6G15 build

Gilette

Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
Montserrat

Posted on May 31 2017 03:38 PM

warioblast wrote:

Should I twist the wires from the OT

I'd only twist the heater wires and lay them close to the chassis. Keep the rest short and tidy and you should be fine. Good luck! Looking good so far.

Last edited: May 31, 2017 15:44:27

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warioblast

Joined: Nov 23, 2014
Posts: 98
Dijon
France

Posted on Jun 01 2017 11:15 AM

Soldering is done... Hopefully

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so1om

Joined: May 10, 2012
Posts: 492

Posted on Jun 01 2017 12:56 PM

Very cool! Nice detail work.

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warioblast

Joined: Nov 23, 2014
Posts: 98
Dijon
France

Posted on Jun 03 2017 03:27 PM

I finally got time to fire it up.
I took a few voltage readings before installing the tubes. I had 350V after the rectifier.
I turned it on and it worked right off the bat.
It doesn't hum and sounds pretty dreamy; yeah I'm a little biased 8^).
It's definitely a step up from my Surfy Bear; it doesn't have that glassy, slightly compressed feel to it. Well worth the effort.

I noticed some small volume discrepancies on some portions of the Mix & Tone pots; for exemple, the volume drops as soon as I turn up the Mix knob from 0.
I don't remember my Surfy Bear acting like this.
My footswitch isn't build yet. But when I ground the input of the jack footswitch and 'cancel' the reverb, the volume seems even; it just sounds bigger with the verb on, which seems normal to me.

Anyway, I'm super stoked.

Top

Badger

Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
United States

Posted on Jun 03 2017 05:04 PM

CONGRATULATIONS!

—

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

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LeeVanCleef

Joined: Oct 05, 2011
Posts: 744
France
12 Map Pins

Posted on Jun 03 2017 05:59 PM

—

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

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Gilette

Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
Montserrat

Posted on Jun 04 2017 01:29 AM

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warioblast

Joined: Nov 23, 2014
Posts: 98
Dijon
France

Posted on Jun 06 2017 02:37 PM

First coats of primer.

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tubeswell

Joined: Sep 24, 2011
Posts: 1424
Wellington, NZ
Antarctica

Posted on Jun 06 2017 05:20 PM

Looking good

—

He who dies with the most tubes... wins

Surf Daddies

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warioblast

Joined: Nov 23, 2014
Posts: 98
Dijon
France

Posted on Jun 09 2017 04:06 PM

A little update on my way of the cross.

Part 1:
As I was sanding my primer coat, I realised it would be better to make everything fit first.
So I drilled 4 holes on the bottom of the cab. I had to drill, by hand, from the inside of the cab to make sure my holes were aligned with the chassis. I couldn't find the bolts I wanted, long & thin. So I had to drill a bit deeper so I could tighten the nuts from the top side of the chassis.

I started manually and I wanted to make the holes look nice I took out the drilling machine. I f'd up and had to use mastic... The holes will be hidden by the rubber feet.

Top

warioblast

Joined: Nov 23, 2014
Posts: 98
Dijon
France

Posted on Jun 09 2017 04:25 PM

Part 2:
I added wood blocks for the pannels mounting.
The back went smooth and nicely.

Now for the front side, and after numerous hesitations, this is how I ended up.

I had to drill 2 holes on the sides to fix the block above the chassis. Those holes will be covered with mastic.
I don't have room anymore to mount the reverb tank on springs.
The front pannel will be mounted from the inside.
I drilled the holes for the handle too.

The cabinet and the pannels warped a little; not my fault :-D, but in the everything fit rather nicely.

Top

warioblast

Joined: Nov 23, 2014
Posts: 98
Dijon
France

Posted on Jun 09 2017 04:42 PM

Though during my short initial test I didn't notice the tubes getting hot, I will be drilling holes on the back pannel.
I'm still looking for ideas.
This is what I have right now.
A dottern pattern.

Some bullets holes

My cousin loaned me her a stencil painting box. For the paisley pattern I will be putting on the cabinet, I'm hesitating between shades of purple and gold.

Top

Badger

Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
United States

Posted on Jun 09 2017 08:36 PM

Bullet holes would be interesting (or not) depending upon your goal for a "vibe." (1.25cm diameter - got it with the big ones & still going.)

On the colors, I'm not a big purple fan for my stuff. BUT, I will tell you my fishing partner's bass boat was done at the factory in a one-time metallic purple sparkle (think like a Wronski-monster) and then modest striping & trim done in a medium metal-flake gun-metal gray. It is KICK ASS visually. The same trim could be done with gold (but maybe too many universities that have that as their school colors). In your face purple can work.

