Hello fellow amp builders!

[xtian]

Someplace with free shipping would be nice...

Right? But no, unless eBay.

I use

tubesandmore.com
classictone.net
mouser.com
turretboards.com

[Gerry Rzeppa]

Thanks for the places to shop, xtian. I mentioned free shipping because we joined that Amazon Prime thing a couple of years ago (about $90 a year) and we get free, two-day shipping on most stuff -- including, believe it or not, sheets of copper ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FMWV9Q/ ), chunks of aluminum for chassis and heat sinks ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H9NK5Q/ ), cool-looking meters ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ARBWGO0/ ), hook up wire ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4ZRPEY/ ), nice long power cords ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002O0KM6G/ ), and even amps to cannibalize ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036B8A52/ , http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036B8A20/ ). Note that that last amp is essentially the same as the MOD 102 kit amp -- for almost $100 less. Almost worth the buy just to pull out the transformers.

[johnnyreece]

Thanks for the places to shop, xtian. I mentioned free shipping because we joined that Amazon Prime thing a couple of years ago (about $90 a year) and we get free, two-day shipping on most stuff -- including, believe it or not, sheets of copper ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FMWV9Q/ ), chunks of aluminum for chassis and heat sinks ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H9NK5Q/ ), cool-looking meters ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ARBWGO0/ ), hook up wire ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4ZRPEY/ ), nice long power cords ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002O0KM6G/ ), and even amps to cannibalize ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036B8A52/ , http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036B8A20/ ). Note that that last amp is essentially the same as the MOD 102 kit amp -- for almost $100 less. Almost worth the buy just to pull out the transformers.

Awesome tip on that little amp!

[RJ Guitars]

Where do you folks buy your tubes and transformers and such? Someplace with free shipping would be nice...

... maybe delivered along with a hot latte right to your front door too? Welcome to the AmpGarage! If you need anything just ask for it and it is yours... as long as all you need is sarcasm that is.

Still that is probably the most unique amp I've seen in these parts for a while. thanks for sharing.

[Gerry Rzeppa]

Okay, folks, a little more progress on the project, subject, of course, to future revision. See the updated PDF, attached.

[xtian]

Fun read!

Suggestions (uh, oh...you took my advice and joined this forum...):

The 5c1 has no tone control. I'd choose the AA764 Champ with it's Treble/Bass stack. Same number of tubes, but the preamp has an additional triode to allow the tone stack, and now you have an important function for the controls on your panel. You could stick with an octal tube preamp if you like, using a 6SN7.

Don't worry too much about a 100dB speaker; the Champ is plenty loud! I prefer to have a lower efficiency speaker so one can actually dime the amp and get some decent distortion out of it without the excessive volume.

Finally, I love your overwrought prose! No need to deobfuscate (your blue text)--we'll figure it out.

[Gerry Rzeppa]

Fun read! Suggestions (uh, oh...you took my advice and joined this forum...): The 5c1 has no tone control. I'd choose the AA764 Champ with it's Treble/Bass stack. Same number of tubes, but the preamp has an additional triode to allow the tone stack, and now you have an important function for the controls on your panel. You could stick with an octal tube preamp if you like, using a 6SN7.

Thanks for the suggestion, xtian. I agree that tone controls would be a step up, both audio-wise and aesthetically. I was shooting for the ultimate in simplicity, something authentic from the days when Leo Fender was working from the seat of his pants as I am, and that might not scare off a first-time amp builder with too much complexity. But the real problem is that I've already gone too far on the original design to back up now (the parts have been ordered, the enclosure is in process, etc).

Don't worry too much about a 100dB speaker; the Champ is plenty loud! I prefer to have a lower efficiency speaker so one can actually dime the amp and get some decent distortion out of it without the excessive volume.

I'm pretty sure I'm over-compensating here for under-powering those eight 3-inch speakers in the Model 101 (HiVi BN3, sensitivity a mere 81dB/watt/meter). And there's no doubt that I'm also factoring in my strong personal preference for clean tones over distorted (sorry, I probably should have said "crunchy" or "edgy" or "aggressive" or something like that). Now that I think about it, that personal preference is probably why I don't loathe solid state amps as much as real guitarists...

Finally, I love your overwrought prose! No need to deobfuscate (your blue text)--we'll figure it out.

I'm actually writing with two audiences in mind: (1) my new friends here, who are obviously seasoned professionals and who obviously know more about amps and electronics than I ever will, but who may nevertheless be encouraged by my thrashing around to build something a bit more "out of the [chassis] box" than they are used to; and (2) for the first-time amp builder who needs to see that even an amp full of questionable judgments and novice-level mistakes can be fun to create -- and perhaps even aesthetically pleasing and maybe even useful. The de-obfuscations are for this latter group. And I'm probably missing the target on both groups by trying to reach them all at once. Alas, only so many hours in a day...

Incidently, I realize that the smudgy typewriter-style font can be hard to read a times, but it's fitting, as you'll see, when you get a closer look at my wood- and metalwork!

In short, I'm setting the bar as low as I can here -- circuit-wise, tool-wise, skill-wise, etc -- in the hope of enticing some timorous beginner "to boldly go where angels fear to tread."

But please keep commenting and suggesting; your remarks are taken to heart (not to mention appropriately filed in the old noodle) and will be realized in future implementations. Assuming I recover enough of the development costs on this money-sucking tube-monster to build another one!

[vibratoking]

That's some great work you're doing there! I like your style. The Kustom that you linked to is an interesting amp as well. I wasn't aware it existed. Thanks for broadening my horizons.

[Gerry Rzeppa]

That's some great work you're doing there! I like your style. The Kustom that you linked to is an interesting amp as well. I wasn't aware it existed. Thanks for broadening my horizons.

I have to say that this is the most polite and encouraging forum I have ever been on -- and I've been on a lot of them, with projects of all kinds. See, for example, the kind of disputing and gain-saying I had to deal with on this other forum with a little out-of-the-box programming project: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2358744 (Incidently, I'm using the program described there to produce all the drawings and other documentation associated with this project here).

Anyway, I thank you all; you've inspired me to persevere. And to take a second look at tube-only amplifiers, which I wandered away from, not for lack of love, or even fear of high voltages, but because of the (comparatively speaking) exhorbitant component costs.

[xtian]

Wow, Gerry,

http://www.osmosian.com

that is DEEP. Lefty! Check this out!



I read only the first page of your thread on anandtech. Forumites can be snappy, no?

[dorrisant]

Hi Gerry, welcome to the forum!

Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff. What you've posted do far is spectacular!

Tony

[Gerry Rzeppa]

Well, clearly, it's more work to write about building an amp than to actually build one! Which is why these updates are lagging the actual construction. But that's all the same to you folks, I suppose. Anyway, I'm happy to report a little more progress (and a lot of money spent) on the Coppertone 5C1. Pages 8 to 12 of the attached file are new.

[jelle]

CeDist and Classictone Transformers.

And really nice and inspiring builds!!

[Gerry Rzeppa]

I'm happy to report more progress on the Coppertone 5c1 amplifier. Pages 13 to 16 of the attached PDF are new. Thanks once again for your interest and encouragement.

[cbass]

Where do you folks buy your tubes and transformers and such? Someplace with free shipping would be nice...

Parts-express.com Has free shipping on orders over $99 They've got a few parts for tube amps Sometimes they have some really good deals on speakers.I buily a pair of D-III's from their DIY section They sound really good