# Includes some metal working



## ducdon (Feb 21, 2022)

My almost finished guitar amp project. It made noise for the first time today. The metal working component is the fabrication of the chassis. Also includes are some cabinetry, upholstery and good old tube electronics. Still more cabinetry and upholstery to finish.


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## Darren (Feb 21, 2022)

nice work!


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## CalgaryPT (Feb 21, 2022)

What great project. And tubes to boot....wow. Reminds me of those uber-expensive McIntosh amplifiers with the pretty tubes.

I don't think my ears are (or ever were) discerning enough to tell the difference, but my understanding is that everything sounds "warmer." Nice combination of skills in making this.

If you're looking for a roadie, I work for coffee.


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## SomeGuy (Feb 21, 2022)

Hey, FYI, if you ever need work done on the amplifier, I have a really good friend who does electronics work specifically on sound equipment:



			Amplexus – Build • Repair • Restore


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## YotaBota (Feb 21, 2022)

Princeton style amp? 6V6's?
Nice cabinetry.


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## ducdon (Feb 21, 2022)

YotaBota said:


> Princeton style amp? 6V6's?
> Nice cabinetry.


Circuitry is from an early Fender Bassman (6L6's) without the bass channel. I understand the first Marshall Amps were built in a similar fashion.


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## CalgaryPT (Feb 21, 2022)

ducdon said:


> My almost finished guitar amp project. It made noise for the first time today. The metal working component is the fabrication of the chassis. Also includes are some cabinetry, upholstery and good old tube electronics. Still more cabinetry and upholstery to finish.


I've never seen that type of circuit/breadboard assembly with the metal passthroughs that look like rivets. What is is called and what are its advantages?


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## ducdon (Feb 21, 2022)

CalgaryPT said:


> I've never seen that type of circuit/breadboard assembly with the metal passthroughs that look like rivets. What is is called and what are its advantages?


It is a type of fiber board with eyelets. Early Fender amps were built that way and boards are available from after market providers. I think it was done for economy. Super cheap and easy to make. I didn't particularly like working with them and wouldn't use them again. There are actually 2 boards. The top one with the eyelets and where the components get attached and a blank one under it to insulate everything from the chassis.


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## Dan Dubeau (Feb 22, 2022)

Very cool.  One of the things I always wanted to build was an arch top hollow body electric and a tube amp.  I don't play much guitar anymore so that project slid WAAAAAY down the list lol.  Again, nice job!


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## David_R8 (Feb 22, 2022)

YotaBota said:


> Princeton style amp? 6V6's?
> Nice cabinetry.


You're either a player or an amp aficionado!


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## David_R8 (Feb 22, 2022)

Very cool work!


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## YotaBota (Feb 22, 2022)

David_R8 said:


> You're either a player or an amp aficionado!


I don't play guitar, I play "at" guitar and I have a tube amp that I have tweaked a bit.


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## Gearhead88 (Feb 22, 2022)

Very cool


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## architect (Feb 23, 2022)

Very cool!


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## Dabbler (Mar 8, 2022)

very nice work!


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 8, 2022)

ducdon said:


> It is a type of fiber board with eyelets. Early Fender amps were built that way and boards are available from after market providers. I think it was done for economy. Super cheap and easy to make. I didn't particularly like working with them and wouldn't use them again. There are actually 2 boards. The top one with the eyelets and where the components get attached and a blank one under it to insulate everything from the chassis.


Nice. Thanks for explaining it to me. I love learning about stuff like this. Looking back I think early military equipment may have used these as well. To your credit you kept it authentic and that's worth points to me. I fondly recall making PCBs with Sharpies (or whatever they were called in the 17th Century when I was young). After that there were the fiberglass breadboards—not the modern prototype ones, but the light brown ones with just holes and no solder points. 

And just to go full nostalgic on you, there were those strips (see pic) in the 1970s that were ridiculously hard to build an entire project with, although some people found a way. Inevitably you ended up with spaghetti for wiring—no matter how hard you tried. But the worst tend, IMO, was the era of wire wrap. I went down that path briefly before losing my mind trying to trace tiny 30 AWG wires before giving up and screaming like a madman. Like Disco, the trend thankfully disappeared.

