The Hundred-Buck Amp Challenge

Why build effects in? "My father's house has many stompboxes."

The most popular guitar amplifier rented as backline is the Fender Twin Re-issue. So I thought I would aim to duplicate it but with a lower final sound pressure level. There would be some esthetic consideration to Fletcher-Munson compensation.

My output stage costs $15 for a pair of tubes, sockets and the transformer. My power supply is $14. So I have a bit to spend on preamp, jacks and knobs.
 
Why build effects in? "My father's house has many stompboxes."

Boxes, we don't need no steenkin boxes! Who needs stomp boxes when you have a stomp STATION! Actually this is a few years old, there are newer ones. I hate to admit it but I have been using one of these connected to an old Panasonic boombox that has an aux input. You want clean, or full metal racket at any volume level within the Panasonics range, you can get it.

DigiTech GNX3 GeNetX | Guitar Multieffects at zZounds
 
Boxes, we don't need no steenkin boxes! Who needs stomp boxes when you have a stomp STATION!
DigiTech GNX3 GeNetX | Guitar Multieffects at zZounds


My brother has been using the stomp station route live for about 5 months now. He got the latest Pod HD
HD Models | PODHD | Line 6

These are great for doing pop & rock cover jobs. Often he does not even bring an amp to the gig, he just plugs right into the sound system through the pod.

How does it sound?

Honestly, in the mix, it sounds very professional and authentic. Sure you might pick up on a few subtleties along the way but it really does nail it on things like the lead in "Lets go Crazy" "Beat It" "Limelight" and others.

AXE FX would be my ultimate choice if I had coin to burn.
Fractal Audio and Atomic Amps - Axe-Fx Ultra and Standard - The Atomic Reactor Series - Axe-Edit Editor
 
Fender is now selling a line of DSP based solid state amps that are programmable by a PC via USB. They also have preset "models" of vintage amps. Some are quite realistic. Of course there are no models of "cranked Marshall stack" in a Fender amp, but there is "Brutal Metal" played on a Jackson guitar. If you are not aware of the wide range of "tones" that used to be generated with minimal external effects, check these emulations out. There are about 25 sound clips on this page. Also keep in mind that ALL of these sounds are coming out of a $200 amp, and switching between these sounds is easy.

Fender Mustang Amplifier Series
In fact, the lowest end of this series is only $100. Any of them could be used as an effects station with it's line out (stereo if you want) which bypasses the power stage. All the model presets are programmable. It doesn't have any presets called "Marshall" but all parameters are programmable and it could be done. There are also a bunch of presets that they are careful not to call "Vox" but the IU icon is unmistakably a Vox amp. They also have cab models. I have the $300 version which has a very nice sounding 12" cab and nice user interface. Pretty amazing for the price points. Not sure how to best use something like this with the amps proposed here, but I'd love to try it. (I wonder how the "Champ" preset would sound going through a Champ???)
 
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If I would have known the Fender modeling amps were so cheap and so good a year ago I probably would not have bothered collecting all the tubes I have now. Well now that I have them...

On the other hand, if my amateur guitarist friend knew what kind of tone he could get with the 5W AX84 P1 I made for him for 500 euros, he would not have bought the 60W Vox modelling amp (he sold it like a week after he got the P1). So I daresay you are on a good path!
 
Last week near doctor's office where my wife works I saw some flowers, I thought they were real... Like digital simulators, they are better in terms of cheap maintenance. But don't smell, and if to look closer, and to touch them, they are still different... May be it is fine for an amateur guitarist to play through simulators, but real Artists still prefer natural things.
 
Some do, some don't.

Because some are, some are not: professional artist and real Artist are often different species.

It's a matter of taste. But this is all waaaay off topic. ;)

No, it's not. Otherwise the best solution would be to buy under $100 digital simulator, and even the reason to start this topic would not exist.
 
I am getting somewhere now, I stunk up the house with the fine aroma of exploded Xicon. I am working on a power supply that will light the heaters, provide B+ and bias for the tubes, and provide a + / - 12 volt supply for sand based life forms that might want to share space in this design at a later date. OK, easy enough....just try to do it with only one secondary winding.

I must have have been smoking funny stuff AGAIN.....This sheet is BLOWING MY MIND.

Where was it when I drew this schematic. I know I drew it because nobody else writes this bad except doctors and college professors, but I can't understand it......and it blew up.
 
I am getting somewhere now, I stunk up the house with the fine aroma of exploded Xicon. I am working on a power supply that will light the heaters, provide B+ and bias for the tubes, and provide a + / - 12 volt supply for sand based life forms that might want to share space in this design at a later date. OK, easy enough....just try to do it with only one secondary winding.



Where was it when I drew this schematic. I know I drew it because nobody else writes this bad except doctors and college professors, but I can't understand it......and it blew up.


The PS good enough to add an effects module? Well, after the contest?

Belton BTSE-16G2