Convert solid state amp into a head - DIY

[@thejusticeization]

Fender and marshall should make solid state lower watts heads like these

[@DelusionalVoice]

Marshall had those Lead 12 heads in the 80s and 90s and they sound amazing through big 4x12s. It's borderline unbelievable

[@roach-2351]

@@DelusionalVoice I got one of those little lead 12 heads for like 80 dollars with both of the original cabs and it sounds amazing

[@springbloom5940]

Or just put a 50¢ cab jack on them. Id pay another $2 for that.

[@dpajc056]

100% I don’t want more than 1W for home use

[@youknoweverything7643]

@@dpajc056 i got a Marshall vintage modern 100 watt full stack that I play at home on about 4 its so much fun when friends come over and I play with backing tracks through my p.a system abd it sounds like a live concert cuse it has the feeling of the loud bad to the bone Marshall stack thump. My parebts bought me that full stack with matching 4x12 cabs from guitar center new for 800 bucks when they first came out now look they are a very high dollar and sought after amp. Great purchase mom and dad I'm 29 now and I was 13 when I got it. Maybe in 20 more years it will be worth enough to help me retire lol

[@VesselForHonor]

WOW I was not expecting it to sound that good, that’s freaking awesome dude. Thanks for showing how you wired up the output too, I’ve been planning on doing this with my black 90s frontman 25r. Cheers!

[@mikestrowbridge]

I did this with a Frontman 25r, except I just added an extension speaker output jack on the back so that when you plug a cab into it, it cuts off the 10 inch speaker in the combo.

[@CheapGuitarsAndMore]

Mike Strowbridge im about to do the same :D, im getting a 4 speaker cab tomorrow just for this mod

[@gp85hkg]

Mike Strowbridge... hmmmm, so you didn't do this (".)

[@KiteSurfere]

I want to do the same thing with my Vox combo :)

[@gioscervelo]

just bought the switching jack to do the mod on my frontman 20r. I have a super cheep cosco amp which is going to become a head for a rainy day project.

[@crunchchannel9391]

Very cool, ive done this to a few practice amps. Its amazing some of these little combo amps have TONS of bottom end they try to get the best tone they can out of a little 8" speaker and the speaker cabs usually are just WAY to small for the 8" speaker to perform like it can. Cabinets make all the difference. You would be shocked how loud some of these cheap amps can get when hooked to a better speaker. That thing looks perfect for a single 12, ill bet it wold look sweet. solid state amps like this really arnt to picky about impedance, usually a 4X12 is 8 or 16 and the SS amps can handle that fine. Its when you run 4 ohms some of these little amps poop out most struggle in the power supply with 4 ohms YOu did a great job on the mod. Use the back plate and cut a half circle to fit into the edge of the speaker hole in the front and the front grill will look more factory. Cool thing is little amps like this you can get for pennys on craigslist and you can build a cool little collection of micro heads

[@mxkguitar]

This is my small club stage monitor. I didn't cut the bottom off just bypassed the output to an output jack mounted on back. Hooked up to my old Ampeg Reverbarocket 2 x 12 cabinet it sounds great and I only get to about 3 on volume and it's plenty loud. Set clean all the time I rely on amp models and effects live verb from my pedal. Great sound on the cheap! ;-)

[@Schwaadrumz]

Very nice! I have done a couple of these heads myself. Fender, Peavey, Line6, and Marshall. I can appreciate your skills very much

[@KiteSurfere]

Thanks :)

[@springbloom5940]

I used a Squire 15, as a preamp, for years. Great sounding amp.

[@alexvachon9990]

i have a question for you , i have squire 15 amp too , i like the tone i get with my pedal in my headphone is very good sound but with the amp speaker its really not the same. so i think like in the video i could only use another speaker and it could be maybe the sound like what i have in my headphone ? i think use the small randall rg8 cab do you have an idea if it will sound better ?

[@springbloom5940]

@@alexvachon9990 What size speaker does it have, now?

[@alexvachon9990]

@@springbloom5940 is a squire champ 15 , so surely the cheapest 8 inch speaker that exist

[@dddd717]

I put out pit jacks on all my small combo amps as the always sound great into larger cabs ...

[@Dman216]

I used 2 Fender squire 15g's and made a new wood combo cab that is drilled out for 2 10's(dont have the speakers yet) so basicly its 2 amps in one cab and i built an A/B pedal so i can switch the amps both on or 1 on 1 off. Its nice because i can run one side dirty and the other clear and get some nice tones using differnt pedals on both amps. Iam thinking either jensen webber or guitar warehouse speakers.

