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Time to try and finish this project.
First things first, I'll be devoting some time to getting the chorus board of the VH-140c clone finished. The layout of this board is nearly half done and I expect it will take several hours work before it is ready.
Just like the preamp section, I'll be following the original layout closely:
This is as far as I got, all those months ago:
A way to go yet...
Time to try and finish this project.
First things first, I'll be devoting some time to getting the chorus board of the VH-140c clone finished. The layout of this board is nearly half done and I expect it will take several hours work before it is ready.
Just like the preamp section, I'll be following the original layout closely:
This is as far as I got, all those months ago:
A way to go yet...
John, have a listen to this clip. Looks like he's playing through solid state acoustic amps? Hope yours sounds this good. Of course he used a distortion pedal in front. Looks like he found that acoustic guitar in the bottom of a lake!
YouTube - Guitar Wizard - Little Wing Instrumental (Monte Montgomery) Jimi Hendrix
YouTube - Guitar Wizard - Little Wing Instrumental (Monte Montgomery) Jimi Hendrix
^ Yes, there are two SWR Strawberry or California Blonde amps behind him and on top of them is a head-looking thingy, which is a tube preamp that feeds the house's mixing board directly, as well as his combo amps that serve as personal monitors.
I think the guy has lately switched from SWR to Genz-Benz amps but the tube preamp still stays in his rig.
I think the guy has lately switched from SWR to Genz-Benz amps but the tube preamp still stays in his rig.
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I hope so too.
Maybe when (if) I get this thing done, I'll get a friend that can play to do a demo and put the vid up.
Hi chris,
When I said long term project back at the beginning of this thread, I didn't anticipate it would be THIS long...
Sick with a cold today but I'll still get some layout done.
So, basically you're saying he's using a tube preamp into a SS power amp? His distortion tone must be coming from the pedals,then. Funny,when you can play that good, it doesn't matter if you're playing tube OR SS. He'd sound good playing through a clock radio!
The Wizard, Cannabis Rex and Red White & Blues are all nice. Cannabis Rex is a little dark and is often paired up with a brighter speaker unless you need to tame the highs. If you really want your amp to shine, you need to test at least a few different speakers in it. Listening to speaker sound clips is fine but doesn't mean it will sound the same in your amp.
Don
Don
My experience with other Eminence drivers is all positive and I can't see how their musical instrument drivers wouldn't be as well made and consistent.
I have pretty much decided on the Legend 1218 for this. Having listened to most of the ones available and going on specs, this looks like a suitable candidate. They are not the cheapest and they are not the most expensive.
All a learning process.
Some work on the chorus board:
Yeah, it doesn't look like much but believe me, it is. I needed to change my plan of attack, since I added power entry and a couple of other things that are not on the original layout. It is hard going but I'm making steady progress now. Once all traces are routed, I'm going to etch a prototype, just to verify that everything is correct. If all systems are go, I'll refine the layout and etch a final version.
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Man EVs are probably the best speakers you can get period. The top of the line EVs. And you want the best speakers you can get for PA, monitor, bass guitar amps, and everything else except guitar speakers. You want to use fairly terrible speakers for guitar. Also you want them to be very inefficient. Personally I also like them to be rated for low power and 16 ohms.
All I know about emenince speakers is that when I worked at Ross Systems they were the kind we put in the stock PA cabinets and monitors because they were really cheap and anything Ross stock was cheap and sorry. The only guitar amps they had at that time used 6 inch speakers and I don't remember what kind they were.
But Eminence might very well be good guitar speakers because they are pretty terrible. Celestions are very popular with guitar players because they are extremely terrible. You won't see anybody using them in PAs or monitors though unless they are brand new at the music stuff.
Why do guitar players like sorry speakers? Well all I know for sure is because they sound better but I have theory's as to why that might be.
Inefficient speakers force your amp to work harder to get the same volume as efficient speakers which is a bad thing for everything but guitar but a good thing for guitar because guitar players (most anyway) want the amp to have to work hard so it sounds hotter. Speakers rated at low power are also desirable because when you push them close to the max they can handle it achieves a sound guitar players desire. And 16 ohm speakers also make the amp have to work harder than 8 ohm speakers do.
Of all the guitar speakers I own my favorites are the Celestion 25 watters. They are not greenbacks though. I have a bunch with yellow backs and some with silver backs. Not sure what the difference is between them and greenbacks. It might just be the backs but I am not sure.
Peckerhead, were you drunk when you posted this?
You can't possibly expect good results when using a guitar speaker for a pa system or a PA speaker for guitar. You also can't expect a 2,000.00 HI-FI speaker to sound good with a guitar.
Most good 12" guitar speakers ( Emminence & Celestion) are between 98db and 103db. That's not exactly low efficiency.
