Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
This is the classic single-knob tone circuit made famous by a number of Fender amps—most notably the 5E3 Tweed Deluxe. Despite not inventing it, Leo must have thought that he nailed it when he first dropped this into a guitar amplifier: it’s simple, clever, and very musical. Despite using only a handful of parts, it … Read more
Another addition to my AWA valve PA family. I hesitated on this one at first—mainly because the power stage is a bit of a beast, and I’ve already got two from the same line. But the price was right, and apparently, I have no resistance when it comes to valve PA heads. This one’s a … Read more
Vintage big muff fonts, these are generally available for download. Please note that EHX is known to be very protective of their brand. Arnold Boecklin Devinne: sustain, volume, tone Futura: on, off and made in U.S.A Skjald: Electro Harmonix ITC Pioneer Not exact, but pretty damn close. The M needs a slight drop on one … Read more
Chicago Telephone Supply (CTS) originally built drivers for telephone network signaling and tone generation. By the late 1950s they expanded into loudspeakers, supplying the booming tube-amp market. Their speakers, often marked with the EIA code “137,” were used extensively by Fender, Ampeg, and many other amplifier companies from the 1950s through the 1970s. Early CTS … Read more
This is a 12w DIY valve guitar amplifier project published in Radio and Hobbies (December 1954), specifically designed to suit the growing popularity of electric guitars. Apparently they were right, more amplifiers would be needed in future. Looks interesting, except for the volume pot being first in the signal chain. That’s not ideal – I … Read more
From Radio, Television and Hobbies, October 1962 PLAYMASTER MODEL 102 SINGLE-CHANNEL GUITAR AMPLIFIER
AWA Model PA872 is a 20-watt Australian valve PA amplifier from the early-to-mid sixties, originally running KT66 output valves and designed for 600-ohm PA speaker lines. I already own its little brother, the AWA PA774, so I had to grab this one. Inputs / Controls: Mic level (250k), phono level (250k) and tone (1meg). … Read more
The Playmaster is an Australian twin channel guitar amplifier from the sixties – these came in kits, with instructions published in a magazine. It’s an usual design if you’re used to looking at Fenders and Marshalls etc. Channel one: The main guitar channel has volume, bass, treble, vibrato speed and depth and has 12″ speaker. … Read more
Rewired the one of the secondaries on this A&R 2504 output transformer from this Steanes Sound System S311 PA head for an 8 ohm speaker. This is very much a note to self for future reference: approximately zero other people will be interested in this. Two bifilar winds in parallel were used for negative feedback … Read more
Etone speakers are a bit of a hidden gem in the guitar world, with their roots firmly planted in Australia. Manufactured in Sydney, these speakers were often considered the local (and cheaper) alternative to Celestion. Unfortunately there isn’t much detailed information available on the specs, but it’s widely believed that they have a ceramic magnet … Read more