Page 1 of 2
I built a tube amp [now with audio]
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 3:53 pm
by cobascis
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/
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:07 pm
by NickS
Nice!
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:11 pm
by aen
YES NICE!
I always wanted to build a tube amp!
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:30 pm
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
Nice work dude!
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:45 pm
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?
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:04 pm
by rps-10
I think the only way I'll ever get a tube amp is if I build myself one. One day maybe.
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:09 pm
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.
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:43 pm
by Fran
Very cool
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:58 pm
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.
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 12:43 am
by cobascis
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:10 am
by lorez
wow, this sounds like a sweet project. do an demo!
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:27 am
by George
Heard amazing things about Mercury output transformers. Looks amazing, looking forward to a demo.
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:47 pm
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
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 5:17 pm
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.
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 5:18 pm
by laterallateral
Sounds beast! Good an jeeurbs!
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 5:25 pm
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.
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 10:11 pm
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)
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 11:14 pm
by taylornutt
Nice clean tone on the amp. Do you have an enclosure built? Will it ultimately be a head or Combo?
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:04 am
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.
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:26 am
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.
