Amp guts thread

Cacofonix

I have a bit of a liking for those who create art inside their amps.  Perhaps because care in those areas you can't see reflects a commitment to quality in the maker.

So:

I just found this:



I like it. The techs will be able to say how serviceable it is, but it's clean and uncluttered.

EdGrip

I like the idea of having a socket-shaped pad layout on the PCB.

EdGrip

The obligatory Hiwatt:

ICBM

I would guess it was designed for PCB-mounted sockets originally.

I don't like it actually - to me, it is both messy and cluttered, and would definitely be a pain to work on. It might sound good though… there's often no correlation.

Cacofonix

I like it because the pots are off the board, the board can be lifted out quite easily once the pots are disconnected from the back, the tone stack is separated from the amp section.

I agree the design was probably for board-mounted sockets, but I like the change in direction.  It makes it that bit easier to repair if needed, although obviously as a tech yourself you have a reality based view, whereas mine is hypothetical, so it probably would be a pain to work on.

+1 for Hiwatt.

Awaiting Matamp pics.

Si_

digitalscream

Obviously, I have to put a Jet City amp up here:

Not a work of art, but by no means the worst I've ever seen.

citizen68

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k405/citizen68/image-1.jpg

ICBM

Cacofonix said:

I like it because the pots are off the board, the board can be lifted out quite easily once the pots are disconnected from the back, the tone stack is separated from the amp section.

Only if you undo *all* the wiring to the preamp valve sockets, and probably quite a lot of other stuff. If you're very lucky you might be able to do it by dismantling the front panel entirely and tipping the board up with all the loose parts still attached… but I'm not certain. Thankfully I've never had to work on one yet.

Cacofonix said:

I agree the design was probably for board-mounted sockets, but I like the change in direction.  It makes it that bit easier to repair if needed

No, much harder. If the sockets had still been PCB-mounted, you could lift them out with the board.

Luckily because it's a double-sided board it would be possible to replace most components in situ, but there are a few - some of those 'block' caps and particularly relays - where you have no choice but to get underneath, unless you want to bodge it by destroying the original part and soldering the new one to the tops of the pins. Given the sheer amount of work to do it right, that would be tempting.

A perfect example of how *not* to build an amp if you want to make it serviceable, really.

gjonesy

a very sorry looking AC30

Cirrus

A less sorry looking AC30;

Though since then I've replaced the output transformer, so it's ever so slightly more sorry than depicted here.

Van_Hayden

Here's the original thread. Lots of pretty amps!

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/397/amp-gut-shots/p1