Tube Amp Build Completion - W.I.S.C - GT5 'Halcyon' Build 6

[@AndyIntharaphithak]

This is like therapy for tube amp enthusiasts, your calm, cool and collected voice detailing your well planned steps into "tone nirvana"

[@moses1202]

The cost of building an amp by yourself is much more than I thought. I can just spend 150 usd for a nice, almost new all tube combo amp on the second hand market and spend another few money to mod it. But the fun of building by yourself is not something you can buy. Well, it just depends on what would you think how worthy it is.

[@alexandertorrente198]

Usually I build super high end 100w amps, Synergy royal/Jupiter, CTS/alpha pots, heyboer trannies, ETC.... And end up spending about 1200-1500. I imagine something like this would run 700 or 800 I'm total, if even that. One of those things that you have to save up for and what ot for a little while

[@remoswords]

I finished mine, lot of fun, plans, videos and information made easy to beginner like me to built. Highly recommend, maybe the best amp plan in this category we can find. And from the tone controls you can dial one frequency without mess with another's. Thanks for all effort to plan and share. I hope more KZbin users can find this jewel. All the best.

[@elams1894]

Thank you Remo! Glad everything worked out, all the best!

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

"TENACITY" and "PATIENCE" win the day. Great tool collection by the way. I have learned to be prepared for the unexpected like "Bum-tube"!

[@okiwatashi2349]

Man, all your work is so clean! Great series, always get a kick out of your videos. And then the jealousy and wish I had the patience to be as good. Thanks for putting these up

[@elams1894]

Thanks heaps Oki, really appreciate it!

[@multishit6664]

Damn you could send that thing into space and play..what a build.

[@elams1894]

Thank you!

[@Nobody-NoOne]

Sweet build, art work indeed. I also built an amp push pull EL34 from scratch, it was a great experience when it fired up, and sounded so sweet :)

[@elams1894]

Thank you, nice work on the push pull, nothing like your own amp to crank out!!

[@jesse7852]

I'm late to this video but i loved it. To anyone building amps like this, I recommend building a simple dim bulb setup to use during the first power up. If you're amp is pulling too much juice, it can help you identify a problem before any of your components sizzle or melt. It's a old ham radio trick.

[@elams1894]

Great tip, thanks Jesse!

[@Slugg-O]

This was an incredible build. I really appreciate the demo of the clean setting.

[@92ilyas]

Fuzzn cool, got my plan pack a few days ago can't wait to start build.

[@elams1894]

Thanks heaps!! Hope the plans go well, all the best!!

[@k2avfr]

Excellent finished product, and a wonderful tour of the complete process to build it. Thank you.

[@elams1894]

Thanks Kirk!

[@KleyDeJong]

Awesome work, very inspiring! The amp sounds great too. I love the macro shots into the fine details.

[@elams1894]

Thanks Kley! Much appreciated!

[@MaxWeirdVideos]

Another great movie!

[@lennierichardson1387]

Great build! I watched all six vids in one go and learned a lot. I'll be referring to this series again, and often.

[@elams1894]

Thanks heaps Lennie!

[@jesscneal]

Sounds great! Nice work :) That shot if the complete inside is amazing. Like a mid century modern robot brain :D

[@elams1894]

Thanks Jess, really appreciate it, have good one!!

[@nevillegoddard4966]

Yes mate that tone 'stack' sounded very very good! I must investigate how you wired it up! A Bandaxall tone stage ay? Right, not the 'passive' type used on most guitar amps! It definitely provides a large range of control. Excellent mate!

[@parachuteman4]

That is so good. Your meticulous work is incredible

[@montygore1200]

Wow it sounds very tight.

[@moodyga40]

Sozo caps good i use in my valve hifi amp

[@scottjarvis5485]

love your work and attention to detail thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion. I have gained so much from your videos really well explained some great tips and techniques that most people keep to themselves but you share them all just wonderful mate

[@elams1894]

Thanks Scott, really appreciate it, glad it was useful..

[@ProSimex84]

Always happy to see new Elams videos. Are we gonna see a 4 part enclosure build using reclaimed local NZ wood next!?!?!?

