NiteCrawler .
297 posts
May 07, 2014
2:50 PM
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Hey Folks,Just wanted to bring up an old popular post here a couple of yrs back when these were introduced.I check craigslist daily (gas)and have noticed in the last couple of months that these have gotten very cheap second hand.There is one on central jersey c-list for $150. in very clean condition.I tried one back when they came out $300. and was,nt impressed as I knew i would have to spend the extra coin to make the improvements.At $150 though not that I would buy it but it makes for a better investment at $150.plus mods.No I don,t know the person that is selling it but figured I,d bring it up for old times sake.
Last Edited by NiteCrawler . on May 07, 2014 3:17 PM
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HawkeyeKane
2504 posts
May 08, 2014
8:31 AM
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I must admit, I'm a bit surprised that they're fetching so cheap used at this point in time. Word on the street is that Fender is discontinuing the Excelsior altogether, although Fender still has the Excelsior Pro models listed on their site. I think the only real difference between the Pro and the original is the Eminence Legend speaker as opposed the the Fender SD, and perhaps slightly better quality tubes.
But I digress....for the prices they are going for, you're right NiteCrawler. There are a lot of mods out there to make the Excelsior better for harp, and for that matter, better for guitar as well. I think BillM Audio has the best route for mods. Tone control to swap out the bright/dark switch, a tremolo depth control in the works, TO20 output transformer for better bass response and improved output, and of course a line out is an easy thing to add. All in all, probably only about $100.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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Stevelegh
958 posts
May 08, 2014
8:32 AM
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Great amp. I've got the deluxe in the Sonic Blue with the better speaker.
If you're looking for one of these, i'd recommend the tone knob wiring kit from Alnico Magnet.
He offers two versions. One is called Dark Chocolate for harp and the other is called smooth chocolate. From what I gather, the Smooth Chocolate has an extra resistor or capacitor. I'd suggest getting the Smooth one which means you could convert it back to a guitar biased amp if you needed to. Here's the Ebay listing.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alnicomagnet-Dark-Chocolate-Blues-Harp-Tone-Control-Mod-Kit-Fender-Excelsior-/261107590869
Last Edited by Stevelegh on May 08, 2014 8:34 AM
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Bruce S
36 posts
May 08, 2014
10:55 PM
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I installed the "Dark Chocolate" tone control. Nigel (Alnicomagnet) sends you a full guide which details both tone controls, so should you wish to change later then it's not too difficult. The "Smooth Chocolate" control has a "bright cap" which lets through some treble; I'd stick with the dark chocolate one. I removed C7 on my amp which made it more harp friendly. In fact I put it on a switch so it would work for guitar and harp. FWIW I loaned my Excelsior out for 6 months to a guitarist friend who loved it.When I got it back, I found he'd been using it without the C7 preamp bypass cap switched in.
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HawkeyeKane
2505 posts
May 09, 2014
7:55 AM
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Sidenote....I posted this a while back. Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers has a custom Excelsior wrapped in tweed. I think it looks killer!
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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Stevelegh
959 posts
May 09, 2014
8:48 AM
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@HawkeyeKane:
The fact that it looks like its 40 years old (hopefully due to gigging and not 'relicing') finishes it off nicely. I'll be doing that once my Sonic Blue Tolex gets marked beyond acceptable.
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HawkeyeKane
2506 posts
May 09, 2014
8:59 AM
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@Steve
Yeah....hard to say whether he aged it or it's from actual mileage. As busy of a guy as Campbell is, it's not hard to picture the tweed getting banged up some, even if the amp is really young.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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Barley Nectar
387 posts
May 10, 2014
5:39 AM
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I only paid 90 bucks for mine.
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Slimharp
315 posts
May 10, 2014
8:56 AM
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Hey Roy
I have heard the Ex is good for smaller gigs. I cat I know has the later issue and he said he loved it but for the fact that it doesnt put out much volume. What is it 15 watts ?
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Stevelegh
960 posts
May 10, 2014
11:25 AM
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@Slimharp:
Its 13 watts and I used mine for guitar in a 8 piece funk band.
