# Fryette Memphis 30 - Info and Appreciation



## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

_- I've changed the title from NAD to Info and Appreciation -_

Memphis 30



















Just got this in a trade here on GC. Fryette Memphis 30 head. 30 or 18 Watts, 2 channels with 3 modes each, reverb, series _and parallel_ FX loop, 4 EL84's.
It got knocked around in transport enough to break a wire inside the reverb tank, and there seems to be a cap not doing its job, but even with these problems I can see how good this amp is going to be.

While it was open I took a few gut shots:


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

Some deeper pics.
This is one well designed and thought-out amplifier. Easy to access for repaires.
The heat sensitive parts of the circuit are moved away from sources of heat.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

great amp, probably still the best 2 channel combo I've owned.


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

davetcan said:


> great amp, probably still the best 2 channel combo I've owned.


Wow. Quite a statement. 
But I admit I'm close to agreeing with you already, and it's not even running 100% yet.

At one point in my life I thought about getting into amp production. But after seeing circuits designed by Mesa, Coyote, Rivera, others, and now Fryette, I'm glad I didn't. I couldn't come close to this level of development. My amps would have just been yet more copies of old amps, (maybe better parts, better layouts, etc.) but nothing new. 

This Fryette is _so_ well conceived from start to finish. The front panel might seem gimmicky, but given how tight the head is there would have been no way to swap tubes without pulling the entire chassis. And given how fun it is to tube roll it should prove handy.


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## TheYanChamp (Mar 6, 2009)

I love those things. I play from funk to metal and wannabe jazz and trying that was the most fun and did each super well.

I had a head lined up from a shop in White Rock, but then I heard some issues with the guy before me that had yet to be delt with that turned me off since it was so new. By the time it was my GAS dissipated along with my bank account although I still think its the most versatile 30 watt design I've tried. Your playing gotta be tight though!


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

It is an amazing amp that I got an amazing guitar in trade for. It really needs a 4x12 to get the most out of it and I don't have the patience or the back to take a 4x12 in and out of venues. The dynamics are incredible. It sounded very good with my 1x12 but once I heard it with a 4x12 I always wanted that sound. Hope it serves you as well as it did me.


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

It's alive!










I only have the Electradyne cab to use right now, but it's all fixed and running 100%! The reverb is lovely.
I'm treating it to some NOS Telam EL84's which should arrive next week. I've already swapped the preamp tubes with a mix of Preferred Series and RFT.

My McInturff sounds massive if I want or sweet n' chimey if I twist a few knobs.
But it _loves_ my Tele! And my Tele loves it. And everything is so easy to dial in! 

Can't wait to try it with a 4x12!


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## Were We Brave? (Oct 29, 2009)

TheYanChamp said:


> Your playing gotta be tight though!


Tight, you say? 

Had a Deliverance 60 for a while, it completely devoured my buddy's JCM 800, but I couldn't afford to be sloppy (which I am...) because that beautiful KT88 power section kept every mistake ever so loud and clear! Maybe the V30's were contributing quite a bit.

It just wasn't for me, but they're absolutely fantastic amps!


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

I had read that the early Memphis amps prior to serial number 0141 weren't wired to accept NOS EL84's, but all the amps after could accept NOS. My serial ends with 0156, but the NOS Telam EL84's didn't work at all! Even with Volumes and Gain at 0 there was a terrible hum/buzz. I put the JJ's back in and there was no problem. I'm guessing none of the Memphises should use NOS power tubes. 

I've emailed Fryette to see if it can run 7189's, like the Preferred Series from The Tube Store.

On a side note, since my only cab is my Electradyne combo, I've been playing the Memphis through a Celestion Cream for a couple of days. Although the Memphis seems to prefer closed-backed cabs it sounds really sweet and throaty with the open-backed Cream. The Clean channel is astounding! I mean, both channels are fantastic, but the Clean channel is somehow both clean and driven at the same time; it's not Fendery, it's not Voxy, it's not Marshally... it's its own thing. Very refreshing. 

This amp is best driven by your guitar's Volume and Tone knobs, more so than any other amp I've played. My Tele is in love! A sweet-yet-threatening, slug-fest Blues tone.

Excelsior!


