Torres Engineering "Tone Frenzy" - Experience?

[ian2113]

Has anybody buillt the "Tone Frenzy" designed by Torres? It is a single-ended, cathode-biased 6L6 design with high-gain pre-amp and reverb. The plans are available for free on the Torres Engineering web site. They also sell a kit that includes all the parts except a chassis and cabinet, and an "economy kit" that leaves out the tubes and some hardware.

See these links:

http://torresengineering.stores.yaho...plantomak.html
http://torresengineering.stores.yaho...tonfrenpa.html
http://torresengineering.stores.yaho...frenecpar.html

I am *seriously* considering building this amp. It would be *nice* to accommodate a choice between 6V6 and 6L6 by making the bias adjustable and using a multi-tap output transformer, but I could live with the design as-is.

If you've built one of these, please post your experiences!

Cheers,

Ian

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

I have not built it but I can tell you from my other buidling experiences using extra gain stages in small 8-10 watt SE class A amps, even with the localized NFB loop in the first preamp stage, it still could have mongo gain and be almost unusable gain compared to how easy it will be to overdrive a cathode biased 6V6 and maybe even the 6L6.
Tone Frenzy? Buzz Frenzy might be more like it if not careful.
Plus there are errors in the schematic.

[ian2113]

Good points, Bruce. I am attracted by the idea of a SE 6V6/6L6 amp *with reverb* but the potential bugaboos of the "high gain" design have kept me from taking the plunge.

My real goal, power-wise, is in the 6V6 range, 4-5 watts, with reverb. I think that what I really need to do is to try grafting a simple reverb circuit onto a simple SE amp design as a breadboard project, work out the kinks, and then build the working model.

Any suggestions would be most welcome!

-Ian

Any

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Well then, consider taking a look at a simple black face or silver face Princeton Reverb 1270 and keep in mind the ZERO GAIN cathodyne driver "is" the push pull circuit of the two power tubes. With a SE 6V6/6L6 PA, you don't need it... so the triode in front of the cathodyne driver would RC couple to your SE 6V6/6L6 grid... just like a black face Vibro Champ.
Three preamp tubes and one power tube and rectifier should do it.

[ian2113]

Bruce-

Thanks for pointing out something that should have been obvious to me. All the building blocks are out there... I just have to recognize them and put them together to suit my needs! The breadboarding will commence shortly...

Cheers,

Ian

[J M Fahey]

AAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
$570 for a glorified Champ kit without a cabinet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that I re-read it: ¿not even the chassis???????????????????????
If I don't want that $400 "Torres Engineering Inside" label, ¿can I have the actual parts for the $170 they are really worth?
Give me a break !!!!
For those which find schematic reading , soldering, and stuff like that difficult or boring, they can now buy just the label, and apply it on any old amp they have, the sound improvement is guaranteed and long lasting.

[Gibsonman63]

For less than $570 you can buy a real blackface Champ... and it will hold it's value. Search the forum. Someone has bound to have built a Champ style amp with reverb. A lot of the guys post schematics and sound clips as well.