I have built an amp, which I made cloning a Magnatone 213 which really isn't doing what I need in giving me enough clean headroom to gig live with for the music I am playing. So I have decided to rebuild the internals to a Fender Deluxe Reverb, as I really like my 100 watt Fender Twin. The only problem is the size of the cabinet that I have made is a bit smaller than the Fender Deluxe Reverb cab, and I really want to try and keep the cabinet for this build. Is it possible to make this amp smaller, possibly without the vibrato section, and the vibrato inputs? In my mind if this is possible then I would be able to be able to remove the sections marked in red on the attached schematic and fit this amp into the cabinet I have made.
What can I do to achieve this? Am I going about this the right way or is there a better option for reducing the size of this amp? Also the fender has controls at the front, and power switches etc at the back, where I only will have the above size rear pane to fit all the controls/switches... will it fit?
Thanks in advance! Sam
Keep in mind that there is only so much headroom to be gained given the same tubes and transformers. Are the transformers used for the 213 similar to those used for a deluxe reverb? The main reason you might gain headroom on the Deluxe is that it is fixed bias vs cathode biased and has an LTP phase inverter. So the Deluxe will be cleaner but nothing close to a Twin. For me a Deluxe is marginal for gigging, but my idea of clean may not be the same as yours.
I think you can fit it all together with a lot of planning.
Is the cab wide enough to fit a 16.75" long reverb tank? If not, you'll need to use a short tank. Fitting the chassis and speaker may need some careful planning and accurate measurements. You may have to experiment with transformer location to be sure they don't interfere with the speaker. Consider using a 3 position progressive toggle switch that can combine power and standby functions and put it over by the fuse.
Does the pic show the basic layout you want to use? Do you already have a board layout?
I crammed a single channel DR (no trem) into a 5E3 cab. Almost everything had to be test fitted before I nailed it down. You can see my project here...
At the bottom of that page you'll find a custom schematic and board layout. You may get some ideas of 'gotchas' to watch for on your project. Good luck.
Thanks for the replies! So far the clone I have already built is giving me this kind of headroom have a listen to the link below and let me know whether I could get any better building the amp into a Fender Deluxe reverb?
One of the latest amps I built for a friend was very much like the blackface deluxe and it's 18 watts of rms power. Thru a high SPL rated speaker worked for him for most of his live playing until the band added a keyboard player besides the two guitar players, at this point he needed some more clean head room for rhythm work and when needed for clean solo work.
The best cure we came up with was just a extension speaker cabinet, and when there is room to have it on the other side of the stage also his tone is just what he has always been looking for!
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jcandmeirality wrote:Thanks for the replies! So far the clone I have already built is giving me this kind of headroom have a listen to the link below and let me know whether I could get any better building the amp into a Fender Deluxe reverb?
You most definitely can get more headroom from something other than a 213. It gets dirty pretty quick. I think you're headed down the right path with an old BF or SF circuit. Check out the Small Special, too. Basically the same thing with no vibrato or reverb. Or the Cali Dreamer at ax84.com