Some Like it Cool | Fryette Power Station PS2

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  • Опубліковано 3 січ 2025

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  • @driptopher7222
    @driptopher7222 2 місяці тому +17

    I use a Sunn Model T 150 watt clone through my PS-2, gets that insanely loud doom thing down to a level where my neighbors won't shoot me and sounds amazing. Probably one of the few high quality attenuator+ products out there that aren't $1200+ that can handle that wattage. Plus, no damn phone app to drive me nuts. Just knobs. JUST. KNOBS. Thank you Mr. Fryette.

  • @srubel59
    @srubel59 2 місяці тому +15

    I owned on of these and just had to open it up to look inside, cuz that's what I do! I worked as a Bench Tech for a high end retailer back in the day. I could not agree more with you and just love when gear is designed with serviceability in mind. Fryette stuff is beautiful inside.

  • @elbowjames7625
    @elbowjames7625 2 місяці тому +5

    Steven Fryette really knows what he's doing. He repaired amps for a good long time before he started designing them, so it's no surprise that, like Leo Fender's, his amps take into account what servicing will be like.

  • @kesamek8537
    @kesamek8537 2 місяці тому +3

    Fryette gear seems superbly well made and sounds excellent. Everything can fail, building for repairability is the sign of wisdom.

  • @hereonmars
    @hereonmars 2 місяці тому +10

    Good to know its a solid investment, for the most part. My favorite thing to learn from this channel, tbh.

  • @stevenbryan7586
    @stevenbryan7586 2 місяці тому +3

    The Fryette Power Station is the most useful piece of gear I've ever owned. I honestly can't imagine doing a great amount of my workload without it.
    I love it so much that I sold off a couple of amps and bought a Fryette Aether. I'm just getting aquatinted with it, but it's a really impressive amplifier.

    • @brendanlucero8585
      @brendanlucero8585 Місяць тому

      How does it sound?

    • @stevenbryan7586
      @stevenbryan7586 Місяць тому

      @brendanlucero8585 Phenomenal!
      Extremely touch sensitive. Mark Knopfler would love this amp.

  • @TheStevem12065
    @TheStevem12065 2 місяці тому +2

    Love my Fryette. I've used it in all kinds of different ways. Right now it's connected to my fender Tweed deluxe, I can crank that thing and not get kicked out of the house. I love your channel.

  • @samuelhatman8995
    @samuelhatman8995 2 місяці тому

    That was really damn good as well. Thanks Lyle. Of all the repair content I watch to remember the glory days when I flattered my self to be in the general repair tech industry, yours takes me back to vicarious purpose with much satisfaction. Gosh, that was indeed good! I started as a certified 3M Copier tech, yes, leading to Machine Automation in a research plant. No manuals most of the time. But, the interface with the design engineers was rewarding.

  • @IAmChrisR
    @IAmChrisR 2 місяці тому +3

    A PS-2A has been on my wishlist for a while. Glad to hear it's a quality bit of kit whenever I do eventually pick one up.

  • @thatampguy
    @thatampguy 2 місяці тому +3

    I haven’t worked on one of his more contemporary pieces, but man, back in the VHT days, I was impressed by the early Pitbull amps’ construction.

  • @jdw2150
    @jdw2150 2 місяці тому

    Great content! My Fryette /VHT stuff is amazing. Now, pleased to know someone that works on them pretty much says the same. And they're nice folks over there as well.
    Be well!

  • @paroblynn
    @paroblynn 2 місяці тому +1

    Dave Friedman uses the power station at his live demos. I asked him if he planned on designing his own. He said maybe, who knows, but this is very good and it works.
    Tells you something if a premium amp manufacturer is running them and not designing a new one.

  • @GuitarIv69
    @GuitarIv69 2 місяці тому

    Thank you for the video! I own the PS-100 and I'm over the moon with it. Steven Fryette makes some great products :)

  • @cpfs936
    @cpfs936 2 місяці тому

    First look I've seen inside one of these. Nice to know that there's some quality behind the mass of this thing.

