to work well with four different dual-
triode tubes. We added a boost circuit
providing eight different tube and gain
combinations.
The inspiration for the Persuader
Deluxe was to build on the success
of the original Persuader with added
versatility and features.
Like all MODKits, the Persuader Deluxe
is built using point-to-point construction.
Point-to-point is used for ease of layout
and it allows the builder to experiment
with different component values to
modify the existing circuit to their
preference. Point-to-point construction
requires the use of discrete components
as opposed to ICs. Both versions of the
Persuader use a transistor to drive the
tube into clipping. The original uses
a MOSFET and the Deluxe version
uses a Darlington transistor.
We didn’t want to just make a few
cosmetic changes to the original
Persuader, but did want the Deluxe
version to fit into the same enclosure
layout. The entire circuit was redesigned
Another design consideration was to
increase the amount of gain that was
available with the original Persuader.
Using a high-gain Darlington preamp to
push the tube into clipping worked very
well. Depending on which tube is plugged
into the circuit, the overdrive ranges from
just a little dirt when using the 5751 to
high-gain sustain-forever amp tones using
several of the other dual 12A type tubes
included with the kit. Interestingly, the
12AU7 provides great distortion tones
even though it is has the lowest gain
rating of all four tubes included with the
kit. It’s counter-intuitive but it is operating
way out of traditional dual triode
parameters so it behaves much differently
than it would in a normal high voltage
environment found in a tube amp.
We also had more input while working
with the design of the Persuader Deluxe.
Several guitarists played through a few
different versions of it providing input
that we used to tweak the tone before
we settled on the final design.
- PAT FREULER
MODKITSDIY.COM
ToneReport.com
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