What amp should I build?
Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 2:28 pm
Hey folks.
This is sort of a follow-up to the "help mathias pick a new amp" thread that is, by tradition, nearly annual at this point. But here's why this is different:
I have an epiphone valve junior from the original generation that I modded. (Picked it up on MusiciansFriend as a blem back when they came out-- 2005?)
At some point the mod broke and I was unable to track down the reason. The transformer is still good, as we verified at my Makerspace in Milwaukee last year with electronic testing equipment.
Rather than trying to fix the solder-burned circuit board (I was bad at soldering then, I'm much better now!), I figured I would build a new amp into the chassis/cabinet. I really, really like the Weber Custom 8" speaker in the valve junior for apartment-level playing.
So recently I found that Watts Tube Audio makes drop-in circuit boards for the Valve Junior chassis. That means I can drop in a different circuit and make the VJR more voxy, or more marshall-y, or more Fender-y. Or, the last option is to make it sound like a Supro 24, which is intriguing.
So which model circuit board do you think I should go with? The circuits, by default, stick with only a single volume knob. So there's no tone stack or master volume or reverb/tremolo effects.
Here's the Watts Tube Audio link: http://www.turretboards.com/guitar_ampl ... unior.html
And here's Watt's Tube Audio's descriptions of the different circuits:
Thanks in advance!
This is sort of a follow-up to the "help mathias pick a new amp" thread that is, by tradition, nearly annual at this point. But here's why this is different:
I have an epiphone valve junior from the original generation that I modded. (Picked it up on MusiciansFriend as a blem back when they came out-- 2005?)
At some point the mod broke and I was unable to track down the reason. The transformer is still good, as we verified at my Makerspace in Milwaukee last year with electronic testing equipment.
Rather than trying to fix the solder-burned circuit board (I was bad at soldering then, I'm much better now!), I figured I would build a new amp into the chassis/cabinet. I really, really like the Weber Custom 8" speaker in the valve junior for apartment-level playing.
So recently I found that Watts Tube Audio makes drop-in circuit boards for the Valve Junior chassis. That means I can drop in a different circuit and make the VJR more voxy, or more marshall-y, or more Fender-y. Or, the last option is to make it sound like a Supro 24, which is intriguing.
So which model circuit board do you think I should go with? The circuits, by default, stick with only a single volume knob. So there's no tone stack or master volume or reverb/tremolo effects.
Here's the Watts Tube Audio link: http://www.turretboards.com/guitar_ampl ... unior.html
And here's Watt's Tube Audio's descriptions of the different circuits:
A a brief desciption of each components kit. "Stock": If you like the way your Vjr sounds but want better components this is the way to go.
"Marshallized": Add some sizzle to the top end and notch up the gain. "Voxy": Get that killer Vox high end chime!
"Fenderish": Make your Vjr sound like a well groomed f51 Tweed Champ!
"Fenderish with 6V6 power tube": Same as above but utilizes a 6V6 power tube. * Requires a board with an octal power tube socket and chassis hole enlargement.
"Suprolicious": All the best stuff from the Supro Model 24 amp and incororated it into the VJR.
"Suprolicious with 6973 power tube": Same as above but utilizes a 6973 power tube.
Thanks in advance!
