Third build underway - 6V6 KF60

[gktamps]

OH
MY
GOD.

This thing rocks. Unbelievable tone. Freakin' delicious. Clean to mean, especially with the PPIMV. The mods all worked, except I had a problem with the FET on the VVR3 board, which I bypassed to get this thing fired up.

Quiet, no hiss, minimal hum, but that was with the chassis unshielded at the bottom. The fast/gradual potentiometer is amazing - nicer than a switch, so the one I bought from Dana will go into another build if I don't add it later. It would be cool to have an "expression pedal" for this feature, but I have no idea how to do that safely!

No more words right now - gotta play!

Greg

[LeftyStrat]

Looks awesome. Tell me more about Roberto's pot in place of the fast/gradual switch. I searched but couldn't find the thread.

[Reeltarded]

It looks as great as it sounds like it sounds..

Umm.. check that. I am on sniffly meds. Made sense the third time here!

[gktamps]

Thanks, Lefty,
Here's the thread...
https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.ph ... c&start=15

I think I'll reduce the large cap a bit to get rid of slightly flubby bass when turned full up. Sounds great at around 80%.

Thanks Miles!

[gktamps]

Update:

Made three changes that really improved the quality of the overdirve and tone on this amp. It was great before, and now it's blowing me away with the versatility and range of tone. It's got clean, but does dirt beautifully now.

First, I put a smoothing cap across the PI plate leads, then added a grid resistor, and finally, got the VVR3 wired up in a better location, mounted to the side of the chassis, with shorter leads for the CMOS and pot.
All these mods thanks to the inspiration of this group of folks who know their stuff and share it here on TAG!

Cheers,

GT

[Phil_S]

...minimal hum, but that was with the chassis unshielded at the bottom.

Congratulations on completing a satisfying build. It is what makes the addiction!

A cheap and simple shield can be made by applying glue to the cabinet and placing a piece of pre-trimmed heavy duty aluminum foil (from the kitchen) on it, then using a rag to rub it smooth. I do this for all my amps. No one sees it.

[gktamps]

Thanks, Phil. I should have clarified that while testing, the chassis was unshielded, but I have a Komet cabinet for the amp, which is shielded at the bottom, and has an aluminum panel under the top as well. With the chassis in the cab, it's really quiet.

Before I did these recent mods, the amp picked up an AC hum, which is when I opened it up to fix that and make the other changes. The hum was down to some leads that were not well fixed, which I siliconed in place after chopsticking into quiet positions.

I have used the aluminum foil on a Champ style build, and actually have a thin sheet of copper which I thought I'd use in a cabinet where it will be partially visible.

Cheers,

GT

[M Fowler]

Nice build, rock on.

[gktamps]

Thanks, Mark. Now I can fool myself into believing I'm not as old as I really am. Except for playing half as well as I did when I was really that age...

[Reeltarded]

If it sounds half as good as it looks..

It looks fantastic!

[ampgeek]

Congratulations!
Doesn't it feel great to accomplish that?
As mentioned...welcome to the addiction!!! (read:what are you going to build next? )

Enjoy,
Dave O.

[gktamps]

Thanks, Miles!

And thank you, Dave. Yes, nothing feeds the addiction like a successful outcome. It just takes a little more time for some of us to reach that.

Here's my current build, which I am getting close to finishing:
https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.php?t=21473

Next up is a JTM45/50 type build. I've been getting inspiration and ideas from Reeltarded (thanks, Miles!), and have the chassis and plates, and today just picked up a gently head cab and cover in great shape. Going to start getting parts, but haven't yet decided on which transformers to buy.

My wife thinks I'm awash in amps. Guess it's time to get rid of the commercially-made amps because I'm actually preferring my own builds now.

Cheers,

GT