Hi Folks -
I haven't been around much the last couple years other than to make
occasional sarcastic comments, but I thought I would share my latest
build with you - and my first build in two years. I don't really need
any new amps; I don't have space for any more amps; but I was missing
a DR and it is a useful configuration for what I am doing right now.
This one is a vibrato-channel only Deluxe Reverb. It's built on a
Hoffman board (turrets, different layout) with bias-vary tremolo. The
layout is reversed from normal because the TT 004 I had has the IEC
cutout on the "wrong" side. I just flipped the board, but this means
some leads cross when they otherwise wouldn't. Lead dress is ok, I
don't think I'll ever do HiWatt quality dress. Iron is Hammond. It's
ready to be tuned - this is mostly trying the new Sozo blue molded,
possibly swapping the Dale anode resistors for CC, tweaking the
tremolo depth and speed, and taming the reverb (there is just too
much). The amp is very quiet - actually it is the quietest amp I've
ever built, with no noticeable hum at all, and not much hiss.
The cab is solid pine, half-blind dovetails, with smooth blond
tolex. Still having trouble with Tolex at a few points. Baffle
is 15mm voidless birch ply with oxblood grillcloth. I
added tiltbacks just because I like how they look. The speaker is a
JBL D120F I bought from someone on the forum. It was reconed at some
point. I don't know if it is an original JBL cone (unlikely) but it
sounds quite good and if after a month or two I decide I don't like it
I'll replace it with a Blackbird. Faceplates from Dirk, of course.
Right now I have various new tubes in it - "Tung Sol" and "Mullard"
12AX7, RFT 12AT7 (ok, not new), "Tung Sol" 6V6, and JJ GZ34, but I
will be tube-rolling GE & Phillips 5751, RCA, GE, Philips/Sylvania
12AX7, Sylvania 12AT7, various NOS GZ34 and 5R4, and whichever NOS
6V6s I decide on - either JAN GE, 70s Sylvania, Bendix, or
Brimar. Really it sounds fine now; I can easily live with it the way
it is. It sounds like a Deluxe Reverb.