Many boost pedals claim transparency. Dusky Electronics makes no such boasts for their MOSFET-driven Mandorla boost. In fact, they go out of their way to call it a colored boost. So I laughed when I plugged in the Mandorla and thought, “It’s so transparent!” Upon reflection, and after a trip around the simple two-knob control set, I agreed with Dusky’s assessment. I didn’t hear transparency, but something better—a seamless interface between guitar and amp that retains the personality of both while expanding the tonal range of each.
It makes sense that Mandorla comes from the mind of an amp builder. At times, it can have a console preamp’s sensitivity and equalization power. It feels direct and immediate. The boost is considerable. But the real flexibility comes from the “meat” control that functions as a treble boost/bass cut left of noon and a bass boost clockwise from center. For little amps like my Champ, it can lend a steroidal muscularity that makes an 8" speaker feel like a 12"—especially in recording situations. On bigger amps, the treble boost capability is the star, adding a charged and reactive presence that makes leads and slashing chords rip.
Test gear: Fender '72 Telecaster Deluxe (neck pickup), Fender Champ
More and Meat controls at noon, 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock, and finally More at 3 o'clock and Meat at maximum.
Ratings
Pros:
Dynamic and sensitive controls and circuit. Console preamp sensitivity and color. Great range of treble and bass boost sounds.
Cons:
Bigger knobs might be nice for toe adjustment.
Street:
$160
Dusky Electronics Mandorla
duskyamps.com
Tones:
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Except for the gain issue reader Rick Patterson describes, this month's amp is in remarkably good condition for
its half-century lifespan.
Dear Amp Man,
I have a '60s amp sold by Fender. It's a Regal R-1160 dual 6V6 with tremolo. Seems to be the same as a Lectrolab R600B. This amp does not saturate before almost full volume, and it's very subtle at that. I read your column on modifying negative feedback loops and I'm wondering if you could look at the schematic and show me where I would make this modification and what value caps you would recommend? I'm new to this sort of modification and would like to improve the tone without destroying the amp. If you need any pics, I can provide whatever you like.
All components and controls on this Regal R-1160 seem original, except this replacement speaker:
a Ted Weber Legacy Series.
Hi Rick,
Thanks for reading Ask Amp Man and thank you for your question. But even more, thank you for bringing this amp to my attention. I don't believe I was aware of Fender selling any amp that didn't have their name on it, but it does say right on the control panel “Distributed exclusively by Fender Sales Inc., Santa Ana, Calif.," so it's a very cool little piece of history, for sure. And to top it off, sans replacement speaker, it's in great shape!
Regarding your desire to modify the feedback loop in this amp to enable it to break up sooner: That's a good idea and a good place to start with many amps, but unfortunately not here. The first thing I noticed on the schematic you sent along with your question was that this amp doesn't even have a negative feedback loop! Not really unusual, but most amps without this tend to break up a bit more, so I was surprised that you say this does not.
to your expectations.
I would first suggest making sure the preamp tubes are not a contributing factor, and then possibly have a qualified tech give the amp a quick check to see if all seems well. Pay attention to the bypass capacitor across the output stage cathode resistor (Photo 1). While this doesn't control the amount of front-end gain in the amp, a bad or weak one can sure make an amp sound anemic.
If the tubes and bypass capacitor seem good but the amp doesn't have a lot of inherent gain, this could actually be an asset to some musicians. There are a couple of scenarios where lower gain is preferred—one being in a harp amp, but the other, more near and dear to guitar players, is if the amp is to be used as a pedal platform. In this case, the lower gain and higher headroom of an amp can really let the pedals shine. Some refer to such an amp as “pedal friendly."
Photo 1
That said, your desire is to get more crunch from this '60s jewel, so I do have a suggestion. Since both channels on this amp are virtually identical, why don't we leave channel 2 stock and modify channel 1 to bring it closer to your expectations? Sound good? Okay, let's go.
