Sag Control
The magic behind vintage amps, what makes them sound and feel so good, are their saggy power supplies. The magic behind modern amps, what makes them so intoxicating, are their tight power supplies and higher gain preamps.
Vintage tube amps typically produce about 20% sag, while more modern transistor amps produce about 2% sag. Modern attempts to produce sag, such as adding solid state or tube rectifiers, yield sag rates of approximately 5% and 15%, respectively.
PreAmp/Power Amp Distortion
and the Sag Circuit
Guitar amplifiers create two types of distortion: preamp (gain) and power amp. Preamp distortion is a more "modern" sound, and can easily be produced at any volume. Master volumes control volume from the preamp, but do not reproduce the vintage sound of a fully cranked amplifier.
Preamp distortion is very intoxicating because it creates intense touch sensitivity: the strings on your guitar become very sensitive to your touch. Whether you strum them hard of soft, you get a ton of distortion. However, this type of sensitivity can sometimes cause notes to mush together, compromising note articulation.
Power amp distortion creates a vintage sound that traditionally can only be produced by blasting the amp. Traditionally, the only way you can experience the sound and feel of power amp distortion is to crank your amp as loud as it can go.
The Maven Peal Sag Circuit
The Maven Peal Sag Circuit allows you to play within a range of organic power amp distortion, instead of with just one flavor. The Sag Circuit also gives more control over the preamp than ever before. In the October 2004 Guitar Player Ganesha Exotica review, Terry Buddingh explains "While there are plenty of amps possessing an impressive range of tones, there's nothing that compares to the Ganesha's broad range of controllable dynamic response."
Two new knobs, Sag control and Wattage control with an impressive array of other features and benefits), combine to give you and your customers vintage and modern tone like you've never heard, felt, or controlled before.
The Sag Knob
The Sag knob allows you to control power supply "sag" (or distortion) allowing you to creates intense touch response (attack)... or not. With lots of Sag, strumming your guitar lightly will produce a clean tone; while strumming creates intense note articulation; each individual note blossoms with depth and color. With little Sag, your tone sparkles with the tighest power supply available.Preamp gain is also affected by the Sag knob. With the Sag turned up, preamp distortion is more compressed and smooth with less higher harmonics. Turn the Sag knob down and the preamp becomes punchier, less comressed with more higher harmnonics and a modern tone
The Sag Circuit not only gives your customers intense "attack" or touch sensitivity or sparkle, it allows them to control how much they want.
Sag control is completely functional at ALL wattage settings; your customers are in control at all times.
Additional Player Benefits
Maven Peal's patented design (patent numbers 5,635,872 and 5,909,145) also creates an impressive list of additional player benefits:
- Infinite sustain, even at one watt
- Zero power supply hum (essential for recording, and just plain easier on the ears)
- Absolute freedom from varying wall voltages
Maven Peal Instruments
P.O. Box 46, East Montpelier, VT 05651
phone: 802-793-4879
email: info@mavenpeal.com
Copyright Maven Peal Instruments, Inc. 2000-2012
Maven Peal is a registered tradename owned by
Maven Peal Instruments