These days I enjoy bending steel mounting plates/racks for all my projects, and either using conformal coating or—more recently— Plasti Dip to protect them from shorts. I really should get into plastic bending, but I like the fact that I can use round and square punches to make pretty nice layouts on sheet metal for mounting PCBs and other components in the case (which is also fun metalworking).

Cheers. I really love your amp.


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## ducdon (Mar 9, 2022)

CalgaryPT said:


> Nice. Thanks for explaining it to me. I love learning about stuff like this. Looking back I think early military equipment may have used these as well. To your credit you kept it authentic and that's worth points to me. I fondly recall making PCBs with Sharpies (or whatever they were called in the 17th Century when I was young). After that there were the fiberglass breadboards—not the modern prototype ones, but the light brown ones with just holes and no solder points.
> 
> And just to go full nostalgic on you, there were those strips (see pic) in the 1970s that were ridiculously hard to build an entire project with, although some people found a way. Inevitably you ended up with spaghetti for wiring—no matter how hard you tried. But the worst tend, IMO, was the era of wire wrap. I went down that path briefly before losing my mind trying to trace tiny 30 AWG wires before giving up and screaming like a madman. Like Disco, the trend thankfully disappeared.
> 
> ...


17th century HMMM! That must make me really old. I was part of the last class at Radio College of Canada to be trained primarily on Vacuum tubes. They rewrote all the courses for the next year to be taught based on transistors. What's a chip?


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 9, 2022)

ducdon said:


> 17th century HMMM! That must make me really old. I was part of the last class at Radio College of Canada to be trained primarily on Vacuum tubes. They rewrote all the courses for the next year to be taught based on transistors. What's a chip?


LOL. We'll chat further on spaghetti night in the old folks home.


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## Gearhead88 (Mar 9, 2022)

Cool discussion , I have a bunch of tube amps in my music room downstairs , tubes rule . Yup , I’m a music nut , the gearhead user name is more about guitars n’ amps than tools. I need to take care of a few things , such as , play more , find some people that I can jam with ,  I’ve had some hand n finger injuries too as well as pain from arthritis. Things that are holding me back , I’m shy , I never really got very good at playing anyways , that and I’m a bit rusty from not playing enough.


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## Susquatch (Mar 9, 2022)

I wish my eyes could still read the music, I wish my left fingers could still pinch the frets, I wish my right fingers could still pluck the strings, and I wish my ears could still hear well enough to appreciate what my hands used to do.......

But I'm making great music on my lathe, learning to play the mill, and someday I plan to take up music on a surface grinder too....  Now if I could only learn to make music on a welder.....


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## DPittman (Mar 9, 2022)

Gearhead88 said:


> Cool discussion , I have a bunch of tube amps in my music room downstairs , tubes rule . Yup , I’m a music nut , the gearhead user name is more about guitars n’ amps than tools. I need to take care of a few things , such as , play more , find some people that I can jam with ,  I’ve had some hand n finger injuries too as well as pain from arthritis. Things that are holding me back , I’m shy , I never really got very good at playing anyways , that and I’m a bit rusty from not playing enough. View attachment 21806


It ain't fair.  Life doesn't dole out skills and abilities in any sort equality or fairness   I mean, I'd be pleased if I could have the metal working skills many of you folks have but to have them along with musical talent just ain't fair.   Pretty cool (and yes I'm a wee bit jealous.)


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## ducdon (Mar 9, 2022)

Gearhead88 said:


> Cool discussion , I have a bunch of tube amps in my music room downstairs , tubes rule . Yup , I’m a music nut , the gearhead user name is more about guitars n’ amps than tools. I need to take care of a few things , such as , play more , find some people that I can jam with ,  I’ve had some hand n finger injuries too as well as pain from arthritis. Things that are holding me back , I’m shy , I never really got very good at playing anyways , that and I’m a bit rusty from not playing enough. View attachment 21806


I know another guy like that. He hang's out in my basement!


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