What an Impulse Response Is, and What It Isn't
What a guitar cab IR really captures, why it sounds so close, and the parts of a real amp and speaker it can't hold: level, interaction, iron and air.
Tech pages · Measurement
The Research, Written Down
Long-form write-ups of real repair and design work — measured, not guessed. Every article stands on its own; most come with the math and the schematic.
Searches titles, topics and the full text of every article.
11 articles
Cathode Bias vs Fixed Bias: What Actually Changes
Why cathode and fixed bias sound different has little to do with the Class A/AB label most amps wear incorrectly — the real mechanism is self-regulation.
Designing a JFET Gain Stage Around a Real Part
How to measure a JFET's IDSS and pinch-off with basic tools, then bias a common-source stage around the part you have, not a datasheet typical.
Output Transformers and Impedance Matching Explained
How an output transformer matches high plate impedance to a low speaker load, why a mismatch or open circuit is dangerous, and what 'minimum load' protects.
Why Everything Sounds Better Louder
Equal-loudness contours explain why bass and treble fade at low volume, why EQ choices don't survive a volume change, and how to set tone controls honestly.
Your Cable Is a Tone Control
Guitar cable capacitance moves your pickup's resonant peak more than most pedals do — how it works, why pedalboards compound it, what a buffer fixes.
How to Bias a Fixed‑Bias Push‑Pull Tube Power Amp
Bias a fixed-bias push-pull tube amp using output-transformer resistance and voltage drop — no shunt measurement, no oscilloscope, true plate current.
Building Better Pedals: The Real Role of Components in Guitar Tone
A myth-busting guide to resistors, capacitors, diodes and ICs in guitar pedals — what each really does to tone, and where boutique parts stop mattering.
How to Measure Guitar Amplifier Output Power?
How amplifier power is really measured, why a cranked 100 W amp delivers close to 200 W, and why speaker sensitivity — not watts — decides which amp is louder.
Why Reactive Loads Sound Different From Real Cabinets
How speaker impedance becomes frequency response through amp output impedance, why reactive loads don't feel like a cab, and the IR double-count trap.
The Pickup Equation: Resistance, Inductance, and Capacitance Demystified
Why DC resistance doesn't equal pickup output, what inductance and capacitance do to your tone, and the resonance equation that connects all three.
