So this is an interesting one - based on an amp that Fender used to make called the Harvard. When I saw the scehmatic I just had to build one. I think the only other people making these are Victoria, seems to be an overlooked circuit.
It used to fit somewhere between a Champ and Tweed Deluxe in Fender's lineup. It's an interesting circuit 10" speaker, 2x 6v6 output section, but running at low voltages (305v on the plates), with fixed bias. This means despite the dual 6v6 it only puts out around 10w and the low voltages give it a lovely warm clean and overdriven tone, but with plenty of punch. Also uses an interesting tiny 6at6 single triode preamp tube.
I've kept as close to the original as possible - NOS 5Y3 rectifier and preamp tubes plus an alnico Eminence 1028K 10" speaker. TAD 6v6 are the closet to a vintage 6v6 tone I've found without paying the silly prices for genuine vintage 6v6s.
This is the first time I've used an alnico speaker in a build, but I'll be doing it again - such a warm and musical vintage sound.
I was inspired by seeing a guitarist play battered old tweed champ at a gig a few months ago - so I wanted to go for that look. I've stained and distressed the tweed, plus aged the control panel a little. I've even put a cheeky Fender-style production sticker inside the cab, because why not. I'm not trying to fool people into thinking it's an old Fender, I just think it looks cool on stage!
Anyway, I'll let the pics do the rest of the talking.
Comments
Can I make a couple of small comments, though, please? The tweed seems a mite clean for how ripped it is and the hardware is pretty shiny, would like to see a spot of rust on there! - a spell in some hydrochloric acid gas would sort that out a treat (I'm a sucker for a bit of rust, though...) Soz if you disagree - I know from trying it that relicing is much harder than it looks - you can have first jab when I finally build my relic'd Kemper combo!
Great looking amp!
Great job on the build though!
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
Also @4114Effects , I wouldn't take the voltages on any of those of schematics/layouts as gospel, they're usually 'test' voltages with the amp on a current limiter. Simple ohms law will tell you that some of them aren't achievable with the stated resistors and expected current draw.
Take the 5F10 for example, the stated B+ of 305v from a 5Y3 would require a PT HV secondary of around 245-0-245 @ 75mA. The last original 5F10 that I saw had a 280-0-280 PT with 350v B+ (346v on the anodes).
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
We've got to hear it now!
(formerly miserneil)
Hi 4114Effects,
Congratulations on a damn fine looking amp, It really does look the dogs.
where did you get the tweed from, im I the uk and would love to have a go but its all soooo bloody expensive?
thanks
Jason