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Step 14Final thoughts
I'm very happy with the 'new' sound, and the safety improvements on the amp. It's a nice 'living room' and recording amp. The amp is brighter and a bit 'punchier' than it was originally. It has a real bell-like tone...
From the video clips, it's obvious that the amp is now very quiet from a noise perspective (well, for Mod A, anyway)--sorry, no "before" video to compare to... For an amp that's only 3 watts (perhaps a bit more with fresh tubes), it's louder than you'd think.
While the Mod A upped the treble and punch, and Mod B got some of the the 'garage' tone I was hoping for, I'm not completely satisfied... If more 'drive' is the goal, the single stage preamp would probably limit the smoothness....And if radical changes were made--well, better to just build one from scratch....
Would I do it differently next time? Yes.
I'd tear the amp down to the bare chassis and rebuild from there. But what began as a simple 'filter cap' recap job sort of snowballed...
I'd certainly clean up the interior, tidy the wiring rats-nest, remove the dust, etc. Probably go the extra mile and use the 'orange drop' caps.
Since this isn't a highly desirable amp like an old Tweed Champ, the materials used aren't going to tick-off any collectors. The design itself utilizes common radio tubes, so even N.O.S. tubes are cheap and plentiful. I can experiment to my heart's content.
Anyway, I learned something, and I'll know better next time.
More video/audio
All examples are 'clean'--just guitar and amp, no F/X.
#4 -- Mod A, again with the Trash-o-caster (the video cam doesn't quite capture the treble correctly):
Obviously, the sound quality of a small digital camera (functioning as a vid recorder) isn't going to be excellent...but it's good enough to get an idea...
Aesthetic disclaimer
Everyone's taste in sound is different. it's a personal thing. So before you write:
But my Supratronic Billy-Bob-Mcgee Boutique Amp sounds better than this!
or
Your mods suck, it doesn't sound like a (insert Marshall, Fender, Vox, etc. here)!
or
That sucks, it doesn't sound 'metal' at all!
or
HAHAHAHAHA, my Whooptytron Jimiaxeulator is 100000 watts! What good is this???
Well, you can't make a full-sized SUV from a go-cart chassis (but both are cool!) Any tube amp can be modified and the sound shaped, but it's basic character will not change. This is a single-stage preamp, Class A tube amplifier.
It's really a cool-sounding amp. But I understand if it's not your cup-o-tea...
And I have other amps. If I want a different sound, I'll use them.
From the video clips, it's obvious that the amp is now very quiet from a noise perspective (well, for Mod A, anyway)--sorry, no "before" video to compare to... For an amp that's only 3 watts (perhaps a bit more with fresh tubes), it's louder than you'd think.
While the Mod A upped the treble and punch, and Mod B got some of the the 'garage' tone I was hoping for, I'm not completely satisfied... If more 'drive' is the goal, the single stage preamp would probably limit the smoothness....And if radical changes were made--well, better to just build one from scratch....
Would I do it differently next time? Yes.
I'd tear the amp down to the bare chassis and rebuild from there. But what began as a simple 'filter cap' recap job sort of snowballed...
I'd certainly clean up the interior, tidy the wiring rats-nest, remove the dust, etc. Probably go the extra mile and use the 'orange drop' caps.
Since this isn't a highly desirable amp like an old Tweed Champ, the materials used aren't going to tick-off any collectors. The design itself utilizes common radio tubes, so even N.O.S. tubes are cheap and plentiful. I can experiment to my heart's content.
Anyway, I learned something, and I'll know better next time.
More video/audio
All examples are 'clean'--just guitar and amp, no F/X.
#4 -- Mod A, again with the Trash-o-caster (the video cam doesn't quite capture the treble correctly):
Obviously, the sound quality of a small digital camera (functioning as a vid recorder) isn't going to be excellent...but it's good enough to get an idea...
Aesthetic disclaimer
Everyone's taste in sound is different. it's a personal thing. So before you write:
But my Supratronic Billy-Bob-Mcgee Boutique Amp sounds better than this!
or
Your mods suck, it doesn't sound like a (insert Marshall, Fender, Vox, etc. here)!
or
That sucks, it doesn't sound 'metal' at all!
or
HAHAHAHAHA, my Whooptytron Jimiaxeulator is 100000 watts! What good is this???
Well, you can't make a full-sized SUV from a go-cart chassis (but both are cool!) Any tube amp can be modified and the sound shaped, but it's basic character will not change. This is a single-stage preamp, Class A tube amplifier.
It's really a cool-sounding amp. But I understand if it's not your cup-o-tea...
And I have other amps. If I want a different sound, I'll use them.
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When you said "I'd tear the amp down to the bare chassis and rebuild from there." did you mean rebuild from a kit or design a circuit yourself? Thanks for a great instructable!
By "tear it down and rebuild," I meant that a less "hacked" approach would probably lead to a cleaner, more organized, less cluttered circuit. As-is, it's gonna be more difficult to replace the caps in 30 years. The tangled wiring is more fragile than a well-planned strip-down / rebuild, too.
However, it's extremely quiet and sounds great, so I'm not too disappointed.
I'm not sure what approach is right for you. If you try rebuilding it yourself (and fail), you can always take it in to a profession to get it sorted. Just be REALLY CAREFUL if you do.
If you're not confident you can do this safely, take it to an amp tech...