# Bernie amps



## JHarasym

Does anyone have or know where to find info on what Bernie Raunig was doing to the Filmosound amps to make them desirable as guitar amps?


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## sambonee

You could check mine out if you want. It's sweet. It's my humbucker amp. 

I got it made into a combo by Derrick Bell. 
http://www.guitarscanada.com/showthread.php?56311-NEW-AMP-DAY!!!!-well-old-really-old-but-new-for-me!!


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## JHarasym

That's a generous offer. I'll be in touch.


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## 4345567

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## TheRumRunner

This question comes up quite a lot and janssen is correct based on what Colin has had to say on the matter. In fact there is a 50 plus page thread over on TGP about it where a few guys pipe in, including Colin and Tony (TEX). When Tony was at Capsule he had the pleasure of servicing a number of Bernies and based on what he learned, and with the ears of Colin, he improved the best tones of a orig. Bernie. So the info is there - in a TEX. I recall Tony stating that it's basically an early AC15 tone stack. You can pull those values right off the schems. 

DW


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## TheRumRunner

Lets see if this will work, when I built my Filmosound amp I grabbed all the pertinent info I could and put it in a word doc. Here it is

From Colin Cripps

To set the record straight the ACTUAL reverse engineering on the Bernie was done by Tim Dudley(Songbird Music, Toronto/now closed),as per my #1. There had been a lot of demand/interest up here in Toronto for some time in these amps,and I only trusted Tim to repair or access my gear.He and I reverse engineered the amp about 3 1/2 years ago,along with 2 other Bernie's as a way of figuring out what was going on in it,in case I needed any work done down the road.All 3 were slightly different,with the #1 being the most pronounced to me.
When Antonio approached me about the amp I had already talked to him about making me some cabinets for 2 heads I had,which is what he did.These became the source of inspiration for him to figure out how to do a version of the amp,and this is where Martin Newell came in to help Antonio lay out the chassis design,and disassembling an original Bell & Howell model 385 to reverse engineer the trannies,etc. Martin does great work,but the original work done on figuring out the Bernie circuit was done by Tim.As Tim said,"it is unlike any circuit I have ever seen".
Since we have started with introducing a sig. model,Antonio and I have refined the original circuit diagram done by Tim to exactly match my #1.The problem with these amps is the originals look like a rats nest when you open them up,and no 2 originals seem to have the exact values. When Tim and I went through the 3 we had, a circuit diagram for each was done.

Martin Newall in Markham is excellent: [email protected] or 905/472-6394

Hi Guys,

First post!

Thanks for digging my amps.

To set the record strait about the TEXOSOUND Bernie. I got Martin to help me out with the HELL that is a Bernie amp. He is one of my best friends & is a total EXPERT went it comes to getting help with sorting out a total mess & turning it into a living breathing amp. Martin totally helped me out with the first layout but I did a year of work to get this amp to where it is today.

From Martin's rough layout in pencil, I had to redo the drawing & tailor it to my needs (thanks Martin)! I designed everything from the Chassis, eyelet board, art work all the cab drawings, silkscreen, you name it I did it all! I had the transformers broken down & cloned too. I turned the Bernie amp from a rats nest of crap parts into a solid work of art that really works.

Tim did do the first schematic on Colin's #1 but I did not see it till I had made my amps. This is how I can now build the signature of Colin's #1 amp only because Colin let me check out the values in his amp. You have to remember that every Bernie is different.

All I try to do is build the best amps possible using only top notch parts. I think this will give you a better product that will stand the test of time & most importantly sound better.

Anyway hope all who buy my amps really enjoy them because I put my heart & soul into every single one.

PS: Not sure how anyone knows about a tremolo model? I have only made the board. The tremolo pretty much is out of a Matchless and a great old book from Jack Darr. Everyone borrows from everyone else, that is how we get better. The trem values are all tweaked & yes I did ask Martin for some insight about integrating it into my TEXOSOUND Bernie. He helps every Canadian amp builder & many US builders too. I might be the only one that pays him for his expert knowledge (He is an ex Nortel (Northern Electric) wiz)! He also works with me with the volumes of repairs @ Capsule music.