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

I contacted Fryette and they quickly sent me the instructions and a couple of pics on how to mod the amp to accept NOS EL84's! (And, yes, it can use 7189's without modification.)

All that was needed was to remove pin 1 of V8 and V10 from the ground trace. Just clear off some of the trace on each side of pin 1, scrape the copper on each side of pin 1 so as to break the connection, and jumper the ground trace over/around the pin. See pics.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

How does it sound with the NOS EL84's?


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Moot said:


> I contacted Fryette and they quickly sent me the instructions and a couple of pics on how to mod the amp to accept NOS EL84's! (And, yes, it can use 7189's without modification.)
> 
> All that was needed was to remove pin 1 of V8 and V10 from the ground trace. *Just clear off some of the trace on each side of pin 1, scrape the copper on each side of pin 1 so as to break the connection, and jumper the ground trace over/around the pin. See pics.*


......and thus ending the myth that PCB amps can't be modified.


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

Kerry Brown said:


> How does it sound with the NOS EL84's?


I'm doing the mod this afternoon so I'll know this evening. The Memphis has already benefitted from new preamp tubes (again a mix of Preferred Series 7025's, a Northern Electric 12ax7, and RFT 12ax7's and 12at7.) It now has a wee bit less Gain but is smoother and a bit more refined. More later!


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

There are no soldering tools in Whitehorse, damn it. Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, The Source, and four local businesses and no one has those little tools with a scraper on one end and a small, brass brush on the other.
So rather than hack at it with the wrong tools I've ordered a set of toothpick tools. How long 'till they're delivered is anyone's guess. More (likely much) later!


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

My Preferred Series 7189 tubes arrived this afternoon, and, well... Wow.
The stock JJ EL84's sounded great, to be honest, but compared to the 7189's they over-enhance the "cocked wah" tone of the Memphis, and there are some angry bees in the early breakup. But, in the JJ's defence, they're the tubes that came with the amp and may have been original, not to mention they survived a rough trip to the Yukon. (Thankfully it was well packed!) 
The 7189's sound big and broad, break up a bit later and much more smoothly, and are devoid of any bees. They have a distinct 6L6-ish bottom end, but the mids, high end, and chime of an EL84. At least in the Memphis. I wouldn't hesitate to choose these as my desert island EL84's. I'm still going to try out those Telams, but, geez, they'd have to be pretty damned special to replace these Preferred Series bottles.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I wonder how the 7189s would sound in my Mesa TA-30? I like the sound of the Mesa EL84s but with some guitars could a use a fuller bottom end. I'm leery of using non Mesa brand tubes because of the lack of bias adjustment.


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

Hi, Kerry! I can only imagine 7189's would sound great in a TA-30. Just let The Tube Store know which amp the tubes are for and they can send you tubes with the right values. I'm blown away with the TA-30 demos I've heard - such a versatile workhorse!


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I agree with Moot. I've been using a matched quad of them in my LSS since I got it. I don't notice much playing quietly but when cranked, they have a smoother, less ragged sound. And being a 30, no wait 15, not wait 5 watt amp, it's usually cranked wherever I'm playing out.

But that did lead to one other concern. These were a little pricey and I want to wear them evenly. The Mesa goes from 4 tubes to 2 tubes to 1 - and I often alternate between 30w clean channel and 5w dirty channel. That meant the tube in the 5 watt position was getting more of a workout and would wear more, so I have a routine of rotating my power tubes, just like you would car tires. I talked to Mesa about it first, to confirm which was the 5w position, and they confirmed it was worth doing.


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

I kept searching Kijiji for a cab for my Memphis, and lo-and-behold, a Fryette Fatbottom 2X12 came up!
The seller was great and went to the effort of shipping it to me!
It's the version with Eminence P50's, I'm assuming.
So far it sounds incredible with the Memphis! They seem to mate perfectly and I'm getting a lot of great tones out of it.

I'm going to say the cab adds some "Memphisis" to my pick attack. 

The thing that really keeps impressing me with the Memphis is how easy it is to control with my guitar's Tone and Volume knobs. I honestly have a beautiful sound at a useful volume with my guitar's volume knob at 3, no kidding. The amp just opens up from there.


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