Nocturne The Jr. Barnyard Preamp

**radiofm74** · 12-12-2018, 07:34 PM

More clips!

**clebergf** · 12-19-2018, 07:59 AM

Good news. My friend got back to Brazil and with my pedal.

Nocturne The Jr. Barnyard Preamp-jr2-jpg

I recorded some sound clips (noodling around) using a SM57 and an AER Compact 60 + Jr. + Godin 5th Av. (P90). It's very early here and I can't play to loud, but there its'. I want to record more, so feel free to ask some configs/test I'll do my best to try it. Now I have to go to work.

I recorded all of them with my guitar volume around 3/4 and then on 10 through the input and loop. It's described in each track.

It was a very quick test but I loved the pedal. Please feel free to give opinions and feedback about it.
You can see my configs in the pic above.

**campusfive** · 12-19-2018, 02:46 PM

I'm delighted you dig it, man!

**clebergf** · 12-20-2018, 04:26 PM

Yeah, thanks. For sure I need to test it more. Guitar volume on 10 is something that I never use and with Barnyard it gets to much distorted. I like to use guitar volume on 3/4. Sometimes I increase it a bit to single lines.

I'll post more sounds soon.

**clebergf** · 12-21-2018, 08:54 AM

Hello there!!

I recorded my monthly video with the Barnyard today.

I tried to get a very little crunch. Barnyard has an incredible response to the hand and guitar volume. It was plugged into loop return and recorded with a SM57.

**sgosnell** · 12-21-2018, 04:24 PM

I wish people would stop posting videos of the JR Barnyard. I really have better, more important uses for my money.

**pcjazz** · 12-21-2018, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by clebergf

Hello there!!

I recorded my monthly video with the Barnyard today.

I tried to get a very little crunch. Barnyard has an incredible response to the hand and guitar volume. It was plugged into loop return and recorded with a SM57.

Sounds great and nice playing. Can you go directly into the effects return on the AER without having anything plugged into the instrument input? Can't do that on my Schertlers unfortunately.

**clebergf** · 12-21-2018, 05:58 PM

Yeah pcjazz, There is no need to plug anything in the input, just directly to the loop return. Thanks, I'm glad that you liked.

**Hep To The Jive** · 12-22-2018, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by clebergf

Hello there!!

I recorded my monthly video with the Barnyard today.

I tried to get a very little crunch. Barnyard has an incredible response to the hand and guitar volume. It was plugged into loop return and recorded with a SM57.

That is much better, I like it!

**campusfive** · 12-22-2018, 03:15 PM

That sounds great, man, both the playing and the tone!

**Littlemark** · 12-22-2018, 05:14 PM

Lovely.

**clebergf** · 12-22-2018, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

I wish people would stop posting videos of the JR Barnyard. I really have better, more important uses for my money.

Just buy one. I'll post more videos/audios soon. xD

Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive

That is much better, I like it!

Yes. I enjoyed this much more too. I think that this is the spot to play clean chords. I'll try more.

Originally Posted by campusfive

That sounds great, man, both the playing and the tone!

Wow. This is an honor to me. Thank you Jonathan.

Originally Posted by Littlemark

Lovely.

Thanks. Glad that you liked.

**marcwhy** · 12-22-2018, 07:28 PM

It's amazing how much traction this post has, especially over a single pedal! [and as others have said, please stop posting or we'll all be buying a Barnyard!].

There's been some mention of amps using octal/6SL7 tubes; Frenzel makes a nice one, too. He changes his features often, but I have the "Retro Deluxe" made in Dec last year, which was still using 6V6 tubes, and a simpler layout. I'm not into the steel cage head, so I ordered the chassis, and had Jeff at JDesign make the head-cab. With the Gain and Master Volume setup, there are many sounds to pull out of this little amp (pictured on a 1x8 cab)!

**clebergf** · 01-05-2019, 04:39 PM

Hello there. Another round of tests with Barnyard.
This time to use the DI from AER I had to plug the Barnyard in the input, because the DI is before the power/master from the amp.

So it's guitar > barnyard > input AER > DI.

Sunday Swing is my own composition.

**radiofm74** · 01-06-2019, 07:03 AM

Very nice indeed, and pushing me to (re)consider the AER route!
BTW: happy new year to the population of this rather exceptional pedal thread ;D

**clebergf** · 01-28-2019, 07:34 PM

Hello there. More Jr. recordings and now in a "real life" situation. I played with my band last weekend in a museum and there are some excerpts from Lady Be Good and If I Had You.

**entresz** · 01-28-2019, 07:54 PM

Lately my go-to setup has been this
'83 Epi Emperor with Dynasonics -> barnyard -> Peavey Session 400 steel guitar amp
Sorry- photo isn't very good, but you can just see the barnyard sitting on top of the amp

Nocturne The Jr. Barnyard Preamp-barnyard-pv-jpg

I've found this amp works great with the Barnyard- I've been using the pedal with the 'low cut' switch off, and running the gain a bit higher for some more pronounced overdrive. Since the amp is so clean sounding, the effect of the preamp is so much more pronounced - it has that really cool 'wooly' kind of overdrive thing happening - very 40's/50's sounding. I've got a JBL D130 in this amp, seems to work nicely with the Barnyard preamp.

