*Soundgas Type 636P 2 - Twin 636P Preamp - Deposit to Reserve (2023-24 photos/spec)

*Soundgas Type 636P 2 - Twin 636P Preamp - Deposit to Reserve (2023-24 photos/spec)

Name: *Soundgas Type 636P 2 - Twin 636P Preamp - Deposit to Reserve (2023-24 photos/spec)
Brand: Soundgas Archive
SKU: 636P2
Price: 1000.0 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

It's gone - please contact us via the enquire button below.

£1,000.00 | Inc.VAT: £1,200.00

Our next limited release will be ready to ship around the third week of October. If you need one sooner, please get in touch and we'll do our best! Transformer balanced twin channel germanium mic preamp.

This listing is to reserve a unit with a deposit - balance of a further £1450 + VAT will payable before shipment.

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Rackmount evolution of our improved 636P preamp circuit. A two channel mic preamp with Carnhill transformer balanced outputs for greater versatility and extended sonic palette.

Update April 2024: we have now incorporated phantom power into the design (photos will be updated soon).

The Soundgas Type 636P2 is the latest incarnation of the Soundgas Type 636 and desktop Type 636P which both feature our evolution of same hairy mic preamp circuit as the original Grampian Type 636. However this is far more than two 636Ps in a rack: the addition of the Carnhill transformer balanced output option massively increases versatility and offers a wider sonic palette. From subtle sweetening and widening of audio signals passing through with very little gain applied through to maximum filth and gnarl via the original unbalanced input/outputs. The 636P2 brings the 636 preamp into contention for more subtle bus/mix sweetening as well as wilder germanium fuzz and drive.

We are hand building a few limited runs to this specification.

How does it sound? At higher gain settings the transformers smooth out some of the wildness of the 636 to deliver a classy - yet still harmonically rich - sound. We have been blown away by how different these sound with the balanced outputs, and by how much we want to use it on everything. And if you want the full original 636 preamp magic, untamed by those beautiful red transformers? Simple - just plug into the 1/4" jack 'punch out' socket - this bypasses the transformer circuit and gives you that hairy (out of phase) direct output as found on the 636 and 636P.

What is it? Based on the Grampian Type 636 - famously used and abused by Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Pete Townshend - and many others since. This circuit builds on the spirit of the original vintage units - no tone sapping surface mount components in the audio path or DSP. Designed and built by our team in our new premises in Derbyshire, England.

This is a labour of love and represents the culmination of our collective experience of - and love for - the 636 circuit. It is not the modern way: the expense of working like this means these particular units are not for everyone, but this does mean we are able to control every aspect of the process and build something of which we are all justifiably very proud. The time and outlay just to source and test NOS transistors that perform to our specification is slightly terrifying: the vast majority of Mullard OC45s available do not meet our strict criteria.

What's inside? The design began as two boards from the Type 636P preamp inside a 1U rack case with added Carnhill transformer balanced outputs. Two independent circuits using a common power supply (on a standard IEC socket, internally switchable voltage). Each channel has a 1/4" jack input, input level control pot (gain), Grampian specification mic transformer, overload lamp and input impedance switch (select between guitar/line use, or adjust to taste) plus in the latest incarnation we've added phantom power for use with condenser mics.

Staying true to the original Grampian 636 design, the mic preamp 'punch out' output is unbalanced on a ¼” jack socket and returns the signal out of phase - plugging into this output will disable the XLR outputs on the rear.

As with our original 636s, we have put tonal considerations ahead of all else. I was originally skeptical that we’d see a real benefit in using germanium transistors in the buffer section: our original prototypes had used silicon and sounded great. However Dr Huw insisted that we build an all germanium version for comparison which blew all the earlier versions out of the water; this became the 636P which has now evolved into the 636P2.

HISTORY OF THE SOUNDGAS TYPE 636 PROJECT BY TONY:

I’ve been using Grampian 636s for getting on for 30 years having ‘discovered’ one entirely by chance back when they languished unappreciated and unrecognised (it cost me around £70 and needed a fair bit of work - even then it was very noisy and more than a little unreliable). I knew nothing at the time of their history and use by Pete Townshend and Lee Scratch Perry, nor what it was that made these unprepossessing grey boxes so very special. They reacted to liberal overload abuse with such unbridled (and unequalled) ferocity that I was immediately hooked and thus began my infatuation with the Grampian Type 636. I now know, thanks to Huw, that this germanium transistor based circuit is of a slightly odd design (which explains why so few people seem able to figure out how to fix them well).