[@elams1894]

Thanks Pro! Maybe, I have a bit of spare wood, let's see if time permits, cheers!!

[@GregsGarage]

I love it!!!

[@elams1894]

Thanks Greg!

[@masuiiguitars]

Sounds amazing. Love the mids

[@elams1894]

Thanks G!!! I'm pretty stoked with the tone stack. Took a massive amount of time to dial it in but its very versatile. I'll conduct a decent demo when (if) this lockdown will ever end. I'll use my SM57 mic.

[@Unglued98]

Brilliant as always Geoff, the attention to detail you put into each build is just magnificent, you make art out of amp builds! And the editing makes this experience almost therapeutic haha Thank you for making this videos

[@elams1894]

Thanks Sebastian, much appreciated!

[@graybenchelec]

Interesting idea with the stacking turrets, I assume you could just pull the screw out once you have the two turrets soldered together? Potentially you could also get a screw long enough and just screw in all the turrets to the board instead of swaging them.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@graybenchelec I had the same thought mate! Those bolts are all gonna drop down due to gravity & short everything out unless they're removed! I never saw a shot where they were not there! As you say, I hope he puts a nut on the bottom end of those double height turrets or at least removes them after THOROUGHLY soldering the turrets together! Trouble is, the assembly may fall apart at the next touch of a soldering iron! Something he FORGOT to film!

[@andresilva7141]

Thank you for making this videos

[@elams1894]

Glad you like them!

[@troyp2439]

Your builds are awesome mate. Where do you get those resistors here in Australia?

[@elams1894]

I have to import my components, including PRP resistors from USA. Partsconnexion dot com in Canada also sell PRP resistors. I also use Visahy CMF55 series resistors. Can source them through Digikey or element14 Cheers.

[@julesl6910]

I love your concept of turrets, but don't you think they introduce electrical characteristics? My heart tells me that point to point soldering is superior in terms of expected sound quality. Don't these turrets have capacitance, current features, etc.? No matter I really enjoy the way you edit the video and good quality close ups, obviously the end result is excellent. I think I will incorporate your turret tech style in future builds.

[@elams1894]

Yes turrets do introduce their own electrical properties, mass being the main one, meaning more opportunity for unwanted induction. I now use solid brass machine bolts where double turrets would normally be. Less mass, solder, less complications. Every component, whether that be resistors, turrets , cable, every little thing in the amp affects the system in some way. The less complicated the better. Everything is a compromise. Simplify one thing, creates complications elsewhere. I'm not opposed to PCB at all, in fact PCB's are ideal for things like FX loops, or anything revolving around pedals, as after all, they are solid state devices themselves. That been said, I do prefer turret point to point for tube amps. The high voltages render PCB a tad unreliable. You have to find your own peace of mind in amp design, anything is possible and everything you have said makes sense. You obviously give it some critical thought and thats what its all about. The more you can think about the electrical system, the better you are placed in ending up with a noise free amp. Thanks for the input and all the best for your builds.

[@williambock1821]

Turning the mids down really made it smooth. I know it’s a rough recording tho. This design is very tempting with the Bax. It definitely is a whole different animal. I’ve built a few of Forrest Cook’s amps and he’s quite fond of Bax tone stacks. They all turned out great. Building his stereo preamp currently. I’d be curious to try this schematic out with more affordable components. Sozo’s and Jupiter’s are fantastic (especially the red Astron Jupiters) but oh so expensive. Do you think Panasonic coupling /bypass caps would suffice?

[@elams1894]

Thanks William. Indeed any bran of components will work. I too like the mid scooped tone. The Bax stack is a great circuit and it baffles me how the bax gets little love - probably more to do with voodoo science than anything else. IMO, the Bax demolishes the Marshal/Fender type stack. Good luck with the stereo amp, nice. Cheers

[@vaguitarts3443]

Hello, bude! Hope you are doing great! We are waiting for new video more than 2 years)))

[@elams1894]

Yo VA! I'm good thanks, hope you are too. New video coming out soon. JCM800 18-25watt build, free plans. Its been a long time in the making but its a good wee amp. Cheers!

