The Acoustic Club

[JacklegBass]

I know you've got a 370 and to be honest, I love this pre, but I like my 370 better.

I also think the 370 has great tone, prolly more vintage sounding. The 220 was the very first 3rd generation amp and has a very simple preamp which I think it comes the closest to the 370 in tone. The 230, 320 and 330 all have more complex preamps that sound a bit more refined, and their power sections have more slam IMHO. Each has something to offer, hard to choose. The 470 is the warmest sounding.

 

[jj4001]

I also think the 370 has great tone, prolly more vintage sounding. The 220 was the very first 3rd generation amp and has a very simple preamp which I think it comes the closest to the 370 in tone. The 230, 320 and 330 all have more complex preamps that sound a bit more refined, and their power sections have more slam IMHO. Each has something to offer, hard to choose. The 470 is the warmest sounding.

I think you're spot on. My friend's 220 is the amp that got me hooked on Acoustic. Before then I had to have toobz. The 320 is more refined and clear. I can make it sound similar to the 370 and the 360+ pre with some drastic EQ settings. My 370 just grinds in a really cool way when you push it hard. I'm not sure if that's what it's supposed to sound like or if it's because of wear and tear breaking it down over the years. Never tried a 470 but I did have a 450 for a little while. I remember loving it through my 402 but not liking it at all through a 301 and an Ampeg 8x10. I sold that one to help fund the 370.

 

[GreaserMatt]

I've got some nasty old shots of a 320 that wasn't working right around here somewhere...

 

[GreaserMatt]

 

[JacklegBass]

Nice pictures. That'a a clean 320.

The only weird thing I see is that brown 1.5mHY inductor sitting on the top of the Channel-A preamp board held stable with hot glue. It's for the Bass tone control circuit. It must be a repair of some sort, originally it would have been mounted underneath on the flip side of the board with all the other components and next to a 750mHY inductor for the mid-range. Nothing wrong with being mounted on the foil side, and if turning the Bass tone control knob works then nothing to worry about.

 

[Count Bassie]

...Nothing wrong with being mounted on the foil side, and if turning the Bass tone control knob works then nothing to worry about.

There's the ethic. Thank you.

 

[jj4001]

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These pics remind me of the time I had a tech friend of mine go through my 320 just to make sure all the soldier joints were solid and that there was nothing troubling going on that needed attention. When I went to pick up the amp, he was like, "Wow. Now THIS is a REAL bass amp."

 

[StingRay85]

Anyone interested in 330 gutshots? I'm picking it up in an hour ;-)

 

[Roxbororob]

Anyone interested in 330 gutshots? I'm picking it up in an hour ;-)

Yesss

 

[StingRay85]

Ohh man this amp is unbelievable

 

[StingRay85]

The 330 is completely noise free, what a great condition it is in. The original 125 footswitch works for all three functions. It is standard in A+B, while my non original 125 footswitch is only A. Combining both channels is really what makes this amp sing. Switching the master volume cuts the volume, like JacklegBass mentioned, and is only useful when only playing through the A channel. Switching the EQ kills the low end, even when boosting 70Hz, just like with the 320. It came with a top quality flightcase. At 400€, this is a real steal.

 

[ghostinthemach]

Anyone interested in 330 gutshots? I'm picking it up in an hour ;-)

Ohh,...that kind of gut shot..

The 330 is completely noise free, what a great condition it is in. The original 125 footswitch works for all three functions. It is standard in A+B, while my non original 125 footswitch is only A. Combining both channels is really what makes this amp sing. Switching the master volume cuts the volume, like JacklegBass mentioned, and is only useful when only playing through the A channel. Switching the EQ kills the low end, even when boosting 70Hz, just like with the 320. It came with a top quality flightcase. At 400€, this is a real steal.

Fabulous!

 

[StereoPlayer]

Ohh man this amp is unbelievable

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Judging from the picture...great condition!
Congrats!

 

[StingRay85]

Here is what it looks like on the inside

 

[StereoPlayer]

Here is what it looks like on the inside

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Took a long time for the pics to load, but totally worth it! Thanks!
Beautiful!

 

[JacklegBass]

The original 125 footswitch works for all three functions. It is standard in A+B, while my non original 125 footswitch is only A.

I think you're confirming that with no A/B footswitch the A-channel always stays on regardless of the position of the front panel Switched Input rocker switch. With the front panel switch in the up position ("A or B") you get Channel-A only, flipping it down to "A or A&B" just adds Channel-B without disabling Channel-A.

Switching the master volume cuts the volume, like JacklegBass mentioned,...

You can certainly raise the Master Volume knob to a point and beyond where switching on the MV increases the output volume. I was mainly saying that combining channels with Master Volume engaged for either channel is going to result in some EQ subtractions instead of additions. It won't sound out-of-phase or hollow though, for anybody wondering.

Combining channels on the 330 with Master Volume turned on definitely isn't quite as straightforward and intuitive as with the MV turned off, but you can still make it work to good benefit.

...and is only useful when only playing through the A channel.

Not sure what you're referring to here. Master Volume can be assigned to either channel.

Switching the EQ kills the low end, even when boosting 70Hz, just like with the 320.

That sounds more severe than what happens with mine. Maybe the very fat-sounding JBL speakers in my 402 cab are masking it, I just give the 70Hz slider a little bump and it sounds OK.

 

[StingRay85]

Maybe I expressed it wrong. The bass you really feel inside the body when you stand in front of the 408 is filtered when switching in EQ. It's not that the entire low end is gone (e.g. typically what a fuzz box does)

And as long as I cant switch channels, I can only do A or A+B. In case of A+B, the master volume switch is not such an interesting feature due cancellation indeed. So I do really need to adapt the plugs, and sacrifice reverb or EQ. I will keep my 125 switch original, and adapt the other one. Decided to stick to the original plan, and cut the reverb.

 

[lug]

Acoustic...using HPF's before HPF's were cool.

 

[StingRay85]

It does protect the ol' K140s I must admit

 

[JacklegBass]

And as long as I cant switch channels, I can only do A or A+B. In case of A+B, the master volume switch is not such an interesting feature due cancellation indeed.

Decided to stick to the original plan, and cut the reverb.

If they aren't your thing that's certainly understandable, but Reverb and Master Volume are the the only features separating the 330 from the 320.

I'm all over the map during my occasional fits of modest SPL garage bass guitar plucking, but more often than not I usually settle on mixing one full range clean channel with all sorts of dirt (distortion, EQ, reverb) from the other channel blended-in. Since I'm not wild about the sound of diode clipping distortion on the lower notes I'm already turning down the bass in the distorted channel, so the polarity inversion isn't really much of a factor.

Who knows, maybe one rainy day I'll try cobbling together a switchable outboard circuit to invert polarity of one channel when MV is active just to see if it adds anything. I've already ruled out the preamp mod -- there would be other unintended consequences. The only thing I think I'd gain would be the ability to add more dirt to the lower notes.

So I do really need to adapt the plugs, and sacrifice reverb or EQ. I will keep my 125 switch original, and adapt the other one.

Since you're talking about using a non-original 125 footswitch anyhow have you considered outboarding a separate single button passive footswitch for a 4th control? It looks like the entry of Jones plug connector shell should accept another two conductor cable.