Amp Build: Ceriatone Kraken 50

[scottosan]

Which Wimas are they?

MKP10

 

[FourT6and2]

I don't know much about electronics, so some of the discussion is above my head, but threads like these make me want to build an amp. I'm reasonably smart and can follow directions, so a kit with detailed instructions and forum support would be a requirement. I'd love to do a SLO clone, but there's no way I could live up to FourT6and2's work, which would make my OCD flare

Ceriatone makes kits...or just by a Chupacabra or Yeti and tweak it, that's what I might do...reasonably inexpensive and pretty damn fine amps.

Keep in mind the kits are unsupported. There are no instructions. No help. Just a box of parts. You figure it out

 

[scottosan]

Made progress on mine today. I am also waiting on transformers. Will do sockets and under board wiring on Wednesday.

 

[glip22]

Fwiw, I spoke to Chris Merren for a long while today. He said if you need transformers to send him an email with "Need to Place order as the subject. Just be straight to the point and he would reply. He said the amount of calls and emails he gets is overwhelming and he cannot answer them all. He said as soon as he sees a lengthy email he goes to the next one. Said he has no choice with all the work he has.
He's shipping my PT out Monday after he gets back from his trip out East. I have bought a few from him going back about 7 years.

 

[FourT6and2]

Fwiw, I spoke to Chris Merren for a long while today. He said if you need transformers to send him an email with "Need to Place order as the subject. Just be straight to the point and he would reply. He said the amount of calls and emails he gets is overwhelming and he cannot answer them all. He said as soon as he sees a lengthy email he goes to the next one. Said he has no choice with all the work he has.
He's shipping my PT out Monday after he gets back from his trip out East. I have bought a few from him going back about 7 years.

I ordered, and paid for, iron from him a few weeks ago. He said he was going on vacation or something but would try to get my order shipped before he left. I guess he wasn't able to. I found a used Marstran OT on eBay. Arrived today. I was told by Marstran my PT would ship out today. Haven't heard anything or received tracking though.

Unless these trannies sound godly, I'll just go with Classic Tone in the future.

 

[scottosan]

Fwiw, I spoke to Chris Merren for a long while today. He said if you need transformers to send him an email with "Need to Place order as the subject. Just be straight to the point and he would reply. He said the amount of calls and emails he gets is overwhelming and he cannot answer them all. He said as soon as he sees a lengthy email he goes to the next one. Said he has no choice with all the work he has.
He's shipping my PT out Monday after he gets back from his trip out East. I have bought a few from him going back about 7 years.

I ordered, and paid for, iron from him a few weeks ago. He said he was going on vacation or something but would try to get my order shipped before he left. I guess he wasn't able to. I found a used Marstran OT on eBay. Arrived today. I was told by Marstran my PT would ship out today. Haven't heard anything or received tracking though.

Unless these trannies sound godly, I'll just go with Classic Tone in the future.

This will be my first time using classictones, so I will let you know how they compare to the Mercury iron in my prototype amp. My Helios had the classictones and I thought they sounded fantastic

 

[FourT6and2]

Fwiw, I spoke to Chris Merren for a long while today. He said if you need transformers to send him an email with "Need to Place order as the subject. Just be straight to the point and he would reply. He said the amount of calls and emails he gets is overwhelming and he cannot answer them all. He said as soon as he sees a lengthy email he goes to the next one. Said he has no choice with all the work he has.
He's shipping my PT out Monday after he gets back from his trip out East. I have bought a few from him going back about 7 years.

I ordered, and paid for, iron from him a few weeks ago. He said he was going on vacation or something but would try to get my order shipped before he left. I guess he wasn't able to. I found a used Marstran OT on eBay. Arrived today. I was told by Marstran my PT would ship out today. Haven't heard anything or received tracking though.

Unless these trannies sound godly, I'll just go with Classic Tone in the future.

This will be my first time using classictones, so I will let you know how they compare to the Mercury iron in my prototype amp. My Helios had the classictones and I thought they sounded fantastic

Helios had Classic Tones from Bogner? Or someone did a swap or you built a Helios clone?

 

[scottosan]

Fwiw, I spoke to Chris Merren for a long while today. He said if you need transformers to send him an email with "Need to Place order as the subject. Just be straight to the point and he would reply. He said the amount of calls and emails he gets is overwhelming and he cannot answer them all. He said as soon as he sees a lengthy email he goes to the next one. Said he has no choice with all the work he has.
He's shipping my PT out Monday after he gets back from his trip out East. I have bought a few from him going back about 7 years.

I ordered, and paid for, iron from him a few weeks ago. He said he was going on vacation or something but would try to get my order shipped before he left. I guess he wasn't able to. I found a used Marstran OT on eBay. Arrived today. I was told by Marstran my PT would ship out today. Haven't heard anything or received tracking though.

