chassis

[dcribbs1412]

Sickness continues
thinking of a 6V6 Express using some 18 watt iron(laydown PT)
wondering about a blank chassis. Found some 16" Hammonds
wish I would have got a few more from DDawg
Anyone have a source for blank 17" chassis?

D

[martin manning]

I've been bugging rj to do a run of blank "premium" TW-sized chassis, which I have used before with great satisfaction.

[M Fowler]

Yeah rjguitars since the ebay guy 17x8x2 chassis isn't showing up again. on and off.

Also, Modulus Amps has TW Rocket chassis for EU guys or anywhere actually I've ordered from Mike and shipping wasn't bad.

[dcribbs1412]

Thanks Martin and Mark
wondering if I should try a mojo 18 watt chassis (PT already cutout)
I could enlarge the holes for 6v6's,
and forgo the classic wood headcab and faceplate.
Just concerned the change in layout of xformers and lead dress may cause problems.

D

[telentubes]

Watts Tube Audio has blank 17.5X8X2.5. Very good quality.
http://www.turretboards.com/

[M Fowler]

Watts has 17.5 chassis, it took a lot of convincing by Colossal and myself to get Ken to start selling these chassis. He wasn't sure they would sell.

He didn't want to go with 17x8x2 for some reason.

Mark

[RJ Guitars]

I finally have some stock... since gainmaster had the shop fire I haven't found a project grade replacement but I did find a new vendor for the Premium grade that I really like... I have a couple dozen right now but at least half of them are slated for Liverpool premium chassis stock but that still leaves plenty for the DIY adventurers.

[BLT]

I was sorry to see that lkschmit on Ebay stopped selling chassis. They were good quality for a nice price.

[Blackburn]

I've built a couple amps with WTA blank chassis (17.5"/8"/2.5") and they are very nice, but my only complaint is that the front and back panels on both were bowed. This wouldn't be a good thing for faceplates/backplates. The second one I got also was missing the mounting nuts on one side. I would order more chassis from him and address the issue if I hadn't found a much better alternative locally. About the only thing I'm left buying is circuit board material.

[M Fowler]

I've ordered well over 20 chassis from Watt's and all have been very high quality, no issues.

One can use aluma weld in the corners to strengthen the chassis.

[Blackburn]

Good to hear Mark. I like WTA overall and don't hold any grudges, but the lack of corner welding was the reason for the bowing. I was very happy with the material itself. That aluminum is very good quality.

[dcribbs1412]

I wish I had local sources for metal work.
The thought of cutting and drilling everything has me looking closer at a pre drilled solution...you know I wanted a quick and satisfying build ....I am getting lazy. Going to give the Mojo 18 watt chassis a shot
and hope I can tame any oscillations from changing the layout.
Probable outcome....I will later build a full express with proper iron and chassis from RJ.

D

[KellyBass]

I'm trying something new this time...taking a blank chassis and having it laser cut to my exact specs. Included will be turret board. I'm going to pick them up tomorrow and I'm a bit nervous.

On paper, it seemed like such a great method for turning out a perfect chassis. The truth is that's a it's a major pain in the arse. I'll bet I've got 20 hours in drawing (Adobe InDesign) this thing. I don't ever build exact clones and planning the position of all the components, in advance of bolting anything down, has been tough. LOTS of revisions!

Of course, the upside will be when I need another chassis just like it...or another like it with octal holes instead of 9 pins. That will be nice. I've also got a nice library of components started. But, then again, identical components must be used...or it's redraw time. Ugh.

I'm not sure if I'll attempt this again anytime soon. I will say that I have gained a HUGE amount of respect for the guys and gals that do this drafting and design thing for a living!

[galtjunk]

I've been using solidworks to draw my aluminum chassis.
It has the ability to create sheet metal drawings and takes care of all the math involved in making the folds. There is a steep learning curve, but once you know how to do it, it goes quickly.
Do a search on Youtube for Solidworks sheet metal.
I add the square cutouts for the cage nuts and the iec socket.
I add the holes for tube sockets, pots, switches, lamp, tranny mounts, board mounts and any other needed items.
I create a dxf file on a usb stick and take that over to a local heating and ac ducting shop. They have a CNC plasma cutter and it makes short work of cutting out the blank complete with all the needed holes. I supply the drawing and material and he charges me $20 to cut and fold the blank. The material cost is about $10.
The plasma cutter leaves the edges a little ragged but it only takes a few minutes to clean everything up. It sure beats having to drill all of those holes by hand.

[M Fowler]

Thanks Martin and Mark
wondering if I should try a mojo 18 watt chassis (PT already cutout)
I could enlarge the holes for 6v6's,
and forgo the classic wood headcab and faceplate.
Just concerned the change in layout of xformers and lead dress may cause problems.

D

I had to mention that my Express combo has been played by a lot of local guys and they really like this amp. It sounds like my other Express heads, has touch sensitivity and great with Strats/teles. This one uses JTM45 iron and 6k MC OT so I don't think layout or transformers make a huge difference. Lead dress is important especially for the presence circuit.