New Rocket build

[rawnster]

I just wanted to let you all know that I just finished another build. I felt the best way to get my wife to allow another amp build, I’d have to name it after her. So this one is called Carla-Jean. Any, I enjoyed this build quite a bit. Other than negotiating the filament wires around the power tube sockets, and trying to solder onto that silly pot bus ground wire, most of this came together fairly nicely. Much thanks goes to RJ, Fishy, Rooster, Gary (gahult), and Allyn for there expertise and inspiration.

Spent some time playing it today and I must say that it’s a keeper. Its tone posits a very nice balance of clean tones to overdriven raucous. The dirty tones obviously are well into the vox world…gotta love a good ole cranked AC-30. What are presently surprising are its clean tones. They are very bell-like. There’s a shimmer around the upper edges of the frequency. It also sounded somewhat piano-ish. Whatever, tonal descriptions are difficult at best. I like the amp; and it sound better and is more versatile than my express build.

Here's some pics:

[fishy]

Great job on the amp. Sounds like she is more your style than the Express which I'm pleased to hear.
FWIW, I thought you did a great job on the Express too.

Pete

[drhulsey]

... the best way to get my wife to allow another amp build, I’d have to name it after her...

That actually seems to work. My wife usually has an indifferent look on her face regarding my guitars/amps. When she saw her name on my Express clone, she actually smiled a little
Very nice build I'm anxious to build a Rocket myself.

[DustyBadlands]

Hello Rawnster,

Your Rocket build looks great.

I'm in the middle of my second Rocket build and I am wondering what OT/PT set you are using?

I went with the Toneslut transformers for my first Rocket build and I'm very happy with them. I just want to try something different for this build.

Thanks. DB

[M Fowler]

Rawnster,

Very nice build and I see you went with RJs new tranny. The Rocket is such a great amp and fun to build.

Mark

[rooster]

Ron - That is one sano-mfr of a build. I am looking forward to hearing it, of course. ...Eh, I love my Express to death but I am always open to a Rocket comparison. Let me know.

[rawnster]

Hello Rawnster,

Your Rocket build looks great.

I'm in the middle of my second Rocket build and I am wondering what OT/PT set you are using?

I went with the Toneslut transformers for my first Rocket build and I'm very happy with them. I just want to try something different for this build.

Thanks. DB

Hey DB, thanks for the compliment. I used a custom wound PT from RJ here on the forum; 245-0-245. The OT is a Heyboer HTS-8093-1 Dynaco 470 mod. I've got toneslut trannies in my express build; they sound terrific...can't really go wrong with Chris and his offerings. I went another route for the Rocket build simply because Chris didn't have trannies specifically wound for Rocket specs. Now that he does, I'd be very interested in hearing what they put out.

[rawnster]

Ron - That is one sano-mfr of a build. I am looking forward to hearing it, of course. ...Eh, I love my Express to death but I am always open to a Rocket comparison. Let me know.

Yeah, I'd really like you to hear it, if for nothing else a sanity check and non-biased opinion. Let's get together soon for sure. Thanks for the compliment, much appreciated.

[M Fowler]

Rawnster,

I went withe A-470S from Troide and RJs new tranny 245-0-245 and Hammond 158L. I like my Rocket using this set-up as well very clean, chimey and toneful amp. It doesn't breakup distortion wise, as the Liverpool does.

Mark

[rawnster]

Great job on the amp. Sounds like she is more your style than the Express which I'm pleased to hear.
FWIW, I thought you did a great job on the Express too.

Pete

Thanks! Yeah, it really does tickle my ear in a good way. Still need to hit it with my pedal board before I can kind of come to any conclusions. But it does sound cool.

I gigged with my express build last weekend with great results. I've found a way to lower the hiss level enough to make it giggable, at least in my venue situations. The winning combo for the express is a 12AY7 in V1, and an airbrake on the 3rd click. I can crank the amp around 11 oclock, for which gives plenty of dirt when guitar is dimed without all the hiss. Pretty cool I think. But, now that I have Carla-Jean, the express may find some closet time.

[rawnster]

Rawnster,

I went withe A-470S from Troide and RJs new tranny 245-0-245 and Hammond 158L. I like my Rocket using this set-up as well very clean, chimey and toneful amp. It doesn't breakup distortion wise, as the Liverpool does.

Mark

Hey Mark, you're right. It's tone-fully chimey and has a very big sonic footprint. It's wide, whereas my express build is more narrowly focused. Having said that, this rocket build does not stay as clean as what I read about Allyn's recent rocket build. He said, I believe, that his rocket stayed pretty clean up past 1 o'clock on the volume dial. That's insane, and cool. My build starts to break up around 10 o'clock. Up until 10 o'clock though, the tone is as stated above...steely clean and warm. Loads of warmth. I love that about it. I've had a long discussion with Rooster about bass response and warmth. I'm way more inclined to reach for the bass knob and turn it up than he is. I'm not a lead player, perse, and thus most of the time trying to fill the soundscape with chords.

Anyway, yeah it's a pretty clean amp, and a significantly different kind of clean then what the express puts out. ...at least to my ears. How it compares to the Liverpool, I have no idea. I guess I need to build one. oooh, not sure if I can get the approval for that one, that is unless I name it after my mother-in-law, or something like that....eek!

[RJ Guitars]

Ron,

You did awesome dude!!! Very nice looking build and I am impressed with your ability to describe that tone... you could write for Guitar Player with that kind of wordsmith finesse.

I am ever so hopeful that you will provide the sound clips that will have us all drooling... I've sent my amp to the studio two times and still have promises of clips but nothing yet... it sounds great but the tracks are still being mixed???

Seems weird to see that Blue tranny... The prototypes had a black coat over the Blue and you can't spot them so easily. keep us posted on the results!

Congrats,

rj

[dehughes]

Nice job, Ron. I can't wait to hear it...

[M Fowler]

rawnster,

My Rocket stays clean up to around 1 or 2 but I am running Sovtek 12ax7LPS V1, GT 5751 V2, and JJ ECC83 V3 and JJ EL84s. I should try it again with all JJECC83s in V1-V3.

Mark

[rawnster]

rawnster,

My Rocket stays clean up to around 1 or 2 but I am running Sovtek 12ax7LPS V1, GT 5751 V2, and JJ ECC83 V3 and JJ EL84s. I should try it again with all JJECC83s in V1-V3.

Mark

That's cool. I would think that the 5751 in V2 would raise the headroom a bit, which would allow you to crank it more before breaking up. I think I've got a 5751 lying around somewhere. I'll have to find it and give it a try.

Ron