Is 18 watt lite w/Ef86 much different than trinity AC 15?

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123Tyger
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Is 18 watt lite w/Ef86 much different than trinity AC 15?

Post by 123Tyger »

Hi guys! Long time lurker here. I’m getting the itch for another build and am looking into a GDS lite type of kit but with a EF86 preamp tube. How different is a 18 watt lite w/EF86 versus a Trinity Ac15 which I already have. I play pedal steel so this would be apartment type of volume. I already have more than 20 amps to use and just want a different flavor of sound, but how different from an AC15 type of amp? Any opinions appreciated!
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JMPGuitars
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Re: Is 18 watt lite w/Ef86 much different than trinity AC 15?

Post by JMPGuitars »

The preamp shares some similarities, but the power amps are different. If you want it to be more different in the preamp, you could follow my EF86 Lite 2P circuit instead.

Thanks,
Josh
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123Tyger
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Re: Is 18 watt lite w/Ef86 much different than trinity AC 15?

Post by 123Tyger »

Thanks for info Josh. Are there any companies that would make a circuit board for an EF86? So far I’ve seen ads for TMB, tremolo , lite, and super lite all with a 12AX7 first tube. Any info on where to get a pre made turret board for a EF86 lite 2P or other EF86 variant? I’m not too interested in making my own circuit board as I can only work on a dinky table top and I’ve already made a few amps by nibbling , cutting , filing and drilling Hammond chassis and fiberglass boards and have gotten that out of my system!
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Re: Is 18 watt lite w/Ef86 much different than trinity AC 15?

Post by JMPGuitars »

123Tyger wrote:
Sun 09/04/22 2:05 pm
Thanks for info Josh. Are there any companies that would make a circuit board for an EF86? So far I’ve seen ads for TMB, tremolo , lite, and super lite all with a 12AX7 first tube. Any info on where to get a pre made turret board for a EF86 lite 2P or other EF86 variant? I’m not too interested in making my own circuit board as I can only work on a dinky table top and I’ve already made a few amps by nibbling , cutting , filing and drilling Hammond chassis and fiberglass boards and have gotten that out of my system!
I have 2 turret boards sitting on my bench for the EF86 Lite. I made them by mistake when I was making the first EF86 Lite 2P board for another member, but I was on autopilot and didn't notice until after they were done. ;)

Email me at support at jmpguitars.com if you want one or both of them. Anybody that wants me to make a board for them can email me, as long as it's one of my 18W circuits (anything else would take more time / cost more).

Thanks,
Josh
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Re: Is 18 watt lite w/Ef86 much different than trinity AC 15?

Post by zaphod_phil »

I assume we're actually talking about the Trinity TC15 here.they don't have an amp called the AC15. The TC15 is more like a Matchless Lightning or a half-power Matchless DC30ish amp
One word of advice:

typical Vox PI resistor values make for a fizzy- sounding breakup relative to a regular Marshall 18W
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123Tyger
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Re: Is 18 watt lite w/Ef86 much different than trinity AC 15?

Post by 123Tyger »

TC 15 it is! Just ordered most parts for a 18 watt EF86. I received a GDS small chassis and have acquired most parts for a build. Thanks to Josh for a circuit board. It seems no one parts site has 100% of the parts needed to build the amp. So far I’ve dealt with four or five vendors. Oh well. I went the non kit route as I already had the tubes and most of the signal capacitors which were paper in oil leftovers from my hi fi building days. I also wanted something dissimilar than the TC 15. So we shall see……
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