I (also) installed a PPIMV in my Vibrolux!

[boobtube21]

And I (also) love it!

I was inspired by Don's thread here.

I ordered the kit from Metro Amps about a year ago and just kept putting it off and putting it off...I wish I hadn't, I am really having a lot of fun with this thing now. Today I switched the 12AT7 I had in V2 back to a 12AX7, and that made it even better! Like Don, I was not a huge fan of humbuckers with this amp but I am now! Really fat overdrive, with some sweet harmonics. It also makes it even more obvious how interactive the eq controls on these amps are. There are so many different sounds hidden in there.

One of the reasons I took so long to do this is that I just don't play much guitar lately...but I've been playing pretty much every day since I put this thing in.

It only took about an hour (I work slowly and carefully) and even though the wires to the pot are draped across almost the entire circuit board (I used the boost pedal footswitch jack and didn't have much wire) it is DEAD quiet!

I will try to post some sound clips ( I always say that, and never do). But for cereal this time...if I get some time this weekend I would like to do a little demo of what this amp can do now, plus maybe a little A/B action between the stock 10" speakers and the 12" Blue Dog.

Anyway, here are some pointless shots of my amp ripped apart...but as they say, "photos or it didn't happen", so:



Wires carelessly draped across the guts of the amp! The horror!! Seriously though, it is whisper quiet when completely cranked so what the heck right?

[Don]

It's been over a year and a half and I still love it on mine! The amp wasn't of any use to me without it!

My amp had a hole drilled in the chassis from a previous mod so I was able to keep the wiring shorter but it's shielded and should be quiet.

It definitely does not sound as good if youturn it way down, though it can be used for whisper quiet practice and sounds better than any practice amp I've ever owned.

I keep my volume set to about 5 or 6 and turn down the master to where it needs to be- usually about 2/3 up with a band. It's fun to crank the amp up to 8 and use a semi-hollow Gibson for a Freddie King type of sound.

BTW, I tried it in my 5E3 clone with pretty crappy results. It was quiet and worked, but a 5E3 without power amp distortion was not for me!

[Don]

Oh, another thing that I like about the master on my amp is that when I set the volume to 5 or 6 and put a clean or semi-clean boost in front of it I get even more dirt without it sounding like an overdrive pedal. An AMZ Mini Booster or even a Fulldrive set to CompCut and Mosfet makes the amp dirtier rather without making it much louder and it's all very responsive to the guitar's volume control.