I built a tube amp [now with audio]

Pickups, pedals, amps, cabs, combos

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cobascis
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I built a tube amp [now with audio]

Post by cobascis »

Image

More to come... it is a slightly modified Blackface Champ. Mids control, and a push-pull 'tweed' knob. It also has an FX loop, 4 8 and 16 ohm outputs, external bias controls, and a OFF-STANDYBY-ON switch.

Mercury Magnetics OT, PT, and choke. RCA NOS 60s tubes.

I started this at the beginning of the summer. It is completely from scratch. I drilled and riveted the garolite board, use a drill press and dremel on the chassis, then wired it all up.

I built it with the help (it was his design) of Dan Lurie of FYD amps. ANYONE in the new england/montreal area should send their amps to him, he can fix anything.

http://www.fydamps.com/
Last edited by cobascis on Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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NickS
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Post by NickS »

Nice!
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aen
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Post by aen »

YES NICE!
I always wanted to build a tube amp!
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Post by paul_ »

FUCK YEAH
Definitely have a smaller champ-style build on my list. A lot of the big-name 50s amps are pretty similar so I might go with an old Gibson/Supro type design.

Here's mine and dad's metroamp kit, which edged out my real '73 handwired Marshall Super Bass as my main amp (because it sounds better), I believe it also has Mercury Magnetics trannies and choke
Modified with a master volume on the back in place of a second cabinet output jack, but it was totally stock spec here
► Show Spoiler

Nice work dude!
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Thomas
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Post by Thomas »

Very cool. I wish I had the confidence to try something like this, tho the fear of frying myself keeps me away from making an attempt.

Any plans to demo this?
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Post by rps-10 »

I think the only way I'll ever get a tube amp is if I build myself one. One day maybe.
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Gabriel
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Post by Gabriel »

That looks great, it's something I'd love to do, but I don't think I'd ever manage to get it working.
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Fran
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Post by Fran »

Very cool 8)
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cobascis
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Post by cobascis »

Played it for the first time today. Some of the best cleans and easily the best overdriven sound I've ever heard from an amp, seriously.

In the troubleshooting phase.. a tap on the powertube leads to a horrific squealing sound.

Just fixed it. A jumper wasn't soldered in the tube socket.
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cobascis
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Post by cobascis »

I've had the 80s Boss DD-2 in the FX loop and it sounds tits.

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lorez
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Post by lorez »

wow, this sounds like a sweet project. do an demo!
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George
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Post by George »

Heard amazing things about Mercury output transformers. Looks amazing, looking forward to a demo.
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cobascis
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Post by cobascis »

Sort of a wooly-sounding microphone (MXL R40 ribbon),

Guitar sound is Coronado bridge pup right into amp

But this shows you a bit of the amp before a do a legit demo. Its got some dirt on it! Only pedal used is a DD-2 in the FX loop

http://soundcloud.com/linckinator/fyd-champ
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Post by Billy3000 »

Nice man!!! I took a class at a shop in Raleigh, NC before I moved with a local amp builder and I built my own tube amp too, and I love it! Mine is only 3.5 watts, and is a modified Tweed Deluxe circuit. They gave us a cabinet at the end for us to put it together and unfortunately the one that I got wasn't made to the right dimensions so I can't really put mine together properly, the transformers bump into the magnet on the back of the speaker when I try to put it together. So I have it put together right now with the amplifier on the back of the cabinet instead of recessed in there like it's supposed to be. It's unfortunate because I have really awesome tolex and grill cloth for it that I wanted to use for it. Since I moved I don't have access to my dad's wood working tools so I have no method of building a new cab or modifying the existing one to make it work, so I need to find someone down here in atlanta that would be able to help me. But it sounds amazing as it is. I might have to dig up my old build thread and update it with some new pictures and stuff too.
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laterallateral
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Post by laterallateral »

Sounds beast! Good an jeeurbs!
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Post by Concretebadger »

You make it sound so easy to do, but...an AMP?! I'd be worried about the voltages involved too. So much respect. Kudos.
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Post by cobascis »

I had a ton of help from a guy with 20+ years experience so I wasn't concerned about saftey. You don't even plug it in until you checked everything twice, so safety isnt really an issue. There is a draining resistor on the filter caps that takes the voltage away in about 30 seconds when it is off.

It also has a half power switch (muddies up the sound a bit)
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Post by taylornutt »

Nice clean tone on the amp. Do you have an enclosure built? Will it ultimately be a head or Combo?
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Post by cobascis »

taylornutt wrote:Nice clean tone on the amp. Do you have an enclosure built? Will it ultimately be a head or Combo?
Working on the enclose... will be a head.
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Post by Mike »

cobascis wrote:Sort of a wooly-sounding microphone (MXL R40 ribbon),

Guitar sound is Coronado bridge pup right into amp

But this shows you a bit of the amp before a do a legit demo. Its got some dirt on it! Only pedal used is a DD-2 in the FX loop

http://soundcloud.com/linckinator/fyd-champ
Very nice indeed. Almost sounded like a bit of Elliott Smith to me there at the start.
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