Very nice job on the wiring. I love that it goes to 11! From the googles I did before I made the comment about the mosfet I think you made the right decision about moving it. Years ago I used to hunt thrift shops for vintage audio equipment, would get it going and sell it on ebay but a lot of what I learned back then has leaked out of my brain. Excited to see what you do for the cabinet.
In reply to Lobsterpennies :
Thanks. I'm happy with the decision to move it. It took all of ten minutes, which is less time than it would take to replace in the event of failure.
I'm leaning towards the cedar planks I have left over from the fence. They're 1/2 thick and not smooth but I think they'll be sufficiently strong especially with nearly a full face. the amp isn't heavy and I'm not planning to gig it. I wish I knew a good carpenter.
The kit was $430. They sell the amp assembled for $1150 in a cabinet. I'm just about 20 hours deep and still have probably another ten to build a cabinet. I figure I used about $200 in tools and materials so $520/30 hours means I paid myself $17.33/hr to build a sweet little amp. plus, Grandpa gave me the basics of how most of the components work. I'm no expert, but I think I have a basic understanding of how the capacitors and vacuum tubes do their thing. So that's a big bonus. And time very well spent. More to come.
I do woodworking, the cedar will be strong enough in my opinion. Wish we were closer geographicly this would be a fun project. Have you found any plans for the cabinet yet?
In reply to Lobsterpennies :
Hadn't looked for any plans. Figured I'd just guesstimate and roll my own. Something like a plexi:
basically a full face with a cutout for the controls. Open back. Of course this amp is much smaller, but that's the rough idea. With the face and chassis set back enough that the knobs don't stick out past the sides of the cabinet.
I have an old craftsman table saw and my Dremel is the big one with the base plate so I can get router bits for it. I mean, it should be something I can reasonably accomplish.
Sorry for the delay, work has been, well challenging for the last week, corporate visitors and such. Thought you were doing a combined speaker amp combo, did not realize it was a "head unit" or at least we called them something like that. With a table saw and the Dremel you can do this. It's like five boards. If you really had to this could be built with a handful of nails and some glue. Glue optional haha. It will work, don't overthink it.
In reply to Lobsterpennies :
Yes, building a head. I've built more difficult things with wood. I'm fairly confident. Hopefully I can start on it next week.
Hardware store had the grub screws for the last few control knobs. They're hex drive where the others are slotted, but I think I can let that slide.
And I finally got around to wheeling out the table saw. Ripped the boards straight and clamped the first joint.
I like the cedar. It keeps bugs away, it was free, and it looks the part since I'm in the high desert if the western Rockies. Rustic. I need to find/borrow a few more clamps.
As of right now, the plan for finish is just oil. I'll sand it all smooth and round the edges, but I don't think I want a glossy finish. Idk. Open to suggestions. Maybe frenchy can talk me into shellac.
Busy weekends and summer Heat have slowed me down a bit. I remembered my great uncle (engineer grandpa's brother, also local) does woodworking and owns a planer.
nice and flat. This evening I cut the outside pieces to size and glued them together. Now I have a box.
and a wider shot because dad just got a new and very awesome toy. This is a car forum after all.
I love my planer. You can make decent wood out of what looks like scrap.
Looking good!
And for fun, I stacked up the whole outfit. High gain up high.
Some notes. The cab had a Texas Heat in the bottom and a Swamp Thang up top. I'd been using that combination for years. They pair quite well. In separating them I discovered that I prefer the Heat by a big margin. The swamp thang was ok for cleans, at least how I do cleans. Very clear and bright. But a bit too harsh with the Orange, and a bit too barky with the Tramp. Both amps are awesome through the Heat. And bother are good with both speakers simultaneously.
The simple answer would be to put a second Heat up top and just love it, but I wanted a bit of versatility.
A friend offered to let me try out an Eminence "Cannabis Rex" that he didn't like in some combo. I'd describe it as a smoother, cleaner Swamp Thang. Its good with the Orange, but pales in comparison to the Heat in an A/B test. But the Tramp. The little 6w Champ clone. It SINGS through the Rex. I'm quite happy with the setup. And quite happy with a buddy price on a used speaker vs. buying new.
I'll try to get my recording gear set up this weekend and do some samples/comparisons.
I was planning to inset the faceplate a little, but decided I wanted it flush instead. It's a tapered interference fit and I used glue as lubrication while I carefully tap-tap-tapped it in
And I think it looks right.
And while it is plenty good enough for me, I am not a carpenter:
Ill try to sand out as many of the imperfections as I can and take the whole thing down to about 400 grit by hand. I'm still undecided on if I will take it to the router and put a 1/4" radius on the outside edges or just leave it square.
The insides of the control opening were too tight for the sander to get in so that'll be a hand job too.
And I've decided to keep it simple with just a good coating of linseed oil. It makes the wood pop, which makes me glad I put all the "character" on the outside.
Sanded smooth and rubbed with linseed oil. I'll likely add another coat or two before final assembly, but I think it looks pretty alright.
Digging this thread out again. I love this little amp. Two years or more and zero issues. It just works and sounds great. Paired with a OD it's a great Little Rock amp. Very versatile.
Finally took deivery of a larger EL34 to swap in place of the 6v6. It's a big enough difference that I'm lucky the new tube fits. Had to pull the chassis to install it.
I warmed it up and played a bit but it's late and we have flood fans going right now so I couldn't really crank it and see what it'll do. Per the instructions, switching the tube type and tapping a different transformer circuit takes the tramp from 6w up to 12w. So that's cool, but we'll see how hard it can go before breaking up. The cleans are great, but somehow I don't think it'll compete with my old JCM2000. Anyway. Next project I'm looking at is a mojotone 2204. Zero funds and not sure what the wife would say about 50w for a bedroom amp.
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