Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
So as most of you know I'm entering the world of building my own amp. As you also know, I've dabbled with mods and repairs and stuff on my Marshalls, but never a complete start-to-finish build. So naturally I chose to do one of the more difficult builds and a terrible choice for a first-timer, but here we go anyway....
This will (hopefully) be a Fender Deluxe Reverb. AB763 "Blackface" amp when it's all said and done.
This is the Weber 6A20 kit in head configuration.
Normal/Vibrato channels
Tube driven Spring Reverb and Vibrato (really it's Tremolo) speed/intensity
22w 6V6 power tubes
Purple tolex head box with Marshall checker face plate grill cloth! LOL. They did a really nice job building me this head box. Kudos to the Weber people for this head cab.
So here it is "exploded". I'm currently separating and doing inventory on all the parts and pieces referenced against the parts list. So far so good. Every tiny nut, bolt, pot, etc is accounted for....so far.
Wires, tubes, pots, tube sockets, switches, nuts, bolts, etc. This is just some of it. So much stuff. The bag of caps and resistors has not been inventoried yet. Some of that may be wrong, but I don't know yet. Going through each piece of that stuff is a huge task all by itself. So far everything is A-OK.
Reverb tank, face plates, filter cap/bias/main turret boards, brass grounding plate. I'm not sure I'll utilize the grounding plate. It is factory correct, but there are supposedly better grounding schemes for these amps. Not decided yet.
Transformers, chassis, power tubes (in boxes), "copper cap" which replaces the rectifier tube. The copper cap is optional. It's a solid state rectifier tube replacement, or I can use an actual GZ34 rectifier tube. The power transformer has all the wires flying off of it. The two tiny transformers are the choke and reverb transformer. The output transformer is an upgrade to make the amp usable with my 16 ohm Marshall cabs.
So there we have it for now. I've got more wire on the way and some precision resistors coming to add my own external bias testing points. And I've still got to go through all those caps and resistors.
The first official task will be installing the tube sockets, pilot light, and getting the heater wires routed. That will be a mindfuck right off the bat. Stay tuned.................
This will (hopefully) be a Fender Deluxe Reverb. AB763 "Blackface" amp when it's all said and done.
This is the Weber 6A20 kit in head configuration.
Normal/Vibrato channels
Tube driven Spring Reverb and Vibrato (really it's Tremolo) speed/intensity
22w 6V6 power tubes
Purple tolex head box with Marshall checker face plate grill cloth! LOL. They did a really nice job building me this head box. Kudos to the Weber people for this head cab.
So here it is "exploded". I'm currently separating and doing inventory on all the parts and pieces referenced against the parts list. So far so good. Every tiny nut, bolt, pot, etc is accounted for....so far.
Wires, tubes, pots, tube sockets, switches, nuts, bolts, etc. This is just some of it. So much stuff. The bag of caps and resistors has not been inventoried yet. Some of that may be wrong, but I don't know yet. Going through each piece of that stuff is a huge task all by itself. So far everything is A-OK.
Reverb tank, face plates, filter cap/bias/main turret boards, brass grounding plate. I'm not sure I'll utilize the grounding plate. It is factory correct, but there are supposedly better grounding schemes for these amps. Not decided yet.
Transformers, chassis, power tubes (in boxes), "copper cap" which replaces the rectifier tube. The copper cap is optional. It's a solid state rectifier tube replacement, or I can use an actual GZ34 rectifier tube. The power transformer has all the wires flying off of it. The two tiny transformers are the choke and reverb transformer. The output transformer is an upgrade to make the amp usable with my 16 ohm Marshall cabs.
So there we have it for now. I've got more wire on the way and some precision resistors coming to add my own external bias testing points. And I've still got to go through all those caps and resistors.
The first official task will be installing the tube sockets, pilot light, and getting the heater wires routed. That will be a mindfuck right off the bat. Stay tuned.................
Rebel Yell
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
I'm looking forward to watching this unfold. Best of luck!
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Thanks. I'm less intimidated now that I've got it all a little better organized. I know what the parts are and where the parts go and why, so that helps a little.
Rebel Yell
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Pop corn at the ready this is gonna be a ride.
