Jezzbo's recent thread on his beautiful two-tone 5E3 reminded me to get some progress shots of my '57 Twin. Progress is slow, but I'm hoping it will pick up now that the holodays are over. The tube sockets are almost wired (I save the filament wiring for last) and the input jacks and potentiomenters are done. Cabinet work is almost complete save for the back panels and the baffleboard. The birdseye maple panel is merely decorative and will go across the top of the front. I inlaid a diamond out of matching bloodwood. Next to bigfoot, birdeye maple has got to be the most difficult thing in the world to photograph.
home brew amp progress
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- Rated: 49 ↑
Jan 13, 2008 1:37 p.m. GuitarFarm:
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- Rated: 25 ↑
Jan 13, 2008 1:51 p.m. donwood:
Good woodworking and clean soldering, can't get much better. Like the diamond inlay. Good job GF. Don
edit: think I got the amp bug now !!
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- Rated: 41 ↑
Jan 13, 2008 2:09 p.m. bwallace1:
nice work. the woodwork I would tackle, but not the electronics. I wouldn't know what to put where and still get it to work.
brent
edit : how much is that doggie in the window ?
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- Rated: 10 ↑
Jan 13, 2008 2:10 p.m. jezzbo:
wow, guitarfarm, really nice cabinet. I had to tolex mine to cover some mistakes.
Also very nice wiring.
I really would like to hear some soundfiles when you got them.
Keep us posted!
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- Rated: 10 ↑
Jan 13, 2008 2:13 p.m. jezzbo:
btw, I forgot to ask but why do you save the fillament wiring as last?
I always start with wiring the fillaments. (don't know why really)
Also I like the dovetail joints. My next cab (or amp) will have them too. I used my own idea of construction for my 5E3. (because I can't make dovetail joint yet, still learning)
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- Rated: 49 ↑
Jan 13, 2008 3:37 p.m. GuitarFarm:
Thanks for the kind words, guys. Jezzbo, I build my cabs out of exotic hardwoods because I wouldn't know where to begin with tolex. Kinda funny, really. Glad you like the dovetails. Wait 'til you see what my next cabs are going to have.
Why do I do the filament wiring last? To keep the AC as far as humanly possible from the DC. There once was a time when I ran my filament wiring down one side and tried to keep my grid wiring on the other, but that's not really possible due to the pin placements of the heater wiring. Solution - do all grid wiring first and keep it flat against the chassis. Then, come over the top with the filament wiring and drop the leads straight down to their pins. When I get mine done, I will post another pic. The grid wiring doesn't carry much current (specially the input wiring) and will pick up 60 cycle hum faster than a goanna in heat.
Brent - that doggie is free to an abusive home. Just kidding.
I couldn't do that to a GDP member. That is Adriana. Perhaps the most spoiled Jack Russell in Northern Virginia. Queen of all she surveys. A former championship racer, now a holder in two titles in agility, been on television three times, interviewed on the radio, recognized by everybody in town, welcome in all the stores in town, she has it thoroughly up her nose. She my little protector and we are inseparable. Where I go, so she goes. Busy little dog. Her favorite pastime is swimming. Can't get her out of the pool in the summer. Likes to jump on the rafts and float around too. It's hysterical. Spoiled little brat!
BTW, that timber is called bloodwood. It's from Brazil. I now know why they call it bloodwood. Because it's bloody hard to work, that's why!
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- Rated: 56 ↑
Jan 13, 2008 4:05 p.m. otterbean:
Slick little inlay work there GuitarFarm. (I've got some furniture here from the 1920s that features the same diamond motif.)
That birdseye maple is going to jazz up that amp nicely. Once you get a finish on it, it will POP! It is surely shaping up!
Very pretty piece of work so far. That is inspiring to say the least.
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- Rated: 41 ↑
Jan 13, 2008 4:17 p.m. J(et)D:
"Riding with the King" type of Twin
She'll sound and look great.
Thanks for the update, very nice work.
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- Rated: 49 ↑
Jan 14, 2008 5:59 a.m. GuitarFarm:
"Slick little inlay work there GuitarFarm."
Thanks, Curtis. That is my very first attempt at inlay. I read some articles about how to do it and just went for it. I didn't have any bloodwood veneer so I sliced my own. I placed it in the center of the maple panel and traced around it with an X-Acto blade. I just kept cutting with the blade getting it deeper and deeper every time. Then I chucked up a 1/8" diameter upturned spiral router bit and took out the center getting as close to my cuts as I dared. I cleaned up the edges and corners with small, sharp chisels. The inlay fit perfectly. I plan to do this more often now that I feel comfortable with it. I was really sweating this one because that particular piece of maple is special. Lots of birdseye and curly at the same time. I went through a lot of timber before I found that piece. This weekend, I will be making my very first attempt at a cane front. Not sure how that is going to work, but faint heart never won fair maiden.
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- Rated: 20 ↑
Jan 14, 2008 6:07 a.m. Mantis:
Extremely beautiful cabinet, Guitarfarm! Super. Hey, where did you get the electronics for the amp? I'm thinking of getting me one of these kits:
But am not so sure about prices. Can you recommend a supplier?