  • @azamsoil
    @azamsoil 2 місяці тому +1

    I have the Fryette PS100, when I bought it (like everything) I took the chassis apart for look inside and was really impressed. Then I used it and am blown away! Its super nice to have one box that can A) Attenuate any head (up to 100W) and still maintain the tone of that amp driving its power section B) be able to take a lower powered amp and be able to increase its power output to 100W and C) take an "amp in a box (think Friedman IR-X or UA '82 pedal)" plug it in and have a clean power amp to boost up to 100W.

  • @K707OR30
    @K707OR30 2 місяці тому +2

    Said it in your previous video but my PS100 is one of my favorite pieces of gear. Steve is second to none in my opinion. I find his discussions on amps super fascinating even if he is a bit of a mad scientist and goes into left field at times. Part of his charm. I mean when Dave Friedman goes to Steve to service/health check his favorite 1959 JMP how much more of an endorsement can you get.

  • @midtownunited9316
    @midtownunited9316 2 місяці тому +1

    Had one for years. I use it with the ‘79 Vibrolux that you restored for me.

  • @audiomsg
    @audiomsg 2 місяці тому

    Having watched and enjoyed virtually everything you have ever posted on UA-cam, the algorithm has suggested other tech type channels, like Brad and Jason in Australia, Rift in the UK, and also Fryette amps. There is a series about vintage Hiwatts where it's obvious Steve Fryette is a boffin at your level, ie demi-god status ;)

  • @weschilton
    @weschilton 2 місяці тому

    Nice! I'd love to have to take a look inside a UA OX, since I use one almost on a daily basis.

  • @macgreiner
    @macgreiner 2 місяці тому +2

    I wish Robert Palmer and Power station had put out more music. I was a big fan in the 80s. Nice pun!

  • @stringlocker
    @stringlocker 2 місяці тому

    Didn't know this had tubes in it. That has to be one hell of a attenuator

  • @Guitar_Builder
    @Guitar_Builder 2 місяці тому

    I've been looking for a high gain tube amp and most of the famous ones are built poorly glad to see that Fryette quality is there.

  • @BenDedopulos
    @BenDedopulos 2 місяці тому +1

    I would imagine that you and Steve would get on very well Lyle.

  • @aquilarossa5191
    @aquilarossa5191 2 місяці тому

    What Freyette did with this unit is basically take a version of the back end of Van Halen's rig and make it into a simple to use single unit, but with a reactive load and tube power section instead of the resistive load and solid state power amp Eddie used.
    It's not just for Eddie fans though. Great for any amp that's too loud in its sweet spot. The most useful piece of guitar gear I have ever bought, because it can do a lot more than just make loud amps quieter -- even though I have not used it in months (lately I am just playing thru DAW using a Friedman IR-X).

  • @GiulianoScarfo
    @GiulianoScarfo 2 місяці тому

    Absolutely love using my ps2, although I want the ps100 for channel switching

  • @victorbeebe8372
    @victorbeebe8372 2 місяці тому +1

    Cool! Mahalo Lyle.

  • @miscellaneousstuffandnonse5348
    @miscellaneousstuffandnonse5348 2 місяці тому +1

    By profession, I'm a software guy rather than a hardware guy, but I was given some advice early in my career that I think applies in both worlds: "Whatever you're building, build it as though it will be maintained by an axe-wielding maniac who knows where you live."

  • @bambule5268
    @bambule5268 2 місяці тому

    Great video!

  • @kmetal83
    @kmetal83 2 місяці тому

    Best gear. Best tech. Best.

  • @anthonymichael3029
    @anthonymichael3029 2 місяці тому

    Wow I literally just had my PS-2 to my tech a week ago then this pops up. Mine was making weird noises and I had some volume drops while playing. The tech replaced the tubes and tightened some stuff and it seems to be totally fine again.

