10 when I change to the overdrive channel, and the other switch
(boost) makes another pot (gain trimmer) go to 10. Hopefully we can re-use
the existing relays. BTW, these two pots are right next to each other.

Reduce dynamic range just a little, install a “sag resistor”, or feedback on

v1a (other similar amps use this technique).

Lastly, replace the master volume with a fixed resistor and use a post
phase inverter master volume (PPIMV). Long story short, just trust me on
this.

Dumble Mods
Green = Already in amp
Red = Mod
Blue = investigate
Brown = ignore
Wishes
1 - Remove constricted sound from od (NFB?)
2 - Adjust mid switch (labeled deep)
3 - Move eq to post distortion
4 - Increase low end (coupling caps/bass pass through?/
resonance control)
5 - When switching to overdrive, volume pot goes to 10
6 - Boost switch changes od trimmer from current setting to 10.
7 - Reduce dynamic range (add NFB to V1a/Sag resistor/?)
8 - Replace master with fixed resistor (push pull between 7 and
10, may not be necessary after moving tonestack), replace
master with PPIMV

the voltage on the plates of V1 is CRITICAL. You'll get some

amazing gain by messing with this.

……..
Tonestack
Mod mid boost (labeled deep)

-The value of the small cap in the tonestack (330pF)

[Currently 390] is very critical. 250pF is the Fender value -
sounds somewhat thin in the Dumble. 500pF is a significant
boost in the mids - amazing sustain, but VERY middy tone.

A midrange boost can be added by selecting between two

values for the treble capacitance. While most midboost
schemes add a second cap in parallel with the treble cap to
increase its effective value, a different trick is used in the
later D-ODS amps. Two caps are wired in series, with the
second one optionally bypassed with a switch. With the
switch open the two capacitances are summed together
using the same basic formula as two resistors wired in
parallel (i.e., CTOTAL = C1*C2/C1+C2). So with a .0022uF
cap followed by a 390pF cap, the net capacitance in the
unboosted mode is approximately 330pF; with the switch
closed, the full value of the first cap becomes the boosted
value. While the later D-ODS amps use a .0022uF cap
followed by a 390pF cap, many people think that the
midboost is too extreme, in which case you might want to
try two 500pF caps wired in series or a 500pF cap followed
by a 1000pF cap. With the first alternative, the unboosted
value would be 250pF and the boosted value would be
500pF (for a more subtle tonal shift effective for both
Clean and OD modes). With the second alternative, the
unboosted value would be 333pF, closer to the stock value
used in many of the D-ODS amps. As for the composition of
the treble caps, ceramic seems to work better than dipped
silver mica for those values of 1000pF or less; if you use
the 0.0022uF treble cap, you should use poly rather than
ceramic.

Another way to implement the mid boost is to parallel the

treble cap (250p) with a 250p cap and a 1M pot in series
(be sure the cap goes to the plate, not the pot, or you'll
have B+ on the controls!). That way, you can get a near-
stock response with the full resistance in, and higher
settings of the pot give more and more mid boost.

The tone stack has gone through some changes between the 70's
design and the 90's Skyliners. Increasing the 100k slope resistor
to 150k seems to make the tone stack work more effectively, and
you can also try replacing the audio taper 250k treble pot with a
linear taper 250k treble pot. The 0.01uF Middle cap is
replaced with a 0.05uF cap in the Skyliner, which improves
the midrange response. The 100k linear taper Middle control
was replaced with a 250k audio taper pot in the Skyliners, which
allows for more mids at the higher settings. Increasing the 250k
audio taper Bass control to a 500k audio taper pot is
recommended, along with replacing the 1k8 resistor to ground
from the ccw terminal with a 10k resistor. The later designs also
add a cap between the two outer terminals on the 500kA bass
pot; 0.001uF seems to work quite well.

……………………

Feedback/Feel

Sag Resistor or NFB on V1 (reduce dynamics, global feedback equivalent to Super

Reverb?) “Robbin Ford mod”

V1b NFB Switch - be sure to put the switch on the grid side of
the capacitor or you might end up with high voltage on the
switch.

The negative feedback loop in V1B is crucial to the sound.

