Bradshaw MXR Resonator II 18vDC power

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

This unit takes 18vDC center neg. and I've got the wall wart that came with it.

Think there is any potential harm in trying it with a standard 9vDC?

I'll assess the sonic results for myself (presumably lower headroom) but I surely don't want to risk any damage.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Follow-up. I wrote to Tom who super-quickly got back to me. No, it won't harm anything. But it was not meant to run on 9v.

I recently fried a costly box (through error, not through experimentation) so I'm pretty risk averse at the moment.

Now I'm now free to check this out. It would be great if I could run it off the 9v daisy chain. But I have a hunch how it might sound. I'll report back.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Ok. That was fast. To my surprise it's not bad. Good enough to try at rehearsal. If it passes, then it's good enough for the stage.

Wait --who am I talking to?

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

You're talking to Jon Light!

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Lucky guess!

Bill A. Moore · From: Silver City, New Mexico, USA

They have these:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/1SpotTVD--truetone-1-spot-tvd-voltage-doubler-cable

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Tom Bradshaw · From: Walnut Creek, California, USA

With the first production run of my resonators, the manufacturer for me (MXR) inadvertently inserted a 9-volt battery clip inside the unit. I shipped many, not knowing that the clip was inside and space was made for the 9-volt battery. When I discovered this, I immediately contacted MXR and asked them about it. They confirmed that it was a production error. I asked if any problem would occur. They said the unit would not function at full efficiency, likely being a volume loss, but the unit would not be damaged by the lack of power. I then enclosed a warning about using a 9-volt battery just because there was a clip inside, since I didn't choose to remove the clip before shipping the unit (along with the its 18-volt power supply.

I had two complaints about the first production run model: 1. It needed more volume output. 2. It needed the "Buddy Bar" that came with the original MatchBro (made by the original Goodrich Company). I had them made.

When the sales of the first production run exhausted my inventory, I did the second production run (the "Resonator II" model), I increased the output volume and saw to it that the battery clip was not included with it. I also provided the "super-plastic" bar that the Goodrich Company had previously provided with their MatchBro unit. Interestingly, purchasers immediately reacted positively to those additions, with some past customers ordering the second model also.

Of a separate matter, I have read that the original MatchBro had a slightly more realistic dobro sound than my "first-run" Resonator. I may have corrected that by increasing the power of the second model and including the "Buddy bar." And regarding my Resonators, I simply cloned the original MatchBro with the approval and consent of Ollie Goodrich who had inherited the Goodrich Company from his parents. If there is a difference, it has to be that the MatchBro was built in analog, while my unit is built in SMD (Surface Mounted Design). Same parts, but miniaturized; the most modern technology. ...Tom (tommybradshaw@gmail.com)

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Thanks for taking the time and filling in the back story, Tom.

I used this at rehearsal yesterday at 9v, covering two songs. I was ready to turn it off and go to plan B if I (or anyone else) didn't like it but it worked fine & well.

I left everything at the rehearsal space, otherwise I'd spend more time today A/B'ing the 9v vs. 18v.
There may be higher noise floor background noise at 9v but this is where I'd need to spend more time comparing. It was not enough of an issue to concern me but I may do it right and carry the 18v for the upcoming show that I'll be using this at.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

I had one of Tom's original model resonators. Using Tom's suggested settings I found it to be more realistic with a standard steel bar. I tried my MatchBro bar and didn't find it helped. My only complaint was it should have had a toggle switch instead of the foot switch if leg mounted.

On a technical comment as Tom notes the difference in old discrete components versus SMT can make a huge difference. Component tolerances come into play, Old components such as capacitors had large tolerances where modern SMT components usually have closer tolerances. Resistors the same way, old can be 10 or even 20% tolerances where SMT is usually 5 or even 1%.
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David Laveau · From: Rocky Mountain High, CO

Bryan Bradfield · From: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

To add to Jack Stoner's mention of component tolerances, I was involved in electronics manufacturing and I talked shop with some component manufacturing employees. Here is how I understand the manufacture of component tolerances.
+/- 1% 100 ohm resistors are sorted from the complete batch of 100 ohm resistors, giving you 99, 100, or 101 ohm resistors.
When next sorting for +/- 2%, you can see that this batch will not include any 99, 100 or 101 ohm resistors, and therefore contains only 98 ohm and 102 ohm resistors
When next sorting for +/- 5%, you can see that this batch will not include any 98, 99,100, 101, or 102 ohm resistors, and therefore contains only 95, 96, 97, 102, 104, or 105 ohm resistors.
And so on through 10%, etc.
I also found that certified replaceable fuses, which had stamped UL or CSA end caps differed from non-certified fuses only in the end-cap marking. There are not two different production lines for certified versus non-certified fuses. You pay extra for the stamped end cap.

