It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Looking at some of the incredible guitar projects around, I’m kind of embarrassed posting this! But as I’m rather chuffed with my efforts, I thought I’d repost it as it was lost in the forum move, and I’m not likely to attempt anything like it again.
The project started a few years ago when I asked Martin Kidd from Cornford to build me a Hurricane head, because although I loved the sound, I struggled with the weight of a combo. The request fell on deaf ears, so after a long time prevaricating I finally decided to take the plunge. I searched for the cheapest, tattiest Hurricane combo I could find, and eventually located one about 15 miles away, which I bought for a reasonable price.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/003-2_zps7b1809ec.jpg
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
The next stage was to remove the guts of the amp, before doing the head scratching job of deciding how I was going to achieve what I wanted. The head scratching, measuring, and thinking went on for a long time. Some days I’d just sit looking at it, working out the best way to arrive at a ‘normal’ looking head.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/002_zpsaa32c325.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/001-1_zpsb8a1b9bc.jpg
The Hurricane chassis is upside down to a ‘normal’ head when you view it from the front, with the controls in the correct orientation. I imagine a lot of combos are similar. The main problem I faced though was the fact that the transformers were stuck up on the chassis, and the valves out the back. In order to keep the box as compact as possible, I decided to move the transformers. This caused me some problems with feedback, and after advice from ICBM and ecc83, I ended up running the new transformer wires in a square section alloy tube, which cured the problem.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/Hurricaneafermods001_zps9a180215.jpg
So, after drawing up the dimensions for the box, and giving some thought to ventilation, I did the usual “belt, braces, and a bit of string” overkill, and vented the box on its underside, and back, the main reason being to avoid the ‘beer-trap’ vent on the top of the amp. I was lucky enough to have a mate who does woodwork, and after some discussion, he persuaded me to let him dowel the ends, rather than do the finger jointing, which would make it so much easier. Picking the box up, I fitted the guts in to check I’d got it about right.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/0024_zps2098e556.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/0043_zps798e6981.jpg
The other thing I really struggled with were the mains connection, the reverb and speaker sockets. I could either leave in situ, or move them by rewiring them onto a removable backplate. After days of mulling it over, I chose the latter because I didn’t fancy poking around in a tunnel, trying to plug stuff in. also, the Hurricane mains lead is hard wired, which I don’t like, and the backplate gave me the option of fitting a fused kettle-lead socket.
I then searched around the web for vids to show me how the do the covering, and found a couple of good ones. I already had some vinyl (not Tolex) to cover the box with, so armed with glue, roller, knife, and Mrs C, I retired to the garage to make the first attempt. As it transpired, we made a nice job first time, and were really pleased with the result.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/0035_zps52015000.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/0044_zps72033358.jpg
I then turned my attentions to the backplate, I fabricated it out of some mild steel plate, and fitted the sockets. It is the only thing I’m not happy with, I’ve tried to trim around it as best I can, but it’ll have to do. I took my Roadhouse head apart to see how they’d done the piping, and applied the same method to the new box, after some arguing about whether to put piping at the sides of the front panel, which I did.
Then I put the corners and the feet on.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/0073_zps5197cf1e.jpg
So here’s the finished article, which does everything I want, in as much as it’s a Hurricane, but weighing about a third as much as before. Finally, thanks to Viz, I put a panel in the combo box, and fitted a speaker socket, so I can now use it as a 1x12.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/hurricaneheadproject011_zps77f87ba5.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/Hurricaneheadproject004_zpsbd62c6c7.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/Hurricaneheadproject005_zps80713448.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/Hurricaneheadproject002_zps518ae281.jpg
And the 'new 1x12 cab -
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/0015_zps5e783fa1.jpg
And being used as intended:
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/Cornford%20head%20project/Cornfordheadproject2a_zps32604b7b.jpg
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I'm shit at wrapping stuff mind, as the run up to Christmas had proven!
Trading feedback: Previous (+18) and Current