0.047uF/44M works well there. 0.047uF/22M tightens up
the sound and feel even further, but it's overkill for my
ears (currently 22m-.05uf-22m). Removing this feedback
loop gives the overdrive a more compressed, Boogie-ish
character. Something you might want to make switcheable,

A little bit of positive feedback in the input stage, V1A, goes

a long way.
Try playing with feedback on V1A, in addition to V1B. You
can split the cathode resistor and only bypass part of it. I'll
use a 150K plate resistor with a 2K pot with one end
connected to the cathode, the other end connected to
ground, and a 4.7uF cap between cathode and wiper. That
way, you can control the first stage's negative feedback
and gain.
……………

Here are some of the tricks to get a smoother OD sound from a

70's era D-ODS clone amp. These amps used Fender values
for the preamp plate and cathode resistors (i.e. 100k
[currently 220k] and 1k5 [3k3]). Raising these values to
those used in the 90's era Skyliner amps helps a lot,
although you might get even better results by experimenting with
variations, like 2k7 or 2k2 instead of 3k3 for the cathode resistor,
and 120k, 150k, 180k or 220k for the plate resistors.

Experiment with bypass caps

The earlier amps used 5uF cathode resistor bypass caps instead
of the typical 25uF caps used in many Fender designs. By using
the smaller caps, there is less of a chance of getting the dreaded
"farty" bass response. A further improvement can be
achieved by adding a small 1.0uF poly cap in parallel with
the 5uF electrolytic cap. Using 5uF Ck caps for all four
preamp stages can make the sound a bit bass heavy, so it
is suggested that you replace one of the 5uF caps with a
1uF poly cap to keep the bass response under control. You
can try using the 1uF poly cap by itself on the second Clean
stage or the second OD stage.

…………..

Changing the coupling caps after the various stages can also fine-
tune the sound to your tastes. Using a 0.047uF (currently .05uf)
coupling cap instead of 0.01uF after CL2 will improve the bass
response of both the Clean and the OD channels. Using a
0.005uF coupling cap after OD2 seems to improve the
blues tones from the amp, while the 0.01uF cap is good for
a thicker rock sound. There are many possibilities for the
coupling cap after OD1 as seen in different D-ODS amps
and clones. The 0.01uF value used in the 70's design could
be increased to 0.022uF for a fuller OD signal, although the
Skyliner amps decrease the value to 0.0022uF.

(With reference to below/rolling off high end from od

section. More concerned about the low end)Try sticking a
10K pot where you have the wire from the pre-OD low-
pass filter to ground.

The final suggestion for shaping the tone sounds too simple to
have much of an effect but it may in fact be the "internal high-
frequency taper control" mentioned in some of the
literature. After the coupling caps for OD1 and OD2, try
wiring in a 500k trim pot as a variable resistor ahead of
the 100k ratio and level pots. The 70's drawing shows a
100k series resistor here; replace that resistor with the
trim pot. There is no series resistor shown after the OD2
coupling cap so insert the 500k trimmer in the circuit
ahead of the 100k OD level control.

The series resistance after the OD2 coupling cap has a very
drastic effect on the overall sound of the OD section. With
no resistance at all, the OD section can sound very harsh
and brittle. Adding in a 150k resistance for a 0.01uF
coupling cap, or a 330k resistance for a 0.005uF coupling
cap seems to work really well in shaving off some of the
high frequencies while leaving plenty of definition in the
sound. But with the 500k trim pot in there (at least
temporarily) you can determine the "sweet spot" for your
own amp. Once you find the value you prefer you can hard wire
in a fixed resistor (or combination of resistors) for that particular
resistance.

The series resistance after the OD1 coupling cap has a

more subtle effect on the sound of the OD section, and
when I dialed it in for the "sweet spot" it worked out to
around 105k (very close to the 100k resistor used in both
the 70's and 90's designs). However, you are encouraged
to try the 500k trim pot here since your own amp may be
tuned a bit differently. I noticed that as I set the trimmer
to 91k and 82k the sound was a bit brighter, and would
improve the blues tones. In seeking an "ultra-smooth"
sound, I ended up setting the trimmer to roughly 220k.

