Mission: Amp building class

[ArtB]

Originally Posted by Bruce / Mission Amps

This is a double thread but I wasn't sure where to leave it.
I'm giving more then just serious consideration to running a few two to three day, vacuum tube amp building classes again this spring, summer and fall.
I'd like to limit the classes to no more then 10-12 students in one session.

__________________

The drawback of a double thread. In the other version of this thread, in the main "Guitar Amps" Forum, I'm trying to encourage a quorum for a small class with Bruce next month (April 08), or, failing that, some alternative date -- maybe June.
Any interest out there?

[Jag]

Nope, turns out I can't make it until after May. What about June 14-15?

[ArtB]

Well, June 15th is Fathers' Day in the US, and taking time AWAY from the family as a present would only reinforce unfortunate stereotypes of Dads. How about June 21-22?

PS - Is this thread moving around or am I just incapable of remembering where it is? Is there any way to combine the double thread?

[ArtB]

I apparently have one of the country's most understanding and supportive spouses. I have the green light to spend Fathers' Day weekend in Denver @ Mission HQ
Bruce, does June 14-15 work for you? And are two builders sufficient for you to hold the class?
If so, I suppose we will have to discuss cost & other details -- Is that something that should be done in the Forum or offline?

[Jag]

June 21-22 will work too! Matter of fact, then I won't have to fly on Friday the 13th AND upset my daughter by being away for Father's day!

BTW, I looked for the other thread too and couldn't find it. Doesn't mean it's not staring me right in the face though . The other thread might have been removed due to the confusion.

[ArtB]

OK, June 21-22 preferred on the student / builders' side.
Next steps, Bruce?

[tboy]

Originally Posted by Jag

I looked for the other thread too and couldn't find it. Doesn't mean it's not staring me right in the face though.

It is staring you right in the face; the other thread has been combined with this one.

[Jag]

You sound just like my wife!

Thanks TBoy

[hippybilly]

I been teaching myself that way and it works great. I call it monkey see monkey do, and if
I get stumped I just rewind and watch it over or pause till I get thru that part. It takes away with the why and how part though. But like algebra, electronics is a do what the formula says and don't wonder if its logical or how do you know what that dinky do does if you can't see inside it and are you sure it's stout enough so it won't break. When they told me in algebra that a negetive number times a negative number equals something.....I said "naw this hillbilly ain't buyin that.....you got two things that don't exist (like -4, that's 4 in the hole) and you times it with another number (in the hole again) and you end up with something......I got a "D" the first quarter and I went back to general math class and made strait A's. That's the way basic electricity class was to me. Started off with the neutrons and protons and I can't see them????? I leaned myself and by working with others carpentery (I built my own house, elect,plumb,roof, all of it), mechanics, I built some pretty mean Chevy rods. Most of the man stuff, I can do and I can look at a 2x4 and tell by what it looks like, how stout it is, etc what I can do with it. I look at an electronic component.....I don't know if I got a 2x4, a piece of pipe or what cause I can't see inside to see what makes it work and how stout it is. I can do several electronic things and I love to. I been tryin to teach myself to work on tube amps for years. But.........I can do the monkey see monkey do thing and I think at this point in time that I wouldn't worry about why (I'm tired), but I can't design or tweak without somebody telling me what to do........classes, DVDs anything to help anybody would be really good.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Any of those days in June are fine with me... I just need to know how many will actually show up so I can set up some work space for everyone.

[ArtB]

Originally Posted by Bruce / Mission Amps

Any of those days in June are fine with me... I just need to know how many will actually show up so I can set up some work space for everyone.

Bruce, I am planning to show up at your (workshop) doorstep on the morning of Saturday, June 21, for two days of learning how to build a Mission 5E3 Kit, along with whatever insights you want to impart about tube amps and how to not kill oneself when working on them.
It looks like Jag has the same idea, so there should be two of us there. (I find it hard to believe that there are not at least a few more Forum readers that are not jumping at this opportunity! Is it because of that recession thing that's on the news these days?)

[Jag]

Yup. I can be there that weekend. My wife wants to see Denver so we'll be coming in on the Friday and leaving on the Monday. Just let me know when this is all "for sure" and I'll book flights/hotel.

[Jag]

I should have known things were going to well.

I had a major business prospect come through and won't be able to make it out there at all in June. July and August are booked with business and family vacation so, I'm hooped until at least September.

Hopefully I'll get a shot at this another time.

At least there's still this forum.

Sorry if this monkeys up the works.

[ArtB]

Originally Posted by Jag

I had a major business prospect come through and won't be able to make it out there at all in June. July and August are booked with business and family vacation so, I'm hooped until at least September.

