Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Despite saying never again – I now have another Bell & Howell projector amp. This is a 621 model from 1951, which as far as the amp is concerned, looks almost identical to my 601 from 1949. I believe the main differences were with the actual projector itself – the 621 being a later and improved model. … Read more
The little-known EL34 Vox amps from the late fifties, one of which is fixed bias. https://www.voxac30.org.uk/vox_ac2_30_1957.html. VOX AC2, 30 WATT AMPLIFIER. OS/003 (FIXED BIAS) VOX AC30, NO2. OS/007 1960 (CATHODE BIASED) EL34: individual 470 ohm cathode resistor and 50uf bypass caps. 5k output transformer
From what I can see, the only difference between the two schematics below is the 200ohm resistor after the rectifier (shown on the V-1-3 schem). There are some variations of cap values that can be ignored, such as 4n7 vs 5n etc. I think this may be similar to the AC15 schematics, where Thomas Orgain … Read more
Vox tone bender – two knobs and three silicon transistors. It’s kind of a silicon MKII with clipping diodes on the output. It’s loaded with a Jen FZ III circuit, which I wasn’t aware that it was ever used in a Vox. Photos from someone that grabbed a fuzz from me recently – Initially … Read more
It’s no secret as to what the R2R Electric germanium preamp is based upon, which is an old and very rare Hofner preamp. The Hofner is a full-range germanium booster, which was once used as a way to plug guitars into old console radios way back in the day. As this is a simple Rangemaster style … Read more
I know, I know—this is starting to drift even further from pedal circuits with each post, but stick with me for a moment. These old Bell and Howell projector amps have quite the following, so I’ve been keeping an eye out for one for a while. The catch is, they don’t pop up on the … 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
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
SELMER CORVETTE SELMER LITTLE GIANT MKI & MKIII SELMER MERCURY 5
This is the original Vox AC-4, not much like the current line-up at all, apart from the low wattage. Volume Tone, on/off Speed Foot switch for trem (vibrato) – no depth control 8″ 3ohm speaker made by Elac ~3.5 watts RMS EF86 preamp pentode EL84 power pentode EZ80 rectifier ECC81 for trem VINTAGE VOX AC-4 … Read more