Twin Reverb

[überfuzz]

Hi everyone!

Next project a Fender clone, a Twin Reverb Blackface amplifier. Is there anyone here that have built one of these? Any suggestions of where and how to get hold of it? Kit or should I start sniffing around the net for the right stuff myself?

If anyone has any suggestions of how to start, I go -->

[überfuzz]

Has anyone tried Marsh Amplification? I found this in their store. Twin Reverb clone - Kit.

[Diablo]

Yeah Marsh is a good kit with fairly decent instructions. The kit is actually a Mojo at a much better price. The first amp I built was a Marsh Deluxe Reverb, and it didn't blow up when I turned it on, despite a few dumb mistakes....

If you want to learn how to build a kit, Marsh is a great place to start. However, you should realize it will probably cost you more to build a kit than to buy a used Twin Reverb. I see silver face Twin Reverbs for $700-900 all the time on Craigslist. Those amps haven't climbed in value like a lot of other Fenders - probably because they are so heavy, loud and clean.

[überfuzz]

I've got the amp-kit now and the work has only just started.

I attached pictures of, the chassi, the filter board, the rectifier board and the ab763-board. I guess you folk seen it a million times before, but I hope it's ok anyway.

I'll happily attach more pictures as I go along.


Cheers!

[Albert Kreuzer]

The bias cap on your rectifier board is backwards.
And I'd look for resistors with longer legs
Maybe you'll want to touch up some of your solder joints - they are probably OK, just not pretty...

Cheers,
Albert

[überfuzz]

The bias cap on your rectifier board is backwards.
And I'd look for resistors with longer legs
Maybe you'll want to touch up some of your solder joints - they are probably OK, just not pretty...

Cheers,
Albert

Spot on! I actually got quite nervous when I saw the cap sitting backwards. I spend, I don't know how long, to double check everything just to make sure I hadn't been messing up more stuff. I don't have any preferences regarding solder joints, more than a good connection. What do you mean, longer legs, on the resistors..?

Cheers!

[Albert Kreuzer]

What I meant with longer legs: The splicing on the resistors is just ugly (see red circles in pic). I wouldn't let that pass in a build of mine.
Maybe I would do it in a "field-repair" five minutes before the gig

You can get the proper CC resistors here: 1/2W Carbon Comp Resistors

Cheers,
Albert

[Mandopicker]

They are not short leads, the resistor is just wrapped around the cathode cap to save space in the hole. Those small holes can be difficult to work with once you start populating the holes.

At least that is what it looks like to me.

[überfuzz]

What I meant with longer legs: The splicing on the resistors is just ugly (see red circles in pic). I wouldn't let that pass in a build of mine.
Maybe I would do it in a "field-repair" five minutes before the gig

You can get the proper CC resistors here: 1/2W Carbon Comp Resistors

Cheers,
Albert

Thanks for clearing that out. Now I understand what you mean.

The legs aren't really short. Mandopick is right on the money. It's resistor-legs wrapped around cap-legs. I wouldn't go so far as to calling it a beautiful solution. However, it gives me a bit of room on the board, it doesn't get a bloated feel to it. Furthermore the eyelets aren't overcrowded if I us my "leg wrapping".

Oh, by the way. I always have at least 2mm gap between my components and the board, between component - component. Just to give the circuit a bit of breathing air. (Probably to no benefit what so ever, but I like to go that way.) Just saying, so you know that I'm not as vicious as you first thought.

[überfuzz]

@Albert Kreuzer - I'll try to get a better picture of the board so that the wrapping is more evident.

[Albert Kreuzer]

Just saying, so you know that I'm not as vicious as you first thought.

Maybe I'm a bit over-sensitive when it comes to wiring...

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

They are not short leads, the resistor is just wrapped around the cathode cap to save space in the hole. Those small holes can be difficult to work with once you start populating the holes.

At least that is what it looks like to me.

YES! The exact reason I don't use all standard small size eyelets in my eyelet circuit boards... especially where there are more then three wires going in them!
The hole size of the next size up eyelet is only 1/32" of an inch in diameter, works much better with more stuff shoved in it and doesn't cost anymore.... so what if it doesn't look exactly like a 1950's eyelet board.

[überfuzz]

There was one 1,5 kohm resistor missing in the kit. I ordered 5 1,5 kohm resistors to replace the missing one. The thing is, I ordered carbon resistors but I got aluminum. I'm going to use the new resistors in the power tube sockets. There is a 1,5 kohm resistor sitting between pin 1 and 5 in the octal socket.

Will this change from carbon to aluminum mess up the tune completely or is it impossible to detect the difference? Should I make a fuzz about the aluminum and make them send carbon resistors..?