Chassis thoughts

[Mark]

Thanks for the reply.

Even imitating HAD's font for your silk screener's artwork seems illogical after one has done the necessary tweaking to finalization without so much as HAD buying you a cup of coffee or routing some heater leads.

I don't think logic has a lot to do with it, and perhaps it is more of a passionate/emotional decision. Any clone you could care to mention could be built in a number of different chassis'.

I think it comes down to the old saying imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

If there is a guy like myself who like the digital font on the silver chassis, is that any different from wanting a different colour tolex or perhaps the suede covering on the cab?

Which is what the thread is all about, what have you encountered in a chassis and what would you like done differently?

[Noel Grassy]

@Mark Abbott,

Point taken Mark. I really should have thought before I chimed in.

In total I've built only two "ground up" amps and both chassis came from Allyn. I'm not a sheet metal worker but I've fab'd my share of storefront projects to have accumulated a familiarity with the process.

I used knock-out punches for some holes on the 0.125" Aluminum of
one and saw why the extra coin spent having them pre-fabbed would be money well spent if one had to do the work with typical hobbyist tools.
Cutting out the XFMR holes would've had me in a stitch if it wasn't for the
killer Bosch jigsaw and it's remarkable results.

That said, Allyn's product was superior to anything I'd seen in terms of amps I'd been inside of for repairs. In retrospect I'd be more truthful to say I hadn't scrutinized many amp's chassis except when the repair was to
a deformed area caused by a fall. None of them used re-enforced corners
with 0.05" bar stock welded to 'em. If your roadie bends that shit he had
help from a hydraulic crusher and this fellow won't be massaging that area
back to like new condition.

So other than a Hammond or BUD type chassis the typical choice for an
average hobbyist I think one would have to learn way too much about the
sheet metal trade to specify methods of manufacturing and receive a pro-
duct that is superior to the two Allyn shipped. I might be overstating what
others would see as part of the amp builder's learning curve as knowledge
is never "free" right?


Until I can afford the knock-out for an IEC receptacle I'll be doing those in the most tedious fashion short of a can opener unless it's offered by the
supplier of my next chassis and I have it's precise location confirmed.

In the end my position will remain "To each his Own". Ferchrissakes it's
your amp and pride in your finished product is as rewarding as killer tone.


Clearly, this contradicts my previous diatribe and was a long winded way
of exposing the cultivation of my vapidity. Like watching someone buried to their neck in sand as the tide returns. Thankfully I don't hear the roaring encouragement of the onlookers.

Thank you Mark for your great contributions in the quest for tone here and at the other DIY sites over the years. You have a knack for sifting through the chaff that has adhered to the facts like a thick crust all these
many years,

Noel Grassy.

[Mark]

It's all good.