New 183 build

[Stephen1966]

Tube Town just replied 'M6 laminates'

[ijedouglas]

That looks great. The Marshall logo is in one piece at least. Will you put it in a new cab?

I'll probably keep the cab and just have the tolex redone

[bepone]

Tube Town just replied 'M6 laminates'

tube town is reading here! ok try it we will know how good is!

[bepone]

I built a 183 recently with a Mercury Magnetics PT and OT. It sounds good but there is something about the sonic signature with this amp that I'm not liking.

more offtopic . i have JTM Metroamp with Mercury inside, and i like it a lot. Has this grinding middle,
inside are sozo caps, cheap carbon films, and some metal oxide in cathodes.. You can find JTM build guide to check what they put inside...
I never liked Marshall amp with orange drops, so if you put orange drops inside 183, try to change them for sozo, it is cheaper than new OPT..also treble caps put all ceramic this can help in highs..

[Stephen1966]

That looks great. The Marshall logo is in one piece at least. Will you put it in a new cab?

I'll probably keep the cab and just have the tolex redone

If it's particle board - so damn heavy and it absorbs water like a sponge. When you get the tolex off you will see if it has accumulated any water damage. That logo has aged beautifully though. And I bet it sounds amazing!

[Stephen1966]

I built a 183 recently with a Mercury Magnetics PT and OT. It sounds good but there is something about the sonic signature with this amp that I'm not liking.

more offtopic . i have JTM Metroamp with Mercury inside, and i like it a lot. Has this grinding middle,
inside are sozo caps, cheap carbon films, and some metal oxide in cathodes.. You can find JTM build guide to check what they put inside...
I never liked Marshall amp with orange drops, so if you put orange drops inside 183, try to change them for sozo, it is cheaper than new OPT..also treble caps put all ceramic this can help in highs..

I beg to differ, quite on-topic actually. Good ideas and a lot easier to audition.

MM transformers though! Horribly over-priced!

[WhopperPlate]

For grinding Marshall mids I tend to throw a carbon composition somewhere in the B+ line . I always liked how Marshall did this : often times early part of the string is CC and later CF. I feel this keeps things tight but relaxed at the same time .

[jazzbass]

Hi,

I built a # 183 with two EL34 Millards which sounded very good. But I never liked the sound of that amplifier.

The clean was not bad but the OD was bad.

I turned it into Bluesmaster and it sounds fabulous. The AAElectronic mother board helped me a lot as it withstood all the torment of unsoldering and soldering new components and then the adjustments of the same and then, of course, other soldering.

The PT, OT, and choke transformers were built by an Italian manufacturer based on Marshall specifications.

A hug

Franco

[WhopperPlate]

One time I was troubleshooting an intermittent issue in an amplifier , and subsequently replaced a preamp tube micalex style socket with some old ceramic I had in the stash. (Like your 183 above)

I wasn’t trying to listen for a difference, but that amplifier became suddenly a tad abrasive and harsh, especially in OD.

I solved the problem , but after scratching my head on the sound I realized the only variable I wasn’t considering . New micalex socket was installed and all the edges rounded off….

I mention this because that was also an el34 Marshall type amp … fwiw … those type of tubes and iron can really bring out the midrange detail …

[Stephen1966]

For grinding Marshall mids I tend to throw a carbon composition somewhere in the B+ line . I always liked how Marshall did this : often times early part of the string is CC and later CF. I feel this keeps things tight but relaxed at the same time .

That's interesting! I notice in the photo I am looking at here, Q-lines are used in the PS. I am thinking CF for that as well. The balance resistors look like ordinary Dralorics.

[WhopperPlate]

For grinding Marshall mids I tend to throw a carbon composition somewhere in the B+ line . I always liked how Marshall did this : often times early part of the string is CC and later CF. I feel this keeps things tight but relaxed at the same time .

That's interesting! I notice in the photo I am looking at here, Q-lines are used in the PS. I am thinking CF for that as well. The balance resistors look like ordinary Dralorics.

What photos are you referencing?

[Stephen1966]

Hi,

I built a # 183 with two EL34 Millards which sounded very good. But I never liked the sound of that amplifier.

The clean was not bad but the OD was bad.

I turned it into Bluesmaster and it sounds fabulous. The AAElectronic mother board helped me a lot as it withstood all the torment of unsoldering and soldering new components and then the adjustments of the same and then, of course, other soldering.

The PT, OT, and choke transformers were built by an Italian manufacturer based on Marshall specifications.

A hug

Franco

Hi Franco, who was the manufacturer? Interesting to hear!

[Stephen1966]

For grinding Marshall mids I tend to throw a carbon composition somewhere in the B+ line . I always liked how Marshall did this : often times early part of the string is CC and later CF. I feel this keeps things tight but relaxed at the same time .

That's interesting! I notice in the photo I am looking at here, Q-lines are used in the PS. I am thinking CF for that as well. The balance resistors look like ordinary Dralorics.

What photos are you referencing?

These: https://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 39#p443539

[WhopperPlate]

That's interesting! I notice in the photo I am looking at here, Q-lines are used in the PS. I am thinking CF for that as well. The balance resistors look like ordinary Dralorics.

What photos are you referencing?

These: https://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 39#p443539

All CF dropping Rs is my second favorite arrangement . Brand dependent of course .

[Stephen1966]

All CF dropping Rs is my second favorite arrangement . Brand dependent of course .

Understood. The goal here is to find commercially available, in production components. Nothing against the exotic of course, except they are often unsustainable, usually quite over-priced and (quite likely) offer intangible benefits over current production runs. There may even be superior modern equivalents. Don't want to dig up a repeat of a conversation that's been going on elsewhere in this forum but please, pray tell... what is your secret sauce ?