Hi tubelab, long time no see. The amp I built is from AX84.com. I built the high octane.
Right now I think the speaker I have ( jensen c10Q) is 94db. It gets pretty loud for what it is I guess. I really seem to have a hard time finding decently priced guitar speakers that are over 100db efficient ( or close.) Any ideas?
Right now I think the speaker I have ( jensen c10Q) is 94db. It gets pretty loud for what it is I guess. I really seem to have a hard time finding decently priced guitar speakers that are over 100db efficient ( or close.) Any ideas?
I have been chained to my computer at work for the past 2 months, but I finished my project and have the rest of the year off. It's finally tube time!
Finding super efficient guitar speakers at a good price is a challenge. Finding one that sounds good is even harder. Many manufacturers don't even specify the efficiency. I used the 8 and 10 inch speakers from Weber in some of my Turbo Champs but I couldn't tell you which ones now. I called them and told them what sound that I wanted for each amp.
http://www.tedweber.com/
I also used car stereo speakers in some amps with good results. I bought a bunch of cheap ones when a local Kmart store closed. Some sounded good and some did not. Some blew up. I took the JBL 5X7 inch speakers out of one of my cars before trading it in (put a pair of the Kmart speakers in) and stuck both of them in a small guitar amp. They had a wicked scream to them that was cool. I don't remember what happened to that amp.
I have also used Eminence speakers with good results for a reasonable price. They have 10 inch speakers that are 100 db efficient, but I haven't tried any in a while, don't know how the new ones sound.
It may sound wierd, but at this time I don't own any guitar amps that I actually built. I have been using an old Guild amp when I have time to play (excellent sound). I sold off most of the others due to space issues. The Bandmaster took up half of my work room. I haven't built any in quite a while, but I'm getting the itch to build some more amps, I just don't have the time.
Finding super efficient guitar speakers at a good price is a challenge. Finding one that sounds good is even harder. Many manufacturers don't even specify the efficiency. I used the 8 and 10 inch speakers from Weber in some of my Turbo Champs but I couldn't tell you which ones now. I called them and told them what sound that I wanted for each amp.
http://www.tedweber.com/
I also used car stereo speakers in some amps with good results. I bought a bunch of cheap ones when a local Kmart store closed. Some sounded good and some did not. Some blew up. I took the JBL 5X7 inch speakers out of one of my cars before trading it in (put a pair of the Kmart speakers in) and stuck both of them in a small guitar amp. They had a wicked scream to them that was cool. I don't remember what happened to that amp.
I have also used Eminence speakers with good results for a reasonable price. They have 10 inch speakers that are 100 db efficient, but I haven't tried any in a while, don't know how the new ones sound.
It may sound wierd, but at this time I don't own any guitar amps that I actually built. I have been using an old Guild amp when I have time to play (excellent sound). I sold off most of the others due to space issues. The Bandmaster took up half of my work room. I haven't built any in quite a while, but I'm getting the itch to build some more amps, I just don't have the time.
I agree that many car speakers sound bad. I have had the best luck with the cheap 6X9's that had the "whizzer cone", not the 2 or 3 way ones with little tweeters in them, they blow up. It is hard to guess which ones sound good in advance, but I got a bunch for something like $10 per pair (6 or 8 years ago). At the time my daughter still lived at home (she played drums and keyboards). She always had musically inclined friends around, so many amps were built, tested, tortured, blown up, and rebuilt during her high school years. Some of the car speaker amps were well received.
18w will get ya there easy...
My Matchless Lightning clone in El-84@18 w is freaky WAY loud...My 18w Soldano Astroverb is the same & so on..I think you are asking alot in a practice amp that does double duty.. unless you use a Hotplate or Weber MASS or similar.. 18w is just to damn loud for alone practice. Also IMO no device i heard or used to jamb the power tubes that does not suck tone bigtime..I like my Weber MASS , but it does suck tone.. I would just build another amp & call it good.. the 5watter will probably be your best tonal amp anyway is my guess. MY second best tonallly amp out of many, many.. is a Wards Airline-aka Valco in SE 6v6,,,with a original Fisher Alnico 8"...Tonally it keeps up with any amp I have, hum & all...in its own funky way...
