MJW Amps -- New Build for Thorpy FX. BUILD PICS!

martinw · December 2015

ThorpyFX said:

Thats a big ole heatsink over the power scaling mosfets!! i assume they get very hot?

They can do, if not heatsinked properly. The large heatsink + fan + aluminium chassis is way over the top for this amp (it would be more than enough for a 100W amp) but better to have too much cooling than too little.

As it is, they'll get barely warm, even on their most demanding setting.

martinw · December 2015

Well, MJW #196 is now finished and ready to be delivered, by hand, tomorrow.

I've just done some final play testing (best bit of the job!) and it went on for a lot longer than necessary, which is always a good sign! I'm not impartial, but I think it sounds awesome, and fingers crossed Adrian thinks so too

The tolexing went well, which is always a nerve-wracking part of the job, even though after nearly 200 cabs I'm pretty comfortable with it. If I make a mistake at that stage, it could write off the whole cabinet. The same applies to the grill cloth, which is hard to get stretched taught and square, but I think I've got a pretty good technique down now. Tight enough so you can twang it like a drum, but not so tight that it's on the verge of tearing.

The jewel lamp is purple by the way!

Above is a rear view showing the Power Scaling control, SDM effects loop (standard on the Orion) and the G12T-100 speakers, one of Celestion's best kept secrets. You'll also notice that the channel and boost can be operated by either the supplied footswitch (5 pin DIN) or the stereo jack socket, which allows simple connection to other switching systems.

Internals of the cabinet showing the JJ KT66s. This is the first set of these I've used, and I've been impressed with them. I've fitted a P-clip to the inside of the top panel to retain the speaker cable and stop it moving near to the output valves.

It's tolerable weight-wise, especially for a 2x12 combo. I haven't weighed it, but with the side handles, it's an easy lift into and out of a car boot.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

markslade07 · December 2015

@thorpyfx you lucky lucky bastard!

ThorpyFX · December 2015

markslade07 said:

@thorpyfx you lucky lucky bastard!

I've just seen this, I'm bowled over and I have not even gotten to play it yet... Epic build through and through. Stoked doesn't even come close

juansolo · December 2015

Spectacular!

asimmd · December 2015

Outstanding - Hopefully a demo soon?

Cant wait for mine.

BluesyDave · December 2015

Great build thread. Its always nice to see a true craftsman producing high quality work. Well done Martin and congrats Adrian.

Rowby1 · December 2015

That looks stunning! Great choice of colours too......needs a white faceplate tho

@thorpyfx c'mon how's it sound?

ThorpyFX · December 2015

So I got my hands on this beast today.... Normally I'd wait to do a review of any sort but I can't wait. I've spent 3hrs solid blasting through this Orion and I'm smitten. All the specs can be found above, but the things that have amazed me so far are the amount of different tones in the amp. It has a perfect clean channel, an ideal pedal platform and the gunshot sounds massive through this amp, that being said the MUFFROOM sounds positively thermonuclear, it's actually quite hilarious when you riff out and then turn it off to go from filth to sparkly clean. Now if the clean channel is for demoing stuff, the drive channels for my own amusement. It's a Jcm800 when run in boosted and I really like it, classic Marshall tones aplenty and with a lower noise floor and a richness to the sound too....... However boost the drive channel and it's pure soldano filth. Martin removed some of the high end from this mode and I'm really grateful as he read my mind. All in all this is the best way to buy an amp, meet a top bloke, chat about guitar stuff, and get hand delivered adult custom awesome amp. What's not to like! I'll update later.

martinw · December 2015

Real pleasure to meet you too @ThorpyFX ! Great to play some top guitars, especially the Feline Junior, which was awesome and has stoked me for when I get mine Also good to get to hear your pedals in context, demo'd by the designer- very thought provoking. And I got lunch into the bargain!

Hope you get much good use out of the amp, and I'm really pleased you like it. This part of the job is by far the most rewarding, building and delivering something that I know will bring a lot of pleasure for many years - doesn't get better than that for me.

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MJW Amps -- New Build for Thorpy FX. BUILD PICS!

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