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Topic: nashville 400 mod? |
Nathan Guilford
From:
Oklahoma City
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Posted 22 Jul 2021 7:39 pm |
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I've got a 1983 silver-cornered nashville 400 with the original 1502 BW speaker. I play small bar gigs to large dance halls. Should I buy the chip set from Ken Fox's website? Is that the "intense mod" that I've heard so much about? How does it change the amp? So many questions for one post! Thanks for your input.
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'02 Carter S-12 uni
‘76 MSA D-12
www.toothbrushers.com |
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Brandon Mills
From:
Victoria, TX. USA
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Posted 22 Jul 2021 8:24 pm
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| The chip set IS NOT Ken Fox’s Intense Mod. The chips were a part of what Ken does/did in his Intense Mod though, and for about $35 you can literally plug them in yourself. I bought a set from Ken’s website but ultimately couldn’t appreciate the difference in tone in my ‘82 Nashville 400. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 23 Jul 2021 4:49 am
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His intense mod included replacing some other components, not just the chips. I had my '84 NV400 modded by him, and I received a baggie of parts back with my amp.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Bob Metzger
From:
Waltham (Boston), MA, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2021 10:07 am Peavey Nashville 400 Mod
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Hi Nathan,
To my knowledge, there are/were three mods for the Nashville 400 amp. The first was the Miracle Audio mod, very good but expensive. Next was the Peavey Tone Enhancement mod, very moderately priced and then came the Ken Fox Intense mod. All of these are preamp mods and they are all a little different but accomplish about the same thing, making the amp sound more modern and not like the midrange-heavy Peavey sound of the early 80s. In my opinion, all are a great improvement over the stock amp circuit. I think Ken Fox gets the nod around this forum as he's a good guy and has helped alot of folks out and has been a very accessible resource but you cannot go wrong with any of these mods and you will most probably be very happy with the improved preamp sound of your amp. If you're not handy with a soldering iron, you'll need to find a tech that is.
There is also a mod for the reverb circuit in this amp from a guy on this forum that is recommended.
Bob M.
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Bob M. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 25 Jul 2021 7:03 pm Re: nashville 400 mod?
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| Nathan Guilford wrote: |
| I've got a 1983 silver-cornered nashville 400 with the original 1502 BW speaker. I play small bar gigs to large dance halls. Should I buy the chip set from Ken Fox's website? |
That would depend on how happy you are with the sound you have now. If you have no noise issues and you run the mids fairly high, you'll likely notice little difference. But if you have a hiss problem and you can't seem to get the mid-range "honk" out of your sound, a mod kit will make a significant improvement. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 26 Jul 2021 2:13 am
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The LeMay and Peavey tone mods are only for later production models (around 1989). Earlier models do not need the tone mod as they are properly voiced for the 1502 speaker.
Later models used a 1501 speaker with different frequency response and the tone circuitry needed response modifications. Late 1996 production runs of the NV400 included the tone mod in manufacture.
The "intense" mod is totally different.
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GFI Ultra Keyless S-10 with pad (Black of course) TB202 amp, Hilton VP, Steelers Choice sidekick seat, SIT Strings
Cakewalk by Bandlab and Studio One V4.6 pro DAWs, MOTU Ultralite MK5 recording interface unit |
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Steve Spitz
From:
New Orleans, LA, USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2021 6:33 pm
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Nathan,
What are you looking to change m sound wise ? Is there something specific you don’t like about the current amp ? |
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Patrick Huey
From:
Nacogdoches, Texas, USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2021 2:41 am
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| Steve Spitz wrote: |
Nathan,
What are you looking to change m sound wise ? Is there something specific you don’t like about the current amp ? |
Sounds like he is simply curious as to whether it will make his 400 sound BETTER. I have the mod on my NV400 and I think it sounds better than the previous one I had that was not modified. I will say the “intense†reverb is EXACTLY THAT LOL…it is rather intense. I don’t set mine past about 3 lol.
