Reunited with an old lover (amp porn)

[fdesalvo]

Just found my old Photobucket account haha.  Digging through it, I came across some pics from my last scratch build.  It's a single channel, push-pull, class AB circuit based loosely on blackface specs.  It was a powerful beast that was way too clean.  Picture a Twin Reverb on steroids sitting on around 120W.  I ended up pulling two 6L6s and going with a 40w OT.  Sweet sparkling grit when you want it!  She'll be getting a redesigned tonestack and phase inverter soon...

She is basically a testbed for different preamp designs.  The extra space afforded by the chassis will make testing channel switching options and fx loops possible.  I didn't plan on gigging it, but it sounded so good, I had no choice.  Now she's here at home retired while the Splawn carries the load.  Wish the spawn had clean like this. 


Before Katrina, I was back home in New Orleans where I had access to a neighbors wood shop.  I used to build all my own hardwood cabs using his dovetail jigs, table saws and etc...  Those days are gone .  She's sitting inside of a Twin Rev head shell.

Started out with my layout drawn up in paint to scale.  This design didn't last long due to space constraints with the chassis I had on hand.

Layout diagram..

Test fitting circuit boards

Bare diode board after installing turrets

Hammond iron - bullet and flameproof

Power supply board populated and installed.  Since it's just a test bed for modular preamps, I didn't bother optimizing the placement of the filter caps.

Preamp stuffed and installed

Improvised rectifier board lol

Bias circuit

Room for more tubes and goodies

 

[mayfly]

That's cool.  Looks kinda hoffman like the way you have done your bus wiring.

 

[fdesalvo]

^ Excellent pull.  Doug's (power section) layouts definitely inspired this particular build. I loved the way he used the 1 Ohm resistors for bias measurements.  Trouble with this is it's a real space hog.

 

[Cagey]

Hmm... I wish I hadn't seen this... now I'm all excited. Dammit! I'm too weak to resist this kind of thing! I want a JCM 800 with a master volume and active EQ!

<sigh> Just when I was thinking about building a carved-top LPS...

You guys are a bad influence.

Well, when Ken Warmoth calls me wondering why I haven't ordered anything in several months, I'll just sic him on you.

 

[fdesalvo]

Nothing like the smell of solder in the morning!  It's an expensive endeavor is you select top shelf components.  I went a lil' inexpensive on the trannies (ba-da-boom!) and the total build price still exceeded $900.

I'd love to do up a compact  JCM 800 with a pair of 6BQ5s or a single ended KT88!  Tasty treats!

I've been accumulating parts for a 45w bluesbreakeresque combo that I'm started drawing up a few months ago and am stoked to start punching out the chassis.  Thinking about using the lil' 6BQ5s for some some of that sparkly grit (and mildly reduced SPLs!) that I so love.  :guitarplayer2: