Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
I know I could probably pay Tayda to do this, but they don’t always have the enclosures that I want, and part of me likes going down the hillbilly route with a hand drill and a file. Here’s my process for cutting out holes for battery draws. It’s actually pretty easy to do. STEP ONE: … Read more
Here’s a simple Rangemaster treble booster. I’m jotting down some notes from my recent builds because I really dig this layout. I used a 1590BBS enclosure and an 8-way tag strip. It’s pretty similar to the Pigdog Eel Pie layout, which inspired my design. Inside, you’ll find a Mullard OC71 transistor. But honestly, the specific … Read more
I was boxing up a circuit recently and the heights of my spacers weren’t working out – then I had a minor brainwave. Well I thought it was anyway, you may disagree. You can thread the little hexagonal metal spacers on top of the nylon ones. It’s a very tight fit and feels secure. … Read more
This speaker had been sitting on Gumtree for months, so I thought I may as well give it a try. I know that Wharfedale doesn’t have the best reputation among some speaker aficionados, but a lot of people seem to do just fine with them, and it did tick a few boxes for me: It … Read more
This is an extension speaker from a vintage projection system, and I wanted to jot down a few notes since information on this particular version seems scarce. Most examples I’ve seen online are housed in brown cases from the USA (Ampro, based in Chicago). Those typically feature Jensen or Ampro-branded speakers, and some even include … Read more
There’s been so much speculation about the G2, over many many years. Aion FX has traced two versions of the Pete Cornish G2, so hopefully this is the end of some very long threads on various forums. Long story short, one version is very close to all of the mods that everyone has been doing for … Read more
AWA was one of the big names in Australian electronics for decades. Formed as Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) in 1913, it went on to build everything from radios and communications gear to TVs and commercial audio equipment, so by the time this PA1003 was made in the 1960s, AWA was already a very familiar name in … Read more
This is an interesting little valve PA amplifier that I picked up today, probably from the late fifties or early sixties. I don’t think it will need too much work, but I’ll find out soon enough. It’s a little tight on space compared to some others, but not it’s not as bad as some other … Read more
I did a layout for the Hudson Sidecar a couple of years ago, and I retraced my steps recently and found a few things that needed to be updated. The Sidecar is a progression of the 999 Overdrive, which is Hudson’s version of a ‘green box’ overdrive, made for people like me that don’t like … Read more
Ok – next level nerd alert. Apart from being distracted by valve amp related things, I’ve recently started to use cable lacing to keep the wires looking tidy. Cable lacing was how it was done before cable ties appeared, and I believe it’s still used in some areas of aeronautics and space programmes. Sure you … Read more