1987X conversion build (from an Epiphone Blues Custom 30)

[trevorus]

I had an Epiphone Blues Custom 30 that I traded a modded Valve Junior for, knowing it would be a project for me. I first tried modding it not to sound like trash, and I could only get it to sound like a good blues amp, which I don't play a whole lot. On breakup, it just turned to mush...

So I decided to gut it. I was going to go with a JTM45, but I wanted something a little more stout and ballsy, so I decided on a 1987x board. I bought the Marshall replacement board from MetroAmp, since I was kind of doing a similar thing, replacing a board in an existing amplifier. It worked out very well for what I needed it to do. There was only a minor hiccup with accidentally putting a 470K resistor where a 470R should have been. There are some things to clean up yet, but it's functional and sounds great.

I need to order some bigger screen resistors, since the ones I ordered are on the small end of a 5 watt resistor. Luckily I ordered 4 of them, and had ceramic 5w 500r resistors from the guts of the BC30, and I did a parallel of the two 1K's in series with a 500 to get back to my 1K with proper thermal dissipation. I'll likely order proper resistors with some new preamp tubes. Anyone have any recommendations for pre tubes?

I have a master volume setup for it on the way as well (it's SOOO loud!), and I will also be adding an input link switch, for that bridged input thing that people love on this amp so much. I am going to be ordering some WGS speakers for it once I sell a parts guitar I build to generate some funds for the project. Likely a Reaper and a Green Beret.

Anyways, here's the pics!

Picasa Web Albums - trevorus305 - 1987xBuild

Before:



After:

[txstrat]

Great job.
You got some sound clips?

[trevorus]

Not just yet. It was completed just this evening. I still have a bit more tweaking to do before I call it all done.

[trevorus]

Quick soundclip: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1736811/PlexiTest.mp3

[txstrat]

Sounds like it looks. Great.

[trevorus]

So, I'm thinking of reverb... it's one thing I do miss...

[txstrat]

Yeah, I usually use some slight reverb while I play, to add more, well, deepness?
Tubenit showed me a 1 tube reverb, which is lush enough for my taste - no surf, though.
Look at this thread: 1 Tube Reverb

[trevorus]

Thanks! That looks simple enough, and I have the reverb driver transformer from the old amp to pull and use, too. So I can go either way. I actually owned a Nomad for about a year, and modded it a bit, too. I remember its reverb being on the light side. My AC30CC seems to have huge reverb range, and I like it, though I don't use it a lot. I tend to like lush lush reverbs turned down.

I may try a reverb pedal like a holy grail to be simpler, but I need to build a bigger pedalboard if I start going that direction!