Thank you

Antonio Teixeira
TEX AMPLIFIERS
[HR][/HR]​
PS: Not sure how anyone knows about a tremolo model? I have only made the board. The tremolo pretty much is out of a Matchless and a great old book from Jack Darr. Everyone borrows from everyone else, that is how we get better. The trem values are all tweaked & yes I did ask Martin for some insight about integrating it into my TEXOSOUND Bernie. He helps every Canadian amp builder & many US builders too. I might be the only one that pays him for his expert knowledge (He is an ex Nortel (Northern Electric) wiz)! He also works with me with the volumes of repairs @ Capsule music.


Anyway, I always consult my buddy Martin on anything I am doing. I came up with a great tremolo circuit that would not have anything to do with the Bernie sound or change anything to do with the amp, only be faded in & out of the sound. I have a really RARE book from the early 60's by Jack Darr that has a huge section with every type of tremolo circuit. I just messed (months of time) till I came up with a tremolo that did what I needed. I then made it in a separate box & spliced it into a Bernie amp. After I got the sound I wanted I then consulted my buddy Martin to help me fit it into my layout. So, it works great!

Cheers,

Tony


Kathleen is using a great sounding 64 VOX AC10, so different than my Bernie CC. She got a really nice Standard Bernie & am sure needed the amp to break-up faster @ a lower volume for this tour. The Standard is cleaner than the CC & would need to be turned up to AC30 volume to break-up. Some of you guys emailed me & said they LOVED Bryson's tone.. Cheers, but he is a KILLER guitar player!

Colin - The all Mahogany one is still owned by Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo. It was his main amp (along with a brown deluxe) for quite some time but received enough abuse that he took it off the road.I just went through it for him and gave it some TLC (NOS Amperex and Mullards,etc) Now it sounds glorious again.
The red Bernie came to me as a head in a small cabinet about 5 years ago.It had started out as a combo then was converted somewhere along the way.I had Antonio build the red combo box based on the original cabinet dimensions. I had two spares,one done in black,one in red.
This was the first connection Tony and I had with the amps(about 3 1/2 years ago)and started the dialogue about doing the signature model. I hope whom ever buys it appreciates the history. It is a great sounding amp,I guess I was feeling abit like a glutton when I sold it as I have enough of them including Antonio's great version. Also ,I still have the only original stereo Bernie made and intend on holding on to that.It's two heads wired together in a piggyback style with a 2-12" open back cab.It sounds incredible!

57special - Colin,
I bet the stereo amp sounds good. Is that the one with the sailcloth dyed amber covering?
The best sounding amp that Bernie ever made for me was a true class A amp running 3 EL34's and housed in an old Ampeg M15 cab, but it blew up, and i could never get him to fix it for me. That Mahogany Filmo was mine originally- i built the cab . Who knows why i sold it, though I seem to recall having a bunch of nice sounding amps around at the time and something just had to go.
Anyway, the combo seems to be mine. Will be fun to play it years later and see if it lives up to my memories of it. Handy package for sure.

I've been tempted by the Texiera for quite as while now. Seem to be a perfect size, weight, and tone for many things.

The first Bernie amp I built was taken from that stereo amp, that was the amp I went through to get the famous Bernie circuit from. I bought it from a guy in Hamilton for $500, came with the head box & a 2x12" cab that could also house the two amps.

Anyway I remember showing Colin my great new stereo Bernie amp, boy did his eyes light up! So I let him "BORROW IT", I should have known I would never see it again.









Anyway, this was how the #1 CC Bernie came about. Colin tried the amp I built & loved it! He then let me look @ his #1, a few changes later.... The #1 CC Bernie signature was born.

I might make a small run of this amp one day but with STEREO TREMOLO!

"How cool would that be".

PS: Colin you should put up a picture of the amp. 

Tony 

have sold 5 of them already, 2 are in the USA, 2 are here with local guys & Colin has my first one.

It is KILLER, if you love the Bernie you will LOVE this amp! It's the Bernie with an EF86 front end & tremolo, more CHIME & response + Celestion Blue. The guitar seems to talk to you. I added the Dick Denney Bass cut switch that makes this amp sound like the Beatles.

I had a 1960 AC15 TV & I have to tell you I like this amp BETTER!

Between the Bernie & the EF86 model these amps are truly "Modern Classics".