[@vaguitarts3443]

@@elams1894 Great. Best amp ever. Fundamental sound. Today I was building a guitar cabinet and my wife reminded me about your videos. She asked: "Do you remember the content about amps and guitars from New Zealand?"))))))

[@elams1894]

@@vaguitarts3443 That's awesome!! She's a keeper bro 🤩🤩

[@julesl6910]

Why wouldn't you use a bulb current limiter when testing your initial amp build? I can't believe you just hope it doesn't short.

[@rafaelgibgabor1033]

Hello. Is it possible to put an fx loop in your amps? I hope to start my first build next month and I really love my reverbs and delays😅 Thank you! Have a nice day!

[@thijs199]

1:58 do you rest your elbows onto something while soldering? to keep your hand more still?

[@elams1894]

Yes, however here I'm soldering around a camera, which is super difficult, so the soldering in this video is pretty shaky and average at best. I can't see too well close up either so I applied way too much solder in this build.

[@thijs199]

@@elams1894 yeah you've mentioned something about that, not being able to see. It's ok ;) I can imagine, the work you've created is amazing, I've mailed you about the lamp hole template, I'll be attaching some oak to my chassis (:

[@simbotist]

@@elams1894 Amazing work, fantastic video, my new favorite channel. My biggest challenge by far is seeing what I’m working on. I wish I could see the work as well as I can see it in your videos. That would make a world of difference. Maybe I need some kind of a camera setup. Do you use anything other than the naked eye?

[@elams1894]

@@simbotist Thanks Tim. I have to use 2x magnifying glasses now as my vision is going down hill fast.

[@chrisrose2730]

Awesome as always man. Cheers from Charleston SC \m/

[@DiegoCastro-kn9tl]

Congratulations man! Nice sounding amp! And very quiet. I love this wide range Baxandall eq section. What is the brand of the tubes? What kind of problems a bad tube may cause in audio in your experience?

[@elams1894]

Thanks Diego! I'm using old vintage tubes here, as I know these work. Typically a tube will let go in one triode and you'll get a weak sound in that stage. Or if the whole tube goes then you'll get nothing. Just pays to have tubes that you know are operating correctly. The Bax stack took me ages to work out a good freq range for guitar. Very subtle changes make a huge difference. Many thanks!

[@ScottGrammer]

Beautiful under-chassis work, nice video. Subscribed!

[@TomahawkLabs]

Would you be able to make a video on the design of an amp? I’m finding very little in why certain value components are selected or how to find the values for a custom amp.

[@tonyhill7139]

Have you built anything else since your last video? I loved the Laney rebuild and the lay out.

[@elams1894]

Hi Tony. Yes, I have built a 6V6 Version of the JCM800 with the choice of 2 different FX Loops that actually work. In addition, the FX loops are NOT LN150 FET driven, rather they are opamp driven. The loops are parallel type, o e of which achieves parity and beyond. Video and free plans to the 800 coming maybe June. Cheers.

[@gordon9177]

That’s pretty cool

[@rockyourrepairedamp9850]

Dude this is pure art!

[@elams1894]

Thanks Rock!!

[@vaguitarts3443]

I'm impressed as always

[@elams1894]

Thanks V!!

[@psyolent.]

thats a really good idea for the xtra turret height. where do you get your turrets and boards from? you sound local (i'm in AU you might be over the river from me)

[@elams1894]

Cheers Greg. Yeah the doubling up of turrets is a massive help in building. I'm in NZ, however I remember buying the turrets in bulk from a USA supplier that no longer exists. The same turrets can be sourced from AmplifiedParts dot com, however, one pays a bit of a premium. I did find the actual manufacturer at one stage but I'm buggered if I can find it again. Cheers.

[@elams1894]

Use product code.......SKU: S-HTUR-P

[@thijs199]

I got a knob idea, but not sure whether it'll work. I intend to make wooden knobs myself. But I don't want any set screws or anything like that, instead I will be soldering a bit of metal to the turning part of the potentiometer (making the top a T shape) and then fit a wooden knob onto that so it won't slip, right. Not sure whether it will work but it would leave a clean knob

[@thijs199]

I don't want to wreck my potmeter though right, that's why I'm sharing this idea with you, like to know what you think

[@elams1894]

It could work, however seems alot of trouble. I'm not sure how you will stop the knob from pulling off the shaft. Grubber screws leave a clean finish. You just have to make sure you have a nice brass ferrule insert for your knobs.

