Drop B+ as a Mod?

[paul]

Hey guys, do any of you know if it is posisble to add the Drop B+ plate voltage option to an existing Quickrod that was built without it?

I am buying a Quickrod SOON and I have found a few really clean ones on the Bay, none of which have the new B+ option.  I really want this option and wonder if it is possible (or financially feasible) to modify an existing QR with the 'standard' power option.

If not, I am going to go 'all in' and order a new one.  Yeah, it will be more $$, but I know that's what I want!

Thank you all and CAN'T WAIT TO JOIN THE CLUB!!!

[Lewis]

Hey Paul,
You might want to call Scott Splawn with that question.
Just curious though, have you tried a QR without the Drop B+ option? I've never played one with it but I've played many Splawns without and everyone of them sounded amazing.
Not trying to talk you out it but wanted point that out so you can keep your options open.

Good luck to you!

[quinnethan]

You cannot mod an existing QR with B+. I asked when they first came out. Just buy a new one in your custom style.

[paul]

Just ordered Monday. JCM style box, Salt/Pepper Grill Cloth, White Piping, Gold faceplate, White chickenheads. CAN'T WAIT!!

Apparently, the Pentode/triode switch on the 50 competition series is the same thing as the Drop-B+. My Splawn addicition started with a buddies Comp with the dropped voltage engaged. BEST guitar sound I had EVER heard, hands down. Mainly wanted the QR not so much for the extra power, but for the flexibility of the dedicated channel switching.

[Lewis]

Jan 29, 2014 7:44:12 GMT -5 paul said:

J

Apparently, the Pentode/triode switch on the 50 competition series is the same thing as the Drop-B+. My Splawn addicition started with a buddies Comp with the dropped voltage engaged. BEST guitar sound I had EVER heard, hands down.

Really? I didn't realize the pentode/triode switch were the same thing as drop B+. I have a Competition and haven't switched to the triode mode since I first bought it a few years ago. Didn't experiment with it too much because I preferred the pentode setting, interesting. I'll give it another try.

Congrats on your purchase!

[paul]

I may have misunderstood whether or not switching from pentode to triode engaged the lower plate voltage, or if the Competition runs on lower plate voltage all the time. Here is the quote from Scott when I was inquiring:

"The Comp which is a 50 watt already has the lower plate voltage."

If the Comp runs at a lower plate voltage at all times - the equivalent of the Drop-B+ option in the QR - that may explain why you love the tone of your comp any why I was sold the first time I played through one!

[Ayton(e)]

Yeah, Scott doesn't write the longest messages (not great at the keyboard they say) so you sometimes have to read them a few times to understand.

Anyway, that's interesting. I thought I'd read that 50 watt amps tend to have higher plate voltage than the 100 watt versions, but hey, the internet. I do know that the last time I tested my Comp it read 506.

[sasquatch]

Jan 30, 2014 13:09:20 GMT -5 Ayton(e) said:

Yeah, Scott doesn't write the longest messages (not great at the keyboard they say) so you sometimes have to read them a few times to understand.

Anyway, that's interesting. I thought I'd read that 50 watt amps tend to have higher plate voltage than the 100 watt versions, but hey, the internet. I do know that the last time I tested my Comp it read 506.

That would be higher than my QR, which usually reads around 480.

[sasquatch]

My Boogie MK IV's had Pentode/Triode switches. I don't remember which was which, but selecting one would give you a tighter, punchier sound with more mids and the other gave you a warmer, more compressed sound with a spongier feel.

[Adambomb]

I'm pretty sure you could mod a Quick Rod to have lower plate voltage or the B+ option. Might have to change too many components and parts (power trans) than it's worth, but most any tube amp can be modded to anything.