When your done I simply have to get that LP jnr to you for a complete home recording mix... None of your big brand shit..... All in house.
Really looking forward to this one.. Its well out of my make stuff experience and Ive made a lot of stuff. Good luck man, rooting for yer...
When your done I simply have to get that LP jnr to you for a complete home recording mix... None of your big brand shit..... All in house.
Really looking forward to this one.. Its well out of my make stuff experience and Ive made a lot of stuff. Good luck man, rooting for yer...
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Good luck, mate! At my rate of soldering that would take a few eternties.
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
I knew you were eventually gonna build an amp, but I didn't know you'd pulled the trigger on the kit...Looking forward to this Greg...
BTW, in 6 months to a year, after you get your amp tech hat on straight, I'll get you to build me an amp...
BTW, in 6 months to a year, after you get your amp tech hat on straight, I'll get you to build me an amp...
Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, Jackson
Ceriatone, Marshall, EVH
TC Electronic, MXR, Yamaha
My music @ Reverbnation
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
I really appreciate you doing a practice amp before you build mine.
That's really considerate of you
That's really considerate of you
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Once you finish I have an Ikea bookcase that needs assembling...
Good luck with it, I'll watch and see how it goes!
Good luck with it, I'll watch and see how it goes!
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
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People want something for nothing, they want it right now. Either they can't tell quality or don't care but feel it is important that everyone agrees with them.
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Thanks fellas. This should be interesting. I'm happy to share this with you guys and have you follow along. I'm sure we can all learn something from it. You can learn from my inevitable failures and celebrate with my eventual victory!
Lt Boob - As far as I can tell so far, your amp *should* be a breeze compared to this fucking thing.
Mutt - I don't know if you're serious, but it would be mind-blowing amazing if you sent that Jr over here. I'm not sure you'd get it back though.
Lt Boob - As far as I can tell so far, your amp *should* be a breeze compared to this fucking thing.
Mutt - I don't know if you're serious, but it would be mind-blowing amazing if you sent that Jr over here. I'm not sure you'd get it back though.
Rebel Yell
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
God damn that purple and checkerboard actually looks awesome!
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Ha thanks. I wasn't sure about it, but it came out great.
Nothing major to update today. I've gone through all of the capacitors - all good. They sent the right values and right quantities. All that's left now are checking the resistors.
Rebel Yell
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Hell yeah man, this will be fun. I'd love to do something like this someday, but I'm gonna have to learn how to read a schematic first. And also learn how to read those goddamn stripes on resistors. And learn the first thing about circuits, other than some of them burn my fingers and others don't. So basically I have everything to learn
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Ha, I cheated. I used this:Tadpui wrote: ↑Sun Apr 29, 2018 9:16 pm Hell yeah man, this will be fun. I'd love to do something like this someday, but I'm gonna have to learn how to read a schematic first. And also learn how to read those goddamn stripes on resistors. And learn the first thing about circuits, other than some of them burn my fingers and others don't. So basically I have everything to learn
https://www.digikey.com/en/resources/co ... ode-4-band
If you learned your colors at two years old, you can use that site to identify resistors. Then I verified each one with a multimeter. And hot damn, everything was correct. I've now gone through every little piece of the parts list and it's all correct in quantities and values. Unbelievable. I'm shocked. I thought for sure that with this many tiny little parts, something would be wrong or missing and I'd need to scrounge up some stuff elsewhere. But nope. It's all here. Another gold star for the Weber people. I do have stuff still on order, but it's not the Weber people's fault. It's stuff that I've chosen to do differently.
And here are the caps, diodes, and resistors all verified, organized, and labeled.
Tomorrow...it begins.
Rebel Yell
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Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
So, not finished yet?
You're a better man than I am Gunga Din - I wouldn't have the time or patience for such an endeavour. Good luck!
You're a better man than I am Gunga Din - I wouldn't have the time or patience for such an endeavour. Good luck!
Re: Let's build an amp! Greg's journey to electrocution
Greg, for someone who professes to be a ten thumbed hack you've got incredible attention to detail, patience and tenacity. I could never manage something like this!
Looking forward to seeing and hearing how you get on.
Looking forward to seeing and hearing how you get on.