[@thijs199]

@@elams1894 well, you don't pull on a knob do you? (:

[@TakamiWoodshop]

Sound absolutely mint! Here's a totally stupid question - I'm okay with capacitors, resistors, and that's about it ... what do the tubes do?

[@elams1894]

Thanks Rob! A tube can have typically three our more areas where magnetic fields are introduced, triode three areas, pentode five areas for example. For a triode (12AX7) preamp tube the AC guitar signal magnetic field is established on the grid. The plate of the tube has the large DC magnetic field, with hundreds of volts manifest upon it. The cathode of the tube is connected to earth (same magnetic field as earth) sometimes in a variety of ways. The tiny guitar magnetic field of the guitar signal is easily coupled with the large plate magnetic within the tube vacuum, and is amplified in the process. This plate magnetic field, now coupled with guitar signal, also couples into the cathode through induction, much like a capacitor. Because the cathode magnetic field is opposite in terms of pressure gradient, or phase, the cathode earth magnetic field can be used to regulate the amplified guitar signal, now on the plate, with the use of resistors and capacitors. A tube is almost like a capacitor, but having an extra plate in the middle of the normal two plates of a capacitor, all within a vacuum.

[@TakamiWoodshop]

@@elams1894 thanks for the detailed explanation. So the different tubes create magnetic fields having different characteristics and thus altering the ultimate sound character I presume. Does this mean you can chop and change the tubes in order to change the sound of your amp? It's fascinating. I had a tube amp when I was a teenager back in the late 80's, damn it sounded good at full volume, used to put it in my sister's room with the door closed so I could still carry on.

[@elams1894]

@@TakamiWoodshop Different tube brands of the same kind have very subtle differences, so yes you can swap similar tubes for slightly different tone. However, you cant swap dissimilar tubes. Indeed tube amps have a very sweet full tone. Cheers Rob!

[@moodyga40]

did you clean the tube bins you don't use a variac for safe start up

[@elams1894]

I have a Variac, however I only use it when I have an amp that hasn't been used fir 5 years or more. New builds I don't worry about it. Cheers Ian!

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@elams1894 What? No series 100W lamp? Dude, I know you're very good but one day you're gonna blow something to the shithouse with a reversed main filter cap or something catastrophic like that, & ALL those countless times you got it right & got away with it are gonna be INSTANTLY forgotten, when you've gotta pry the embedded remains of a component out of the ceiling......or your eye socket!

[@seekeroftheways]

Are my ears busted, or is there no hum from the amp when idle? if so that is amazing...

[@elams1894]

Thank you, yeah she's pretty quiet. Only a tad bit of noise when really cranked, otherwise there is almost no hum. Cheers

[@seekeroftheways]

@@elams1894 You should do similar turret board optimization for popular amps, Fender Deluxe Reverb, Vox AC 30 etc. that would be a big market. I'd be your first customer for Deluxe Reverb :)

[@elams1894]

@@seekeroftheways I plan to do just that. My first will be the JCM800, followed by JTM45. Cheers

[@elams1894]

Deluxe reverb will be in there. It takes mega hours to hone it all out, then build, then tweek, but it will be alot of fun..

[@seekeroftheways]

@@elams1894 will be patiently waiting for the kit and the awesome vids like food for the brain.

[@jme214]

No Way

[@schoolofmediocrity2801]

Wife: Are you planning on building and amp? Me: Naw Wife: Why are you watching that then? Me: I just like watching this guy build stuff... I'd watch him build a grilled cheese sandwich. Wife: ...you never watch me build a sandwich. Me: Because your narration sucks and your cinematography needs work.... what? What did I do now?

[@elams1894]

Ha ha, very nice, sorry for delay in reply... I wish my OCD was linked to comment replying ha ha.