Photo 2
Hot modding. First, locate R7 in the amplifier (Photo 2). This is a cathode resistor for the first gain stage of channel 1. It is un-bypassed, so let's add a bypass cap across it to get more signal gain from this stage. I would use anything between a 4.7 µF to 10 µF, 25V DC. Plenty of amps use a 25 µF on up to a 250 µF cap, but anything that big may yield too much gain in the lower frequencies and that's something that would just muddy up the sound in a low-power, open-back amp such as this. Be sure to connect the positive side to the tube end of the resistor. If access to the resistor is too prohibited, connect the + side to pin 8 on the tube socket and connect the – side to the ground lug of the terminal strip.
Photo 3
Next, locate R15 (Photo 3). This will be one of the mixing resistors supplying the signal from channel 1. According to the schematic/parts list for your amp, this should be a 220k resistor. In your amp, however, both mixing resistors are 470k. This could also be a contributing factor in the lack of gain you say the amp has, but, regardless, let's leave channel 2 alone. I would suggest attaching a 220k resistor in parallel across the 470k resistor from channel 1. This will give you a stronger signal from channel 1.
There are a few other tricks that can be done, but some require the actual removal of components from the amp. The complete unsoldering and removal of components from tube sockets and terminal strips is often best left to someone with a considerable amount of experience in such matters. Other mods can require a bit of trial and error before a final component value decision is reached. I believe the modifications done above should give you an amp that you can push into overdrive much more easily, while leaving one channel cleaner for other uses. You could even get creative and use an A/B box to switch between the two channels for a lead/rhythm setup.
There you have it. I hope your Regal can now generate some royal sounds!
Named after the “Bernard Shakey” pseudonym Neil Young takes when directing films, and built in Medellín, Colombia, Lovell’s 4-knob trem features rate and depth dials, a knob to morph between triangle- or square-wave modulation, and a mini pot that blends between positive and negative sawtooth waves. Designer Tim Lovell says that, to address the volume loss often perceived in trem circuits, Shakey “progressively DC offsets the LFO [low-frequency oscillation] when manipulating the depth control” to ensure your signal never feels diminished or lost.
Although it’s not as much of a problem as it used to be, too many trem stomps still neglect tantalizing tortoise-slow rates in favor of strobe-fast speeds. Shakey deserves kudos for offering both. The wave-morph knob lets you go from a tranquil, amp-like feel to abrupt and stutter-y at extremes. Meanwhile the sawtooth-tweaking control goes from more traditional, immediate-attack-and-decay response (at minimum) to a ramp-up swell that yields almost reverse-playback like effects at maximum. Though subtle, the latter can add unusual and trippy vibes to spacious mixes.
Test gear: Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster with Curtis Novak Tel-V and JM-V pickups, Squier/Warmoth “Jazzblaster” with Curtis Novak Jazzmaster Widerange pickups, Jaguar HC50, Goodsell Valpreaux 21, ’76 Fender Vibro Champ, Catalinbread Topanga, J. Rockett Audio Archer, MXR Reverb.
Squier/Warmoth “Jazzblaster” into a Catalinbread Topanga, a J. Rockett Audio Archer (set to clean boost), an MXR Reverb, and then the Shakey, routed to a Jaguar HC50 miked with a Royer R-121 and a Goodsell Valpreaux 21 miked with a Shure SM57, both feeding an Apogee Duet going into GarageBand with no EQ-ing, compression, or effects.
Clip 1: Middle pickup position. Shakey speed at minimum, waveform at minimum (100 percent sawtooth), mini pot at minimum (100 percent positive), depth at max.
Clip 2: Neck pickup position. Shakey speed at minimum, waveform at minimum (100 percent sawtooth), mini pot at maximum (100 percent negative), depth at max.
Clip 3: Neck pickup position. Shakey speed at maximum, waveform at maximum (100 percent square), mini pot at noon, depth at max.
Ratings
Pros:Unique waveform-manipulation controls. Wide-ranging speed control. Effective automatic-volume-boost feature.
Cons:
Some nuances likely to get lost in a mix. No tap-tempo or expression control. LED blink rate not visible when effect deactivated.
Street:
$175
Company
lovellmusiclab.com
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