Tony

Differences between the Signature model & my new EF86 model?

The TEXOSOUND EF86 model has more CHIME, drive/smoothness, bit cleaner & is a little bigger sounding than the CC model ( & the CC sounds massive). The EF86 tube is fantastic!

It has a 12" Blue (or Greenback) & 3X LARGER OUTPUT TRANSFORMER. The new model has same power section & phase-inverter as the CC (tweeked for 12") but with an EF86 front end, bass cut switch & tremolo. Has bigger box for 12" speaker 19x19x9.5"

Both amps are great, one is not better than the other. Not sure if I could pick one over the other, I do love the tremolo.

PS: I guess you will see reviews in the next little while.


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## TheRumRunner

Part II

Tony

not true in my experience. This sounds very similar to my old one. Colin figured he had the best sounding one, and that might be true, but most(not all) were tuned by Bernie to get his sound.
I do remember him working on some 6V6 Filmos that he said he liked better. They were probably a bit different sounding.

Colin - Hi Grant,I own the #1 EF86 amp as well(the blue one from earlier in the post).It is a considerably different sounding amp in many respects to the Bernie.It really sounds like a classic early AC15 with a Bernie preamp section.Very unique and a great sounding partner to the original Bernie. The larger box,12" speaker,larger trannies also make this amp a little more robust. Easily the best on board tremolo I have used in a long time as well. Antonio has also added the early AC15 boost feature which gives you the exact treble boost/bass cut sound of the early Vox. Awesome sounding.

Colin - Yes, I do use the GP8 comp and delay as part of my main signal.I bump up the master output level on the GP8 and it works like magic with the Bernie. Alot of my sound also comes from a volume pedal where I change the drive,tonality,etc with the volume pedal,so while the GP8 is integral so too is the volume pedal.
Hope this helps.

Hi Guys,

Save your money, the V10 is the only speaker for the Bernie. I don't offer or will put any other speaker in the amp.

Jensen wise, don't bother unless you like the sound of farts & mush. I do love the amp as a 12" with a Greenback or G12H, just killer sounding!

Same with my other amp the TEX EF86, I love the Greenback or G12H better than the Blue or Gold.

Tony

Filmosound wrote - Tony, I'm not sure why you'd be so concerned with someone copying your TEX CC Bernie. The purpose of your TEX Bernie CC was for it be a sonic clone of the first Filmosound amp made by Bernie Raunig and sold to Colin Cripps.

You may claim your TEX EF86 to be your own design, but it seems all you did was make a change to the preamp section of the TEX Bernie CC to use the EF86 + added tremolo with the help from your friend Martin Newall. Thus your EF86 model is really a modified Bernie Raunig Filmosound with a nicer looking layout and your own cabinet design.

There's more information at the beginning of this thread about who really reverse-engineered Bernie Raunig's Filmosound amps, did schematics, and did the circuitry layout for what ended up being your TEX Bernie CC.

Thumbs up to Tony for making these amps available with the sonic greatness approved by Colin Cripps, as Bernie Rauning stopped doing Filmosound amps in the late 90's and then moved from Hamilton (Ontario) to Kimberly, British Columbia. For years people desired an amp like Colin's, and now Tony has made it possible to own one like Colin's or a slightly different flavour with the EF86 model. Thanks to Colin too for allowing his amp to be copied.

I owned a Bernie Rauning Filmosound (6V6 version) for 12 years. Wish I had kept it, but I had too many amps at the time and needed some money. That amp sounded great from lower bedroom volumes to stage volumes. I'm still the proud owner of a 5 watt 8" combo Bernie designed from the ground up including the power transformer he made himself for it. That amp is 16 years old now.

Bernie was never that proud of the Filmosound amps he did, as though they sounded great, they were a rats-nest of wiring inside -- and weren't his own design from the ground up. The point of the Bell & Howell Filmosound projectors was that they provided him with a chassis, late 50's transformers and other great sounding parts so he just had to do some rewiring to make it more suited to guitar, and place the chassis in one of his homemade cabinets. He didn't charge very much for them - $500 to $650 (most of them in the early/mid 90's). As far as I know he got most of the Filmosound projectors from local school boards who were throwing them out.
[HR][/HR]​_Last edited by filmosound; 04-25-2011 at __08:57 AM__. _


Filmosound,

I guess I have NOTHING to do with any of my amps? I guess 6 years of work to make them what they have become means NOTHING. Every other amp designer from Leo, Dick, Ken, Mark ect. has their classic designs based & built on something else, from the Mullard, RCA or Western Electric books to the AC30 that Matchless & Train Wreck used. That is what all amp builders do.

