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Check the cathode resistor on V2 and the bypass cap and plate resistors to makesure they are correct.

It's all around V2. You coud also havea lower gain 12ax7 in V2 so maybe sawp V21 & V2 & see what happens.

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Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

Also, don't forget the pickups will make a difference. If you were listening to my sIII clips, those were with a Les Paul with Dimarzio Super Distortion P'ups. Even my standard Paul with stock burstbusters won't give that much gain. A Strat with vintage style pickups would be even less. If you check everything out and still don't have enough gain, head over to tonepad or do it yourself stompboxes and make a few foot pedals, which is one of my next projects

AG

IMO, a stock TMB should have more gain than you elmost ever need.

_________________
Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

Okay. I think I might have located the issue. I swapped out V2s to rule out the tube, and (from photos) I checked the color coding of R7 (metal film), R8, R9, R10, and R11. R11 looks like I installed a 57K (green purple orange gold), rather than a 47K resistor. I believe R11 would be considered a cathode resistor - it seems to be in parallel with R10. I did read that higher value cathode resistors reduce gain - but would this difference be enough to hear?

On V2, the cathode resistors are R9 & 10 (820 & 56K). That could make a difference, but not sure how much. Best to get them in correctly anyway.

_________________
Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

I had a chance to do some tinkering last night, so I removed the V2 grid stopper -R8- as recommended to increase TMB gain. This really did the trick - the TMB channel is now nice and nasty. With my PRS CE, the bridge pickup sounds to me like a blend of a plexi and JCM.

Needing the extra omph from removing R8 may be a function of my playing at low volume without attenuation. I haven't really cranked it without R8, but if I have any problems, I can always put it back in. Now I just need an attenuator.

Oh yeah, the resistors were all right. No issues there.

Ag is right about the pickup output being very important. It makes a huge difference compared to what you'd hear from a more "modern" amp or (heaven forbid) one of those modeling contraptions.