I was constantly told to turn down.
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Burntski
2 posts
Jan 23, 2015
9:19 PM
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I haven't heard a single person rave about either mod. Makes me think it's not worth the time either way. Lots of posts Hawkeye. Have you ever really used one???? To Bruce s, any tube mods made? I've done std JJ's on the output side but nothing changed on V1 or V2 yet.
Last Edited by Burntski on Jan 23, 2015 9:28 PM
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Bruce S
38 posts
Jan 24, 2015
2:03 AM
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Hi Burntski,
I tried preamp tube swapping with the Excelsior when I first got it, but found the amp a little lacking in soul with anything other than 12AX7 or 5751's. Certainly is V2 is swapped for a lower gain tube the trem doesn’t work as well. I much prefer the Exy with a few circuit mods. I've got JJ 6V6's in at the moment, although I liked the Tung-Sol RI 6V6's in there too.
Dropping the top board out for mods is actually not too difficult if you undo all the front controls/inputs. The mods took around an hour to do, and the parts aren’t expensive- just a few caps and resistors.
I didn’t want to change the essential character of the amp, just make it a little more harp friendly.
I made the following mods (with rationale for doing so):
Swapped out R44, the 3.3k cathode resistor on the first preamp stage for a 2.2k -makes the first stage a little easier to drive as the bias voltage is a little lower.
I swapped C18, the bypass cap for a 47uF one. This gives a little more bass.
I swapped the stock Alpha 500k volume pot for a CTS one; the sweep is better on the CTS.
Installed "Dark Chocolate" tone control. I'm toying with trying a "Moonlight" tone control as an alternative, but haven't got round to it yet...
Made C7 switchable- removed the cap off the board, installed a 47uF direct to the pin of the preamp socket but with a switch to ground. Normally “off” for harp, as this reduces gain. It can be switched in for guitar/low output mics.
Swapped C15 and C23, and C1 and C3 (coupling caps) for 0.1uF 400v caps; allows more bass through.
Put a 1M grid stopper on the PI (Pin 7 of V2)
Changed R12 from 15k to 47k to drop preamp voltages slightly- I may well increase this to 100K to drop them further.
(Optional) Add a 47uF 450V cap in parallel with C28, first filter cap; this stiffens up the power supply and improves the bass response and projection.
I will probably add a standby switch at some point in the future.
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Burntski
3 posts
Jan 24, 2015
2:30 PM
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Thanks for all the solid info Bruce S! I'll be trying some of your suggested mods shortly. Interesting mod on c7 instead of clipping it. Good idea. Thinking of trying a 12dw7 in V1. Had good success with it in some other amps. Changing R44 resistor value makes good sense. Did it have an effect on break-up level? I've had some feedback issues depending on the mic used. Got an '80 green bullet that just wails with this amp. My early Spherodyne hates it. Like to drop the break threshold and see if other mics respond any better.I wish Billm was shipping his tone mod. Like to try it. Thanks for the straight poop!
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artcarny
10 posts
Jun 10, 2015
6:55 AM
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tried using my Lone wolf harp break with the excelsior. bass boost all the way up, drive 10 o'clock. makes a big difference
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Warner Baxter
3 posts
May 12, 2017
2:02 PM
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When you mention clip C6. Please could you simplify how to do it.
I am no tech wizard so any comment would be greatly appreciated.
Thankyou
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markdc70
174 posts
May 12, 2017
8:09 PM
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What he means by that is to find capacitor C6 on the board and take wire cutters to cut the wire on either end of the capacitor to break the circuit. Make sure to bend them a little bit to prevent contact during vibration. There was a recent thread on this amp with more in depth description of beneficial mods.
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Gorfalamu
13 posts
May 14, 2017
7:43 AM
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Warner, I posted a mod process for this amp last month under "Taming the Wild Excelsior" and posted the results under "Excelsior v Kalamazoo." I am very pleased with the results.
G
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Warner Baxter
4 posts
May 14, 2017
2:30 PM
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Thank you guys .
Very much appreciated.
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