wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 (edited) I probably should have taken more in progress pictures, but here is my JCM 800 2204 clone about 95% done. My friend and I are both doing one, his looks almost identical in fact...I just didn't get a chance to get a picture of it. Should be done by next weekend. We fired up his today but ran into some issues and unfortunately won't have time until Saturday to get back into it again Detail Some more details: -Plexi option toggle switch -Lasercut 0.220" acrylic faceplate -Three 16 ohm outputs -Sandblasted chassis -Burgandy snakeskin tolex This thing was 100% DIY, including the faceplate, cab/covering, chassis, and wiring. Everything. You can see two guitars that I have been neglecting to finish because of this and an 18 Watt TMB... Edited October 9, 2007 by wwwdotcomdotnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTU 7's. Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Nice to see amp DIYers here. Wish i know something of electronics LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 This is the website we used for this http://www.dreamtone.org/JCM.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Wow, excellent job, "issues" notwithstanding! I'm sure we'd love to hear sound clips and thoughts regarding its sound vs the original *sigh* If this was within my level of skill to do, I'd totally do it. What's the total cost of the project? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Wow, excellent job, "issues" notwithstanding! I'm sure we'd love to hear sound clips and thoughts regarding its sound vs the original *sigh* If this was within my level of skill to do, I'd totally do it. What's the total cost of the project? total cost is around $350USD thanks for the compliments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bancika Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Plexi front where controls are looks interesting but won't it make it more prone to pick up noise? Anyway, great build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 (edited) Plexi front where controls are looks interesting but won't it make it more prone to pick up noise? Anyway, great build Its very possible, but it should be negligible. If it becomes a problem I can always make an aluminum plate to go on the front for where the board and pots are. Edited October 9, 2007 by wwwdotcomdotnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fookgub Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 total cost is around $350USD thanks for the compliments Wow, I would have guessed double or triple that figure, especially with such a nice case! I always figured tube amps would be pricey projects with the cost of tubes and transformers. Care to share any details on the acrylic faceplate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 total cost is around $350USD thanks for the compliments Wow, I would have guessed double or triple that figure, especially with such a nice case! I always figured tube amps would be pricey projects with the cost of tubes and transformers. Care to share any details on the acrylic faceplate? We bought Hammond transformers which allowed us to keep the costs down a bit. Otherwise most other brands were way too pricey. Tubes were roughly $55 for the two matched power tubes and 3 preamp tubes. The faceplate was done with a lasercutter. I drew it out in SolidWorks, converted it into a .DWG file, uploaded it into AutoCAD, then we loaded it into one of our school's lasercutters. The words and numbers on the front were etched, as in the laser only penetrates a small distance into the plastic. Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bancika Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 I did similar thing with laser for my amp build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Wow, excellent job, "issues" notwithstanding! I'm sure we'd love to hear sound clips and thoughts regarding its sound vs the original *sigh* If this was within my level of skill to do, I'd totally do it. What's the total cost of the project? If you can build a guitar, you can definitely build an amp. It's mostly electronics knowledge, which you can pick up with some reading etc.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_labb Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 (edited) heres my amp in progress. its a 5e3 (tweed deluxe) with a few mods. the differences being a 12ax7 instead of the 12ay7. the triodes are separately biased using a cathode resistor, one being a 1500 ohms, and one being a 1800. the idea being the 1k5 would give more grunt than the tweed with the 12ay7, and having the 1k8 on the other channel will give it more of a traditional tweed tone but still with the 12ax7. i also used an on-off-on switch on each channel to change between bypass caps on the cathode bias of the preamp triodes so that i can use a traditional tweed 25uf (a bass/low mid boost) , no bypass cap or a .68 for a treble/high mid boost. these are on each of the channels so i can always jumper the 2 channels to get a different sound. i will be making a faceplate from something. im thinking maybe pickguard material, or maybe even some wood veneer. its going into a head im making from pine. not sure what i will be finishing the head with though. all the wiring except the connection to the mains is finished though. Edited October 10, 2007 by black_labb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 the amp looks great, check out mojomusicalsupply for tweed/tolex. they have great prices and a huge selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 bancika, looks like we used the same font for out faceplate amp branding. i like your style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Wow, excellent job, "issues" notwithstanding! I'm sure we'd love to hear sound clips and thoughts regarding its sound vs the original *sigh* If this was within my level of skill to do, I'd totally do it. What's the total cost of the project? If you can build a guitar, you can definitely build an amp. It's mostly electronics knowledge, which you can pick up with some reading etc.... agreed completely. i've taken a few electronics courses at school, but i would still consider myself clueless as far as electronics go. i can understand the basic principles, but most of what i learned i picked up as i went. most popular amps have schematics drawn, and a bunch have layouts that literally show you where everything connects, which is way less confusing than a schematic. 18watt.com has some great information, but there are countless websites like it as well. if anyone is on the fence about making an amp, just take the plunge and do it, but before you do, READ UP ON IT! its even more rewarding than building a guitar for me. a lot of people are into making these fancy DIY boutique amps but i really like the homemade look. granted ours look somewhat fancy you can definitely tell they were done by some dude in his dorm room as something to do to kill time between his engineering courses (thats a lie, i dont have time, i dont even know how i can build guitars and amps and still keep my grades at a reasonable level). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_labb Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 granted ours look somewhat fancy you can definitely tell they were done by some dude in his dorm room as something to do to kill time between his engineering courses (thats a lie, i dont have time, i dont even know how i can build guitars and amps and still keep my grades at a reasonable level). that sounds so much like me the only reason i know it wasnt was the part about keeping my grades up, ive been slacking since i got into this hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 ... i dont have time, i dont even know how i can build guitars and amps and still keep my grades at a reasonable level... LOL! Let me guess: No girlfriend, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 ... i dont have time, i dont even know how i can build guitars and amps and still keep my grades at a reasonable level... LOL! Let me guess: No girlfriend, right? WRONG! i have a girlfriend too, so thats even less time on top of all that haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb guitars Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 ... i dont have time, i dont even know how i can build guitars and amps and still keep my grades at a reasonable level... LOL! Let me guess: No girlfriend, right? WRONG! i have a girlfriend too, so thats even less time on top of all that haha but i'm sure she understands your addiction...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Just like all other girlfriends and wives do, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb guitars Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Just like all other girlfriends and wives do, right? very true, i'm actually getting my fiance addicted too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 it works out because shes really into everything im doing, so its all good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwdotcomdotnet Posted October 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 here are some more pictures pic 3 pic 4 pic 5 pic 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 dotcom, on the website you posted the guy said that there were premade boards on ebay, but I can't find any. This build has really intrigued me. Do you know where to start as far as buying parts and the like goes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otzelpeitz Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 hi dotcom this amp really rocks! Great work! You said, you used Hammond transformers. Which ones did you use? I'm asking because i wannt to build a JCM someday too. Currently i am working on a 3W Class A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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