[@danielgriffith3633]

Nice job. I did this w a 30 watt Fender with the DSP- totally smokes a 4x12, drill a hole in the back panel and attach a gtr jack to the speaker wires. I paid $30 for the 30 watt fender dsp, sold the speaker for $30....talk about free head

[@effigyjp]

Did this to my Fender frontman 15R too, what a difference it makes just having a decent speaker cabinet.

[@daisuke_thrasher7032]

I own this amp, and I find it hilarious that even through the shitty mic, and my shitty phone speaker, sounds better than the stock speaker 😂

[@hooliganstreet]

Yeah the stock speaker is absolute garbage 😂

[@mikemorgan548]

Whoa! Sounds usable and you can play. Very cool!

[@mr.shwift5052]

This is the exact amp I was gonna do this too, prefect video

[@johndough9020]

I was hoping to see the cutting part. Did you use a circular saw?

[@darrianknight8974]

What do you wire the extra jack to? The original speaker wires?

[@clydeg4274]

i have two of these amps ive had forever... i'd like to try this and maybe even adding reverb to the board.... the slots for reverb are labeled i assume it shouldnt be too complicated. im a noob when it comes to electronics.. seems like it'd be fun to do though

[@jimcamp2423]

I thought about doing this to a Pyle PVamp60. And then I rethought that concept, just leave it as the combo that it is with it's own speaker. It travels well that way as a stand alone sub 20 lb combo. Any mod would be to add an output jack, so that the Pyle's cabinet/speaker could be used with a different amp head like the Orange Micro Terrors, Joyo Bantamps or Bugera T5 Infinium. And then there is the Lineout that the Pyle already has that the Pyle's amp could be used with yet another cabinet, say a 2x12 or 4x12. It's really an all in one amp toolbox that way and the only mod I have to make is to add the output jack, under $ 6-10 depending upon the quality of the output jack & wire. Eventually with a lunchbox low wattage amp, be out another $ 100-212.50 for those and that's only if I chase a Bugera T5 at full price. The Bantamps can be had for $ 130-169, the Orange White box is $149 & a Orange Dark $ 189. The speaker in the Pyle is a 60W max watts rated, 8" woofer, so it's every nit as good a speaker as the one that comes in the Fender Mustang I V2 20W model & effects combo I have. No reason to let it go to waste and if it ever dies, I can replace it for less than a new amp prices out at.

[@JoolsTurrall]

"Should have worn something in my ears" bet you never said that when it was a combo! Nice job, doing this with my Marshall Code 50 right now.

[@KiteSurfere]

Haha, no... Good luck with your project

[@michaelcummins5468]

If it is a code, your gonna need voicing speakers

[@evil1st]

actually I have the same fender 15g for playing in my bedroom and it gets pretty loud

[@beau-2222]

It's actually a really nice sound.

[@tylerwhite9923]

Nice, I just bought a Fender Champ 110 from the early 90s to use as a bass amp, sounds like crap through the speaker but pretty good through my headphones, probably gonna turn it into a head and route it out to bass speakers.

[@KiteSurfere]

Cool :) Just make sure that the ohm is the same :)

[@caljude]

just a follow up question...if I use 4 speaker, it should be 8 ohms each?

[@KiteSurfere]

Your cab should all together be 8ohm...

[@tylerwhite9923]

Jhudaz Gab You can use 1 8Ohm, 2 16Ohms, or 4 32 Ohms if they even exist.

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

tyler did you do this? i wanna turn one of my fender guitar amps into a bass amp by behedding my boring solid state bass combo and sticking a guitar amp "head" on it. does it work?!?

[@arriramaputra4858]

Really nice. Something that I’ll do someday.

[@Texas059]

I have a question I have a Fender Mustang one combo I want to convert it to head. The problem I have from the chassis amp has yellow wire goes to the middle. The speaker terminals on the amp. I believe the yellow wire is ground if I disconnect the yellow wire from the mirror, the speaker terminal do I connect it back to the chassis for ground. Please let me know.

[@Moremetal..]

The sound you where getting reminded me of the band "Cry Of Love"

[@thrashfan4ever]

i would love to do this to my crate tube hybrid its a gt80 with built in effects yeah i know alot of guys would probably laugh and say a crate those are crap but this acts just like a tube amp it gets a pretty good 80s and can do some metal but anything beyond that you would need maybe a metal zone or some wampler pinnacle or plexi type pedal but it can get a pretty good tone

[@jmch6359]

Results look and sound great. Cool idea. Nice job -

[@KiteSurfere]

James McHenry, Thanks 😊

[@lukessoundhouse9903]

And what if I use just the headphones output directly to the cab? Doesn't work?

