Voodoo News

Here’s a quick pic of some Marshall JMP-1 preamps in for servicing. These units belong to Phil Collen of Def Leppard & came in for some TLC, Capjob, Retubes & new Batteries (to retain settings) as well as to make all the units sound as cohesive as possible with one another. These units are headed out on Def Leppard’s 2016 Summer Tour with Tesla & Reo Speedwagon!  

UPDATE - FROM THE AMP'S OWNER - "The 'suppleness' of the amp's response....is unprecedented...it covers a lot of sonic territory now...landscape that will be fully explored over the next year...at volume this amp shows real splendor...Herculean strength and power...while exhibiting grace and poise across the spectrum...oh..and great tone too....it's at another level compared to other amps I've played thru......a prized possession ....Many Thnx! (recordings underway shortly...and yes...it will be used on our live performances!!) \m/" - Joey Ambrozaitis, Proud Voodoo V-Rock Owner

ORIGINAL POST - This is a very early V-Rock Single Lead production amp that was a Custom Order. The amp contains an earlier version of the V-Rock circuitry & was purchased on the used market. She came in for some Mods to make the amp more versatile. We had installed our Tube Buffered Effects Loop installed in addition to a 3-Position ‘Bright’ Switch & 3-Position Gain ‘Mode’ switch to increase or decrease the over all amount of distortion. This amp is primarily used in a recording studio for session work & we hope she provides many more years of inspirational service! As always please feel free to share as you like. Voodoo Amps

Sneak Preview – The new PCB Equipped models due out at Summer Namm in Nashville TN will come stock with a Tube Buffered Effects Loop & 3-Position ‘Bright’ Switch! We will continue to offer hand-wired options through our Custom Shop however pricing will increase. 

Here’s the new rig I’ll be using for working on AC/DC’s amps & for this year’s up coming tour season! Let me say a big THANK YOU to Jimmy Freck (President), Matt Koontz & all the crew at ‘Mental Cases’ for building this custom work box on short notice. As always their work is top notch & I couldn’t be happier. Here’s some quick photos from arrival, to completion to being placed on the loading dock for pickup. All it needs now are some cool stickers & some road miles. – Trace Davis, President / Founder

Join us in paying our deepest respect to all those Veterans who have served & to those who have given their lives in service to our country as well as to those who are currently serving. We can never repay the debt but we can honor them on this day. 

Phone (607) 256-0465

Thank you for your continued support;

Trace Davis, President / Founder

Tracking down intermittent problems on any electronic device is often times laborious & pain staking, this proved to be no exception but the good news that the on going problem is finally resolved! 

 If you call & it goes straight to voice this means all representatives are assisting other customers so please be sure to leave a message & we will call you back just as soon as we are free :) 

Capturing Great Guitar Tone - I am often asked how I approach mic'ing a guitar speaker & after all the years of explaining this verbally it just occurred to me to take a quick trip to google & spend a few moments in Photoshop to create a graphic image as an example. This is the starting point I use when mic'ing a speaker live & in a recording studio.

To explain a bit more; The red circle represents the mic's diaphragm & I draw an imaginary line down the middle of the diaphragm from top to bottom, which is represented by the white line you see in the image. I then line that up with the edge of the speaker's 'dust cap' (which is also notated in the image), I get the proper level on the mic-pre & record a pass to see what it sounds like. If you need the tone to be brighter simply move the mic more towards the center - small movements make a big difference & if you want to warm up the tone move the mic more towards the outside of the speaker.

There are lots of ways to go about it & much like music everyone has an opinion on what works best for them. This mic technique has been a tried-&-true method that has been used to capture classic tones for decades. It's a good starting point & I encourage you to experiment. Feel free to share this as you like in the hopes it also helps others to get the tones they are after
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*** UPDATED 10-25-2015 10:05pm ***

Hello again gang! We’ve had some questions via email & posts on our other facebook pages so I thought I would address them in this post my answers here. Much of what I’ve learned over the years has been passed down to me from great engineers, producers & players alike as well as countless hours of experimenting. Feel free to use & share this info as you like in the hopes it helps you capture the tones you are looking for.

