Do we have an amp porn/new amp thread?

holy freakin hell. nice. how many tons does she weigh?

I like this setup

but seriously now....

these are sweet pres

more budget minded...

these pres will really surprise you

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=184132V&ZYXSEM=0&src=3AGGWXX2

as far as cabs....

I'd start with an 8 x 10in and go from there

Probably should give up on budget options at this point. Actually I'm after a pre for guitary drive, I have a Peavey Max preamp which is great for bass, but I'm doing a Om styley thing, so am after the space filling.

Actually coming to kind of dislike 8x10s, they always miss the bottom part, just get loud mid bass then it goes, kicks you in the chest but doesn't shake bowels.

The Alembic pre is my main contender, if I can get one.

i really love my TubeWorks BLue Tube II..... they also have a Real Tube more twanger ready preamp

i really like Om
i think Al uses a Green amp and cabs for the lows and a Mesa triple rec for the guitary sound.
i think i am right but...i need to check

i think i was wrong it's Marshall amps and cabs for his guitar sound
i know that was not even you point of this thread but maybe someone knows of a pre that sounds like his setup

Al has been round my house and offered to buy my 1979 Matamp head. He uses a huge pile of Matamp Slaves to power his 4x15s, and guitar type ones for his 12s. He is pictured with loads of different stuff because he often borrows rigs to keep gigging/touring costs down. When he played over here he used my housemates SVT (IIpro?), 300w valve job, and some Marshalls. [Edit, remembered its Laney Klipps he uses for highs].

So wish I'd got a pic of him with my Matamp, or got him to sign it, but I was trying not to be fanboy and embarrass my housemate who was teching for them.

Been eying a Hafler preamp on ebay, but its lots of SS, and I don't like the SS clean channel of the 5150 MKII.

My practice rig, which I managed to render obsolete already with a coupla lucky scores, Trace V-type preamp and a Matamp SS power amp:

I find as a 5 string player an 8x10 just isn't enough.. when I drop the low b i wanna feel it in my gut.. best setup i've played on was 8x10 and 2 15  

how do I upload pics?

Reminds me, my guitar side is now sorted:

Proper wiring:

Also scored this for vintage flavour:

My rig is a 700watt mesa venture 2 x 12 combo.

hot hot hot

friggin' awesome

my main rig ... tuner - Aguilar DB659 preamp - Stewart World 2.1 power amp - LDS 15/6 cabs { 2 }

Those LDS cabs are sweeeeeet. I'm in talks of getting a couple of custom 6x8 made for me...

Pics of my Burman Pro502 head from the tech:

dang - I almost posted a pic of the circuitboard inside my computer, but I know the Fox would suss me out.
Dang, you techies blow me a way.

My Markbass rig - which I do love.
Tuner and headphone amp underneath, surrounded by a million cables in the studio.

My new Mo'Bass with my new SWR 1x15

Planning on adding a 2x10 on top... and then doubling up that set-up and running it in Dual Mode. BECAUSE I CAN!

Guitard cab, but with a nice surprise on the back:

Not sure if Cockney Rebel made it over your side, but had some serious hits over here.

Tha's cool about Cockney Rebel.  I have a bass case stenciled Against Me! which are a pretty big punk band right now:

I live in their town, so sfaik it was foremerly theirs.  In fact, about 11 years ago they opened a show with us.
But I digress.  Here's the rig I use most often, when I have the time, room, and gumption, a '90's Crate BX200 and a '70's Ampeg SVT 8x10:

I also have an old Woodson 250 and matching 1x15 cab.  Rarely use the head but the cab is used whenever I don't wanna mess with the fridge:

Sometimes I pair the Woodson cab with my pre-'69 Sunn 200S 60W head (which I also use as a guitar head):

I'd love to use the Sunn head with the Ampeg fridge, but the Sunn is 8 ohms and the fridge is 4.

Think you can rewire the fridge to 16. If it is the 8 32ohm drivers all in paralell.

I yahoo!ed ampeg svt 8x10 and saw some cabinets are dual impedence. If you play in stereo mode, input is 8 ohm (4x10) while in mono mode its 4 ohm (8x10).

Playing the fridge in 4x10 mode does have its down side, lots of weight for half the speakers.

happy playing 8)

The b0 on the five string vibrates at a primary frequency of about 30 hz, and many 8x10s are not designed to vibrate efficently this low.  I would also check out the specs on the amp.  It might not provide the low frequencies you are looking for.