Truly a shame. Work gets in the way of so many things

Now would be a good time for anyone with an interest in this extraordinary opportunity to step up! Denver! Summer! Mission amp kit! Bruce's in-person guidance!

Who's out there on the fence, just needing a nudge?

Note: I do not work for Mission, I just would really like to see this happen!

[Jag]

I'm looking at the logistics of the new project, there's an outside chance I can swing the June weekend but I won't know until almost the last minute. If you guys get this going for that weekend, keep this post up to date and I'll do all I can to be there!

I'll come to a later one for sure! Sept is do-able at this point for me. I'll be in India for October and some of November, but early December looks good.

[ArtB]

I see that the Chicago Amp Building Seminar has now sold out TWO weekends this summer! I remain incredulous that people are not fighting to join Bruce for an amp-building weekend in Denver -- Or Bruce, have you had additional interest expressed outside of this thread?

[jbever]

Hi Bruce, been a while and hope all is well. What's the latest on the clinic thought? This is tempting, although it's quite a haul from Alaska. Thanks
Jerry

[Enzo]

I'd like to see a report after the fact with maybe some photos.

[metron]

Hi everyone - first post here. I PMed Bruce last week about the amp building class. As long as its happening I will be there. Seems like a great opportunity and being local I couldn't pass it up.

Jon

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Originally Posted by jbever

Hi Bruce, been a while and hope all is well. What's the latest on the clinic thought? This is tempting, although it's quite a haul from Alaska. Thanks
Jerry

Good Jerry... recovering fairly well from the shoulder rebuilding surgery... had a bad rotator cuff tear in late November.. I'm still a few months away from 100% though.
Got the go ahead to do some light weight work a week and a half ago (limited to 8 lb loads on my fixed up arm... and I try to play every once in a while but I'm not that strong and my arm gets "little girlie" tired in just 10 or 15 minutes... ha ha.
The pain meds are still good though

Yeah, a trip from that far up North would be a super commitment.
I've made the offer and am holding the weekend of the 21st of June open... but so far only a couple three builders want to come over and learn how to do it....

Hows things at the TV station doing?

[ArtB]

Originally Posted by Bruce / Mission Amps

I've made the offer and am holding the weekend of the 21st of June open... but so far only a couple three builders want to come over and learn how to do it....

I'm still planning to come -- would like to make travel arrangements (not as challenging as coming from Alaska, but still would like to make them now) so, I'm looking for a hotel and it's a little hard for me to tell from the Mission site whether this would be happening at the Racine or 66th location? (I'm thinking of cashing in points to stay at Hampton Inn - Thornton.)

[Tonestack]

Originally Posted by Bruce / Mission Amps

A little too much damage for simple scope surgery so they thought it would be a better repair if they cut directly into my shoulder and split the deltoid muscle to reattach it to the bone with these three little punch pins and sutures and ground out a chunk of my shoulder bone for some extra room and relief .:

Man, I feel for you because I had the same set of surgical procedures performed on my right shoulder a few years back. I had a perforation in my supraspinatus tendon where it meets the humeral head. The decompression surgery hurt more than the tendon repair.

[jbever]

My corporate owners are supposed to visit us somewhere around that time in June. I'm thinking about this and may try to get them to nail down their visit. Glad to hear the shoulder's getting back up to speed. TV's biz is fine now that the writer's strike is over. Heavy political advertising season coming up, money's good but really ticks off the viewers!

On another note, not meaning to hijack this thread. A thread just started on another board asking about your turbo jack and whether anyone's tried it. I told them that I'd thought about it several times.

I wanted to post a little different info that what's on the website. Are you still out of stock? Is the sound / gain different than a clean boost, or more of a drive sound? Can this be installed in any tube amp that has multiple inputs? Just trying to supply them good info. If you want to answer yourself the thread's below.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...d.php?t=385417

I'll keep in touch about the June date. I'd love to pick out a new kit and come down and work with you. Hmm, maybe I'll just bring my 5E3 and we can mod the heck out of it! I had the vol/tone mod in, but last weekend wired the tone stock and having fun with that sound! Still the amp that makes me smile! Talk to you soon.
Jerry

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Originally Posted by Tonestack

Man, I feel for you because I had the same set of surgical procedures performed on my right shoulder a few years back. I had a perforation in my supraspinatus tendon where it meets the humeral head. The decompression surgery hurt more than the tendon repair.

