Digital Jimmyhat

Ms. Naylor with her custom fitted Jimmyhat and favorite Neumann vocal mic

"Being a jazz diva requires more than a sultry voice, a drinking problem and a tendency towards self destruction these days. You have to use every advantage you can muster - falling back on scat singing and the occasional exposed breast to land the big label contract just doesn't cut it anymore. Your voice has to be training constantly, the band has to be tight, and you have to protect yourself from bad sound reproduction. Because of the recent epidemic of Sounds Transferred to Digital (STDs) we have to recognize that we are all responsible for our own protection, and the protection of others.

That's why I use the Bottlehead Digital Jimmyhat. With the Jimmyhat I know that my mic and my sound are protected from STDs. And I'm getting the pleasant feeling of a nice warm tube in front of me while I use it. I know, you're saying, "but I don't want anything between me and the experience". When I use the Jimmyhat there's no loss of sensation, in fact the Jimmyhat actually makes the experience more involving. Doc can make a Jimmyhat for you that's a perfect fit. Why take risks with STDs when you can protect yourself and express yourself fully at the same time?

Be a responsible diva. Use a Jimmyhat.

I do.

Jacqui Naylor

Not your father's Altec mixer, the Digital Jimmyhat starts with a vintage Altec 342B mixer amp. The amp section is removed and the  power transformer's ample current capacity is used to implement a current sourced, shunt regulated high voltage power supply and improved DC heater supply. The classic 342B/1567A style mixer circuit is updated with constant current sources, improved grounding and RFI suppression, and high quality resistors and capacitors. A clean and punchy actively loaded 6S4 tube line output stage is added after the tone controls, feeding a MagneQuest B7 parallel feed line matching transformer for balanced 500 ohm output. It all adds up to a sound combining the warmth and killer midrange of the classic tube gear with the speed, articulation and dynamics that Bottlehead is famous for.

Installed in a well loved case for stealth and extra old school factor, this rear view of Ms. Naylor's personal Jimmyhat shows the 5AR4 tube rectifier, 0D3 tube shunt regulators and the 6S4 output stage tube hiding behind the wild looking regulator tubes. The pigtailed XLR is connected to the balanced output transformer. The front end configuration is left stock, allowing the user to install up to four octal style input transformers of their favorite flavor. This mixer has been populated with four of the classic Peerless 4722 mic transformers, so that Ms. Naylor can use the Jimmyhat to blend backup vocals and instrument mics.

Want to protect yourself from the dangers of Sounds Transferred to Digital? Contact Doc B. for a quote on designing and building your custom fitted Digital Jimmyhat. Price for conversion of your Altec 342B starts at $850, sans input transformers. We may occasionally have 342Bs available for conversion. Sorry to say that 1567As can't receive the full conversion, but we can discuss a partial conversion which incorporates the mods we do to the Jimmyhat input stages. Contact Doc B. for more info.