  • @Wade6242
    @Wade6242 2 місяці тому +1

    I love my Fryette PS-2

  • @fuzzmountain7583
    @fuzzmountain7583 2 місяці тому

    I recently purchased one of these and I love it. It's just an incredibly useful piece of gear for multiple applications. Fryette seems to have a pretty good reputation for designing quality products so I am happy to see this is no exception.

  • @npet6842
    @npet6842 2 місяці тому

    I see these often with Matchless DC 30 amps in a effort to make it domestically usable.

  • @waynedoherty7758
    @waynedoherty7758 2 місяці тому

    Have been wondering what would be better a Boss Tube Amp Expander or this.
    This looks quality. Ever inspected a Boss TAE? Is it well made too?

    • @PsionicAudio
      @PsionicAudio  2 місяці тому +1

      Never seen a TAE. But some friends of mine who are well into this world say the Boss has some drawbacks.

  • @kasakka
    @kasakka 2 місяці тому

    I don't have as rosy picture of this amp's big brother, the PS-100. I had it in a cardboard box on the floor when I was moving, lifted it and the bottom of the box gave out, making the PS-100 fall on its feet from maybe 10 cm height. After that it no longer passed signal through its amp, even though there was no visible physical damage to anything and tubes checked out fine.
    My local tech couldn't figure it out (at least without hours of bench fees) and Fryette could not be reached via email despite several attempts so they got no schematics either.

    • @K707OR30
      @K707OR30 2 місяці тому

      You’re not the only one with issues on the fryette email side of things, this comes up a lot on their Q&A UA-cam livestreams but I can assure you Fryette wants to help. Give them a call directly if you haven’t.

    • @kasakka
      @kasakka 2 місяці тому

      @@K707OR30 Not American, so I'm not making calls to the other side of the world. Email is not some difficult thing to do.

    • @K707OR30
      @K707OR30 2 місяці тому

      @@kasakkaSo you want free tech work from your amp tech, or you want free remote service from Fryette directly but not via phone. Don’t want to pay for anything. Got it. Seeing a theme here. My thoughts are an amp tech worth a shit would be able to fix this in about an hour given how simple the device is, but I guess enjoy not doing that and being bitter about it on the other side of the world?

    • @kasakka
      @kasakka 2 місяці тому

      @@K707OR30 There was no physically visible problem, so it's not a straightforward "oh this failed" situation like it usually is with a cap, resistor or pot. I paid my tech to look at it and try to figure it out, it was they who said they didn't want to bill me for a lot of hours for them to spend the time to figure it out. Fryette could not be reached to provide schematics for the amp, that's the crux of the issue here.
      I'm saying that we have had email for decades where it's a perfect tool for communicating in text, without language barriers, in the time that is convenient for all parties involved. Yet Fryette's support can't even consistently answer those emails.

  • @sgt.grinch3299
    @sgt.grinch3299 2 місяці тому +1

    Good morning Sir.

  • @xsonicassassinx
    @xsonicassassinx 2 місяці тому

    Because Steven fryette is a living god.

  • @geezberry8889
    @geezberry8889 2 місяці тому

    i had one of these the big 10 watt resistor inside came loose and was flopping around . i returned it

  • @R3dbudd
    @R3dbudd Місяць тому

    What’s it take to run el34 in these? He was doing that mod in the beginning but said he was no longer doing it.

  • @Satchmoeddie
    @Satchmoeddie 2 місяці тому

    A very good deceased friend got a Gibson SJ200 and it mostly fell apart. The binding all came off and the pick guard curled up like a potato chip. Does than mean all Gibson SJ200s are shit? NO! This one had sat inside the case and gassed off at the store for ?? years before the guitar was finally sold. Then it sat some more while my friend underwent chemotherapy for cancer. He beat the cancer and his SJ200 looked it got cancer. His cancer came back and, well, something eventually get us all in the end. I did get his SJ200 looking tip top for him.

  • @madox5
    @madox5 2 місяці тому +1

    Hi. How did you make the fan so silent? Have you changed the model? Thank you.