I take personal offence to your brush off of my EF86 design. You have no idea how hard it was to come up with that amp. To make the EF86 work with half of the Bernie circuit & add a stand alone "tremolo" (that yes, my friend Martin helped me work the bugs out too) & make it all work together was a year of work alone!


Every one of Raunig's amps was totally different to the next. I know because I have had a few & have worked on 1/2 the other amps he built. The amp is called the Bernie (Colin's nickname for it). I could have changed it to something else if I wanted but loved the history of the amp and wanted to give homage to its past.

The reason the Bernie amp is anything & has a cult following is because of Colin Cripps & no other reason! It would still be a junk store amp without him. I was able to build them better than it ever was made & work out all the issues to make it into a solid uniform amp. I also have to take credit for where that amp is now.

Anyway, every one of my customers is 100% happy. I take take so much pride & love in building my amps. When someone buys one of my amps they know that they are getting craftsmanship.

It is easy for you to say I just "copied" because you have no idea what it took to get my amps off the ground. Instead of being supportive that a little Canadian amp company is being well received you would rather write negative comments that is also a personal attack on my integrity which in my opinion is a guise to showcase your own knowledge about the subject.

Please try one of my amps. You will love it & have piece of mind it will last.

Antonio Teixeira

My issue is that your unique amp is only unique because it's a sonic clone of a rare and unique amp made by Bernard (Bernie) Raunig from a Bell & Howell Model 385 Filmosound projector for Colin in the early 90's. He gutted and re-rewired that projector to make a great sounding amp that Colin continues to use to this day -- yet you're more proud than Bernie ever was for making a sonic clone of that amp. (And considering Colin still uses the #1 Bernie amp most of the time when playing live, yours probably isn't a 100% sonic clone -- but as close as anyone could get it).

I was serious when I said thumbs up to you for making these amps available, and thanks to Colin.

Unfortunately Bernie didn't have much business-sense, money, or stable enough health to get his own line of amps going from the ground up.
[HR][/HR]​_Last edited by filmosound; 01-17-2012 at __10:17 AM__. _

My issue is that your unique amp is only unique because it's a sonic clone of a rare and unique amp made by Bernard (Bernie) Raunig from a Bell & Howell Model 385 Filmosound projector for Colin in the early 90's. He gutted and re-rewired that projector to make a great sounding amp that Colin continues to use to this day -- yet you're more proud than Bernie ever was for making a sonic clone of that amp. (And considering Colin still uses the #1 Bernie amp most of the time when playing live, yours probably isn't a 100% sonic clone -- but as close as anyone could get it).

I was serious when I said thumbs up to you for making these amps available, and thanks to Colin.

Unfortunately Bernie didn't have much business-sense, money, or stable enough health to get his own line of amps going from the ground up.
[HR][/HR]​_Last edited by filmosound; 01-17-2012 at __10:17 AM__. _


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## TheRumRunner

Part III

Colin - It's true that Bernie's idea when he came to see me back in '93 with what was the first "Bernie" amp was quite novel in that it was made from a B&H film projector amp. He used to call me up somewhat regularly with some gizmo, pedal, or guitar and want to have my feedback on it. The problem with Bernie's idea was that once I told him I thought he had a good formula for the circuit and not to mess with it, he would go on about how he had already changed this and that with the idea of "improving" it. That is why there are few original "Bernie" amps that sound the same,even with the same B&H model 385 chassis as the template. Of the 20 or so that were made, I have owned or played through about 10 of them (including the only stereo version,which I still have), and there are alot of differences in character,tone, and component values between them. My #1 still sounds the best to me of ALL the ones I have owned or played through...
When Antonio approached me about doing a reproduction, a lot of care and effort was made to not only get it right (in our humble opinion), but to be able to make them consistently sound the same. It took over a year just tweaking the circuit to make it as close to #1 as possible. Bernie's amps look like a rats nest when you open up the back,not to mention the fact that the component values have also most likely drifted after almost 50 years of being in there. Antonio really does make the best version based on an original idea,and for that deserves the credit for making it a better amp. Now everything is consistent, from the hand wound custom transformers(reverse engineered from the originals), to the premium capacitors,and resistors, to the NOS tubes. I do still use my original #1 where possible,why wouldn't I, I know it really well, but more frequently I have been using the TEX CC in both the studio and live, and it sounds fantastic and as close to my #1 as one could expect.
As for the EF86 (of which I also have the prototype), it is far more akin to an early Vox AC15 than anything. It really is a unique amp that Antonio came up with through hard work and creativity, which uses the "Bernie" Power section with a tweaked input section from the Mullard design handbook. Nothing else out there has the layout,or mixture of circuits that this amp has. It too, has been getting alot of studio time these days.

