How can I smooth up a Framus Dragon

[lhrocker]

I just got a Framus Dragon and I find the amp to be rather harsh on all of the channels. I plugged it into a H&K CC412 w/Celestion 75's and an old Boogie 4x12 w/Black Shadows.

No matter what I do, it seems that the ones are very thin and screechy. I may try a few more cabs or maybe different preamp tubes, but do you guys have any suggestions?

My current main amps are a pair of Randall RM100's that sound great thru the 2 above cabs and an old Marshall w/greenbacks.

What can I try before turning this bad boy loose?

[Rod]

You should check the bias of the output tubes...also, try replacing a few of the 12AX7's nearest the input jack to see if this helps...in fact, if you have enough spares, replace all the pre's...maybe there's a bad one somewhere....from my recollection, the Dragon is more classic sounding than the Cobra...or is it the other way around??......

[lhrocker]

Thanx for the info - I also want to state that I'm currently checking the amps out at home volumes. Does it have to be loud to sound good? All of my other tube amps, except my old Laney, sounded good at low and high volumes. Also, to bias the Dragon, which has external bias points, like the RM100. Am I measuring DC voltage, like the RM or current?

You should check the bias of the output tubes...also, try replacing a few of the 12AX7's nearest the input jack to see if this helps...in fact, if you have enough spares, replace all the pre's...maybe there's a bad one somewhere....from my recollection, the Dragon is more classic sounding than the Cobra...or is it the other way around??......

[lhrocker]

I think I got it straightened out. The EL34's were biased at 22mv, so I pushed it up another 10 and it sounded better. I then replaced v2 and v3 with the original TAD 12AX7's and it sounded that much better. It may still need to be turned up to sound good, but at least the low volume is now much better than before.

Thanx Rod

[Rod]

Hi Ihrocker...you're welcome..I'm glad I could help...many tube amps I've owned in the past need to be turned up some to sound right....if you have a hotplate, that will make it sound much fuller, less buzzy at low volumes