To say I am proud and humbled by our team’s endeavours over the recent tumultuous years is an understatement. It all began when “Doctor” Huw rebuilt a very tatty Grampian Type 636 for our much-missed friend Philippe Zdar for his Motorbass studio. That unit had been stored on its side for 20-30 years with the battery at the top and was almost completely destroyed by acid leakage - it was not pretty (Zdar later told me it was 'the greatest most expensive piece of shit gear in the studio'!). I said to Huw that as he’d almost built a new one in the process might that in fact be possible? Huw replied, 'I don't see why not.'

We’d never manufactured anything (Huw had custom built guitar pedals and synth modules). The new design had to be as authentic as possible but with lower noise and more low end: Huw triumphed and we cautiously set out to make ten replica Type 636s using refurbished vintage Gibbs tanks.

As soon as Huw had designed the 636, we discussed whether the mic preamp alone could be built in a standalone unit, and one appeared pretty quickly on my bench soon after (built into an old Binson Echorec faceplate we had lying around). Covid-19 played havoc with our plans and with Huw’s health, and what would eventually become the 636P had to wait.

In the meantime the team continued building small batches of Type 636s to satisfy demand. There are now around 80 Soundgas Type 636s in existence and while we’ve no immediate plans to make of this exact design, we do have a new 636 reverb project in mind.

The 636P preamp-only prototypes duly came along. In classic Soundgas style, what was intended as a prototype became the production version - the no-nonsense, minimal, aesthetic seemed fitting for our monstrous sonic wolf in sheep’s clothing. Plaudits started coming - ‘the only drive/fuzz I need’ and ‘this is the sound I’ve been searching for my whole life, thank you’ are two that have stuck in my head. Again, what started as a low key project has ballooned and we continue to handbuild small batches of Type 636Ps in our workshops.

Type 636 series units are built by our team here in Derbyshire, England in the grand tradition of old school British audio manufacturing. Carefully put together by talented people who obsess over - and focus on - sonic detail above all else. My thanks and appreciation go out to our dedicated tech team who have created - or helped in the creation of - these units.

More info on the build of the original Type 636P including photos and demos.

As Pete Townshend discovered back in the sixties, you can plug in your electric guitar and crank the gain to max and achieve the most compelling distortion fuzz you've ever heard.

Condition

Brand new.

Voltage Information
Will be set up for either 120 or 240v operation before shipping.

Tax
For sales in UK the price will include 20% VAT. Buyers elsewhere may incur VAT or other local taxes on import.

SHIPPING INFORMATION

The shipping prices for our gear vary considerably depending on the type of gear, value and destination. To see shipping costs put the item you are interested in the cart and then either use the shipping estimator or go into the check out process. Or just contact us and we’ll tell you what you need to know.

RETURNS & REFUNDS

Our returns policy is 14 days, but we will always endeavour to seek a mutually satisfactory solution to any issues that arise. If 14 days have elapsed from receipt of goods, we reserve the right to refuse a refund or exchange,
You must retain the original packing materials and utilise them for any return – if this is not possible, you must return goods using packaging that matches the level of protection we employ: failure to do so may result in us refusing the return.
Goods must be returned in the same condition as supplied to remain eligible for a full refund. Important: in the case of new items, they must also be in the original packaging which, aside from any seals etc, must also be in mint condition (please take care with this); we reserve the right to charge a restocking fee of up to 25% if this is not adhered to.
Read our full returns and refunds information here: https://soundgas.com/pages/returns-refunds

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*Soundgas Type 636P 2 - Twin 636P Preamp - Deposit to Reserve (2023-24 photos/spec)

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*Soundgas Type 636P 2 - Twin 636P Preamp - Deposit to Reserve (2023-24 photos/spec)

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Condition

Voltage Information

Tax

SHIPPING INFORMATION

RETURNS & REFUNDS

OTHER VINTAGE GEAR

DON'T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

Thank you @soundgasltd, shes a beaut...

Impeccable service, sales and support...

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