—

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Top

warioblast

Joined: Nov 23, 2014
Posts: 98
Dijon
France

Posted on Jul 07 2017 06:28 PM

I finally finished my cabinet. I'll post pics later. I wanted to show you guys how it looks and sounds with a little video but it turns out my build isn't as noiseless as I thought.

I have 2 issues:
_ past the 1st third of the tone knob and depending on the orientation of the cabinet, I get a repetitive, percussive sound, almost like a morse code. It's the same sequence that goes on and on. Mixer knob affects its volume, but the dwell control has no impact on it.

_ I was trying to find out if my reverb was humming or not. My amp is already humming a bit so I put the reverb in a true bypass box. I discerned a little background noise. If you don't pay attention you don't really notice it. So it's not a big concern but if I could get rid of it
It's hard to describe what I'm hearing. It's not a hum. It's not a hiss. It's more a shushing.

Top

Pihabeach82

Joined: Sep 29, 2015
Posts: 470

Posted on Jul 08 2017 01:16 AM

tubeswell wrote:

Scratch builds show real ingenuity.

Give some thought to the grounding scheme while you are at this early stage. Merlin Blencowe's chapter on grounding has some good tips, especially the hum-loop blocker. See figure 15.16 in the article on this link. http://www.valvewizard.co.uk/Grounding.pdf

Agree with tubeswell on this (who helped me de-bug my home built 6g15). I followed merlins formula ala marshal ground lift and ended up with a beautifully quiet unit with an enviable sound. Good luck with the build, looking great

Top

warioblast

Joined: Nov 23, 2014
Posts: 98
Dijon
France

Posted on Jul 08 2017 11:11 AM

I'll give it a try; though I wouldn't qualify what I'm hearing as hum. It looks like what Fender did on the reissue ? Did you also isolate the jacks from the chassis ?

I couldn't get a proper flat finish with the painting so I decided to give it a fake tolex look.

I initially wanted to fix the front pannel from the inside but one of the screw was out of reach.

On the positive side I learned many lessons from this build.