[@samcollins7370]

You probably already found an answer, but no. It would not work. The headphone output only outputs a fraction of the loudness compared to the amp output, considering that it just has to drive at most two two inch speakers sitting about an inch from your ears. In terms of volume, it doesn’t have to be very loud at all to be perceived as loud at that distance. Guitar amplifiers meant to be heard across the room wouldn’t be heard at all with that minuscule output, unless you had your ears as close to the speakers as they would be in a headphone setup

[@lukessoundhouse9903]

@@samcollins7370 Oh, I understand now Thanks for the answer!

[@infectionsman]

Running a 1x12 cab with a celestion greenback will make most cheap practice amps sound much better than stock.

[@Cobrajet1971]

So, never have done this but are wanting to, If I turn a Line 6, 2x12 combo amp into a head unit, and build my own cab with four 12's, what would be the proper way to wire a set up like that? I'm not quiet grasping the output jack deal, I'm assuming I need two of them for 4 speakers, or what?Please forgive my ignorance, I'm not familiar with this process.Anybody?

[@KiteSurfere]

Depending on the ohm of the speakers, you can connect them all to one Ohm differs if you connect them parrallel or serial. Så you need to lay out your connections and then buy speakers after, what you want in the end. But if I were you, I would build a stereo cab with 2 jacks. It could open up the sound for some effects.

[@97warlock]

did you remove the fabric from the front of the amp before cutting?

[@kg1751]

Might do this to my vox vt40x, best amp I've ever played honestly, it outgains my evh 5150iii lbx

[@ChadAnthonyTheReaper]

Amazing job man, Looks Great, Sounds Great.

[@KiteSurfere]

Thanks :)

[@grangerousdesigns4678]

I wonder if I could do that with my Fender Mustang 3?

[@KiteSurfere]

I can't see why not... :)

[@jimcamp2423]

I would've just preferred to put a switch & output in the combo, so that it still functions as a combo or option as a head to an external cab. I guess this makes a Frontman 15G look cooler though, as a Fender head. The combo itself is about 20 lbs or so and a tube amp head is going to be at least that too. Not like you're really buying much for weight savings and a Frontman 15G sits on a larger 1x, 2x or 4x cabinet just the same.

[@74rover]

I Just made this mod to my marshall mg10 and get a constant hissing sound that stays the same no matter the volume, but other than that, the sound is incredible. Any idea what could cause that?

[@stephenhookings1985]

Have you twisted the wires from the amp output to either your jack socket or speaker? It can help reject noise.

[@ivanhuanca9082]

I made the same mod not on a fender, in a cheaper one.. and it. Does sound better

[@leonardojustino5249]

Does it sound LOUD?? Loud enough for a small gig i mean

[@edwtorres1]

Please, could you tell me which is the impedance of the speaker?... and do you know between which impedances the amplifier works?..thanks in advance!

[@woah4848]

Time to do this to a rumble 100 bass combo amp

[@nerfertracker642]

Hey, quick question, does it make it louder too? or is it the same loudness as it was before?

[@fudaguitar2008]

how did you identify the positive and the negative?

[@stephenjohnson899]

Nice!!!!Love it dude..

[@mctech4783]

does this make the amp sound "louder" I mean, once you plug it into a cabinet, you get more volume? or i'll sound just better toned?

[@KiteSurfere]

Both a little louder and a lot more tone :)

[@RetroPlus]

That's cute, and really cool

[@9derick6]

Any advice on doing something similar with a fender mustang lt25? I was thinking of building a new combo cabinet with a 12” 25-30 watt celestion and wrapping it in black carbon fiber. So basically instead of turning it into a separate head unit, I want to build a bigger better combo cabinet with a 12” celestion. Do you think that would be doable? If so I would greatly appreciate any advice, you clearly know your way around guitar amps!

[@9derick6]

I may possible use two celestion 12” in a custom cabinet after thinking about your video, I’m positive it would push them. Keep up the great content brother! Subscribed!

[@toxictophat711]

I'ma do a flooded fender bullet reverb amp soon it needs a input jack replaced but if I make it a head I won't have to replace the speaker and can chop off the rotten wood also reverb mini head because why not 😂

[@prisonmike4971]

This is exactly what I want to do with my orange oc20. Either that or go with the fender super champ head and build a 2x12 cab, but I'm not super impressed with the super champ. You really made that combo look like a proper head. Really solid. Is that marshall cab the mg series?

