Rocket Build in Progress,Amp running,Sounds Beautiful!!!

[Lonely Raven]

Congrats Mike!!

the rocket has become my fav amp too. If you need some tube suggestions let me know

I'd love to hear tube suggestions for V1-V2-V3.

I've got those great Russian tubes that everyone was buying up a few years ago for power.

[amplifiednation]

Nice work Mike! I really like my Rocket too. Give it a couple months it will warm up even more! Mine just keeps sounding better and better.

Did you dye the cab yet? Getting the flame to pop on the maple is almost as fun as getting an amp to fire up...almost.

[ampmike]

I got the dye today.Its a golden amber.Im only at about 220 on the sand paper.I should have it ready this weekend.Ill keep you posted.Thanx again for your help Brother ,MikeyI cant stop playing this amp!!!!!

[Reeltarded]

Hurry up! lol I'm all giddy, and half up at the moment..

I need coffee, and pictures.

[ampmike]

I am half way through my rocket fule coffee.You can stand a straw up in my cup.Too early to play this amp.How are you doing.I have to do more sanding and then experiment with the dye.I think it will look a bit like this PRS.Mikey

[ampmike]

Here it is.

[Bob S]

Well done Mikey.
Rockets rule.
That cab already looks good.
It will be stunning when you are done.

[amplifiednation]

Cab has some nice figure! Dye then sand then dye again, that second application really counts

Hey how do you cut that bevel on the front of the cab? I have done it on my table saw but it doesn't feel right

[Reeltarded]

Woot! Nice.

Cut the dye with alcohol (denatured) about 50/50, and apply more times to get the depth you want. More applications of less color make it 10x 3 dimensional. Dood! That's 30-D! Poke your eyes out!

Also, don't use sandpaper to cut back the knap when raising the grain, use a cabinet scraper. I use 1/32nd or 1/16th carbide flat stock to make scrapers.

(and don't tell anyone... shhh!)

Are you spraying lacquer overcoats? Gun? Toss in 10 drops of maple toner per quart.

I just clicked the pic.. oh it's water based. Hmm.. there is a reason I don't like water based stuff! Experiment with that color base. See if it will solve into isopropyl. I use dyes that are basically leather dyes, as one might be able to find at Tandy.

[ampmike]

Before my accident and when the economy was good I trimmed new homes for about 25 yrs.I always kept my makita 10&1 /2 inch compound pull saw.With a decent blade it makes nice 45"s.Then I tried a biscuit joiner and it came out really clean.Next was the router.Now It time for the finish.I appreciate any advice for using the dye ,Thanks Guys

[Lonely Raven]

The Transtint is good stuff. I've used it on a few guitars and some guitar cabinets for Champ builds I've done for friends. I've used both water based and alcohol based. The water based is more work, but the results are equally as good IMHO. I've just never had really figured wood to play with.

[ampmike]

Any suggestions Redshark for tubes.The power tubes are from rj and the preamp tubes are just what I had lying around.It would be cool to get some nos"s to play around with.Mikey

[angelodp]

The Saratovs are quite important imho, the preamp tubes are to taste. I have a JJ in V1, RCA 7025 in V2 and EH in V3 and V4.

And congrats on your build Mike, I'll bet it has you smiling a lot.

Ange

[amplifiednation]

I have the saratovs too (on Ange's suggestion) those NOS tubes really opened up the amp.

I have a no name mullard in V1, GE in V2, a TAD 12at7 in V3 to calm my reverb a bit, and a current production long plate sovtek in V4. I want to upgrade the rectifier but the jj sounds just fine for now. Amperex Bugle boy sounds killer in V1 too. I change them all out a lot, need more tubes

[lions den]

so does the Rocket clean up nicely and react in a similar fashion to the Express by simply rolling back the guitar volume knob? That's one of the main things I love about the Express and hope it's the same for the Rocket.
thanks,
sean