Looking for advice... what to build now? 183? 102? Other?

[Chris Brown]

Hi all... I'm about to start ordering the parts for my 2nd build as well as a dlator.... I'm looking for expert advice.... Please share some of your experiences with me. Pros/Cons? I'm open to anything.

I don't know what to build... 102? 183? Something else?

I was leaning toward 102 because of the feedback city amp thread but I've also been enjoying 183 clips. Also HRM always seems a little bit heavy metal to me... but maybe that's a misconception. From my experience swapping parts in my 124 copy I can say that I prefer the overdrive tone of a high plate configuration.

I've played some other builder's stuff at guitar show but it's always kind of weird trying stuff out in that setting... Seems like they all pretty much sound great in a convention center

I play a few times per week in local cover bands and we mainly do blues and classic rock... I do some jazz gigs in the winter but not as often as I'd like.


Honestly I listen to coltrane/miles/rollins etc etc more than guitar music but....

To put what I like tone-wise in ampgarage terms... the "talk to your daughter" tone... handfull/mystic... all that tone is killer.

Also... anything Steely Dan is awesome, Larry Carlton, obviously I love hendrix, Santana new and old. I like Holdsworth, McLauthlin etc etc ... I could list for hours. Anything great pretty much.


Here's what my current amp experience is... I built a 124 skyliner copy in a 65 trri donor about 5 years ago... the first couple of years I fought it trying to play stratocasters. Eventually I abandoned my strats and moved to humbucker guitars. This led me to a high plate / low bypass type configuration and I really like it. I do have to run the clean channel pretty hot to really get the overdrive to sing and it sounds killer but basically if I set the clean channel up for beautiful cleans then the overdrive channel is too thin. I use the od channel and guitar volume control about 80% of the time anyway so it's not that big of a deal, but still the amp does everything I like but not all at once lol.


Also I've been using a kleinulator all this time... I will be building a real dator along with my new amp build.


I like my current amp a lot and I've really just been wanting to build another... now is the time

Thanks dudes.

[groovtubin]

Hi all... I'm about to start ordering the parts for my 2nd build as well as a dlator.... I'm looking for expert advice.... Please share some of your experiences with me. Pros/Cons? I'm open to anything.

I don't know what to build... 102? 183? Something else?

I was leaning toward 102 because of the feedback city amp thread but I've also been enjoying 183 clips. Also HRM always seems a little bit heavy metal to me... but maybe that's a misconception. From my experience swapping parts in my 124 copy I can say that I prefer the overdrive tone of a high plate configuration.

I've played some other builder's stuff at guitar show but it's always kind of weird trying stuff out in that setting... Seems like they all pretty much sound great in a convention center

I play a few times per week in local cover bands and we mainly do blues and classic rock... I do some jazz gigs in the winter but not as often as I'd like.


Honestly I listen to coltrane/miles/rollins etc etc more than guitar music but....

To put what I like tone-wise in ampgarage terms... the "talk to your daughter" tone... handfull/mystic... all that tone is killer.

Also... anything Steely Dan is awesome, Larry Carlton, obviously I love hendrix, Santana new and old. I like Holdsworth, McLauthlin etc etc ... I could list for hours. Anything great pretty much.


Here's what my current amp experience is... I built a 124 skyliner copy in a 65 trri donor about 5 years ago... the first couple of years I fought it trying to play stratocasters. Eventually I abandoned my strats and moved to humbucker guitars. This led me to a high plate / low bypass type configuration and I really like it. I do have to run the clean channel pretty hot to really get the overdrive to sing and it sounds killer but basically if I set the clean channel up for beautiful cleans then the overdrive channel is too thin. I use the od channel and guitar volume control about 80% of the time anyway so it's not that big of a deal, but still the amp does everything I like but not all at once lol.


Also I've been using a kleinulator all this time... I will be building a real dator along with my new amp build.


I like my current amp a lot and I've really just been wanting to build another... now is the time

Thanks dudes.

Read a LONG time ago from an owner of an HRM Dumble, that Alexander designed that amp for those who wanted MORE gain, n i DEF believe that! Also keep in mind that a SLO-100 was his nearest competitor for HI gain back in late to mid 90`s My amp def has that vibe, just roll off tone on your guitar to get a fatter thing like Eric Johnson does, love mine! My absolute fav is a 70`s tho.... Have fun!

jim@Omegaamps

[Chris Brown]

I've been checking a ton of clips... I think I've settled on a 102 type build because of the way single notes sing from that circuit but I also really like how 183 with the el34s sounds great on the overdrive channel with chord stuff... clear and open yet overdriven.

Both seem to be capable of lush cleans but I'm not sure how well they balance with the od channel... I know with my 124 when the clean tone kills the od channel lacks and when the od channel kills the clean channel is too dirty... I that just a characteristic of all ods circuits?

[Chris Brown]

OK... I decided to go with 102 for new build.

Almost everything I need is already on the way

I have no idea what transformers I'm going to use yet... any advice is appreciated... I'm going to use the jborders rectifier board so I'll need a center tapped ht unlike the known 102 schem.

I've already received a chassis... one of the marsh with the D word faceplate from ebay (tried ce first but they are sold out). I have packages on the way from jborders, mouser, aes, and mojo.

The way I'm doing this build is when I bring home gig cash each week I use it all toward the build... I'm off this weekend

I still need to hit up apexjr, get transformers and probably do one more small mouser "oops" order.