Planning TW build! Are Allyn and Dana still selling parts?

[HDeno]

Hi everyone,

Thanks to the superb info in these forums, I've been bitten and I am gathering parts for a TW Express build.

I want to get a chassis from Allynmey and the VVR board from Dana, but I PM'ed and emailed both of them about 3 or 4 days ago to place an order and havent heard back from either of them...

So my question is, are they still selling those parts, and if not, what would be the other sources available to me?..

Thanks

Hugues

[Allynmey]

I believe I sent a response a day or two ago...

I just got in a new run of TW chassis last week!

[HDeno]

I believe I sent a response a day or two ago...

I just got in a new run of TW chassis last week!

Just re-checked my emails and PMs here, and I don't know what happened but I sure didn't get anything..

Anyway, the great thing is that you have some chassis!! Great!! Just PM'd you again to order one!!

[UR12]

you got mail!

[HDeno]

you got mail!

You got some too!!.. Thanks a lot to both of you!

Hugues

[redshark]

I would like to get info on chassis and boards pls!!how to get them? is there like a way to get the chassis ready according to the layout? pls let me know...

guitplayer1105@yahoo.com

thanks

Redshark

[M Fowler]

Redshark,

I have no preference where you buy your stuff but the people I am going to list all have great products.

PM Allynmey
PM rjguitars
PM joebob

Mark

[Ron Worley]

I would add Moose at Toneslut for Trannys, RJ for the boards (closest to the original), Allyn for chassis (and whatever components he carries on his www.ampbuildersparts.com site...)

Dana (UR12) used to do boards, but I would bet that his Lil Devil project has him way busy....

Check the bill of materials (BOM ) in the files section, it gives you most of the info you need to build a spot on Wreck...

[pinkmarkos]

+1 for allynmey (amp builders parts for chassis), rj guitars (liverpool board), moose at toneslut (transformers), and turretboards.com (express board). everyone associated with this site has been extremely cool to deal with, ships promptly, and has top notch product. i just finished my first express build (sounds great BTW) and am about begin a liverpool build. i wish the entire world could have suppliers as cool as you guys- kudos!

[redshark]

I know about toneslut for transformers, but my concerns are chassis and board. I would like to know if allyn sells a chassis already punched, I don't want to do that myself, I have the files with all the info so i can order other parts but for now a chassis is my priority.

[pinkmarkos]

yes he sells prepunched chassis, but you do need to drill holes for the circuit boards for mounting, and also enlarge the power cord opening for the strain relief or IEC plug if you use that. i used a rat-tail file for that, and drill bits appropriate for drilling aluminum and the circuit board material. the drill bit sizes are in the build guide. hope that helps!

[redshark]

ok, cool thanks!! I have no problem drilling small holes for the boards or enlarge other holes. Thanks!! do u have sound bytes of your express? I had only heard the Glen kuykendall express on youtube files. Sounds great!! and I also heard in person a real rocket. Very cool amp.

[pinkmarkos]

I actually haven't recorded anything yet because i am still tweaking to get the best sound. however, like you, I was absolutely blown away by glen kuykendall's tone on the youtube clip, but i have discovered that there must be many more factors at play besides just the amp. firstly, from what i have read, all the original express amps were tweaked to their owners' tastes by ken fischer when he built them, so tonally, they might be all just a little bit different. secondly. this was my first ever amp build, so my soldering skills, lead dress, etc. could definitely have been better. ironically, it is the clean tone of this amp that i really like. but after about 9 o'clock- it gets real nasty in a hurry.(in a good way) power tube distortion heaven (i have mullard xf2's in there right now) there is a thread somewhere in which glen talks about all the specific things he does to get the you-tube tone. there are pickups, guitar choice, speaker choice, tube choice, etc. everything matters. have fun!

[paulster]

from what i have read, all the original express amps were tweaked to their owners' tastes by ken fischer when he built them, so tonally, they might be all just a little bit different.

Is it actually documented anywhere that this happened, or is this some of the Dumble-style internet mythology that pervades around Ken Fischer? It seems far better documented that you put your name on the list for an amp, and at some point got a call to say your amp was ready.

We have a known Express and Liverpool schematic that have been verified against real amps, and we know that the transformers changed over time which is why he'd have told people (Glen included) that one amp would sound different from another because of the (type of) transformers in it.

The only known tweaks that I've seen documented seem to have been more about control stability, such as the occasional grid stopper on the second stage, and the plate cap in the Dave Funk-built Liverpool, which wasn't a Ken amp in the first place.

The only two specific amps I've heard of that were actually tweaked from stock were the two high-gain Liverpools, Genevieve and one other. Certainly in the case of Genevieve this was always planned to be something slightly different which is why it went into a flamed maple case rather than cherry, and why it doesn't have any wood burning on the front. The history of the other one doesn't appear to be documented. And of course Ginger was slightly different being basically the prototype.

[redshark]

With dumbles and TWs there will always be a mistery element. They were tweaked to the specific taste of the player and yes I believe that your clone right after 9oclock started breaking up insanely. I think is very ambitious to start with a built like this as a first one. There's so many elements that interact in the performance of the amp and if u guys read about Ken Fisher he spent "years" fixing other amps before he ever built the first TW. I can imagine how Kuykendals TW sounds in person. Probably very diferent than what we hear on the you tube videos. I'm sure in person is way richer in harmonics, as the rocket that I heard u could think there was chorus or reverb and there was nothing. That is how lushy and rich in harmonics is. All the elements matter, people concentrate so much on transformers but ken used diferent ones and he used to get kind of the same result. The result is an amp that performs with a perfect interaction of elements almost to the point of being unstable and that exagerates the guitar sounds creating harmonic complexity but so sensitive to the touch that could be unpleasant to hear if the player doesn't have a fine "touch".