    • @PsionicAudio
      @PsionicAudio  2 місяці тому +2

      It’s a 5VDC fan with a brushless motor. It’s quiet. This is what Fryette shipped.
      If yours is noisy make sure any hardware holding it in place is tight and that the fan isn’t clogged with dust.

    • @driptopher7222
      @driptopher7222 2 місяці тому

      Can confirm mine was pretty loud when I bought it used. Cleaned out the fan, got much quieter.

  • @bottomkitchen250
    @bottomkitchen250 2 місяці тому +1

    I had no idea there were tubes in there.

    • @PsionicAudio
      @PsionicAudio  2 місяці тому +3

      Yup. Has a PI and output tubes. Nice compact power amp.
      My only critique on that is there are a lot of screws to be removed to access the tubes, and the two on the bottom are different sizes/threads than the others.
      I foresee a lot of owners mixing things up and stripping screws. Or using dull Phillips screwdrivers and damaging the JIS screws.
      But it’s hard to design around Bubbas…

    • @goodun2974
      @goodun2974 2 місяці тому +2

      ​@@PsionicAudio, Torx or Robertson screws would make more sense nowadays.

    • @PsionicAudio
      @PsionicAudio  2 місяці тому

      No no no. Users don’t have them and people will “make something work” and then everything gets fubar.

    • @goodun2974
      @goodun2974 2 місяці тому +1

      @@PsionicAudio , Torx, at least, have been in use for over 40 years, are common everywhere, and the bits and drivers are available in every hardware and automotive store; they don't cam out like Philips do (for better or worse), and its pretty much impossible to attempt to remove a Torx with the incorrect size drive bit. JIS Philips, however, are not easily available, and I found out recently that there's a "new" JIS Philips "standard" and the older JIS screwdrivers and bits are nearly unobtainable nowadays.

    • @goodun2974
      @goodun2974 2 місяці тому

      @@PsionicAudio , before retiring from audio repair, I had pretty much every screwdriver and/or drive bit known to mankind on my bench (as you probably do): PoziDrive, Robertson, SAE/Imperial and Metric size Allen/Hex keys, clutch-drive (hourglass), "snake-eyes", Torx, Philips, SAE and Metric sockets and nut drivers, and the security-screw versions of Torx and Robertson with a hole in the head to match the pin in the socket of the screwhead. Most people are unaware that there are 6 common sizes of Philips from 000 to #3 (Pozidrive and Robertson go down to 0 as well). Next to Philips and their variants (Pozi, JIS), the second most commonly found stripped-out screw heads were invariably Allen/Hex because somebody used a sloppy-fitting Metric key on an SAE screwhead or vise versa. Nowadays, a cheap "precision" screwdriver kit from Walmart or whatever, with 4 mm shafts, for working on cell phones and other tiny electronics, will include all the above plus all kinds of weird stuff like "Y" or 3-point philips-like bits, 5-point "star" torx variants, and so on, but the only one I've seen that includes JIS Phillips is a Harbor Freight kit and I don't know if the metal they use is any good.....anyway, every gigging player should at least keep an assortment of Torx and Allen/Hex keys in their gig bag; the ones that fold-up almost like a pocket knife into a metal or plastic handle are convenient. I'm still using the Eklind brand Torx and Hex sets that I bought over 40 years ago, but similarly-styled Husky or Harbor Freight sets are easily available and affordable....

  • @danielconrad764
    @danielconrad764 2 місяці тому +2

    These units have massive cross bleed issues.

  • @ditchgator1
    @ditchgator1 2 місяці тому

    😎👍👍

  • @Michael-bm8hi
    @Michael-bm8hi 2 місяці тому

    I have three of these in my studio (two 100 watt and one 50 watt). All of them are now idling in my cupboard and are not in use. Reason: all three showed in operation a low frequency humm. I will get comments that this mostly will come from some gear in my studio. „No“ will be my answer, my studio was „quiet“ before I introduced the Fryette units. Maybe they have a poor adaptation in their units for the European market that causes the humm or they simply build a unit where too much electronics is put into a small case. No matter what is, these units are hyped but not worth the money.

