“The power supply ripple, as we call it, is actually superimposed on the signal, and this means that if you play a note on the guitar there is an underlying set of frequencies going on. ![]() “Because amplifiers have a very basic power supply, the frequency coming in is actually part of the signal, and if you drive the amplifier hard you can actually see it on the oscilloscope,” he says. The Kikusui not only increases amp reliability, but also helps keep the sound constant, as Hill explains. “From experience, I know exactly what to expect,” he says Hill monitors the output of each amp on an oscilloscope. So, after speaking to people like Mike, I started looking at power supplies and found this. ![]() We had Brian’s rig on one UPS and the rest of the backline on another, and I realised after we’d got home that we hadn’t had too many amps go down, maybe two or three during the entire tour. “On the first American Queen + Paul Rodgers tour we used a UPS, which is basically a big battery that provides a stable voltage. “It came along by accident, really,” he says. Malandrone’s enamoured and, after telling us how much one of these units costs (clue: a lot!), continues to sing its praises. With these AC30s I’ve measured the voltages, that’s what we got and that’s what the power supply is set to.”Ī detail of one of May’s main trio of AC30s, as initially modified by Australian engineer Greg Fryer for the We Will Rock You theatre show “That generates all the correct voltages inside and, by giving it exactly what it was designed for, you get a really reliable situation. “Every amplifier has an optimum voltage that it requires, and in the case of an AC30 it’s 234V AC at 50Hz,” says Hill. Irrespective of where May is in the world, the unit will take the local mains and supply his backline with constant power at a voltage and frequency set by Malandrone. The panacea for this long life is an unassuming piece of kit that lurks at the bottom of the live rack: a Kikusui PCR1000M power supply designed for the medical industry. We’re quite surprised by this, considering how hard May runs his amps. “We remove any stray material before running it through the test gear.”Īmongst the stray material discovered in the amps being serviced today are strips of gold foil intrinsic to the confetti cannon finale at show’s end last time out. “First, we check the earth’s on within the chassis and make sure that everything is mechanically solid, because obviously things do become loose over time,” he explains. We first ask him to describe exactly what the servicing of an AC30 entails. Since setting up his own business in 1995, he has cultivated an enviable client list. Hill cut his teeth at Marshall Amplification, joining the company in 1970 and, amongst many other achievements, developed the lauded JCM800 2203 head. ![]() It’s all go for Team May as full production rehearsals for Queen’s Summer Festival tour are imminent and, with Brian holed up in a recording studio somewhere, we’ve taken the chance to catch up with both Malandrone and engineer Mike Hill, who’s preparing to service the amps in readiness for the rigours of the road. May has been cranking out classic riffs and solos from his stage-left standpoint since 1970 The top row incorporates three dummy AC30s that carry Malandrone’s stockpile of spare speakers, which explains why we actually see nine up there onstage. The trio immediately above them are on standby, ready to replace any of the main amps should they go down, and the final two of the octet are placed just offstage in case of dire emergencies. The current live backline comprises eight AC30s configured as follows: three are angled away from May, with the dry guitar signal running through the centre amp and the wet signal, courtesy of a TC Electronic G-Major 2 and a rackmount Dunlop Cry Baby, fed into the amps sat to its left and right. But no, I’ve never really seen him use anything but an AC30.” He tried Matchless for a while and also had, of all things, a Gallien-Krueger amp that was like a little suitcase. “He recently bought a little Marshall valve combo for recording, just for something different, but he never actually used it. “He’s probably sold more amps for Vox than anybody else,” suggests Pete Malandrone, May’s long-serving guitar tech.
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