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Pre RP Mullen D10 8/7, Zum 3/4, Carter S-10 3/4, previous Cougar SD-10 3/4 & GFI S-10 3/4, Fender Steel King, 2 Peavey Session 500's, Peavey Nashville 400, Boss DD-3, Profex-II, Hilton Digital Sustain, '88 Les Paul Custom,Epiphone MBIBG J-45, Fender Strat & Tele's, Takamine acoustics, Marshall amps, Boss effects, Ibanez Tube Screamer, and it all started with an old cranky worn out Kay acoustic you could slide a Mack truck between the strings and fretboard on!! |
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Steve Spitz
From:
New Orleans, LA, USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2021 6:21 am
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Hey Patrick,
Your point is well taken. Sometime when we describe what we want, it helps the search.
We all want better, but that’s subjective . Some didn’t care for the chip upgrade.
Not me, I have the Fox intense mod, with a MOD reverb tank. It’s Lush, and it’s much better than stock. I love it. A significant change to my ear.
I also did the chip mods to my NV 112, and liked the result. |
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Michael Brebes
From:
Northridge CA
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Posted 27 Jul 2021 6:25 am
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With the Peavey recommended mod, besides the opamp upgrades, part changes were made in the preamp so that the Mid and Treble control ranges no longer overlapped. That high midrange could be problematic because of the overlap. It's been a few years since I did the mod, but that's what I remember.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100 |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 27 Jul 2021 5:10 pm
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| Jack Stoner wrote: |
The LeMay and Peavey tone mods are only for later production models (around 1989). Earlier models do not need the tone mod as they are properly voiced for the 1502 speaker.
Later models used a 1501 speaker with different frequency response and the tone circuitry needed response modifications. Late 1996 production runs of the NV400 included the tone mod in manufacture.
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The speaker voicing was a minor problem; a bigger problem was this: Peavey, back in the early '80s, started to have a lot of warranty claims due to blown speakers. Their high power amps put out too much power for the speakers they had used. To get around the problem, Peavey intentionally lowered the bass response to keep their amps from blowing speakers...enter John LeMay. John heard from so many people about their dissatisfaction with their midrange-heavy Peavy "honky" amps that he formed Miracle Audio and designed a mod kit to deliver the full tonal range the amps were capable of. They were expensive (about $75) for what was in the kits, but they sold very well. Shortly afterwards, Peavey, realizing they were missing the boat by not capitalizing on the mod, came out with their own (cheaper) kit, and also incorporated most of the changes that John had made into their amps, as the redesigned B/W speakers were now also more robust. The tone was far better as a result, but the LeMay mod still offered more bass response. As sales of John's kits declined, he stopped offering them for a few years, only to reissue them some years later for a few of the more popular amps. |
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Steve Sycamore
From:
Sweden
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Posted 30 Jul 2021 5:07 am
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| Yes, I can second the desirability of the LeMay mod or anything like it regardless of what speaker you have installed. I had the latest 1501 BW speaker in my amp originally and was never really happy with tone or dynamics. Installing the LeMay kit very much improved that. Swapping the 1501 BW for a JBL D140R afterwards very much further improved tone, dynamics, feel and everything else. |
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Steven Paris
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 30 Jul 2021 11:14 pm Re: Peavey Nashville 400 Mod
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| Bob Metzger wrote: |
| There is also a mod for the reverb circuit in this amp from a guy on this forum that is recommended. Bob M. |
I thought that was YOU !!!!
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Emmons & Peavey |
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Bob Metzger
From:
Waltham (Boston), MA, USA
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Posted 31 Jul 2021 9:18 am
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Oh yeah, I guess I just forgot - it is me (I'm not much of a self promoter).
It was worth drawing to his attention, it's a good mod.
Bob M.
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Bob M. |
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Steven Paris
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 31 Jul 2021 9:27 am
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HAH!!
It's a DAMN good mod, IMO!!! Thank you!!
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Emmons & Peavey |
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