My Matchless Lightning clone in El-84@18 w is freaky WAY loud...My 18w Soldano Astroverb is the same & so on..I think you are asking alot in a practice amp that does double duty.. unless you use a Hotplate or Weber MASS or similar.. 18w is just to damn loud for alone practice. Also IMO no device i heard or used to jamb the power tubes that does not suck tone bigtime..I like my Weber MASS , but it does suck tone.. I would just build another amp & call it good.. the 5watter will probably be your best tonal amp anyway is my guess. MY second best tonallly amp out of many, many.. is a Wards Airline-aka Valco in SE 6v6,,,with a original Fisher Alnico 8"...Tonally it keeps up with any amp I have, hum & all...in its own funky way...
The 18-watt models are loud for bedroom practice, especially when you turn them up enough to get distortion.
I just performed the easiest mod to get better tone at low volumes -- I removed the "bright" cap (180 pF on the Matchless schematic).
http://tone-lizard.com/Ultimate_JCM800.htm
Now the amp sounds fantastic at low volumes, and I kick in the distortion pedal (a Subdecay Blackfire) for distortion ala EVH, Nirvana, etc.
I also wanted to add a triode/pentode switch to the Matchless Spitfire clone, but couldn't figure it out. (It's not quite a clone, since it has a bright switch instead of a master volume). I'd love some assistance!
There is something to be said about the difference in sound between output tubes - 6V6 (Fender) and EL84 (Marshall), besides SE vs. PP.
I just performed the easiest mod to get better tone at low volumes -- I removed the "bright" cap (180 pF on the Matchless schematic).
http://tone-lizard.com/Ultimate_JCM800.htm
Now the amp sounds fantastic at low volumes, and I kick in the distortion pedal (a Subdecay Blackfire) for distortion ala EVH, Nirvana, etc.
I also wanted to add a triode/pentode switch to the Matchless Spitfire clone, but couldn't figure it out. (It's not quite a clone, since it has a bright switch instead of a master volume). I'd love some assistance!
There is something to be said about the difference in sound between output tubes - 6V6 (Fender) and EL84 (Marshall), besides SE vs. PP.
If you want to monitor what the amp sounds like at full volume without making a deafening noise, you could try using a dummy load across the speaker terminals and connect your speaker, in series with a suitable resistor, across the dummy load. This will ensure that the amp gets its proper load impedance but the speaker receives only a fraction of the output. What it won't do very well is give good bass sound because the speaker will be virtually undamped, electrically.
E.g. if the amp requires a load of 8 ohms, you could try a 10 ohm resistor as a dummy load and connect the speaker, in series with a 33 ohm resistor, in parallel with it. The total load on the amp will be ~8 ohms (10 ohms in parallel with 8+33 ohms).
Just make sure the resistor you use for the dummy load has adequate dissipation rating. For an 18 watt amp, use a 10 ohm 30 watt resistor. Ensure the dummy load has adequate air circulation and is not touching anything that could be damaged by heat.
E.g. if the amp requires a load of 8 ohms, you could try a 10 ohm resistor as a dummy load and connect the speaker, in series with a 33 ohm resistor, in parallel with it. The total load on the amp will be ~8 ohms (10 ohms in parallel with 8+33 ohms).
Just make sure the resistor you use for the dummy load has adequate dissipation rating. For an 18 watt amp, use a 10 ohm 30 watt resistor. Ensure the dummy load has adequate air circulation and is not touching anything that could be damaged by heat.
Thanks JandG!
I'm considering changing the tone stack. Removing the bright cap darkened the amp considerably, but the bass is now very strong and it is distorted instead of clean with the top pickup. It is different and better in its own way. The distortion pedal sounds very interesting, but it's not as clean. My guess is that removing the bright cap moved away from a balanced tone and pushed the low E into distortion.
I suppose I could switch to either an 18-Watt or Moonlight tone stack.
http://amps.zugster.net/articles/tone-stacks
What I'm looking for is something not as bright, but still flat for clean tones.
I'm considering changing the tone stack. Removing the bright cap darkened the amp considerably, but the bass is now very strong and it is distorted instead of clean with the top pickup. It is different and better in its own way. The distortion pedal sounds very interesting, but it's not as clean. My guess is that removing the bright cap moved away from a balanced tone and pushed the low E into distortion.
I suppose I could switch to either an 18-Watt or Moonlight tone stack.
http://amps.zugster.net/articles/tone-stacks
What I'm looking for is something not as bright, but still flat for clean tones.
ThSpeakerDude88 said:
I can't say that I do, it's a rip-off. You'd do better by designing so that differences may be compensated. After all, no matter how well matched "matched sets" start out as, they certainly won't stay that way once you put them in service.
For something as simple as that, it's just not necessary.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.