Here's my new Amp [new..added the otherPics !

[petemoore]

    Down a few posts are the links that didn't make it the first time somehow.
  H'eres my second chassis attempt, the first I'd cut out or amp frame, this measures 11.5'' [that's 7.5'' less than stock, which is 19''], the black metal is lipped along the span that supports the inside tube socket bolt mounts, also clamping their sides slightly, very sturdy, much quicker and easier than trying to cut holes. I'ts an old strippedreciever chassis, chosen from a choice of 1.
   [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/petemoore/000_0767.jpg
  From the front
 

[Khas Evets]

Link fix:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/petemoore/000_0767.jpg

[MartyMart]

Great, with integral "coffee stains"  .... !   

If I could get my "shaka tube" working .... I'd be tempted by
the "18 watt" ... 
Is there a smaller 5/10 watt valve amp around  ?

MM

[JimRayden]

Saying AX84 HO would be too obvious, wouldn't it? 

But yeah, I think you'll be fine with an 18watt preamp into a P1 poweramp. Although it propably won't sound like the original because 18watt amps are mainly about poweramp distortion. It wouldn't hurt to try (or could it ), you'll have a P1 with only poweramp distortion. Have fun!

------------
Jimbo

[Jaicen_solo]

I don't know if you've ever scoped a P1, but I believe someone did over on the AX84 forum. Apparently almost all the usable distortion comes from overdriving the power tube. The pre-amp is largely linear up to it's limits, where it does squash but never clips the input signal. To overdrive the pre-amp, you need to boost either it's gain, or the input signal. I've never heard any soundclips of a TS or similar in front of the P1, so maybe it's not a good sound.

[JimRayden]

Sorry, I never indagated the P1 schemo, but now I notice the 470k/470k voltage divider and the hot-biased second stage. Oh foolish me for being so prejudiced, I'll try to be more open-minded from now on.

To think of it, I'd actually build the P1 with its original preamp, maybe changing some of the values to get closer to the Märshall sound, rather than with a 18watt pre. That's because the 18watt works as a whole - preamp, phase splitter, power stage, all have something to say before it hits the speaker.

So the answer to MartyMart is more obvious than expected, it's been said way too many times at the ax84 forums. Build a P1!

----------
Jimbo

[petemoore]

Here's the reciever chassis I stripped, the black metal is lipped for strength across the span that supports the tube socket bolts, very sturdy. Much quicker than trying to get holes made.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/petemoore/000_0767.jpg
More of a front angle
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/petemoore/000_0768.jpg
About ready for chassis wiring
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/petemoore/000_0769.jpg
Here it is
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/petemoore/000_0770.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/petemoore/000_0771.jpg
And of course the cabinet !!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/petemoore/000_0772.jpg
I tried it through some light 10''ers, sounded great, too much for 'em.
2 Greenbacks in a 4x12'' cab...perfect, ~16w powers 2 speakers very well
  Those other links didn't get in on the first try...

[R.G.]

Wow. That's love.

[petemoore]

  I urged that only one 5e3 be sent to this adress. I have a 'spare' kit in the posted box right here.
  We ordered the first one online, but it didn't look like the order 'took', so I called and asked if he was actually sending one here, Dan, and Agnes at [Torres Engineering] said 'no', nothing with that adress or names [Annabel and Peter], so I ordered 'one'.
  The first one came and I had it up and running a couple days later. What a machine. Then the second kit arrived. ... lol ...I suppose selling the second kit seemed more appealing than selling only the one...
  My Jammin' buddy Bill wants it. 

[Paul Marossy]

Is there a smaller 5/10 watt valve amp around  ?

Octal Fatness

[petemoore]

  There's a single ended Epiphone amp, 5w, 119$...
  Have you checked out the links from AX84/Ampage etc?, it took me a while browsing before I found out about there are more amp kit sellers than I thought there were.
  If I had it to do again, I'd try harder to just buy the chassis, my hands were sore for days from all the working on that thing...wouldn't have been so bad but I first cut
n bent a chassis out with snips [alot of very heavy snipper pinching], then trashed that idea...getting the holes cut would have been ten bears that would have messed it up probably...

[formerMember1]

Cool!!! Happy for ya!!! 

what amp is it again?

[petemoore]

    The basic layout -a couple part values can be seen at Ampage Schematics.
  Fender design, Tweed Deluxe.
  5e3 is the amp I built, IIUC there are 8 types that can be built from the amp, 14-16w, up to 18 possible.
  For bedroom or recording, something even smaller would do well I think.
  The amp sounds good cranking 2x12's, I have the wrong pots at 250's instead of 1m's, so I need to source those and retrofit....daft, actually I'm getting plenty of output and control the way the pots are, but rarely do I go above 3-4 on any of them.
 

[JimRayden]

Hmm, to think of it, can anyone suggest a power pentode with half the power of an EL84? If you really are after the 18watt tone, you could build a push-pull 7W version.

But yea, there are lots of good single-ended kits out there.

---------
Jimbo

[Ardric]

Maybe the 6GW8/ECL86.  It's a triode plus an output pentode in an 6BQ5/EL84-sized bottle.  The extra triodes could be used for the phase inverter in a PP amp.

[Ge_Whiz]

Pete, see you photographed the cabinet on an electric cooker - does that make the amp hotter? Is it cookin'?

Too much to fit on the kitchen table?

Sorry, couldn't resist - nice build. 

[petemoore]

  Thanks Ge.
  Small tube amps are where I'm at right now. I know why I bought *big tube amps [*over 22w I think IMO], but they never really did what I thought they would, the volume control works much more as stated on the 'big' ones, which isn't congruous at all with 'why choose a tube amp'...which would be tube distortion, tube sag and compression...'Padded Ceiling'...if you can get that down to where it's driving speaker[s nicely, the 'why' of a tube amp becomes much more apparent.
  I like clean headroom and more subtle distortion that my 50w provides, but it's mostly limited to that at the volumes I'd choose or need. It doesn't come close to the little 'Prince'...no affiliation or contradiction to 'the Artist'....I bought a 'Princess' wood piece at the craft store, cut off the "ss', painted it white, then gold only on the top...