Last edited: Jul 10, 2017 08:59:48

Top

Gilette Joined: May 04, 2014 Posts: 734	Posted on May 31 2017 03:38 PM warioblast wrote: Should I twist the wires from the OT I'd only twist the heater wires and lay them close to the chassis. Keep the rest short and tidy and you should be fine. Good luck! Looking good so far. Last edited: May 31, 2017 15:44:27 Top
warioblast Joined: Nov 23, 2014 Posts: 98 Dijon	Posted on Jun 01 2017 11:15 AM Soldering is done... Hopefully Top
so1om Joined: May 10, 2012 Posts: 492	Posted on Jun 01 2017 12:56 PM Very cool! Nice detail work. Top
warioblast Joined: Nov 23, 2014 Posts: 98 Dijon	Posted on Jun 03 2017 03:27 PM I finally got time to fire it up. I took a few voltage readings before installing the tubes. I had 350V after the rectifier. I turned it on and it worked right off the bat. It doesn't hum and sounds pretty dreamy; yeah I'm a little biased 8^). It's definitely a step up from my Surfy Bear; it doesn't have that glassy, slightly compressed feel to it. Well worth the effort. I noticed some small volume discrepancies on some portions of the Mix & Tone pots; for exemple, the volume drops as soon as I turn up the Mix knob from 0. I don't remember my Surfy Bear acting like this. My footswitch isn't build yet. But when I ground the input of the jack footswitch and 'cancel' the reverb, the volume seems even; it just sounds bigger with the verb on, which seems normal to me. Anyway, I'm super stoked. Top
Badger Joined: Nov 16, 2013 Posts: 4536 Wisconsin	Posted on Jun 03 2017 05:04 PM CONGRATULATIONS! — Wes SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices. Top
LeeVanCleef Joined: Oct 05, 2011 Posts: 744 France	Posted on Jun 03 2017 05:59 PM — Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers. Top
Gilette Joined: May 04, 2014 Posts: 734	Posted on Jun 04 2017 01:29 AM Top
warioblast Joined: Nov 23, 2014 Posts: 98 Dijon	Posted on Jun 06 2017 02:37 PM First coats of primer. Top
tubeswell Joined: Sep 24, 2011 Posts: 1424 Wellington, NZ	Posted on Jun 06 2017 05:20 PM Looking good — He who dies with the most tubes... wins Surf Daddies Top
warioblast Joined: Nov 23, 2014 Posts: 98 Dijon	Posted on Jun 09 2017 04:06 PM A little update on my way of the cross. Part 1: As I was sanding my primer coat, I realised it would be better to make everything fit first. So I drilled 4 holes on the bottom of the cab. I had to drill, by hand, from the inside of the cab to make sure my holes were aligned with the chassis. I couldn't find the bolts I wanted, long & thin. So I had to drill a bit deeper so I could tighten the nuts from the top side of the chassis. I started manually and I wanted to make the holes look nice I took out the drilling machine. I f'd up and had to use mastic... The holes will be hidden by the rubber feet. Top
warioblast Joined: Nov 23, 2014 Posts: 98 Dijon	Posted on Jun 09 2017 04:25 PM Part 2: I added wood blocks for the pannels mounting. The back went smooth and nicely. Now for the front side, and after numerous hesitations, this is how I ended up. I had to drill 2 holes on the sides to fix the block above the chassis. Those holes will be covered with mastic. I don't have room anymore to mount the reverb tank on springs. The front pannel will be mounted from the inside. I drilled the holes for the handle too. The cabinet and the pannels warped a little; not my fault :-D, but in the everything fit rather nicely. Top
warioblast Joined: Nov 23, 2014 Posts: 98 Dijon	Posted on Jun 09 2017 04:42 PM Though during my short initial test I didn't notice the tubes getting hot, I will be drilling holes on the back pannel. I'm still looking for ideas. This is what I have right now. A dottern pattern. Some bullets holes My cousin loaned me her a stencil painting box. For the paisley pattern I will be putting on the cabinet, I'm hesitating between shades of purple and gold. Top
Badger Joined: Nov 16, 2013 Posts: 4536 Wisconsin	Posted on Jun 09 2017 08:36 PM Bullet holes would be interesting (or not) depending upon your goal for a "vibe." (1.25cm diameter - got it with the big ones & still going.) On the colors, I'm not a big purple fan for my stuff. BUT, I will tell you my fishing partner's bass boat was done at the factory in a one-time metallic purple sparkle (think like a Wronski-monster) and then modest striping & trim done in a medium metal-flake gun-metal gray. It is KICK ASS visually. The same trim could be done with gold (but maybe too many universities that have that as their school colors). In your face purple can work. — Wes SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices. Top
warioblast Joined: Nov 23, 2014 Posts: 98 Dijon	Posted on Jul 07 2017 06:28 PM I finally finished my cabinet. I'll post pics later. I wanted to show you guys how it looks and sounds with a little video but it turns out my build isn't as noiseless as I thought. I have 2 issues: _ past the 1st third of the tone knob and depending on the orientation of the cabinet, I get a repetitive, percussive sound, almost like a morse code. It's the same sequence that goes on and on. Mixer knob affects its volume, but the dwell control has no impact on it. _ I was trying to find out if my reverb was humming or not. My amp is already humming a bit so I put the reverb in a true bypass box. I discerned a little background noise. If you don't pay attention you don't really notice it. So it's not a big concern but if I could get rid of it It's hard to describe what I'm hearing. It's not a hum. It's not a hiss. It's more a shushing. Top
Pihabeach82 Joined: Sep 29, 2015 Posts: 470	Posted on Jul 08 2017 01:16 AM tubeswell wrote: Scratch builds show real ingenuity. Give some thought to the grounding scheme while you are at this early stage. Merlin Blencowe's chapter on grounding has some good tips, especially the hum-loop blocker. See figure 15.16 in the article on this link. http://www.valvewizard.co.uk/Grounding.pdf Agree with tubeswell on this (who helped me de-bug my home built 6g15). I followed merlins formula ala marshal ground lift and ended up with a beautifully quiet unit with an enviable sound. Good luck with the build, looking great Top
warioblast Joined: Nov 23, 2014 Posts: 98 Dijon	Posted on Jul 08 2017 11:11 AM I'll give it a try; though I wouldn't qualify what I'm hearing as hum. It looks like what Fender did on the reissue ? Did you also isolate the jacks from the chassis ? I couldn't get a proper flat finish with the painting so I decided to give it a fake tolex look. I initially wanted to fix the front pannel from the inside but one of the screw was out of reach. On the positive side I learned many lessons from this build. Last edited: Jul 10, 2017 08:59:48 Top

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