Fuchs ODS in Cygnus

gberto

Inspired
This amp really changed a lot in Cygnus and I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around it now.

I don't have any experience with a Fuchs, anyone have any tips?
 
Bump.

Anyone? Not a very popular model I guess?

It sounds broken to me. Like a '60s fuzz pedal. Is that how it's supposed to sound?
 
not a model I've used much but, throwing on a simple patch (Amp + 212 Bludo ASW 121 A Cab (Factory1-757)) it definitely does not sound like a fuzz pedal here with SG/498T bridge pu. Sounds kinda dumbly to me as advertised but I'm no expert.
 
I noticed this was a lot different right out the gate...... some others I don't normally use sounded killer!
 
Haven't tried it in the new firmware, but the model always was very gainy to my ears compared to what I'd expect out of an ODS. Only one experience with the real amp, though.
 
To be fair I'm not a big Dumble guy. This one in particular just seems really really congested. There's no clarity to it.

I think the master volume is key. At lower settings, I'm coaxing some better tones out of it for single note lines, but that amp really hates chords!
 
It is higher gain and more of a Fuchs Tone ;) might try the amp reset on this one .......... but I really never use it.
 
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The topology of the Fuchs is pure Dumble. The difference is that there is less padding between stages 2 and 3 (IIRC). So it's a high-gain Dumble.

Personally I don't think the Dumble topology lends itself to that much gain but I didn't design the amp so...

If you like the base Dumble sound but want a little more gain without the fuzziness of a Fuchs try the Carol-Ann models.
 
The topology of the Fuchs is pure Dumble. The difference is that there is less padding between stages 2 and 3 (IIRC). So it's a high-gain Dumble.

Personally I don't think the Dumble topology lends itself to that much gain but I didn't design the amp so...

If you like the base Dumble sound but want a little more gain without the fuzziness of a Fuchs try the Carol-Ann models.
Since you've probably analyzed more amp circuits than anybody else, what's the one circuit that impressed you the most? I don't mean only tonally, but also technically.
 
I'm wondering if part of what's going on is that the Fuchs just sounds more like it's supposed to now.

I used to occasionally use the old Fuchs models as a stand-in for a Marshall when I wanted a bit of a different texture. Now they don't work for that anymore, but they definitely sound more like they belong in the same camp as the Dumble, Carol-Ann, and Bludotone models.
 
The topology of the Fuchs is pure Dumble. The difference is that there is less padding between stages 2 and 3 (IIRC). So it's a high-gain Dumble.

Personally I don't think the Dumble topology lends itself to that much gain but I didn't design the amp so...

If you like the base Dumble sound but want a little more gain without the fuzziness of a Fuchs try the Carol-Ann models.
Yeah, IRL, Fuchs are basically just a Dumble ODS with (IIRC) a 47nF mid cap, as opposed to the 10nF value. So the Fuchs should have less low mids in the tonestack, otherwise it's a umble ODS. I believe some of the Fuchs also have a variable HF roll off, instead of fixed snubber caps, to roll off highs on the OD channel. If that HF rolloff isn't utilized the highs could start getting fizzy at higher gain.

I disagree with the dumble topology not lending itself to that much gain. In many cases, we know the ODS as a lower gain amp, because many people set the (internal) OD trimmer (between 2nd and 3rd triodes) rather low, which keeps the gain tame. That's also how some of the more popular Dumble users (Carlton and Ford) use their amps, not very gainy. But the circuit itself has a ton of gain on tap. It will be more 'Polite' than a Marshall or a cold clipper amp like a SLO, but the gain is definitely there, and IMO can hang with the Mesa Mark series, if you crank the trimmer up on the real (or clone) amps, especially what's known as the 'High plate' circuits.

Remember (or for those unaware), this circuit has 4 cascaded triodes, plus an optional FET boost on the front end, plus a tonestack bypass, for more umph. To be fair though, using the tonestack bypass (PAB) with a lot of gain can make for a mushier sound that can be a bit to 'thick' for chords, but great for compressed single note leads. Keep in mind, these circuits weren't really intended for metal tones, so the bass is much less rolled off, which may not lend itself to the best chord clarity when used at super high gain for rhythm stuff.

Another tip is I would run the master a bit lower. These are not intended to be power tube distortion amps, even though that's achievable, the sound works much better with the power amp remaining clean and tight, and the clipping coming mostly from the preamp.
You can also dial out some of the fizz rolling off some of the highest frequencies, which is basically what the 'snubber' caps in the OD stages do on the analog amps.

Just for poops and giggles. Sonny Landreth getting awesome chord clarity with a searing overdrive tone on his ODS. I believe this is a bluesmaster circuit, IIRC.


Jimmy Herring, with what I was told was a Fuchs ODS and Fender bandmaster. One of the least fizzy high gain tones I've come across.
 
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The topology of the Fuchs is pure Dumble. The difference is that there is less padding between stages 2 and 3 (IIRC). So it's a high-gain Dumble.

Personally I don't think the Dumble topology lends itself to that much gain but I didn't design the amp so...

If you like the base Dumble sound but want a little more gain without the fuzziness of a Fuchs try the Carol-Ann models.
I owned a Fuchs for a while. Wasn't that musical to me. Did a bunch of mods that made it better. Ended up moving to a Suhr which became my last tube amp.
 
Both Fox models don't have Bass/Mid/Treble controls on the authentic page, so it looks like both were modeled with PAB (Pre Amp Bypass) enabled on the original amp.
 
I liked the Fox deep now, I've always just skipped over them, "Omg what buzz is this", but now it was just fun to play some cork sniffery stuff with it.
 
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