I finally got a chance to finish up my Ampmaker SE5A over the weekend. Was a nice chilled way to spend some of the time on my B'day :D !
First impressions is that is is a cool amp; totally different character to the Ampmaker WF55 (champ clone) that I have built previously (which totally figures).
It totally sings with my Les Paul, where as the WF55 prefers my Tele/Strats.
Its also quieter than the WF55; which makes sense as the TMB tonestack will be cutting a lot of dB's out of the signal (both amps have 1 power valve).
I've not had much of a chance of really burning it in yet but there is time.
I'm already planning mods. First one is to add a 'gain boost' cathode bypass cap (prob 10uF) to the first preamp valve. I installed a push/pull pot so that should be really easy. I may also mod the tonestack at some point. I'ts trebly enough for my taste so I definitely won't be adding any treble bypass caps.
The head cab was made by 'Cabs by Chris' his work can be seen on the Ampmaker website. Its really cool. I may have to get myself a matching cab.
I cannot recommend Ampmaker.co.uk highly enough. I didn't have to ask Barry (the owner) a single question about the build, which I thinks speaks volumes about how good his instructions are. The build info is really straightforward. I have been building this thing on/off for about 4 months though (half an hour here and there) so I definitely took my time with it.
Hope you like the pics, I'm pretty happy with the neatness of my wiring on this!
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/stevo83/Ampmaker%20SE5A%20Build/se5a6.jpg)
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/stevo83/Ampmaker%20SE5A%20Build/se5a5.jpg)
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/stevo83/Ampmaker%20SE5A%20Build/se5a3.jpg)
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/stevo83/Ampmaker%20SE5A%20Build/se5a4.jpg)
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/stevo83/Ampmaker%20SE5A%20Build/se5a1.jpg)
Awesome.
I bit the bullet and ordered a Double Six which should arrive in a week or so time. Haven't decided on the cab for it yet, but am likely to go with a Chris cab. Being sensible says get the head cab. But part of me wants to make it into a 2x10 combo.... hmmmm.
Wow! Super clean. Great work!
Very clean! You'd better be careful, though -- amp builds can get addictive!
The good thing about single ended builds is that you can't get the leads from the phase inverter to the power valves the wrong way around -- my JCM800 squealed like a pig first time I powered it up.
Which school is it, Vox or Marshall?
Nice job, looks great!
awesome. I want to build an amp so bad but I'm afraid I'd become an addict.
and oh yeah.....happy b-day, my friend!
Cheers Dude!
And come on now... you know you want to get into a hobby that is addictive as building pedals, 10x more expensive, and, to top it off, can also kill you :D!!!
Quote from: raulduke on July 16, 2012, 03:18:51 PM
Cheers Dude!
And come on now... you know you want to get into a hobby that is addictive as building pedals, 10x more expensive, and, to top it off, can also kill you :D!!!
yes, it is actually quite tempting, haha! except for the death part.
Beautiful amp! And happy birthday dude ;)
Fantastic looking build. I was considering a SE5-A for my next build. I just finished a 5e3 so i have clearly developed yet another addiction ;)
How does she sound?
Thanks for the comments guys.
Also, she sounds good mate.
Its a lot more versatile than the Champ so I am still 'bedding in' with it. Like most amps, it sounds best cranked and working the power stage.
I'm usually a Fender amp guy (never owned a Marshall style) amp, so this was quite a departure for me.
Suits my Les Paul far better than my Champ clone does. I guess this is due to the reduced bass response and increased treble; it just 'works' with an LP.
Gorgeous colour and very tidy wiring/finishing. Well done!
Oh! the Beauty! Everything have been said, superb built from all aspects. 8)
I'm looking at the Double Six quite seriously since you teased us at BYOC, being able to have a small amp that runs on a 6L6 is just perfect for me :)
Rej
Yeah, I need to build an amp or 4. What a beauty that is.
Wow, it is tempting to just jump in with this rather than modding my existing amp! That looks awesome. And it looks way less impossible than I used to imagine an amp build would look.
Quote from: Bret608 on July 17, 2012, 01:47:42 PM
Wow, it is tempting to just jump in with this rather than modding my existing amp! That looks awesome. And it looks way less impossible than I used to imagine an amp build would look.
You know, I completely agree. I have far more interested in building from scratch than modifying the amps I already have.
I must type something in this thread, i have read it a few times.
Very inspiring. Awesome stuff, Raulduke. I really have to build one of those amps. I can come up with two reasons; i need a better practice amp, and also i need to get into the world of tube technology ...
Ampmaker seems like a good option to order from? I dont find shipping costs (to sweden) on the webpage, so i will Email him/them.
Then i have to make up my mind, what model i should go for. The 18W thing looks nice:)
Cheers
Hey dude thanks for the comments.
I wouldn't see any problem with Barry shipping to Sweden.
Personally I'd go for the champ clone he sells (WF-55) as a starting point.
This is still my go to amp; I use the SE-5A, but not as much as the WF-55.
I guess it depends on whether you are a Marshall or Fender amp guy?
But yeah, order with confidence, and make sure to post some pics here when you are done!
Quote from: raulduke on August 21, 2012, 08:30:54 AM
This is still my go to amp; I use the SE-5A, but not as much as the WF-55.
I guess it depends on whether you are a Marshall or Fender amp guy?
Yea, i read your words about going to the WF-55:) ... I myself am definately Marshall though. Ill give it a few more thoughts... then its time to order. Shipping to sweden looks like about 30 GBP, fairly reasonable:).
Cheers mate!
Raulduke,
Did you happen to look into using the VVR from hall amplification?