Tom Bradshaw · From: Walnut Creek, California, USA

I should have provided a bit more information, so here goes: I hired George Moore to clone the analog version of the MatchBro. George was the main tech who designed the various models of the Webb amp. He knew sound and electronics better than anyone I knew. He did the schematic and even bread-boarded the MatchBro.

When I presented the schematic and a bread-boarded proto to the MXR folks (who built the units for me), they subsequently provided me with an SMD proto unit. It failed to match the sound of the MatchBro, but was close. George studied their SMD schematic and the values of the parts that is mentioned here by Bryan. He changed their parts and their schematics to what he concluded were necessary. MXR then provided another proto. It too did not measure up to the Goodrich MatchBro. George did a third re-do of their schematic (which by this time was starting to annoy the MXR techs). Fortunately, when that proto was received, George and I concluded that it was so close to a perfect match with the MatchBro, that we didn't want to ask for another re-do. Maybe, however, I should have driven them crazy by demanding another proto, even though each proto cost me another $500.00.

I could end this discussion right here, but I'd like to provide a story that I think fits this comparison of the MatchBro with my Resonator. It is titled:

"What you Hear is NOT what is Heard”

Several years ago I posted this topic on the Steel Guitar Forum. Here is how it relates to the Resonator II:

Steel players prefer to place their amp (or the amp's speaker) behind them. They adjust the tone and volume to what pleases them. When that sound gets to their audience, it is rarely the sound that the players hear with an amp blaring in their ears.

A fellow steel player and I once attended a concert to hear a major steel player perform, a player that we both knew well. Listening to the player’s performance in the audience, we both agreed that his sound was less than satisfactory. At the break we convinced the player that he should allow us to set his sound for the next set. I stayed in the audience and my friend went behind the player and changed the settings on his amp (as I gave my approval from the audience), until I felt the best sound had been achieved. When my friend joined me in the audience, he agreed that the player's sound was very good. At the next break we discussed the matter with the player who said he didn’t like the sound we had dialed in on his amp. We tried our best to convince the player that he should leave it as we had set it, trying to convince him that to change it would be to provide the listening audience with something else would deprive them of his good sound we had dialed in. We failed. Upon his return to the stage, he immediately returned his amp to the sound that pleased him.

I believe this situation exists with the Resonator. What you may hear sitting a short distance from your amp, will surely be different from what your listeners hear.

Many Resonator users have told me that audience members have approached the band, asking who the Dobro player was. To me, that is the evidence that my Resonator projects the Dobro sound. Granted, everyone's ears will hear sound a little differently and all musicians strive for the "perfect" representation of the sound they seek. Unfortunately, what they hear at their amp's close range is not what is heard about 20 feet in front of them. That situation is the reason there are so many amp, guitar, bass and steel manufacturers; they are trying to please the ears of all players.

I suggest that users of my Resonator try asking other musicians to listen to them from a reasonable distance then tell them how well they duplicated the tonal quality of a Dobro. But then, I'm sure their report will NOT be "it sounds exactly like a real Dobro." I doubt that any Dobro-duplicating effect will sound "exactly" like a real Dobro. All pedal steels do not sound "exactly" like all the others, and obviously no steel player sounds exactly like another!

Lastly, I need to repeat a couple of things: 1. To sound like a Dobro is to play like a Dobro player, not like a pedal steeler! That means using a lot of hammer-on’s and pull-off’s and play Dobro licks! AND 2. Maybe it would be a good idea to allow others to set the controls on the Resonator by someone who is in the audience where its real sound is heard and, live with it! …Tom

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

To put a coda on my thread here, I upgraded my pedalboard with a brick power supply with independent channels with switchable voltage. So I played the two 'dobro' songs on this gig running the MXR at 18v. Worked great and everyone was happy.
I do believe I would have been ok at the 9v that I ran at rehearsal but I chose not to let laziness make my choices for me. As a nod to Tom, his process and his product, I ran it as it was designed and intended.
Thanks Tom.

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