Customized Rocket Style Amp Builds

[badtweed]

I just finished building a pair of my version of a hot rodded AC30/Rocket.
Has 2 channel switching into a common tone circuit with boost switching
and effects loop.


[img734]http://home.comcast.net/~Tamapig/Quad36 ... 1_01aa.jpg[/img]

[img768]http://home.comcast.net/~Tamapig/Quad36 ... 1_01aa.jpg[/img]

[img755]http://home.comcast.net/~Tamapig/Quad36 ... 1_01aa.jpg[/img]

[img:840:1152]http://home.comcast.net/~Tamapig/Quad36 ... 1_01aa.jpg[/img]

[Randy Magee]

Great looking builds!

[M Fowler]

High Quality looking builds.

I was surprised at no reverb but then you have the effects loop to add whatever pedal or rack device you want rather then being limited by built in effects.

Looks like AC30 transformers rather then TW models available. Nice functions with two channel and foot switching.

Mark

[dcribbs1412]

Outstanding looking builds...
interested in how you channel switch...relays?
Is the loop like the AC30 using a Y cable? is it tube.
Again congrats on your builds

[MCK]

Wow! This looks amazing! Congratulations.

[spiralstairs]

Looks nice! What sort of boosts did you use?

[badtweed]

Looks nice! What sort of boosts did you use?

For the boost I just used an added cathode 25 mfd to the tube before the tone stack. I just wanted a slight amount of boost and it works fine.

For this custom build I decided to try out the Classic Tone Transformers by Magnetic Components using their TW style power and their AC30 output.
I swapped out the output tranny with one of my Matchless AC30 output transformers and the Classic Tone sounded close enough to my ears to keep in the build.

I used 5 VDC dip relays for the switching.

The back panel has a switch for full or half output power selection.

The effects loop is not buffered and the back panel has separate send and return jacks.

No built in effects for this build, the clients settled on specs for the build that wouldn't break their budget and I was keen on keeping the design as straight forward as possible for now.

I build my amps point to point and they are far from pretty inside.

Thanks for the comments!

Cheers,
Dave

[Structo]

Man those look awesome!

I really like the control panel layout and color.

Did you add a stage or two for the extra channel?

Even though you say it is messy, I would still love to see a gut shot.

Congrats I'm sure the person you built it for will love it.

[badtweed]

Man those look awesome!

I really like the control panel layout and color.

Did you add a stage or two for the extra channel?

Even though you say it is messy, I would still love to see a gut shot.

Congrats I'm sure the person you built it for will love it.

The preamp is very simple, the two preamp channels are identical to each other and are single triode stages that feed into a relay for selection into the tone stack driver circuit. The circuit has no extra gain stage added.

Here are two photos that illustrate the layout with the majority of the resistors and caps installed prior to the relay boards and wire installation.

[img:4368:2912]http://home.comcast.net/~Badtweed/Quad3 ... 32-1aa.jpg[/img]

[img:4368:2912]http://home.comcast.net/~Badtweed/Quad3 ... 39-1aa.jpg[/img]

Here is a link to a video of me playing through the amp.

https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.ph ... 126#192126

[Reeltarded]

That looks fantastic!

[lions den]

Looks and sounds great.

What happened to the 'screaming head' and 'frog' in the background

[badtweed]

Clearer views of the front and back panels.

[img861]http://home.comcast.net/~Badtweed/Quad3 ... 87-2ab.jpg[/img]

[img820]http://home.comcast.net/~Badtweed/Quad3 ... 92-7aa.jpg[/img]

[ckpop]

Very Nice work. The amps look great but more important they sound great. You did a great video because you used all the right stuff to bring out the vintage characteristics out of you amp. Very transparent and it sounds as good or better then ken volpes original TW rocket.

[passfan]

Those are small pots. Are they 1/4 watt ?

[badtweed]

Very Nice work. The amps look great but more important they sound great. You did a great video because you used all the right stuff to bring out the vintage characteristics out of you amp. Very transparent and it sounds as good or better then ken volpes original TW rocket.

Thank you for the nice comments on the amps look and tone.

I was not aware of who Ken Volpe is so I searched and viewed his Youtube video.
Ken's opening E minor chordal arpeggio work was oddly similar/coincidental to my inclusion of a snippet Kenny Burrell's Soul Lament on my Youtube demos.
Is Ken playing through a historically significant early build KF Rocket?
I am not up to speed on some of the historical data on Ken and his amps.

I had a few phone discussions with Ken in 1990 regarding Vox AC30's and variant designs and ideas. He was very helpful and generous with his time. I had a few ideas for designs back then and came within a whisker of ordering one of his amps at the time. When he told me the waiting list was at least a year I decided to buy a couple of Mark Sampson's AC30 replacement output trannies and build the amps myself.