I'm looking into options for attenuating the circuit the best way without affecting tone. Most of the time I have to operate my amps at less than ideal volumes...
Josh
Hey Josh,
No I didn't look into it mate. I think one of the build reports on the AmpMaker site mentions fitting the VVR kit though. You could always email Barry to give you the low down.
The amp is not reallythat loud though. I wouldn't say you could gig with it. I would see how you get on with it without any mods first, then if you need VVR/Power attenuation you can always fit it afterwards
I looked into power attenuators (DIY and bought) and there seems to be a massive range available out there.
Do you have a head cab sorted for yours yet?
I look forward to seeing photos of the build!
Yes, that's where I saw it. I'm looking to use the amp at the edge of breakup, so I guess I'll see how loud it is. I play in a setting where even a 5 watt champ cranked at 5 is too loud.
Josh
Quote from: gtr2 on September 28, 2012, 12:55:07 PM
Did you happen to look into using the VVR from hall amplification?
I'm looking into options for attenuating the circuit the best way without affecting tone. Most of the time I have to operate my amps at less than ideal volumes...
hey, Josh, I have one in my Hot Rod Deluxe. It starves the plate voltage, which carries its own set of weirdness (your amp won't sound "the same but quieter" when the device is in effect), and there are times when running the amp below "5" on the Hall device results in not enough wattage to get sound, but it DOES do what it claims to, and it's pretty safe for the amp. (A friend of mine had some issues with his amp and took it back out, but we now think that was the amp itself.) I can recommend it, but keep your expectations in line with what you're spending and what the device is, i.e., not a true attenuator or speaker motor.
I'm thinking getting something like a hot plate might be better. Then I can also use it with my low power amps.
I refuse to go the amp modeling route. I've done it, and I just don't personally like it. I'm not much of a tweaker though. I like to dial up the amp and play.
Josh
Quote from: raulduke on September 28, 2012, 01:21:45 PM
Do you have a head cab sorted for yours yet?
I've got a pine cab that I got for cheap that someone was going to rehouse a blues jr. into. I'm pretty sure I can make the chassis work in in. Someone on the SE-5a galleries did the same thing.
http://www.ampmaker.com/infocentre/thread-17-page-2.html
Josh
Nice!
The standard Se5a chrome front panel + black knobs should match the blues junior cloth/vinyl nicely.
It's actually a prestained cab that was made by someone. Pine is soft, but I'm gonna go for a relic look anyways ;)
I built an SE5 a few years back and actually got round to putting it in a box recently. It's been sat in chassis form all that time while I, very slowly and sporadically, grafted a Fenderesque spring reverb circuit into it. Finally got that working last week. Now I want to add a switchable gain boost function. Raulduke – did you ever do this?
Wow.. thread resurrection from the dead ;)!
Also, welcome to the forum!
No I never fitted the extra cathode bypass cap for a boost; to be honest the amp hasn't been used much at all for the past year.
The mod would be quite simple though; a cap in parallel with C1 on the schematic below would do the trick I imagine as it will drive the second gain stage harder, resulting in higher gain.
You would have to experiment with the cap value (maybe start at 22uF and go from there) to get it to your taste.
(http://www.ampmaker.com/images/ak01kit/ak01sc2.jpg)
I bought a push/pull potentiometer for the purpose, as this would mean no extra holes need to be drilled in the chassis.
Come to think of it I might put this on my 'get my a*rse in gear' list of things to do :)
Thanks. I may well try that this weekend. I was also considering upping R6 to 1MΩ.
r.e. upping R6 to 1M I don't think that would be a good idea!
I think it may well decrease the gain, and could cause biasing problems and other issues.
If you want even more gain, another cap in parallel with C3 would do the trick.
Make sure the caps are rated at the right voltage too (at least 25V).
Also, be safe... messing with valve amps can be deadly!
Really? It was suggested to me by a guy I know who works as an electronics engineer at the BBC. He's normally spot on with his electronics but he did say his valve amp knowledge is rusty!
Well I'm by no means an expert but I'm pretty sure changing the 820R at R6 to 1M would not be a good idea :o!
The notes here:http://www.ampmaker.com/infocentre/thread-2.html (http://www.ampmaker.com/infocentre/thread-2.html) for modding the WF55 on Ampmaker apply pretty much equally to the Se5a, and decreasing the equivalent of R6 on the WF55 is suggested for more gain.
I would try the extra cap on V1a first as suggested. If that isn't enough, tweak the cap on V1b.
These are both relatively simple mods as you can 'piggyback' the new caps on C1 and C3 in the schematic posted.
There will be a limit on how much gain is possible with the circuit anyhow; there are only two gain stages.
An alternative, rather than modding the amp, a really easy solution is to use a booster (ZVex SHO etc.) to push the preamp valves into distortion.
raulduke,
Totally awesome!!!
Man, that is fantastic! And yeah, Happy Birthday mang!
Geez, I missed this.
Gorgeous amp, congrats. What a great birthday. 8)
Thanks Raulduke - much appreciated. I hadn't seen that WF55 stuff - very handy. I'll try that cap today and report back. I had considered adding another gain stage, which is where I may end up.
Right. Tried the 25uf cap across C1. Not a mod I'd recommend as the results are either impossible to hear ro extremely subtle.
Looks like I'll have to go for an extra gain stage, a la the AX84 High Octane circuit.
Wow, what incredibly clean guts!
Beautiful inside and out.
After the unsuccessful 22uf cap experiment I fitted a VVR circuit today (from Hall Amplification via Barry at Amp Maker). This works very well from, about 4 on the pot up to flat out (when it's no longer doing anything). A very good 20 quids' worth.