  • @codyleroy6839
    @codyleroy6839 2 місяці тому

    Is it a pain to build an amp in a powder coated chassis? Seems grounding would be challenging.

    • @PsionicAudio
      @PsionicAudio  2 місяці тому +1

      You remove or mask the powder coat where grounds will be made. It just involves planning.

  • @MrMersh-ts7jl
    @MrMersh-ts7jl 2 місяці тому

    Samyoung makes decent capacitors. They are a Korean company. I've used their high voltage capacitors in hifi tube builds with no real issues.

    • @PsionicAudio
      @PsionicAudio  2 місяці тому +1

      I tried to point out that I have no reason to think Sam Young caps aren’t good. It’s just that I know Nichicons are.

    • @MrMersh-ts7jl
      @MrMersh-ts7jl 2 місяці тому

      ​@@PsionicAudio I agree, stick stick with what you know works and works well. I just wanted to share personal experience. And I'm really glad that at that point the video you did point that out. Capacitors are such a heated debate! I really love your calm and collected approach and presentation.

    • @robinsearles5771
      @robinsearles5771 2 місяці тому

      ​@@PsionicAudio really enjoyed the Saturday chat last wee k! Looking forward to the next one--i have the world's dumbest Twin Reverb question all ready to go 😅

  • @jclebedev
    @jclebedev 2 місяці тому

    In my experience Samyoung is decent quality, definitely better than ChongX lol.

  • @Bairov
    @Bairov 2 місяці тому

    Lyle, do you think they could ever make a chart that can give you ball park numbers for how many decibels these attenuators cut based on the wattage rating of the amp you're using? I ask because I tend to run my Marshall at 100W into a 2x12 with 30W Greenbacks, and I'm always wondering where that line is. 😅

    • @PsionicAudio
      @PsionicAudio  2 місяці тому

      A 3dB decrease correlates to halving the output power.
      But not all attenuators have dB numbers on their controls, and we don’t know how accurate the various dB settings on others are.
      This Fryette has a knob labeled Volume but no indicators for dB. Other attenuators have stepped controls with -3, -6, -9 etc.
      But you would have to measure with a scope to ensure those printed numbers are realistic.

    • @K707OR30
      @K707OR30 2 місяці тому +2

      Well this isn’t exactly a passive/resistive attenuator that soaks up some of your amp’s power and you’re left wondering how much is hitting your speakers. Fryette designed these that when engaged, the reactive load brings the output of your amp down to line level. It then takes that line level signal and re-amps it through a proper tube amp which is what’s powering your speakers. The result is your amp sees a reactive load and reacts like it’s seeing speakers, but what sets this apart from others is your speakers see a tube amp directly. Just not your original amp, although it is seeing your original amps signal through said tube amp. Anyway your amp’s actual power output is frankly not even part of the equation of what your speakers are seeing with this device, unless you bypass the power station. Hopefully that makes sense.

    • @Bairov
      @Bairov 2 місяці тому

      I have the PS-100, and I get the reactive load part. What stumps me is why there are no charts or information in the volume knobs showing how much the volume knobs increase wattage. I know a bigger and beefier amp will change the reactance curve. It's why there's a little switch that changes how the amp in signal level behaves with the volume knob. It'd be cool to say that if the PS100 is maxed on the volume knobs you get 100W clean with no distortion and at middle you're looking at about 50W, but I'm sure it doesn't work that way.

    • @K707OR30
      @K707OR30 2 місяці тому +1

      @@Bairovlike Lyle said, put it on a scope. As long as you know what you’re doing, this is easy to figure out/calculate when measuring output voltage. Also why would you expect this measurement display on the Powerstatjon, but literally no other amp I can think of does this and that’s acceptable?

    • @Bairov
      @Bairov 2 місяці тому

      @K707OR30 It'd be neat to have, but it sounds nearly impossible because of all the variables. I'm not knocking the device as it's my bread and butter. It would be a nice luxury I'd pay a lot more to have for peace of mind.