That’s awesome af man . I mean you basically got a version of a Larry as the story seems to go . Fucking cool
Since there seem to be some misconceptions going around here, I feel compelled to clarify something here again, so that no one confuses moldy lemons with fresh kiwis and so that no one goes to sleep with false hopes or illusions.
Something basic in advance:
Copying the circuit of another amp does not mean that you have copied this amp in its entirety and does not mean that this copy sounds like the original.
Why?
Even if you have re-engineered the circuit and rebuild it correctly along with all component's values, you still don't have the components of the original available.
In addition, with high-impedance circuits, it is immensely important how the components are positioned in relation to each other, their distances to each other and how the entire wiring runs in the amp, because in high-impedance circuits the current does not only flow in the components and cables.
High-impedance circuits, such as those found in tube amps are teeming with a multitude of electromagnetic fields emanating from the cables and components, all of which influence each other, so that if misdesigned, certain areas of the circuit may tend to oscillate, while other areas may attenuate each other.
This is btw. the reason why old Marshall amps of the same series and from the same year sometimes sound so different from each other. Because "Emma" had wired one amp in her own way, while "Kate" - sitting next to her at work - had wired the same amp model differently.
The difference in sound becomes even more noticeable when you compare earlier Marshall amps that still had their circuits on turret boards with the later models of the same type, where a PCB was used as the basis of the circuit.
Although it is basically the same circuit, the components are of other brands, the positions and distances of the components are different and the internal wiring is also different.
Now to 'copy an original Larry amp':
Nobody has the original Cornell Dublier 170 polypropylene tubular caps and will not get them anywhere, because their production was already stopped in 2010 and there is no stock of them anywhere. If it were different, then I would not have named the type of the cap so concrete here.
However, I still have stocks of them that are enough for at least 40 to 50 more Larry amp heads and I only use them in my DINO, Pure Metal Machine and Thor's Hammer models. Not in the British Purist, not in the Rock Wizard and not in my Wrecky models.
But these caps are one of the keys for the sound, tightness and behavior of the high gain channels of my first 3 mentioned amp models.
Nobody has my custom made transformers which play a very decisive role in the sound of a tube amp. Not only the OT, but also the PT, its behavior at higher volumes and depending on how hard you're picking the strings. Let's say determining the perfect sweet spot between stiffness and spongyness.
And even if someone is stupid enough to disassemble original Larry transformers to study the setup, count the turns and measure the different wire diameters to recreate them, then he still doesn't have the NOS steel from the 80s that I use in my transformers and that is also very crucial.
Go on and try Heyboer's, Mercury Magnetics', Hammond's or whatever transformers in your copy, built on the basis of a Larry circuit diagram - you will be bitterly disappointed.
I could give more examples of why copies of a Larry can never sound like an original Larry, but I prefer to use this time for the finer things in life.
Perhaps to conclude with an insightful story:
During my career, I had the favor of having a total of 8 different Dumble amps on my bench.
And I've had the opportunity to play many different Dumble clones.
Among them were some that sounded really good - but not a single one of these clones had the charm and character of an original Dumble.
No Two-Rock, Bludotone, Van Weelden, Fuchs, aso. had that certain something that was only with the original Dumble's.
I also know why that is. It's little things, details that cloners don't recognize or ignore as unimportant.
But just as that was Dumble's secret, it will remain my secret and just out of reverence for the genius Dumble, I would never offer a Dumble clone myself.
I answer any questions only by email or Facebook messenger, not here in the forum and the old-timers here know why.
Have a nice evening!