1.) Image - First let me extend my apologies regarding the image. I am often asked how I approach mic’ing a speaker & thought it best to try & get a visual as that seems to be more helpful than trying to verbally explain it, I wish I would have thought about this sooner (lol) but you take the epiphanies when they occur to you (lol). Some of you have noticed the mic says ‘Front’ & that it could be perceived as being backwards- Fair enough. In the interests of avoiding any confusion please be sure to point the side of the mic marked ‘front’ towards the speaker, it’ll sound better this way
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2.) How close to the grill do you put the mic?  Generally speaking I place the mic against the grill cloth of the cabinet. If it’s a 4x12 cabinet that has casters or tall feet I will either remove the casters or tip the cabinet on its side so that it acoustically couples with the floor / stage. The over all frequency response is more correct this way, if you have the cabinet on casters it will shift the lows & lower mids

3.) Do you ever use more than one mic?  Yes, almost always. I look at mics as EQ & one mic per speaker. Then you have to suss out the phase to make sure the mics are in phase with one another however many classic records were made with using just one mic to capture the guitar tone.

4.) What mics do you like?  There are several I like & over all it depends on what kind of tone I’m trying to capture. In a recording studio I favor the follow mics & with a 4x12 cabinet I will mic every speaker as I look at each mic as EQ.

• Older Shure SM57
• Older Sennheiser MD421 (not the MD421-II & I do not use the roll off switch)
• Sennheiser e906 – I prefer the 409 but they are harder to come by
• Older Electro-Voice RE20 – If you like that chewy older EVH lower midrange
• Royer R-121 – Be careful as these do not take higher SPL’s well


5.) Do you use outboard EQ or plugins?  I am honestly not a fan of using the channel strip or a plugin to EQ guitar tracks. I was taught to get the signal from the source as the results would always be better. I’m a creature of habit in that regard (lol)

6.) Do you ever use 'Beam Blockers'?  I myself am not a fan of Beam Blockers. This tends to be more of a band-aid approach & while I understand the intent is to get closer to what the tone(s) we want, band-aiding tends to take us further away. As such I prefer to resolve the problem at the source. If the tone is so bright you feel you need Beam Blockers then I would first determine where the excessive top end is coming from & resolve it accordingly. IE: different speaker(s), different cables, different pickup & so on.

7.) When you mic a 4x12 do you leave the casters on?  I always remove the casters or tip the cabinet on its side so that it acoustically couples to the floor allowing the full frequency response to come through. Leaving the cabinet on the casters shifts the frequency response, which may or may not be what you are looking for tonally. Try both & see which you prefer.

8.) In the recording studio do you prefer a straight or slant 4x12?  Answer – I prefer a straight 4x12 but I also usually mic all the speakers, IE: one mic per speaker. Some times only use 1 or 2 mics can be used as we may be limited by the amount of mic-pres available so I usually mic the speaker(s) closest to the floor.

The image I created is not a revolutionary idea by any means but it is how I always start out when mic'ing a 2x12 or 4x12 sealed cabinet. From there you can adjust the mic or add additional mic(s) to get what you're looking for. If you have the time you can put on a pair of headphones, move the mic to find the spot where the amp’s ‘hiss’ is loudest & place the mic there. This is one of many tricks, there are so many ways to mic cabinets which is all part of the fun of experimenting. Have a great day & keep making great music!

Respectfully;
Trace Davis, President / Founder
Voodoo Amplification Inc

We would like to proudly give a shout to Mr Mike Thuesen the owner of 'Master Craft Custom Framing & Fine Arts.' Many of you have seen our Artist Wall in photos or in person, which features numerous framed photos & posters of the artists we work with. Each order is hand crafted at their facility with precision and care that is second to none.  We have seen them handle $50 pieces up to $500,000 pieces  & every order is a true work of art.

Master Craft Info
Proudly Serving You Since 1987
502 West State St, Ithaca. NY 14850
Tel (607) 272-6637
Fax (607) 275-0962
Email mastercraft@fltg.net
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We are very proud & pleased to have Mr Barry Stock of Three Days Grace as a Voodoo Endorsee!