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- Rated: 49 ↑
Jan 14, 2008 8:29 a.m. GuitarFarm:
Well, it all depends on what circuit you want to build. For this '57 Twin, I started with a Weber kit. He has a nice chrome plated chassis. However, I did a fair amount of parts replacing on the actual kit. For instance, I think his '57 Twin kit costs $650 (if I recall correctly). I then spent another $70 from another parts supplier replacing all the tone caps with Orange Drops, and all the jacks with Switchcraft products. I also replaced the pilot light and purchased better quality cloth covered wire from yet someone else. Then, I spent another $280 (my price) on handwound transformers from Kendrick. The difference between the handwound jobs from Kendrick and the stock Weber transformers is staggering. So, you see, I'm already a little over a kilobuck and I haven't even purchased the speakers yet. I've got around $100 in the hardwood and another $24 for the cane that will be the grill cloth. I figure a pair of 12 inch cones will set me back about $300, so all told I will have nearly $1500 in this amp not counting my labor. And it absolutely blows my mind that people bitch about the cost of boutique amps these days. If it's got all the good parts, is running handwound iron, and has decent cones in it, it simply has to cost over $1000 just in parts. And there is a little bit of labor involved in building these things. Especially if you expect something special in the form of a cabinet. Yes, you can get lightweight pine with stapled butt joints for cheap, but anything else is going to cost you. It is my personal experience that very few kits offer all the best components. There is almost always something that needs to be upgraded. Fortunately, most of these upgrades are fairly inexpensive (but worth every penny). I am a big believer in starting with a Weber kit. But, it would behoove you to replace at least the caps and jacks. My two cents. Your mileage may vary.
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- Rated: 42 ↑
Jan 14, 2008 8:44 a.m. JBGretschguy:
Al, I nearly fell over when I saw that! Woweeewow! I like your idea of doing the heater wiring last.
I'll e-mail you later today. I've been on my ambulance all weekend and all I can hear is the diesel engine in my head!
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- Rated: 212 ↑
Jan 14, 2008 11:05 a.m. Proteus:
Beautiful work as usual, GF...it's going to be a looker!
If you get into issues with the cane, maybe my wife can help out. She canes chairs of all sorts, and has done a few amp fronts for me. They're always clean, neat, even, and wrinkle-free.
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- Rated: 39 ↑
Jan 14, 2008 11:28 a.m. Rocketman:
I am always so jealous at these amp builders.... even more than at guitar builders.
It's funny I spent quite some time on a dutch guitarforum where lots of people are building guitars and almost no amps. And over here there is all this amp building going on and no guitarbuilding.
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- Rated: 4 ↑
Jun 22, 2008 4:08 p.m. motorhank:
what's the progress like on this amp?
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- Rated: 49 ↑
Jun 25, 2008 4:24 p.m. GuitarFarm:
See the threasd titled, "Custom '57 Twin". It's a done deal.
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Jun 26, 2008 8:13 a.m. glrogers:
Are those metal shielded/braided wires (like Fender reverb tank cables) going from the input jacks to the preamp grids?
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- Rated: 49 ↑
Jun 26, 2008 10:04 a.m. GuitarFarm:
Yes. I use shielded wire on the input jacks to further reduce the possibility of noise. That is standard stuff from Ampwares. Gerald Weber, president of Kendrick Amplifiers, has since given me a supply of stuff that he uses that was developed by NASA. I've yet to give it a try in an amp, but I can't wait to.
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- Rated: 42 ↑
Jun 26, 2008 10:05 p.m. Dan:
Guitar Farm...this is going to be one spectacular amp!
I'm going to build myself one too... using a vintage 1940s radio
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- Rated: 10 ↑
Jun 27, 2008 12:02 a.m. Daddy-O:
If someone saw me carrying a amp like that they would call the police ! Your workmanship and knowledge always amazes me. I want to try a kit but have not narrowed it down to which model. Can't wait to see the next pictures
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- Rated: 10 ↑
Jun 27, 2008 12:16 a.m. Daddy-O:
I want a deco cabinet this is a nice one I saw it at Lark St. Music in Teaneck NJ SHUCKS pic won't load
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Jun 27, 2008 12:22 a.m. Daddy-O:
This post has been deleted
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- Rated: 66 ↑
Jul 3, 2008 11:26 a.m. Walter Broes:
AmpFarm said: Then, I spent another $280 (my price) on handwound transformers from Kendrick. The difference between the handwound jobs from Kendrick and the stock Weber transformers is staggering.
No experience with the Kendricks, but ordering a Weber kit without transformers does seem like a good idea. Already after 20 gigs, my Weber tweed super clone's power transformer crapped out... -
- Rated: 49 ↑
Jul 5, 2008 9:46 a.m. GuitarFarm:
Sorry to hear about the problems with your Super, Walter. Please don't misunderstand me, I think the Weber kits are great. It's just certain pieces of them need upgrading. The trick is knowing which ones. I've had wonderful luck with the Kendrick transformers. They are hand-wound with meticulous detail to make them as much like the originals as possible. Right down to the correct iron and paper. They aren't cheap, but you get what you pay for. Here's a shot of two transformers for the '57 Twin I just built. Weber on the left and Kendrick on the right. I had to drill new mounting holes in the chassis, but that's no big thing. The trasformers are one of the most over-looked pieces in an amplifier. Make no mistake - great tone starts here.
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- Rated: 12 ↑
Jul 6, 2008 10:46 p.m. ObeJuan:
Hey guitar farm... what do you think of the Kendrick handwound to say a Mercury Mag Axiom clone? I've heard good things about both OT's.
Totally agree about the upgrades you suggest: OT, orange drops, jacks, wire, ect. I haven't replaced the jacks with switchcraft but will try those next time. Using good wire and esp good shielded wire will save headaches later. I also use mallory's instead of orange drops sometimes. I've never A/B'd them (or have the listening skill to tell the difference) but read they sound more like the 60's molded caps so I've been using those. Can't go wrong with either but the orange drops are probably better.
Amazing work... love the cabinet.
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