You may further experiment with small caps in parallel with these
trim pots, possibly wired in series with a small trimmer, but I was
very impressed with the effect of just the variable resistor. Many
people have suggested adding a cap to ground through a variable
resistor to remove some of the high frequency content at the end
of the OD section, but that arrangement tends to make the sound
a bit overcompressed and removes much of the definition of the
sound along with the harsher high frequencies.

……….

EQ Boost/Bypass

The footswitchable preamp boost used in the later amps is an

effective addition to the 70's design. This preamp boost is
achieved by essentially bypassing the tone stack; the connection
from the CCW treble pot terminal to the bass pot is interrupted to
remove the bass and middle pots from the signal going to the
first volume control. Unlike a full bypass switch, some of the
signal is bled to ground through the bass and mid caps,
which IMHO makes the boosted sound much more usable.
For details on wiring this up check out some of the newer
schematics and drawings. It should also be noted that the Rock/
Jazz switch on the 70's designs are still being used in the newer
amps and is very effective for both the Clean and the OD modes;
in the Jazz mode the bass and mid frequencies are cut a bit, for a
sound more like the jazzy C&W guitarists than the traditional jazz
guitarists like Wes Montgomery or Kenny Burrell. For a more
traditional jazz sound, the Deep switch used only in the 70's
amps will cut the high frequencies a bit, along with a very
noticeable reduction in overall signal level. If you have a spare
switch available, you might try hooking up the Deep switch to see
if you like the effect. While the stock 70's design shows a 500pF
Bright cap across the ungrounded terminals of the initial volume
control, many people think that value is way too high and you
might try something like 220pF or 270pF.

There are two revisions to the 70's design that will brighten up
the sound a bit. The 220k series resistor after the initial volume
control and going to the grid of CL2 can be bypassed with a
390pF cap as it is in the Skyliner design to give more definition to
the Clean and OD sounds. Another revision involves the local
feedback loop at CL2 consisting of a 22M resistor and a 0.05uF
cap in the stock 70's design. The 22M resistor can be replaced
with a 32M or 44M resistance to keep the sound from becoming
muddy and overcompressed. (Add a 10M resistor in series with
the 22M to get 32M; add two 22M resistors in series to get 44M.)
I suggest wiring the cap to the CL2 plate to keep the high
voltages from the resistors (which are generally available only as
1/4 watters these days). In the Skyliner design the local
feedback loop has been eliminated, possibly to maximize
the signal level from the two Clean stages.

The 500pF caps from the plates to the cathodes of the two OD
stages in the 70's design are there to eliminate oscillations and to
mellow out the sound a bit. You can try smaller caps like 350pF
or 250pF to give the OD sound a little more presense. Since some
of the oscillations can be higher than the audio frequencies you
may need a scope to confirm that they are in fact not there.

The following chart shows different values for the plate and
cathode resistors, coupling caps and tone stack components used
in various D-ODS amps and clones:
Appendix A

An overview of different component values used in various D-ODS

amps and clones.
( ) = 70's [junk these values for a smoother sound]

CL1 Rp: (100k) 220k

Rk: (1k5) 3k3
Ck: 5uF

CL2 Rp: (100k) 150k

Rk: (1k5) 2k2 3k3
Ck: 5uF 1uF

OD1 Rp: (100k) 180k 220k

Rk: (1k5) 2k7 3k3
Ck: 5uF

OD2 Rp: (100k) 150k 180k

Rk: (1k5) 1k8 2k2
Ck: 5uF 1uF

Tone Stack:
Treble cap: 250pF 330pF 500pF
Treble cap [midboost]: 500pF .0022uF
Treble pot: 250kA 250kB

Middle cap: 0.01uF 0.05uF

Middle pot: 100kB 250kA

Bass cap: 0.1uF

Bass pot: (250kA) 500kA
Resistor to ground: (1k8) 9k8 10k
Cap across pot: (none) 0.001uF

Slope resistor: (100k) 150k

Coupling caps:
CL2: (0.01uF) 0.047uF
OD1: 0.002uF 0.01uF 0.02uF
OD2: 0.005uF 0.01uF

………………