newbie here obviously
i am looking for info which will guide me to the right TW for me - i can see 3 basic designs and hope there is a doc that goes into the capablities and complexities of the different builds
my intrest has been sparked by clips i have seen on other forums over the past couple years - i am a fender late 50's tweed clone nut and have a few of those amps wich i really love and use a lot - now i would like add someting with a little more advanced preamp setup to my little amp collecion
i will probably buy a finished chassis from someone here or ceriatone or similar - i am a guitar and cab builder and my lectrical bility is stretched wiring a guitar or speaker box
I highly recommend doing some in-depth searching here on the forum.
Files: You'll find all the files you need (thanks to RW et al) in the Trainwreck Files section. Schematics, Detailed Layout, and Detailed Bill of Materials (BOM).
You can be assured that the files there are as accurate as they can be. And even though they have been reviewed thoroughly time and again by members who've been inside real TW's someone always finds a subtle mistake every now and again. Although at this point after several revision levels I think they're about as close as anyone hoped they would ever be.
Regarding comparison of the different amps... search, search, and more searching will yield a wealth of opnions from the various builders, owners, and players here on this forum.
In terms of difficulty level. The TW amps are not particularly complicated to build, but they are not simple either. Due to their high gain structure they are sensitive to wire layout. If you follow the layouts posted and compare to photos of amps that have been posted here you'll be well on your way.
I recently completed a TW Rocket build that had a very slight hum. It went away completely by simply re-routing one wire. It was only after carefully comparing my build to those posted by others here on the forum that I was able to find this 'error'.
Use the search function and punch in keywords such as: "Express and build", "Liverpool and build", "Rocket and build", etc...
Don't be dismayed if someone doesn't get back to you right away. It's not personal. Many of the members are just very busy. You'll need to do a fair amount of leg work on your own.
And then finally... contribute something back to the forum. Opinions. Build pictures. Clips. Etc...
I've built a couple "Rocket Inspred" amps this past year and it's really the most forgiving circuit of the Wreck amps. No doubt they all can be great sounding amps but the the Liverpool and the Express have an added gain stage that could cause you some real grief as a new builder.
If you really want to learn, the right amp to start with is a "Champ" circuit. The cool thing about it is that they are easy to build but also one of the most useful amps you can have in your arsenal.
Read lots and post your questions, you'll get plenty of help... most of it from first rate builders.
I don't know which amp is the one for you. I started by firsting finding this amp builder's community and going way back reading everything I could. From there I couldn't wait to have a Trainwreck style amp so I ordered a Ceriatone Express complete amp. Then while playing that I went on to build my own liverpool. After that was done I fell helpless to start another build. This time the rocket which I am into right now. Finding trannies for the rocket build has slowed me down.
For me I had to have all three and based on many others on this forum they too have fallen prey to the spell of the Trainwrecks.
I've built a couple "Rocket Inspred" amps this past year and it's really the most forgiving circuit of the Wreck amps. No doubt they all can be great sounding amps but the the Liverpool and the Express have an added gain stage that could cause you some real grief as a new builder.
If you really want to learn, the right amp to start with is a "Champ" circuit. The cool thing about it is that they are easy to build but also one of the most useful amps you can have in your arsenal.
Read lots and post your questions, you'll get plenty of help... most of it from first rate builders.
rj
sounds like good advice actually - i can get a champ kit here in australia -
your right bout its usefullness as i get a lot out of the one i have here in my workshop
Cool Stuff Picker - if you've got a Champ to compare to then that's pretty useful. You can see layout info and measure voltages... If you're already past the Champ stage then the Rocket is a decent amp for a first push-pull circuit. It's a simple circuit and a giant chassis...
There are a couple guys down under that have built Rockets - Mark Abbott for one. He is kind of the Godfather of the Rocket on this forum. He built his many years back and provided the first schematics and such. Another guy known as "Gregarious" here on the forum built one with us on the Rocket Group Build project. I haven't seen him post for a while. Last I knew he was having trouble keeping his bicycle between himself and the earth while propelling himself at high speeds - I better check up on him as well.
Anyway these guys are in Sidney if that's anywhere close to you. Good guys and a lot of smarts about amps between them.
