18 watt Superlite TMB Reverb

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I just acquired a Vox Escort 50 Bass combo for 100€. It's a ragged old amp, which is very nicely aged and an inspiration for relic guys.
The size and look of the cab is what made me buy it. I've always had a weak spot for voxes, just for the looks of them.
Now I've got some decisions to make, but I'm leaning towards making a JTM 45 out of it.
Later on I'm going to open her up and see if there are parts to reassign besides the speaker.

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[TriodeLuvr]

I'd be tempted to convert that to something like a VOX AC30. Just to keep it in the family.

Jack

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I'd be tempted to convert that to something like a VOX AC30. Just to keep it in the family.

Jack

Naaahh.. on 2nd thought..it's a better candidate for my low watter tremolo tmb. It's 10cm lower and 5cm narrower than my 18 watts.

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Ok... it's started. Chassis drilled.. ready for wiring the heaters. Turretboard drilled too

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Some more progress. This will be it for another week.. I'm off to France tonight.
Power supply is almost ready...

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Ok. Power supply finished. B+ line too. And input jack wired until the grid of V1a.
VoCom G2 controller is preparated and will be connected/tested AFTER the amp is up and running to spec.
Edit: had to redo some wiring in the B+ line. Stupid mistake...

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Mark foil side of the caps

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[JMPGuitars]

Mark foil side of the caps
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You so fancy!

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Aaahhhh shame! On holiday again til Sunday, and that's how I have to leave the build behind. Only the PI wiring to be finished and the power tube wiring to be done...

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Finished wiring the amp yesterday. After all checks I fired her up and all things are fine. No noises or issues at all, and sounds healthy and fine.
Voltage after rectification is too high, as I expected. 372VDC. I added 2x 6V zeners and that brought the B+ back to 362VDC. Still too high. Today I will knock that down.
I have a discrepancy in the plate voltages of the PI that need some attention. I didn't wrote the grid and cathode voltages down, but they're fine.
I also put in a 2.2uf cathode bypass cap for the fat switch. The 1uf wasn't fat enough, but it's part of the fine tuning process...we'll see.
Reverb voltages are lower than the tremolo TMB reverb. The B+ dropping resistors aren't the same values for that matter, so that explains. But the verb's nevertheless nicely sounding.
So after I get the B+ to spec I will be making the connections of the G2 controller. I'm very curious how that will behave..

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[JMPGuitars]

I have a discrepancy in the plate voltages of the PI that need some attention.

That plate voltage discrepancy doesn't matter. That's a very small margin.

After you get your B+ voltage to the sweet spot, you might want to adjust the reverb voltage, but if it sounds good, it's obviously optional.

Thanks,
Josh

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Got the voltages where they should be, more or less... for now I will settle for that.
The G2 controller works, but it's not that linear as I would expect. When you turn it more down it drops, but rises back immediatly. Not to full power, but still. When you roll it down to 9 O'clock it's clearly less in volume, but overdrives more than it was set to on the gain. I think it works, but one needs to learn to use it I guess...

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Combo almost ready. White piping still to do, along with the handle and rubber feet.
The guy wants tilt back legs!!! Dank, only Fender sells such things... would break my heart to add those

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Assembled...

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[JMPGuitars]

Very nice! Though I'm sure you already know my next question...

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Very nice! Though I'm sure you already know my next question...

Yes I know about the obligatory sound clip

[TriodeLuvr]

Beautiful work, my friend. If good looks were measured in dollars, it would be a million!

Jack

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Beautiful work, my friend. If good looks were measured in dollars, it would be a million!

Jack

Thanks Jack. I'm pretty satisfied too with the results

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Picture backside. Reverbtank bag under construction

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Quick Soundclip:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zvrs98usa5w68 ... b.m4a?dl=0

[JMPGuitars]

Sounds great!

When you make your reverb tank bag, live a tiny little bit of room height-wise. You probably will want to slide a piece or two of cardboard in there the length/width of the tank (covering the tank opening).

Thanks,
Josh