My X10 has begun

[surfsup]

Okay, my X10 is done. Sounds awesome (obviously I built it so I am biased, but honestly its the nicest amp I've ever played). Removed some of the wiring off V2's grid and put a PRP 220k on the PPpot switch with a 47k between the lugs and a 56k metal film on the board. This gives me a 220k/56k or a 220k/103k divider. I am still a tad unsure about the 47k as I haven't played my single coil thru this amp yet but the LP with HB AlnicoIIs sounds great. The 47k adds a little dirt when only touching that switch but I might up it for the SC. I also changed my 120k to a 82k on the filter with the 4n7 cap when I redid my MV pot to rotate correctly CW louder. I also used 1W CF 1M Rs instead of the 1/2 watt. I did all these changes at the same time. The amp is even less static now and very quiet.

[img768]http://chicagocadcam.com/ChrisHahn/xen10/TBMV.jpg[/img]

I've got a 100/250pf switch on the bright. that's a 1n0 1100V where my relcap used to be. the 100/250 works well. although at lower volumes the bright switch is barely audible and I like the 250 over the 100 as an option with no bright, so thinking of putting a 500 on there for lower volumes and leaving the 250 for when the amp is cranked to get a nice switchable bright at bedroom vs loud vol. I also changed the 10k CF to a vishay MF:

[img768]http://chicagocadcam.com/ChrisHahn/xen10/Bright.jpg[/img]

The VVR was updated with wiring for the whole amp scaling as before. Here's a better shot of the leads to the VVR board and PA area. The VVR in combo with the LarMar-style MV is a great combo imo. the MV seems to work well but the VVR gets me more brights with the MV cranked, etc. So there is definitely a difference between how each scales the output volume - so its nice ot have both but it is not necessary as some stated. Still the VVR was $35 shipped to my door.

So another major thing I did was start swapping tubes. I starting rotating in a 12au7 and using this tube for V1 with a 12ax7 for V2 and the PI, it is perfect.

I have full rotation gain on the first V pot, with full nice treb/bass control. The tone stack works great now, actually! So like I said I did ALL this at once then powered up with the 12au7 in there and boom, what an amp...

Very happy. I'll update my layout soon.[/img]

[Colossal]

Great job Surfsup! Nice post-mortem discussion too. Glad to hear you got all the details worked out and the tone stack dialed in. Well done!

Post a clip or video if you are able. What speaker(s) are you using it with?

[surfsup]

Updated the layout on first post of this endless topic. Should be right (I hope). Lord knows I've edited it enough!

Colossal, thanks dude. I am very happy with this amp! Baby sleeping right now but my plan in the next few weeks is to record a full song and post it using this amp for all the guitar parts. I promise to do so.

I'm using a 10" Eminence Patriot Ragin Cajun speaker in a VOXAD30T ampcab that I modded to add an external speaker jack:

http://www.amazon.com/Eminence-Patriot- ... B0009H00WW

I need a better cab because this Vox cab seems like its going to explode using this amp haha.

Now what to do with the two extra PP pots, maybe a R from the center of the filter to one lug, and a lead from the other to the end so I can switch in a parallel resistor or not, hmmm...

[angelodp]

Congrats Surf, it must be a sweet amp to play. Looking forward to the build soon.

Best A

[Kregg]

When does the bidding begin?

Looks fantastic man, well done.

[surfsup]

Well maybe my initial excitement got the best of me. After a bit more time with it I think maybe the 12au7 in v1 is a bit light on the gain when cranked. I tried a 5751 and it seems just a touch much. with both tubes, I can get good cleans and distorted tones but on the 5751 it is a little blatty on the lowE. Ultimately I am wondering if the 1m is the right value here. I can play a bit more with the tubes maybe 5751/5751/12ax7 I'll try etc. What I might do since i have the p-p pot being unused is solder the 1M resistor from pin one to a p-p lug, and a wire lead connecting the other lug to pin 3, so I can switch in a 1m parallel to the pot to see what a simualted 500k pot would be like. Maybe with a 5751 or 12ax7 it would be good to go.

Some more on the tonestack. I know some guys said they thought the TS pots were really lame, and hardly did much, tough to dial in tones. I find it the opposite. Compared to my other amps here, the two pots on this amp are each giving me a huge range. They are way more interactive. Treb goes from bassy to very trebly, and the bass pot goes from trebly to bassy.

Slope switch affects the gain as well. This with the option to switch in the extra 47k gives a nice fine-tuning ability.

[Gaz]

Surfsup, it looks like the 1M "safety resistors" on your MV are on the wrong lugs!

[surfsup]

In the 3rd pic i didnt redo the mv leads yet when i took the pic.

[Gaz]

Oh, I see now on the first one that they're wired correctly.

[chrisc]

I finished the X10 on thursday and settled on a 12ax7 for v1 and 12au7's for v2 and 3. With a AX7 in v3 it was fantastic and by far my favorite, but it had virtually no headroom. With the AU7 in v3 I have way more headroom and not as much distortion but there is still plenty on tap. I really think a 12AT7 might be best of both.

I also dropped that 10n relcap all the way down to 720pf. I tried it at 1n first and loved it for single notes and leads but chords just sounded so mushy and nasty that i'd have to turn the bass knob down to 1 or 2.

Mine was a little different though. I built this for a friend using his vox ac15cc as a donor amp. So i used the stock PT and OT, a 250k dual pot for the mv and added a cut control. Everything else was the same.


Chris

[pamaz67]

Hi Surfsup.
Nice to know you finally got it.
I think I'll try a 6v6 version either, so to have a little rounder and bluesier sound.

[surfsup]

Pamaz, Octalx10! Sounds good please post the progress....

Some guys PM'd me for updated pics n notes. I updated the pictures on post #1. Didn't try the 1M parallel mod or 12at7 yet.

[Lonely Raven]

Hi Surfsup.
Nice to know you finally got it.
I think I'll try a 6v6 version either, so to have a little rounder and bluesier sound.

I'm already daydreaming of an octal pramp version. I love the greasy sound of octal pramps...so much so that I have a 9 pin to octal adapter that I drop in amps sometimes when I want a warmer grind.

[martin manning]

Colossal, is there a final version of the X-10 schematic posted somewhere? Sorry, but I haven't been paying attention.

[surfsup]

The solens? Big black ones? They are made in quebec, which you might as well consider europe, so european companies use comma instead of periods.

10,00uF = 10.0uF

Otherwise i dont follow the Q.