Not sleeping, just resting my eyes.

A while ago I moved to Rarotonga.
Now I move back ey.

Timings right. I've got a flat ready, in which we've already started building a recording studio. So it wont be long now.

Any way, thought I'd let you know that I wont be posting for a while because I've got to pack my computer tonight and don't know when I'll be able to sign in again.

Hope you've all had a good time.
Now it's time to make some more music...get back into things.

See you soon Christchurch.

Jonny.

Good quality photos

just thought i'd upload a decent photo of my beautiful monster.

i had it going today with my guitar.
Sounds beautiful! (bar the earth noise..which will be taken care of as soon as i can).
Must buy a choke first, then earth the amp to the chassis.
But I'll do that when i install the choke...no point pulling it all apart twice.

But yes..I like it!
Lots.

Okay Tube run down;

Two Electro Harmonics EL34's
One "made in Yugoslavia" ECC83 in the phase rotating section
and a Marshall ECC83 in the preamp
waaaaarm!

Oh plus it's freakishly loud! YAY





Enjoy
Jonny.

Alace..it can not be finished just yet.

Mellow

Well, bad news.
The amp can't be "finished" until I move back to NZ and buy a choke.
Turns out that if EL34's are extremely sensative to the 50htz (or in this case 100..casue we're using a bridge).
And with these schematics, a simple wire wound resistor won't do the trick as we'd hopped.
BUT the good news is that it's actually a usable amp now :D
okay it's noisy, but it's nothing compared to how it was last night.

We put the heater current through a wee filter system (Common on old radios and amps apparently..very basic circuit) and now it's working fine.

For the moment there is a lot of noise at low volumes, and a lot of distortion at high volume (although..it's actual tube distortion and I'm sound would sound quite nice on a guitar).
BUT once i install the choke this will all go away.

I'm pretty pleased with it.
I mean...I built a freak'n tube amp! haha
(well..i soldered stuff, Herman "built" the amp...but I helpped).

Got to admit..I don't think I've learned this much in this short a period ever.
Good fun. i can actually look at a schematic now and kinda tell you what's going on (Hmm..IC's I'm not so good with..but I'm learning).

SO list of things to do;
1. Install choke
2. Complete first ever Fud Gun (experimental fuzz/distortion)
3. Build wave generator using ICL8038 IC. For use on stage.

Much much more to come.
Hopefully some nice ovredrive slash distortion pedals.

Here's a photo of the nearly completed amp.



Enjoy

Jonny.

The 50hz Terror

hey

Well the amp is finished (photos to come).
BUT we've got a wee problem....it's as noisy as a pair of porcupines on their honey-moon!
Well okay the power amp section is actually quieter than that the Rain Dance Kid.
but the pre-amp and phase rotation circuits have some serious humm in them.

I've gone through and shielded anything touching a gate on all of the tubes, and it helped a little. We're going to go through and double check the schematics to make sure we don't have something retardedly wrong, but we've already double checked (against my self drawn copy how ever) so now we're going back to the originals.

It made some pretty cool sounds though I must admit.
like the trebble knob was kind of a high pass square wave generator cross.
And the bass was kinda like an LFO filter
Good times.

Any way wish me luck.

There is also a possibility that I'll be buying a big dirty marshall.
So either way I'll have at least one working amp.
Hopefully we can get this tube dude to work well though, it's just so cool (very loud haha, very loud...yay).

Any way..I'm counting down the days until I'm back...currently I have 12 left.
HmmI should really get packing.

Luck me.

Jonny.



PS a dollar to who ever IDs this pedal....come on, this ones pretty easy.

Amp Uptade

THE TUBES GLOW!

This made me very happy.
We took the tubes through their first break in warming the other day.
The EL34s look awesome! Nice and bright, with a nice wee amount of heat being emitted.
The ECC83s didn't look so good...but it's cause the heater is hidden inside the metal section of the gate. But not to worry, we grabbed a few older versions of the same tube and plugged them in, and you can see the heaters in those.
so YAY!

We've also finished the power-supply section. Which even when off stores a handy 365v.
And when on....well, we haven't been silly enough to lick it lets just say that.

Last night we stared work on the power amp section, and are nearly finished.
The chassis is a little small for the massive caps we have for the powersection, so things are getting a little crampped already, but that's all good.
Just enough room for everything, with what looks like enough space for the high-watt resistors to do their thing with out burning out.

These are a few photos of the amp as of two nights ago.
I'll take more tonight. It's beginning to look like an amp.
w00t!

Oh also, i think I've designed a tube version of the fuzz face.
I think. I'll have to run my schematics past Herman tonight (plus, it'll need like 150volts to run, so that could be an interestingly big pedal haha).





Enjoy

Jonny.

Gilligans's Fuzz

hehe, it even works!





Haven't tried it yet with a guitar..or an amp..as I don't have either with me at the moment (they're sitting happily in storage in NZ awaiting my return).
But I tried it with a tiny test amp and a DVD player...got some awesome over tones hehe.
Built roughly to the orignal Dalas Fuzz Face schematics...so yeah, think hendrix...in a nut shell (oOoo, I know I liked it too...:P)

Any way, once I can I'll get a demo video up here.
Also, soon I will be starting on my own custom fuzz...and I mean custom!
I've head a lot of fuzzes..and I think I've designed one i'd be proud to call my own.
And depending on the success of my first few prototypes, I'm thinking of making them for sale when i move back to NZ.
So...get orders in :P

Enjoy

Jonny.
PS>..the NZ made Fuzzes don't come in Coconut shells.

KD50?

Hmm I'm trying to think of a good name for this amp.

KD50 sounds a little too..normal.
Plus, it'd stand for Knopp/Dusbaba 50.
I decided that KD sounds better than DK

Any way, this is the chassis (although sorry you can't see just how awesome it is in this light)



This is the amp mounting. With everything now in place, it's just a case of doing the hard stuff haha.



And this is a Herman.



Tip for today;
"Having the right tools is half the work."

Sorry nothing else handy to tell you haha.

Enjoy

Jonny.

Maybe I like it there

Hello

Well, good news. AirPlay will be starting regular practises again, and will be beginning a long recording process, as I am coming back.

yeah big decisions, and kinda scary.
I'm moving back on the 2nd of July.

Stupid money..it's gonna cost me about a grand to move back...any one wanna give me some cash?

I've just finished a CV, cause I'll need a job I guess - nothing as cool as building boats I'll admit, but hopefully something entertaining.
IF I could get into the RockShop or something like that, that'd make me a pretty happy dude.

Some times I wonder why I moved here in the first place..it kinda cost me a lot.
But I'm sure there was some reason for it, and lots has happened, so yeah....but for the moment I just want to make music with the guys, so back i come.

Sorry I feel like I'm still writing a CV...but I'm not..so its all coming out retardedly.

lets just finish with..I'm coming back!
And there will be gigs!...soonish haha. Give us a little time to practise and then there will be gigs haha.

Enjoy..
Jonny.