Van Halen Tribute Amp

[TriodeLuvr]

Thanks! I used 2 coats of gloss black Rust-oleum "2X ultracover paint+primer". Then 2 coats of the same, in gloss white. Next up, 2 coats of Sunrise Red Rust-oleum Gloss Protective Enamel. I think the first primer coats will be OK, as I basically hand-etched the chassis with a scotchbrite pad and acetone right before applying the first coat. Put it this way: there was no oxide layer on this chassis when the first primer layer went on. Fingers crossed...

Aluminum oxidizes immediately on contact with air. You would have to apply the paint with the abrasive pad to prevent that from happening. I hope this works out for you, but it's a lot easier and consistent if you just clean it with dishwashing soap, then spray it with an etching primer before the color coat. The Dupli-Color brand is available at auto parts stores and has never failed me.

[crgfrench]

Quality of chassis paint job ...similar... I'd say, to EVH's quality of Frankie paint job. Looking pretty cool.

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[JMPGuitars]

Quality of chassis paint job ...similar... I'd say, to EVH's quality of Frankie paint job. Looking pretty cool.

Definitely looks cool. If you ever do something where you want cleaner edges, try green Frog Tape instead of the standard blue painter's tape.

[jchrisf]

That looks awesome.. can't wait to see it and hear it completed.

[crgfrench]

Got some hardware installed

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[crgfrench]

I was having trouble shimming the Floyd Rose...
...I mean, the power transformer.
Found a cool solution!

VolcanoQuarter2.jpg

[Bieworm]

I was having trouble shimming the Floyd Rose...
...I mean, the power transformer.
Found a cool solution!VolcanoQuarter2.jpg

Now you can charge extra when selling the amp.. legit !!!

[Bieworm]

What would you have done if you only had a 100$ Bill? Folded it over and over until the right thickness was reached?

[crgfrench]

Wiring the heaters today.
Here is a pre-solder gutshot, with 2 of the 3 can caps installed and the bias circuit laid out. There are 4 ground points: 1) the mains earth ground next to the IEC jack, 2) the preamp bus ground above the first preamp tube, next to where the input jack will be, and 3) the power ground star next to the bottom-mounted can cap, and 4) a bias ground point on the power tube socket bolt, next to the bias trimpot.

Volcano20210117.JPG

[crgfrench]

Heater wiring came out nice & tidy

Volcano Heater Wiring.JPG

[crgfrench]

What would you have done if you only had a 100$ Bill?

I would have taken that Benjamin to the bank, bought 10 rolls of quarters and searched through them all for a 1971 quarter. That’s what gives the special frankenmojo!

[crgfrench]

Time to get soldering, now that the cabinet’s done.

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[jchrisf]

Very cool.. how'd this one turn out?

[crgfrench]

I put this amp on the back burner... the PT touches the speaker frame when installed in the combo cabinet, so I was "thinking about it" and moved on to other projects in the meantime. One possible solution might have been to front mount the speaker instead of rear mounting it. It's a mojotone custom tweed deluxe cabinet with an extra 1" of depth but apparently I needed 1.5". Unfortunately this cabinet has speaker mounts that can't be reversed for front mounting, so I've kind of been waiting to get another cabinet with front mount studs, while considering other alternatives. Another option would be to use a 10" speaker instead of the 12", but that eliminates the EVH Celestion that I actually want to use. Maybe I'll just make it as a head and 1x12 cab... Sorry for the lack of updates this past year.

[Bieworm]

I put this amp on the back burner... the PT touches the speaker frame when installed in the combo cabinet, so I was "thinking about it" and moved on to other projects in the meantime. One possible solution might have been to front mount the speaker instead of rear mounting it. It's a mojotone custom tweed deluxe cabinet with an extra 1" of depth but apparently I needed 1.5". Unfortunately this cabinet has speaker mounts that can't be reversed for front mounting, so I've kind of been waiting to get another cabinet with front mount studs, while considering other alternatives. Another option would be to use a 10" speaker instead of the 12", but that eliminates the EVH Celestion that I actually want to use. Maybe I'll just make it as a head and 1x12 cab... Sorry for the lack of updates this past year.

What are you working on now? I'm in the process of building an Ampeg B15 fliptop