1st build - Tiny weeny little gig amp

[Loosewire]

Hi all,
I'm brand new to this. Been up all night watching beginners electronics videos and drinking lots of tea!

So, I want to build a tiny combo amp for those gigs where there isn't much space and I'll mic up and run into the PA.
I have the BluGuitar Amp-1 and I just bought the Blubox speaker simulator for these gigs. However, when using overdrive, it still doesn't really get close to a mic'd up speaker when running direct to the desk, hence this idea.

I don't think I will actually need a pre-amp will I? Since The Amp 1 and the bluebox take care of all of that already, so I literally just need a speaker in a box with a power amp.

I've bought a Jensen C6V 6" 8ohm 20w driver. Ideally a tube amplifier would be nice, but I really want something pre-assembled that I can connect to an on/off switch, volume control & a power transformer that I can run to an IEC socket on the back of it. I can't find a pre-assembled mono tube board and I'm too inexperienced to attempt to build one myself.

I did find this Class D board which is really cheap and simple. Maybe it won't sound as good as a tube, but for now at least, with the gear I have feeding it, it should still be a lot better than going DI to the desk.

This board good enough for the job? Also I'm gonna need some advice with the other parts needed to get it working and how to connect them.

I promise I will go slow, be very careful and seek advice before I mess with powering it up!

[olddawg]

It all comes down to what stage level you want and how clean you want it. Have you considered a SansAmp? I know people that use those DI with great success. If you have good stage monitors it works fine. Kind of hard to “lean in” to in ears. I prefer a 2 channel 15-20 watt 1x12” combo amp for most club gigs (with an attenuator)... like a Fender Deluxe Reverb and something to get dirty. Currently I’ve been using a Bugera V22.. but there are lots of similar amps. Very small footprint and not too heavy. It helps to elevate them. Anything tube below 20 watts don’t expect much clean overhead with most live drummers depending on the genre. Can’t beat the price on that module, but I don’t think you will have any idea how it sounds for your application until you try it. Depending on what you are doing a Marshall MG15 might do you well. They are inexpensive. We would need more info on exactly what you are doing to give better advice.

[Loosewire]

Hi Olddawg, thanks for the reply!

Here's a guy testing this very module, looks pretty impressive for what it is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7n03N5tjyU

I don't need much level on stage, altho if I have around 15w, then its nice to have the choice to blend it with the monitoring if I want to, also I can use it as a practice amp if I ever decide to try practicing..
Mainly, I want to use it just like a speaker simulator, altho it is actually a speaker. My Blubox works like a Sansamp, actually much more versatile with different cabs and mic axis options etc. I will continue to use that aswell for exactly all those tone options it gives me.

Most importantly tho small and simple as possible. Even my pedal board causes space issues at some venues, let alone bringing an amp. So if I can build this thing in around a 7 inch cube, then I can put it almost anywhere - on a shelf, or even give it to the sound guy.

[eschertron]

I just looked at the Amp 1 description on Sweetwater's website. Seems to indicate that you can simply plug a speaker cab into the 8 or 16 Ohm output and get 100W of power. Is that true?

[olddawg]

I just looked at the Amp 1 description on Sweetwater's website. Seems to indicate that you can simply plug a speaker cab into the 8 or 16 Ohm output and get 100W of power. Is that true?

And then there’s that.. kind of like a Quilter, Vox, etc... then it had a Class D amp already in it.

[Loosewire]

Well, this is a little frustrating. My messages have to wait for approval before they're published, so I don't know when this will be seen. I guess it's cos I'm new.

Anyway, yes the Amp-1 is a 100w nano tube head, it's an amazing little amp.
However, for these purposes, that's too much, so I go from the record out >> into the bluebox speaker sim, then into the desk. I just wanna put this little amp/speaker between the bluebox and the desk just to move some air and sound more natural.
I could just use the amp 1 as normal and mic up the cab, but the idea is to bring something as small as possible. If I plugged this little 20w cab into the speaker out, no question I'm gonna accidentally blow it someday.

[eschertron]

If it's for personal monitoring, there are powered speakers of all stripes, some can be mounted on a mic stand to bring them up closer to ear level, fine if it's a couple Watts output. If you're dead set on building it yourself, then that's OK too. I think your initial sense of what you need is accurate. I see the Blubox has both a mic out (for the house system) and a line out, shown with the headphones icon. You should be set, then.

[Loosewire]

Ah yes, i have actually been looking around for some top hats that will allow me to mount it on a mic stand!

I got 1 more trick for this project tho, which should make it both more fun and more interesting.

I wanna set the speaker well back inside the box and mount a mic permanently inside it. Perhaps even held on a pole going up thru the top of the box and connected to some kind of multi-position knob that can adjust the axis. That's if my DIY skills will stretch that far..
I wanna wire the mic (likely a disected SM57) to an xlr socket to the back of the cab aswell. So all i gotta do then, is put it where I want it and plug it into the desk with an xlr cable..

[Loosewire]

..and how long does this go on that all my posts have to wait to be approved by a moderator?
Not that I'm impatient, just seems odd

[tboy]

...seems odd

It is odd; in fact it's not supposed to be happening at all. It's a software glitch we've been plagued with for quite a while now.

[Loosewire]

Ah ok, maybe a usergroup setting?
I know there are always a few different methods for setting permissions in VBiuletin, something can be hiding for ages before you find it.

Could be a spam checking setting, I found this on their forum, hopefully might help..

https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/foru...-post-approval

[Loosewire]

Anyway, back to the amp, I bought 2 of those modules and also 2 of these ones..
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20W-HIFI-...72.m2749.l2649

I'll stick em on a breadboard & see which one sounds best, then go about building me an amp.

I can't believe I just bought 4 amplifiers for £6!!

[Loosewire]

Can someone recommend the correct power supply transformer board for this ^^ amp board? I'll try the blue one in my previous post first.

Preferably a pre-assembled board that I can solder to a switchable 110v/220v IEC socket, so that I can take it abroad if I want to (I'm in UK).

Edit: This one to 24v ok?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-AC-D...1hhA:rk:1:pf:0

Thanks

[Loosewire]

Just wondering if anyone can reassure me I got the right combination here? I've ordered this amp, just wanna check I got the right power supply board?
Thanks

[loudthud]

The power supply may not work because outputs are +24 and +12. The amp board wants + and - rails and does not support a single rail supply.