18Watt.com

Having had an answer alreadu today, thanks Chubsman, I decided I want to try and build a 36W head to power my MG412 cab. I have a MG100HDFX head already and was wondering if its possible to use the cab and chassis (at least the bit that has the control knobs on) and convert this to a valve head? I do see a potential clearance issue but was wondering if anyone had any experience with this?

Failing that is there a step by step guide for newbies on building a valve head?

Thanks

Check out www.ampmaker.com for a very good step by step guide on how to build an 18 watt from his kit. A 36 watt would not be much different, other than that you would have a different board and two more valves. The preamp is basically the same.

It may seem like a shortcut to use an SS chassis and rebuild it with so-called "valves," but I can tell you, though it can be a fun and rewarding challenge, it really is no shortcut, unless you are extremely lucky and your chassis happens to fit your needs very closely. Usually it doesn't, and it takes some ingenuity, elbow grease and circuit/layout redesign to pull it off.

It can make for a very cool project though, if you're up for it.

thanks for the tips, have been on ampmaker and tbh I am still getting to grips with it all.

I think a kit may be the way to go and then see it that chassis can be used in the marshall head.

If you're in the UK, Barry at Amp maker has helped one or two people do 36W Lite amps before.

Also, did you see this recent thread, about a 36W Lite IIb - http://www.18watt.com/modules.php?name= ... ic&t=21354 ?

Provided there's enough clearance between the top of the chassis and the inside of the cab to accommodate the EL84s, it's very feasible to build this kind of amp in an SS amp's cab and chassis, since 18W/36W Lite amps are pretty simple and use a fairly small circuit board. You would need to use a replacement faceplate to cover all the extra holes in the front of the amp, for the knobs you no longer have. martinw in the UK has built quite a few amps like this, using solid state amps as donors.

You can get a good quality, purpose build head-cab for your 36W for about £100, or used ones crop up for a bit less than that from time-to-time, it will be easier, and look better than re-cycling your MG100HDFX cabinet, and the money you get for the MG100HDFX should buy you a nice cab, and maybe even a bit left over!

thanks, those are very good suggestions, I did a cab for sale for around £75 which seemed reasonable, although I am ok with this type of woodworking. Will continue to read bits on this site and see where it goes.