New Express Combo build

[Structo]

Yeah, luckily if you have a supply house locally you should be able to get some.

Like 1 1/4" for preamp tubes.

I have this funky surplus type electronics place in my town.

The kind of place that once they sell all of something they probably won't restock it.

Like pots and such.
I asked this guy when he would have more of the 500K audio pots, this was over a year ago.
He said at the time, oh about a month we should have more......

I was in there the other day for, of all things, heat shrink tubing and I said, so you never did get more of those pots did ya?
No but we should have more in about a month.....
Must be his pat answer to everything.

They do have a pretty good flame proof resistor selection and power resistors. But once the popular values are gone, they don't seem to replace them.
The problem is they are on the other side of town and it's kind of an ordeal to get there.

Ever since Radio Shack went into selling batteries and cell phones full time there really isn't anyplace local to get stuff anymore.

[M Fowler]

I have access to a electrical supplier but my wife is terrible at getting me my orders. I now have to go in to city desk and try get them to find what I want which is usually non typical electrian's things.

Our only electronics supply dealer went to a different type of business but they do have power resistors in stock NTE stuff but very limited and I usually can't find what I need the peg is always empty with a order tag hanging there and they have no line card for electronic components. I used to be able get anything there. Called some local techs and they do what I do order on line in large quantities to cover the shipping and handling fees.

This spring and summer I am going rummage sales hunting and flea market hunting as well as door to door to the old TV repair guys.

Mark

[UR12]

I have access to a electrical supplier but my wife is terrible at getting me my orders. I now have to go in to city desk and try get them to find what I want which is usually non typical electrian's things.

Our only electronics supply dealer went to a different type of business but they do have power resistors in stock NTE stuff but very limited and I usually can't find what I need the peg is always empty with a order tag hanging there and they have no line card for electronic components. I used to be able get anything there. Called some local techs and they do what I do order on line in large quantities to cover the shipping and handling fees.

This spring and summer I am going rummage sales hunting and flea market hunting as well as door to door to the old TV repair guys.

Mark

Mark

You have described our local electronic parts place to a "T". They have been in business since the 50s and use to be a fantastic place to get just about anything you want, Now it's like you described, reorder cards hanging on every peg. I do still like the place and try and do business with them as much as possible. You always want to go back to the "ole fishin hole" where you caught the big one once. I have scored so many cool and unobtanium parts from going through their parts drawers. Stuff like black beauties, original varistors for a Magnatone Tremolo, Bud Chassis, field coil speakers, original flea clips, perfboard and who knows what else over the years. It's funny though, I now get a call now and then from some stranger asking me if I have a cap or jack or something in stock. The old Electronics place is now refering people to me. I feel like printing up some cards instead of saying "reorder " have it say "Time to call Dana"

I bought all of their 1k 25w resistors once and I would check every time I went in to see if they had replenished. After about 6 months, I took the reorder card to the counter and asked the owner if he was ever going to really reorder these. He said he would take care of it. The next time I came in they were actually back in stock. I proceeded to buy all 6 he had ordered and took the reorder card back to him and told him he was out again

[M Fowler]

Dana good story.

Also this summer I am going to hit up the old TV sets as that is were I used to get all my high voltage capacitors and if you feel like building amps with the transformers they are powerful but have so many taps to figure out. The parts in these sets have long leads usually or I would make them work for my application. Last summer this TV repairman listened to what I was asking for, immediately got on the phone and called around for me to his other pals. I didn't produce anything that time but maybe next time it will.

Mark

[Reeltarded]

I was always told that it was a BF Princeton Reverb that Randall Smith used....

Why, I do believe you are right! That also makes it funier!

[sst4270]

FWIW: Radio Shack still sells electronic components, but...

You have to find a store that is not in a mall. The store must be either completely freestanding or in a small strip.

Those stores still stock a wide variety of components as they used to.

I have a store about 10mins away that has bailed me out a number of times when I was almost finished a build and realized I forgot to order that one crucial part.


Steve

[benoit]

FWIW: Radio Shack still sells electronic components, but...

You have to find a store that is not in a mall. The store must be either completely freestanding or in a small strip.

Those stores still stock a wide variety of components as they used to.

I have a store about 10mins away that has bailed me out a number of times when I was almost finished a build and realized I forgot to order that one crucial part.


Steve

At least in my town, there's no difference between mall-bound Radio Shack and the ones in strip malls in terms of what they stock. Maybe in bigger towns they have the Shack equivalent of a Super Target or something, I don't know. An how, all the radio shacks in town have a fair number of components, though nothing in the way of power and output transformers, 400 and 600V caps, etc. The selection of pots is pretty limited. They sell solderless breadboard, pad per hole, copper clad board (no etchant!!), all kinds of stuff. I'd say for the bulk of what you need for an amp it's not really worth going there, but often they'll have that one part you forgot. I was able to get a 12V relay transformer there for my ODS.

[M Fowler]

Ben,

I have been using the Radio Shack on highway 10 going to Dilworth. I wiped out their 1/4 knob selection, MOV, resistor pack for stomp box builds (until I got a better pack on line), and hookup wire. The selection very limited. I do not usually use any of their jacks or resistors in my amp builds. The MOV is good. They have the 6.3 v pilot light bulbs, a variety of panel lights, and fuse holders.

Mark

[M Fowler]

Darn double post so I might as well make the most of it and post something else.

Let me know if you guys are going to build one of these combos. I followed Dana's build closely but decided not to go with the can caps. Looking back it would have been easier and would have given me more room in the chassis.

Mark

[M Fowler]

Update to this Express Combo.

I recently bought a Weber 1-12 combo cab in the for sale section and put my Express chassis from the 212 Line6 to this 1-12 and added a Vintage 30.

Next will be change the presence over to presonance.

Mark

[Bob S]

Nice Mark.
Pleased you got that combo cab. I was very tempted, but I need to concentrate on the various builds I've already got in the works.
Express combo - hmm interesting. Must be a challenge though, keeping an Express under control in a combo.
A head cab kept away from the speakers is challenging enough.
For us mere mortals anyway.
Bob

[M Fowler]

Bob,

No tube rattle in the 112, but did have some in the 212 cab. I didn't care for the Eminence speakers Line6 used either.

This makes it easier to carry around. I put a NOS 12AU7 in V2 to tame it down I am running Tungsol 12AX7 V1 and GT 12AT7 matched tubed in the PI. Power tubes are GT EL34M.

Mark

[Lublin]

I think the Line 6 badge should stay, just to confuse the "tone geeks" in your audience.

"Dude - listen to that guys tone! How the hell is he getting that from a Line 6?"

W

Agreed!

[passfan]

Thanks guys, I agree for now it is going to the gig this way and maybe later I will change it out into a new cab.

Back in 1980 I built a 1972 vega with 350 and narrowed 9 inch rear and smoked many people with it. Give away was the rumble of the headers though.

Mark

Hah, I'm late to the party (as usual) but I had a 72 vega as a first car . It was stock and I smoked out a bunch of people with it too. Ah those old aluminum blocks...

[M Fowler]

Yeah the Stock Vega's were fun too.

I enjoyed my Buick Opal GT as well, always wanted to put in a frame, rear end and aluminum Buick V6 but sold the Opal instead.

How are all the other Express combo's out there holding up


Mark