Hello everyone, during the last few weeks I have been looking at a lot of things related to the 6G14 model of the Showman amplifier and I wanted to see what exactly I need to make my version of the Showman, something like a list of all the parts I have not found. I am currently studying electronics so when I have everything I need I can start working. I am still a young boy and somewhat inexperienced in this area, any help will be more than welcome,

Edit: I have to clarify that I am not from the US, I currently live in Chile, so it would help me if you could tell me websites where to buy the parts for the project

Last edited: Feb 05, 2023 15:07:24

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Tqi wrote:

Surf_fan63 wrote:

Hello everyone, during the last few weeks I have been looking at a lot of things related to the 6G14 model of the Showman amplifier and I wanted to see what exactly I need to make my version of the Showman, something like a list of all the parts I have not found.

Big question. Though, we can't tell you what parts you haven't found unless you first tell us the parts you have found. ;)

One useful tip that I found after long research, is that the second hardest part of these amps to get is the Output Transformer. The direct match for the 16 ohm transformer is the Mercury FBLS-O, which is $211, but they do the FBLS-OM for $223 which has 4/8/16. Unfortunately getting that outside the US is challenging.

Thankfully, there's an alternative - the Heyboer '59 Twin OT (45268) is also built to the same big-stack design, but at 4 ohms - and that part number was used in some Showmans. They also do a 45268-1 with 4/8/16 taps. And these are just over $100 and available internationally from resellers like TAD - so way more achievable. OT and Choke you can use Hammond parts, as these are readily available, though I'm annoyed they discontinued the 291FEX while I was working minimum wage and cashless. >:(

The absolute hardest part is the chassis, since AFAIK no-one sells a replica. LLJSullins and I both used a Twin Reverb chassis since it's big enough and readily available.

The third-hardest part to get is the eyelet boards, because only one place makes them and only in the 6G14-A version (it's not a big difference).

Edit: Oh, one other thing - original cabs are challenging to get, original speakers even moreso. IMO The best buy as of 2023 is the Weber NeoMag 15. It's essentially a "reissue" in the Fender sense of it looks about the same, sounds about the same but is quite different internally - in this case because it's a much lighter weight Neodymium speaker. Which could be particularly useful if you're cloning the proper 2x15 cab for it. But at the end of the day, it's a brand new speaker that'll get you at least 95% of the way to a D130F at half the weight. A pair of paper-dome "D140" Neomags is on my shopping list to eventually replace my Ashdown 4x10.

Currently I don't have pieces, I made this post in advance so that when I finish studying and working what is necessary, I could get some pieces thanks to my father who has a lot of things that can be useful to me, I will update whenever I can and answer any questions

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cosmonaut wrote:

OP, I HIGHLY recommend a simpler amp for your first. eyelet boards are incredibly simple to make yourself. g10 fiberboard, some eyelets, a drill press, and a drilling template.

i’ve been punching my own eyelet/turret boards since I built my first amp a couple years ago because no one was making the early brown circuits, and I have the need to do everything myself except wind transformers and build speakers.

I was thinking of doing something similar to what my father does, repairing equipment, although building small amplifiers I don't think it would be worth it since there isn't much money yet.

Tqi wrote:

da-ron wrote:

Ouch. 45 quid and a 3 week lead time.

Three weeks is how long it takes to get more in if they run out of stock. They have 9 for immediate dispatch.

They were like £15 each. I think mojotone sell them for £18 - no wonder they are out of stock.

Well, if you spend another 3p* you get free shipping, then adding VAT puts you at £40 - so not as bad. Plus, they handle the VAT of course, and I don't want to be rude, but didn't the £15 transformer explode? ;)

Still, though - price aside - that's a 6G15 OT you can buy from a UK website without having to deal with customs or anything. You ask, I deliver. ;)

* A 1N4007 is 14p and always handy to have around!

£40 for a reverb driver is still a complete gouge. Mouser isn't a UK company, it's a US company trading in the UK, hence why their parts are so expensive. Even Fender sold them for less that 20 quid.

For the OP, I would source a valve/tube amp supplier in your country. Often there are radio enthusiasts that carry parts, or information at least. A reverb unit is an excellent starting point, and if you change your mind you only need to swap a few parts to make a 5W amp.

Things I learned - price it all up before, and consider if it's worth it. When I built my first reverb unit it was worthwhile. When I built my second five years later, it cost twice as much and was not far off a used Fender re-issue unit.

Always use a steel chassis. Avoid aluminium if you can. Making one is easy enough - I've seen them made from desktop PC case covers.

All valve/tube equipment operates at very high voltage. A reverb unit operates around 250V, some of the showmans run closer to 400V. You'll need to be very disciplined with your construction, troubleshooting and modding.

The most important part is the transformers. I've used toroidal transformers for power transformers, which are cheaper than companies specialising in guitar amps, but the output transformer has to be the correct type. It has to match your tubes on one side, and your speaker on the other side.

Fundamentally, they work like this: A tiny signal comes from your guitar to the tube. Across the tube is a high voltage, and the tube amplifies the tiny signal by making the high voltage vary to match the signal. Often the small signal goes through more than one tube to make the signal big enough for the output tube. The output tube works in the same way, providing a high voltage signal which then goes into a transformer which transforms it to a lower voltage signal but with much higher current that can drive a speaker.
That would be a Class A amplifier. A class B amplifier (usually the bigger amps) split the output signal to a positive half and negative half and each half is amplified separately.. ..

There you go, easy as pie. Chuck in a few tone controls and you have an amp.

http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/

Last edited: Feb 06, 2023 11:30:00