[@youthexplosionband]

Hello, If I convert my 25r into a head amplifire will work good with a single 15" cerwin Vega speaker? specs 8 ohm 180 watts

[@kristianaleksandrov9130]

youthexplosion Yes,if the impedance is matched you should be fine.

[@patscanlan2678]

nice job....does the impedance match tho?

[@KiteSurfere]

Yes, both 8ohm, so no problem there :o)

[@dbredred1]

How did you find the impedance?

[@KiteSurfere]

dbredred... It said so on the speaker 😊

[@ianbanhamamprepair9457]

Dnieper K750 sidevalve?

[@loadi2865]

sounds good....

[@jobsondiasalves]

4x12?

[@Someguy04-v3m]

Awesome build far as making it look like a head. Isnt this basically just a 15watt head/amp pushing about 400watts worth of speaker?? Which is cool but it probably isn't all that loud is it?? Either way I enjoyed watching.

[@Indigenous51]

Killer ! Shoulda put in some ear plugs ! 😂

[@tommykaira8775]

This is so cute! Did you use speaker or just instrument cable?

[@sTatocaster]

any change on the volume of the Amp?

[@KiteSurfere]

It plays louder through my 4x12" cab :) Great for playing at home, but not for gigs...

[@daveyroque1070]

Buckcherry my man😉

[@socastee_5.097]

can i do this with an ibanez 18w amp?

[@KiteSurfere]

Yes, you can do this with any amp. Just connect the speaker wire to an output jack instead. And then run it to your cap. Just make shure that the cab and amp is the same ohm. Or at least that the cab has a higher ohm than the amp. I'll post a video soon, where I've put in a switch on my Marshal and my Vox combos, so that they still function as regular amps, but I can flick the switch to send the sound to my cab instead

[@genekloszewski5484]

Good job ! I've been chopping them, for years, 12" speakers, always sound better! gene,,u.s.a.

[@markparadis8029]

I agree:) like 10s sound tight but thin and omg like nowdays8-6.5 " speakers is WHY? the more12"speakers the better I say rest is a waste of money :)

[@rolandedrummer9723]

URAL?

[@timotejskokan2068]

Awwwww sounds amazing 😎😎😎

[@mctwishvonnoodles9793]

Kind of a dumb question (better safe than sorry eh?) but: I have an 8 ohm amp, will a 16 ohm cab be safe? I just want to be totally sure before I blow something

[@KiteSurfere]

Shouldn't be a problem with when the cab has a higher ohm :) I don't know why... But I've reaserched... This guy tells it good: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnjYppx_mteJp9U But if you're scared, you should talk to an expert, which I'm not ;o)

[@roghib666]

McTwish von Noodles yeah, not a problem, but you'll loose some output level.

[@waynewayne3709]

The tda2030 in this little amp will power a 16 ohm 8 ohm even 4 ohm speaker.. Plus the amp is set to 15w only it will not go any louder.. ie power supply etc..

[@n34z3r]

Nice

[@finnhagan7664]

Can it get over a drum kit?

[@KiteSurfere]

Not if the drummer hits it hard...

[@KiteSurfere]

But it is loud enough to make your ears ring...

[@finnhagan7664]

Lars Jørgensen thanks!

[@fionnoh1505]

Genius

[@karyknudtson986]

you totally rule...rule...

[@campadata773]

The thing i find peculiar is that you people are taking the amp and cutting it so it looks like a head whyyyy just have 2 input jacks inserted so it works as a head and as a combo travel amp

[@74rover]

Indeed, that’s what i did, needles work i would call this 🤟

[@fernandocumbe1954]

Hahahah this is awesome!!! Great job !!!

[@ermonski]

This mod debunks the myth that solid state amps are pieces of shit. The fact is that these cheap combo amps have great sounding quality circuitry that comes shipped with shit speakers. This is a great way to have great tone for a fraction of the price... well, since speaker cabs aren't exactly cheap!

[@KiteSurfere]

You're right :) All small speakers would benefit from a couples of bigger og better speakers :)

[@phililpb]

I like small speakers, I like tall speakers If they've music, they're wired for sound

[@fatalbroadcast]

Wow I got that little amp when it came out,...still works,...very rare for a shitty little practice amp the last that long,....I have to say the little head sound way better through the cab,....they make most solid state amps out of particle board,....it's no wonder stock they suck so bad.

[@jamesmcqueen6038]

You would have to be on drugs to listen to that banging for 20 minutes. I guess you can't tell good music form just a lot of banging.

[@TheGuitarGuy.]

The amp already has an out option which you can plug into the cab and it will work as head itself Why the fuck so much of efforts?😂

[@B_Main]

100% fake