Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
When I started this project, I knew some people prefer to keep these amps stock. However, running something with electrolytic capacitors from 1948 seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. If one failed, it would be a nightmare to fix. In fact, if anything failed, the cramped design would make repairs extremely difficult. On top … Read more
eBay purchase – it listed a bit on the high side, but after a quick chat the seller revised the price down to something very reasonable, so I couldn’t pass it by. External references: Tim Robbins blog. Radio Museum PHILIPS MODEL 976B, VALVE PA AMPLIFIER Made in Australia in the mid to late 1950s, this … Read more
Valco made, Supro single-ended valve amp, very much the same as the Gretsch 6150 / 6151 SUPRO SUPER SIX, MODEL S6606 12AX7, 6V6, 5Y3 8″ Jensen speaker, 3.2 ohm OT 2640 PT 3036 B+ 300v 4.5w
SELMER CORVETTE SELMER LITTLE GIANT MKI & MKIII SELMER MERCURY 5
Two great little guitar amps made by Valco for Gretsch – probably best to describe them as direct competition for the Fender Champ, but with some fancier appointments for the time. Pretty sure there’s a Supro equivalent that was also made by Valco for these two as well. Supro 1606 for the 6150. Both small … Read more
I’ll start with the Fender 5F2A Princeton, as this is generally considered to be “the one” for a lot of people. Basically take a tweed Champ, and add the classic Fender one knob tone control, which has no insertion loss, and you’re in business. It’s hard to go wrong with this formula, which is why … Read more
I know these are everywhere, but humour me – this is mainly for my own reference. FENDER CHAMP-AMP, 5C1 (WIDE PANEL TWEED) Note: The Fender Champion 600 and 800 are said to use the same schematic (or at least extremely similar). Preamp: 6SJ7 pentode, grid-leak biased (no cathode resistor) Inputs: two jacks, each 75k in … Read more
I ended up selling this one before doing any work on it, as I decided that I have enough projects on the go right now, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to leave it stock, or mod it to suit my tastes. Better to leave a vintage amp like this as is… So if … Read more
Unfortunate update. The person I was buying this off accidentally dumped it for scrap before I could pick it up… damn ——————————- If you’re wondering why I haven’t been posting vero layouts – I have been busy finishing some customer orders and researching a few things (not to mention life in general). I’m … Read more
I picked up a Vox AC4C1with a 12″ speaker recently, as it was selling really cheap second-hand, and it looked like it was straight out of the box. I have a sneaking suspicion that the previous owner hated it – he seemed glad to be rid of it. Note: comments below relate to the stock … Read more