**clebergf** · 01-28-2019, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by entresz

I've found this amp works great with the Barnyard-

This pedal is amazing. Works well with a lot of amp.

**Hep To The Jive** · 01-29-2019, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by clebergf

Hello there. More Jr. recordings and now in a "real life" situation. I played with my band last weekend in a museum and there are some excerpts from Lady Be Good and If I Had You.

I dig it! Is it in the effects loop or in front?

**clebergf** · 01-29-2019, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive

I dig it! Is it in the effects loop or in front?

I forgot to mention. It is in the effects loop. I really like the tone in the effects loop so I use it only this way when I have a mic available.
I'm glad you liked.

**radiofm74** · 02-24-2019, 04:39 PM

Got mine! It cost me a fortune in transport and taxes, and in the first days I was wondering if I had made a mistake. Could not get the right sound out of it!
Then today I took the time to re-adjust pickup height on my beloved Guitar Mike, fiddled a bit with the knobs on my blackface amp, and there it is: a killer Charlie/Barney swing tone. I am SO happy it sounds so great. In my case, the secret was – putting it through input 2 (low gain) of the amp, keeping the volume on the pickup low as it’s so hot (like at 1/4), and keeping the bass rolled off on the amp. In this way, I got all I could ever want by way of “pre-bop” tone.
I’ve tried it also directly into a PA at big band rehearsal. Sounded GREAT but it made a noise, as if it did not like the impedance of the mixing board input, so I had to plug back into my old faithful 5F1 for the electric sound. I guess I’ll need to investigate further. The place where I have my monthly Trad Jazz Jam has a Hot Rod Deluxe, and I have yet to try it there, but I’m sure it will be great.
So: very happy customer here. I usually use it with the gain fairly low (? 9 o’ clock) and no “grit”. I engage the grit footswitch only if I want to have some Junior Barnard fun (which will happen more often, with this pedal

).

**campusfive** · 03-04-2019, 03:17 PM

I just played my last three gigs with my JR B / Quilter 101 / Lil Texas in Vintage '47 Cab rig, and I have to say... it was really, really great. I mean just awesome.

There's something going on with my Vintage '47 VA-185G, I'm guessing the input jack connection is just a little loose, nothing major. But it's enough over my head that I need to get it fixed. I live close enough that Vintage '47 could just fix it (and I know they'll be happy to), but I'd need to drive cross-town, and I just keep putting it off. So, I was dragging my 1939 EH-185 around, and it was just a little too heavy for some of the load-ins lately. I really love the VA-185G because it's light weight and because it sounds right. And it's way easier to just have it all in one package, so I don't see myself swapping out entirely.

But, the last three gigs were all ones where I'm typically struggling for volume. I mean it's probably loud enough FOH, but based on stage layouts, acoustics, etc., I'm not able to hear myself well enough.

Well... let's just say that volume was definitely not a problem. I didn't really have time to even look at the knobs when I set up, and so that amp was up pretty high. It was awesome because I was able to choke it at the volume knob, and use a very little guitar volume and so the tone was friggin' PERFECT. Fat and octal-y, but also so much output. And in perhaps the best indication of whether gear is working for you... it allowed me to play better. Frankly, Saturday night was some of the best electric playing I've done a while, and having way more output than necessary on tap allowed to play effortlessly without feeling like it doesn't sound "big" enough. The guitar volume knob never made it past maybe 1/3 up, and I never lacked sufficient volume, and it sounded "powerful" the whole time. Just awesome.

Now, if I can just figure out some way to package the Quilter and Jr Barnyard so that I didn't have plug it all in every time, I might be temped to rely on that rig more. I'd originally intended to mount it all in the cab, but there's not really enough room to do it. And having it all sit on top of the amp is not as aesthetically pleasing as it might otherwise be.

**SandChannel** · 03-04-2019, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by campusfive

Now, if I can just figure out some way to package the Quilter and Jr Barnyard so that I didn't have plug it all in every time, I might be temped to rely on that rig more. I'd originally intended to mount it all in the cab, but there's not really enough room to do it. And having it all sit on top of the amp is not as aesthetically pleasing as it might otherwise be.

How about replacing the Quilter 101 with something like the EHX Magnum 44, Seymour Duncan PowerStage 170, or the ISP Stealth 180? I'm just trying to think of smaller, pedal-sized options that might fit in there with the Barnyard.

**campusfive** · 03-04-2019, 04:27 PM

I suppose that would be a way to go. But I'm loathe to drop another couple hundred bucks to try something else. Perhaps I'll just look into putting them into some kind of recycled (and cheap) housing.

**campusfive** · 03-04-2019, 04:29 PM

Oh, and I should mention I'm running the Junior Barnyard 18V for maximum clean. Tavo mentioned I could run 9V or 12V or 18V, but and it would clean up as the power went up. Since the shop I happened to drop into had the top one, I went with it, and haven't bothered to try anything else.