Unless these trannies sound godly, I'll just go with Classic Tone in the future.

This will be my first time using classictones, so I will let you know how they compare to the Mercury iron in my prototype amp. My Helios had the classictones and I thought they sounded fantastic

Helios had Classic Tones from Bogner? Or someone did a swap or you built a Helios clone?

They come stock with classictones

 

[paulyc]

Cameron Atomica and Old Bitch have Classictones in them also.

 

[FourT6and2]

Interesting. I had no idea

 

[FourT6and2]

Tracking info for parts I ordered from The Netherlands: Shipping cost = $40.

Ordered on Sunday.
Shipped from Belgium on Tuesday.
Wednesday @ 3AM arrived in Amsterdam
Wednesday @ 6:45AM processed through Amsterdam
Wednesday @ 8:20AM departed Amsterdam
Wednesday @ 7:35AM local, arrived in LA and processed through Customs
Scheduled for delivery tomorrow (Thursday)

Meanwhile, the power transformer I ordered from MICHIGAN has taken 8 weeks.
I was told last Friday it would ship out on Monday.
Monday came and nothing.
Tuesday came and shipping label was created but the package hasn't been dropped off or picked up or mailed
Wednesday and nothing still.

It's comical at this point.

 

[scottosan]

Tracking info for parts I ordered from The Netherlands: Shipping cost = $40.

Ordered on Sunday.
Shipped from Belgium on Tuesday.
Wednesday @ 3AM arrived in Amsterdam
Wednesday @ 6:45AM processed through Amsterdam
Wednesday @ 8:20AM departed Amsterdam
Wednesday @ 7:35AM local, arrived in LA and processed through Customs
Scheduled for delivery tomorrow (Thursday)

Meanwhile, the power transformer I ordered from MICHIGAN has taken 8 weeks.
I was told last Friday it would ship out on Monday.
Monday came and nothing.
Tuesday came and shipping label was created but the package hasn't been dropped off or picked up or mailed
Wednesday and nothing still.

It's comical at this point.

What are you doing for OT?

 

[FourT6and2]

Tracking info for parts I ordered from The Netherlands: Shipping cost = $40.

Ordered on Sunday.
Shipped from Belgium on Tuesday.
Wednesday @ 3AM arrived in Amsterdam
Wednesday @ 6:45AM processed through Amsterdam
Wednesday @ 8:20AM departed Amsterdam
Wednesday @ 7:35AM local, arrived in LA and processed through Customs
Scheduled for delivery tomorrow (Thursday)

Meanwhile, the power transformer I ordered from MICHIGAN has taken 8 weeks.
I was told last Friday it would ship out on Monday.
Monday came and nothing.
Tuesday came and shipping label was created but the package hasn't been dropped off or picked up or mailed
Wednesday and nothing still.

It's comical at this point.

What are you doing for OT?

Original plan was for a custom O'Netics. Ordered that like 3 months ago. Haven't heard a word since, so I ordered a Marstran 784-139. That's been delayed, so I found a barely used one on eBay. If it sounds good, I'll try to order a few more for the other builds. If not, I'll go with Classic Tone.

 

[Rick Lee]

I put Merrens in my first Plexi build because he helped me out on a previous fraud case. I wanted to throw him some business as a thanks. He was great then. For my next build I could not get him to respond to any emails or vms. I gave up and went with ClassicTone. They include a schematic with their shipments, including all dimensions. Very helpful. Then I did another Plexi build and got more ClassicTones. I honestly can't tell the difference between them and then Merrens other than the price and immediate shipment.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Alright man. Too much anticipation. We gotta hear some clips. Get that shit recorded dude.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

+1

 

[FourT6and2]

Alright man. Too much anticipation. We gotta hear some clips. Get that shit recorded dude.

Me? lol I'm trying!

 

[FourT6and2]

It's time for everybody's favorite part of building an amp—heaters!

JK, it's the worst.

Decided to run DC on V1 and V2; regular AC on V3-V6.

 

[FourT6and2]

Marstran transformer arrived yesterday. It uses solder tags instead of leads, which is one of the reasons I wanted it. But some of the eyelets are covered with lacquer. I'll have to find a way to clean 'em off. I've tried a sharp hobby knife and a metal punch and whatnot. But this stuff is pretty hard. Someone suggested a Dremel tool. But I need to make sure I don't damage the thing. Kinda ridiculous that it arrived like this, but I'll make it work.

 

[Chester Nimitz]

Call Patrick @ Mercury Magnetics, he will take care of you.

Mercury Magnetics
Patrick Selfridge
Service & Support Network
10050 Remmet Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311-5903
Patrick@MercuryMagnetics.com
patrick.selfridge