Don
I can't see how a 16ohm speaker gives the amplifier a hard time anyway.
Anyway, I use some PA speakers for guitar. They're both modified to get rid of the peak around 3-4kHz that seems typical of guitar speakers and PA drivers alike. The result was a much smoother sound, so I kept it. Removing the dustcaps worked. Where I could (on one of the two drivers), I replaced the hard paper dustcap with a fabric one.
Anyway, on with the build!
Anyway, I use some PA speakers for guitar. They're both modified to get rid of the peak around 3-4kHz that seems typical of guitar speakers and PA drivers alike. The result was a much smoother sound, so I kept it. Removing the dustcaps worked. Where I could (on one of the two drivers), I replaced the hard paper dustcap with a fabric one.
Anyway, on with the build!
I'm really fond of the 10" celestions 4 is good six is better and I'm fond of 6V6 fender style amps GT makes some great amps with 6V6. I also am fond of 6ca7 really nice harmonics for a guitar. I am thinking about a guitar amp all SS all JFET maybe a nice 50 watter tube sound with SS dependability...
E
E
Peckerhead, were you drunk when you posted this?
Time of the year, no?
Typically, a higher impedance is easier on an amp as it demands less current. This trades off to less power output though.
I will have 2 drivers and one power amp. The power amp is capable of more than 100 watts into 8 ohms, given the right power supply. The projected power supply for this will be slightly lower, at around +/-40VDC so it would be around 85 watts @ 8 ohms. If I put the drivers in series, making a 16 ohm load, I'd get half that power (~43 watts) If I paralleled them, nearly twice the power - ~150 watts. A little experimentation will determine what the best configuration will be.
Hard to make any progress on the layout, what with this time of the years drinkin' and eatin'. I have gotten this far on the layout:
just the few components in the left hand top of the board to do. Possibly get that done tomorrow.
Time of the year, no?
Typically, a higher impedance is easier on an amp as it demands less current. This trades off to less power output though.
I will have 2 drivers and one power amp. The power amp is capable of more than 100 watts into 8 ohms, given the right power supply. The projected power supply for this will be slightly lower, at around +/-40VDC so it would be around 85 watts @ 8 ohms. If I put the drivers in series, making a 16 ohm load, I'd get half that power (~43 watts) If I paralleled them, nearly twice the power - ~150 watts. A little experimentation will determine what the best configuration will be.
Exactly my point, 'cept I couldn't be bothered writing it all out.
I'd (personally) go for paralleled speakers, just for the greater power output. It's gotta be loud.
Chris
For???
Chorus is fully laid out now:
A little sloppy, too many jumpers but good enough to etch, stuff and try out. If everything works as it should, I'll tidy up the layout and make a new board.
But first...
I need to try out the preamp section with music - preferably clean guitar clips to see if that is working as it should. The reverb tank gets connected to the preamp section and I haven't done that yet.
Fingers crossed!
Ok, after a lot of messing around, I was able to try the preamp section, but without the reverb (controls for that are on the chorus board - doh!). It has what sounds like the correct distortion on channel A and channel B is very clean. I used a clip of someone (my brother ) playing guitar clean and burned that to CD. Playing through my lab speaker, it sounds like the real deal. Tone controls on both channels are working as they should.
This is encouraging news and motivates me to get the chorus board etched. Hopefully, I didn't make any drastic mistakes on that. Also, I certainly hope that the BBD and clock generator ICs are genuine. Not much of a chorus without these.
) playing guitar clean and burned that to CD. Playing through my lab speaker, it sounds like the real deal. Tone controls on both channels are working as they should.This is encouraging news and motivates me to get the chorus board etched. Hopefully, I didn't make any drastic mistakes on that. Also, I certainly hope that the BBD and clock generator ICs are genuine. Not much of a chorus without these.
Chorus board (at long last) is etched:
and I've started the tedious process of stuffing it. Jumpers first, then resistors. The board is bigger than either of the preamp boards but that will probably be improved upon in the final version. It's a pain to lay out and etch a board that will be only for testing but that is the nature of my psychosis - I want a good looking final product.
One problem so far: I don't have enough 10K pots. Both the reverb A and B plus the chorus A and B are 10K and I only have 2. I'll use trimmers in place for testing until I can order another 2.
If all goes well, I should have it ready to test by this time tomorrow.
and I've started the tedious process of stuffing it. Jumpers first, then resistors. The board is bigger than either of the preamp boards but that will probably be improved upon in the final version. It's a pain to lay out and etch a board that will be only for testing but that is the nature of my psychosis - I want a good looking final product.
One problem so far: I don't have enough 10K pots. Both the reverb A and B plus the chorus A and B are 10K and I only have 2. I'll use trimmers in place for testing until I can order another 2.
If all goes well, I should have it ready to test by this time tomorrow.
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