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amp builds : should I worry about guts?

O

oinkbanana

Oct 20, 2011
291
4
#1
Things like this are beautiful and ideal
_MG_9577.jpg



and even a simple PCB board doesn't make me afraid
SLO-2002Board.gif



when it's like this i'm starting to worry
BognerModifiedPCB.gif



and this gives me a heart attack (not the good kind)
3872d1229794504-svt-5-pro-guts-1s.jpg




PCB mounted pots and PCB mounted tubes give me nightmares. Lets not even mention boards with micri-soldering. I've owned a GK2001 & SVT-5Pro in the early 2000's and when they both needed repair it took VERY long to trouble shoot and sourcing the parts for the repairs (I sold each quickly short after).
I've never had problems with my guitar amps that avoid these design flaws (if i may call them that).
Right now I'm in the market for a 300watt tube monster, convince that the guts of SVT's and the MESA 400+'s aren't prone to the same repair headaches.
ideas?
 
#3
My 1969 SVT has pots mounted to...yes, that's right...PCB boards.

They're a fact of life and they're here to stay. I find nothing that bothers me about them, though. I can't work on any of my amps anyway. However, I'm not big on surface mounted components. You can fix them on a component level but it takes specialized tools and skills, and in the end it's probably not worth it if a board swap is comparable in price to a component repair. But regular green PCB's don't bother me because like I said, I can't work on the things anyway.
 
#5
These amps are pretty straight forward, very solidly built, and have plenty of juice.

REEVES CUSTOM 225
Reeves225GutShot.jpg


REEVES CUSTOM 400
DSC00057.jpg


Here they are from the top;

DSC00075.jpg


Both are built like tanks; easy to navigate and maintain, no “micro”, no PCB’s, and extremely powerful.

DSC00082C.jpg
 
#8
Hi.

If You can shell out the dough to buy a hand made turret board amp, go right ahead.

But...

If You're just as we other mere mortals who rely on factory made amps, PCB's are inevitable. Just as is the fact that everything is mounted on them, including the octal sockets. That's the only way we can afford them.

It's not the manufacturing method, it's how it's used. I've had some PCB amps that are a PITA to maintain, and some that have performed flawlessly for a long time. It's all in the design.

Granted, some of those Reeves amps and some Hiwatts do look exceptionally sharp with perfectly straight internal wiring and perfecr 90 Deg angles, but the way that's accomplished is using a solid core wire, something I wouldn't probably do.

Regards
Sam
 
#9
those reeves do look really nice.
3200$ isn't so bad for a build like that
(do they really get 400watts out of 6Xkt88?)


B-string said:
Found it, lots of porn there (naked amps). :D
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/amp-guts-photos-official-thread-lets-see-those-pics-513929/
Click to expand...
lots of porn in that thread! :bassist:
no SVT-Heritage though
I've also come across these other SVT pics
Repair of three Ampeg SVT Amps
I'm gonna assume that even the Heritage are a multi-board complexity, but just hand wired?
Are the SVTs generally considered a PITA to work on?

I wouldn't mind seeing some guts of an Ashdown BTA as well.
 
#10
All Ampeg stuff is a nutpain to work on. Sure they do it on purpose on some of the newer stuff, even the rack preamp was somehow unnecessarily complicated to get into.

Just cause something is on turrets doesn't mean its expensive, you just have to look out for vintage amps people ahve forgotten about, and because they are on turrets, they are easy to fix up and get working. As the easy ones to get, I recommend Sound City (all the complaints about them are down to not doing the work on them basically, I've rebuilt a few now, no circuit changes, but lots of resistor replacements, but nothing difficult, except make getting a screwdriver to the capacitor clamps. Did a thread on it here: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/sound-city-b120-mkiv-restoration-779426/

Bunch of similar on other amps on my blog: ampstack | Just another WordPress.com site
 
#11
edbass said:
These amps are pretty straight forward, very solidly built, and have plenty of juice.

REEVES CUSTOM 225
Reeves225GutShot.jpg


REEVES CUSTOM 400
DSC00057.jpg


Here they are from the top;

DSC00075.jpg


Both are built like tanks; easy to navigate and maintain, no “micro”, no PCB’s, and extremely powerful.

DSC00082C.jpg
Click to expand...
and here's you on the way to the Chiropractor:
Invalid Link Removed
:D
 
#14
oinkbanana said:
those reeves do look really nice.
3200$ isn't so bad for a build like that
(do they really get 400watts out of 6Xkt88?)
Click to expand...

I agree that the price is a value for what it is, but I also agree with T-Bird's logic.
Amps like Reeves aren't for everybody; dirt cheap, mass produced Asian gear just widens that gap.
Is an Ampeg "Hertiage" SVT worth $700 more than a standard SVT-CL? It probably is to some of us, but I'll bet they sell a whole bunch more of the SVT-CL's. I'm not trying to spark a debate; IMO it's a moot point, a personal preference rather than an "argument".
Different horses for different courses as a friend of mine says...

Anybody else remember when Peavey's "$1 per watt" power amps were considered unbelievably inexpensive; in early '80's dollars?
Now Behringer sells a 4000 watt amp for $315.
Even the (I think still US made) Peaveys are a better value now, a CS1400 sells for $630.

Of course the old adage "you get what you pay for" generally still holds true, even if what you are paying for is quality instead of quantity. ;)


I don't know what the actual output of a C400 is, but I'd wager that it's at least 400 watts; the "little brother" C225 was measured at close to 260 clean watts by Bass Gear Magazine. Unlike some manufacturers (shredded in posts here BTW), IME Reeves is more of an "under promise, over deliver" kind of company. I know that I’ve gigged the C400 and its more amp than I would ever need live, and that at a local GTG it caused catastrophic failure by over powering in a 300 watt rated driver; but who knows what actually caused the speaker to give up so like my opinion that truthfully proves nothing. :D

Truthfully I don't think they really base their amps on bench watts as much as they do on how real world powerful they are and most of their amps are considered strong relative to the factory ratings.
If you ask them how many watts the amp is they would likely say "400", just like they would say the C225 is "225".
 
#16
edbass said:
I don't know what the actual output of a C400 is, but I'd wager that it's at least 400 watts; the "little brother" C225 was measured at close to 260 clean watts by Bass Gear Magazine. Unlike some manufacturers (shredded in posts here BTW), IME Reeves is more of an "under promise, over deliver" kind of company. I know that I’ve gigged the C400 and its more amp than I would ever need live, and that at a local GTG it caused catastrophic failure by over powering in a 300 watt rated driver; but who knows what actually caused the speaker to give up so like my opinion that truthfully proves nothing. :D
Click to expand...
It proves I'll never bring any of my stuff to a GTG that you're at ;)
 

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