Yes sir... you know it brother.
Sounds like you've been there and have the Tee shirt... it really sucks dead donkey ass.... didn't it? The PT over the last 7 weeks has been brutal.
They called this one an 80% thickness tear of the supraspinatus.
From what I'm told that was just a fancy name for a rotator cuff injury that requires surgery to fix.
Decompression..... they also ground out 1/4" or so of that acromion, sp? ...what ever that impinging shoulder bone over hang is... and three little tiny pins with fat little sutures on then were punched into the ball end of the humerus ball end to tie the end of that tendon down.
Anyhow, I could bore everyone and complain about this one for years because this has been the longest most painful recovery for single injury I've ever had and I have smashed myself up a bunch of time in my life! ha ha ha
I'm only now able to touch the top of my head with my hand from the screwed up arm.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Originally Posted by jbever

My corporate owners are supposed to visit us somewhere around that time in June. I'm thinking about this and may try to get them to nail down their visit. Glad to hear the shoulder's getting back up to speed. TV's biz is fine now that the writer's strike is over. Heavy political advertising season coming up, money's good but really ticks off the viewers!

On another note, not meaning to hijack this thread. A thread just started on another board asking about your turbo jack and whether anyone's tried it. I told them that I'd thought about it several times.

I wanted to post a little different info that what's on the website. Are you still out of stock? Is the sound / gain different than a clean boost, or more of a drive sound? Can this be installed in any tube amp that has multiple inputs? Just trying to supply them good info. If you want to answer yourself the thread's below.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...d.php?t=385417

I'll keep in touch about the June date. I'd love to pick out a new kit and come down and work with you. Hmm, maybe I'll just bring my 5E3 and we can mod the heck out of it! I had the vol/tone mod in, but last weekend wired the tone stock and having fun with that sound! Still the amp that makes me smile! Talk to you soon.
Jerry

The problem with the Turbojax system is I didn't realize how popular it was and I only had three dozen of the boards made up as a prototype project.
I used a bunch myself and just last week decided to run another batch of them.
Yes the TJ can be installed anywhere, it is really just about dead flat from about 30Hz to 15KHz.
It is a clean boost but adjustable. It has no distortion boosting or clipping.
I run one in my Aurora amp's old second input jack.
With the TJ gain set to about +9dB -10dB of gain, the master volume set right, and the normal volume pot up about 50%-65%, it allows the amp to get quite a squanky lead Marshall tone going using single coil pickups.

[ArtB]

Originally Posted by metron

Hi everyone - first post here. I PMed Bruce last week about the amp building class. As long as its happening I will be there. Seems like a great opportunity and being local I couldn't pass it up.

Jon

Hey Jon,
That's great! I have just made travel reservations and am really looking forward to Denver in June.

[metron]

Originally Posted by ArtB

Hey Jon,
That's great! I have just made travel reservations and am really looking forward to Denver in June.

Looking forward to it as well Art! Have you decided what kit you are going to build? The 5E3 will be a good one for me since this is my first.

[ArtB]

Originally Posted by metron

Have you decided what kit you are going to build? The 5E3 will be a good one for me since this is my first.

Same here: will be my first build and it will be a 5E3. (Actually, while I saw different cabs offered, only saw the 5E3 kit option from Bruce. That is more than fine with me -- I never met a Deluxe that I didn't like and this one looks outstanding.)

[metron]

Many thanks to Bruce for having the amp building session for Art and I!! It was a great experience and I learned a lot. The 5E3 is a great sounding amp and worth every penny.

[ArtB]

Originally Posted by metron

Many thanks to Bruce for having the amp building session for Art and I!! It was a great experience and I learned a lot. The 5E3 is a great sounding amp and worth every penny.

From reading his posts in this Forum, one would get the idea that Bruce is very knowledgeable, patient and more than willing to share his considerable expertise. Well, in person, he is even more so! All of the folks who were considering joining us, but couldn't make it, really missed an outstanding experience Thanks Again Bruce!

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

You are both very welcome!
I always enjoy the mentoring part of this hobby.
At my age, sharing the knowledge is a fun thing, especially so while showing a few little building tricks, or after going over a few explanations.... seeing the light come on when new builder "gets it".

I know it was a little more involved then just gluing together a model plane, boat or car but even after this many years of doing it, I'm still just as thrilled as you guys were when firing up a new build to discover with the tubes and juice applied, it works perfectly the first time.... more so when they both amps kill and take names like your two did!

[Jag]

Wish I could have made it! :-(

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

I really liked the small group setting... maybe I'll do it again this summer.

[Enzo]

I been building stuff for over 50 years, and there is still that little moment of glee when the power switch is flipped, and by god the thing works. Wish I could have dropped in.

[ritajones]

Does anyone have any suggestions for some good instructional DVD's for building Amps? I don't have time for a class right now.