Hey,

Thanks for the great review of my TEX EF86 amp. I am really proud of that amp, it's also the first amp I designed.

I got the idea when I rebuilt (from the ground up) a 1960 2 tone AC15. When the amp was done it sounded killer but I wanted a little more & thought the tremolo did not need to be that CRAZY build for not much back.

I wanted to see if I could merge the Bernie power section with an EF86 input section & add tremolo that would be simple & not be part of the signal chain but DEEP! I had the Bernie power section & used the Mullard design handbook for the EF86 input section & an old Jack Darr book for help with the Tremolo (only uses 1/2 a 12AX7 other 1/2 is not connected). You can use the cheapest 12AX7 for the term because no tone change. You can pull the tube & the amp does not change, just no tremolo.

Anyway now just need to sell some, have to get more people to find out how cool the amp is.









PS: I am building a batch of amps & will have one TEX EF86 built ( if anyone wants it just let me know colour).

Tony

Bernie said at one time that he preferred the 6V6 amps. I had both types... liked em both a lot. The El84 amps had that characteristic top end Zing and compression, while the 6V6 gave a fuller bottom end. Not a huge difference, though. With the right guitar the EL84 would sing a bit more. And Colin's was the best one one i heard, though I didn't hear them all.

There is more than just the circuit to the sound. Bernie (and Colin) refined the whole package as far as combo box size, speaker type, tubes, etc.. through trial and error- or maybe luck? You'd have to ask them.


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## Wild Bill

I did 5 or 6 Filmosound amps before I discovered that some guy named Bernie had beat me to it some years before!

I can't speak for Bernie but with my conversions I just gutted them out and wired in a typical Fender type preamp. Once or twice I used a Tweed simple tone stack.

I have seen a few that I don't think were done by Bernie, simply because they weren't really conversions at all. Someone just stuck a guitar input jack on the stock amp, which is like plugging into a hifi amp! Not the way at all to get a good guitar sound!

Anyhow, they were a great way to make a cheap, good-sounding little guitar amp!

Wild Bill/Busen Amps

PS Rumour has it that Bernie is living in B.C., building canoes!


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## topboost

Hi all, so I have an ef86/el84 version filmo mounted in a Fender Blues junior cabinet with a Celestion blue in it. My tech changed the jacks to fit a guitar cord and 1/4" speaker outs. He also put in a half power switch and a pilot light.
He hates working on thing as you all know it's a huge mess. It's amazing the thing works at all, but this amp floors me in its tone. I've also had him fit an L pad soak in the back of the cab as it's a really loud 15 watt amp.
Next to my '63 top boost this is my favourite amp.
I also had him build me a step down transformer to run it from so I can drop the voltage 5 or 10 volts from the wall.
I guess it's just a question of when it'll self destruct, but even in its unmodded state it's a phenomenal amp. Maybe at that point I will replace it with a Tex.


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## keto

Hmmm I know where there's a Filmosound for sale locally. Maybe I should pick it up to mess around with


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## topboost

I don't know what the 6v6 amps are like, but the sag and beautiful vox like tones mine produces is stellar. I tried a vox ac15c1 yesterday and it's not even close to the filmo


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## bzrkrage

If you don't grab it, send an address my way? Please?


keto said:


> Hmmm I know where there's a Filmosound for sale locally. Maybe I should pick it up to mess around with


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