The funamental frequency of a bass strings is pretty irrelevant to the tone in practice, you'd need a pickup near the 12th fret for it to be as loud as the higher harmonics. Sealed 8x10s are naturally rolling off around 70hz, which loses you some low B girth as the important harmonic at 60hz is compromised. Frequencies are much more about your eq than tuning.
70s SVTs predate that stereo stuff.

 
My SVT is waaay too old for that fancy business.  It didn't even come with wheels and handles.  It's 4 ohm, period.

Way too much work for the result.  I'd rather it be 4 ohm and be optimal with 1 of my heads than be 16 and still mismatched with the Sunn (even though it would still work).

Is the Sunn tube without a switchable output impedance then?

Correct.  They may exist, but I've never seen a vinatge '60's amp with switchable ohms, just wasn't a feature they'd thought of yet.  I suppose that feature could be added but I'm broke as a joke and don't do my own amp work.

Well, my hosuemates '69 SVT has a switching jack for the second input, which switches between 4 and 2, and my late 60s Carlsbro did, Partridge transformers were wound for it, so I'd guess Sound Citys would have, the later ones defintiely did. If it doesn't ahve it, a new output transformer is the only way to add it, and that is major surgery.

Brian,
I have a pre-68' unknown fender head with selectable 8 or 16 ohm output.  I have little idea what amp it is (bass, tremblolux etc.), as I do not have a schematic for it.  I know its a pre 68 because the wiring is cloth.  I can't read any numbers on any of the transformers.  The metal housing has a 520 stamp. I know the  usual 7025's have been replaced with 12ax7's.  Got the amp real cheap because a resistor was burn't in it.   

Got a good deal on a used 4x10 peavey.  The amp was marked 4 ohm.  Did some wire switching to make 8 ohm, for that unknown fender.  when I get a camera.  I post pics of the interior front and back of the fender. 

You can't make a 4 ohm 4 speaker cab 8 ohm, you get 4 or 16, possibly 6 if you get something really wrong.

if speakers are 32 ohm, then you might be able to wire for 8 ohm output. using parallel-series wiring. four sets of two speaker in sereies, then parallel wire the seriesed speakers  Before you wire, consult with a quality tech, as mistakes will be costly. 

Here's my twang rig I got back in february. It's a kustom defender 5h stack.
One preamp and one power amp tube. And only volume control.

bass sounds pretty good when feeding the head into my behringer combo's cab too.

i don't think you can get 8 ohms with 8, 32-ohm speakers.

1/((1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32)) = 1/(8/32), which is 4-ohms, if all are in parallel....

1/((1/(32+32)) + (1/(32+32)) + (1/(32+32)) + (1/(32+32))) = 1/(4/64), which is 16-ohms, series parallel

1/((1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32)) + 1/((1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32) + (1/32)) = 16-ohms, parallel series

 suggestion leads to 16 ohms

32 + 32 = 64
half of 64 is 32 (uses 4 speakers)
half of 32 is 16 (uses 8 speakers)

back to 4 speakers in the frig. 

I rewired it 16 ohm to work on the nameless fender head.  My memory is going to hell.  I must be listening to too many fundamental frequencies. 
Keep us honest.   I don't want anyone to fry their equipment because of stupidity.

Picked up this, not quite sure what I'll do with it, but I know its a quality item, PA preamp is fine for bass.

This got a bit silly. I tracked down a dude with a load of amps stored in a far away place, happened to be making a trip that way, and picked up a vanload, because I'm in a better position to move them on to the sorta musicians that will appreciate them, they all need work, but the time I've done it, I'll be an expert:

hot damn!  that is a gold mine

Sound city's don't have the rep over here they do in the US, they are much more comon and everyone used to have one in the day because they were cheap, and often pretty clapped out and noisy. 'My first proper rig was a Westone thunder and a Sound City, I wish I still had that bass now' style. Anyway, I'll be up for exporting to the states either as fixers or sorted out.

Anyone wanna see the build diary of me fixing one up? I psoted it on my other regular forums already.

go for it.  We will have a chapter of  Grey's anatomy of amplifiers.
With that many amps, I am sure you have a schematic.  For those that are looking for lots of schematics including the soundcity 120, you might want to try this link www.prowessamplifiers.com

Oh hey Guys, look what I found today when I got home from gigging in Nevada...