Ground Zero ground up build prototype

[RedPlated]

Wrapped this one up last night. Fired right up and sounds absolutely killer. 470v on the plates. Very happy with the transformers. I’ll tweak it a little here and there but it sounds very good already.

I borrowed the head shell from one of my Friedmans. The final head shell will be even on both sides and hopefully have a logo by the time it arrives. This is also a bare chassis. It’ll get black faceplates that will look a lot better. I don’t like the way it looks as is but will be killer when done. I custom arranged the front controls. I actually had to cutout squares for the rocker switches and made sure all controls are on front. So custom panels have to be made.

I’m very satisfied with the circuit. It’s clean and organized like I prefer. Here’s a completed shot.

And here’s an iPhone test clip.

 

[LESPAULY69]

I love what you’ve done to my JMP but dang, Dude!!!!

 

[JerEvil]

Fuuuuuuuu....

 

[splawner]

Just WOW, That sounds insane...When I get bored of my stock Marshall I know who I’m sending it too!! Sounds awesome Jeremy...Great job!!

 

[thenine]

Good grief that freakin Bad@$$!

 

[RedPlated]

Thanks guys…appreciate all the replies.

Been putting some more time on this and I really am liking it more and more. Needed very little tweaking to get it there. Can’t wait to get it looking right with the head shell and face plates.

 

[RedPlated]

.

 

[the4thlast1]

Really like the sound of this one and that 74 Superlead you posted clips of. Is this one something you plan to build more of, you mentioned it being a prototype.

 

[RedB4Black]

Sounds awesome! Love it!

 

[lespaul6]

Looks great! way to go!

 

[RedPlated]

Thanks so much… I put a lot of effort into getting this done. The positive feedback is great.

I do plan on building more.

After building this one, I realized how much time it takes vs. modding a donor amp, which already takes quite a while the way I do/did them. So they won’t be flying off of a production line. I really try to pay attention to detail when building them and take the time needed to make it right. One at time is the only way to go.

I would like to move away from the Marshall mods and into these builds. May go slow at first as I still have a day job that pays the bills and that won’t change.

These builds aren’t really to make income. To be honest, with the mods I probably clear a little over minimum wage with all the hours that goes into the build, testing, tweaking etc… I do enjoy building them though, and feel like guys would enjoy these amps. It’s more of a passion than a potential increase in revenue for me.

I already have a couple people who want the next couple of builds. I’m in the process of ordering more parts. Just ordered 3 head shells a few mins ago. Chassis and transformers next.

 

[team13chad]

as the owner of one of these amps I can say that in person these builds can kill small animals.

 

[RedPlated]

as the owner of one of these amps I can say that in person these builds can kill small animals.

Thanks, Chad. Your amp is a ripper for sure! That was a killer build.

 

[RedPlated]

Here’s the amp doing cleans. Having fun with it. It seems to do the lower gain and cleaner tones really well.

This is my Charvel San Dimas with coil tapped neck humbucker. I’m sure it’ll get even cleaner with a single coil.

 

[RedPlated]

Made a temporary black face plate out of sheet aluminum. This is more inline with what the amp will look like. Also tried some Metallica-ish tones.

Straight in no boost etc…

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

Sounds great!!
The Black satin/brushed aluminum is perfect?
How many preamp tubes bro?

 

[RedPlated]

Thanks man.

3 tubes. I have experimented with adding an extra gain stage and I really prefer the current 3 stage design. It's got a ton of gain, there's no shortage there. And the noise floor is low. I love the feel and sound of the diodes. Adding a 4th stage, even a very cool one, just gets super unruly as far as noise and gain unless I scale the diodes way back. And then it loses the character that I love. Addding both together is possible but it takes serious discipline with the controls to get them to work together well. An amp shouldn't be that much work to use, it should be easy to dial in.

This ground up build is really sounding great. Very punchy and the bottom end is great. The iPhone mic kills all the bottom end but it's pushing air in the room.

 

[RedPlated]

I didn't think the last clip sounded all that great tbh. Pretty hollow to me. That said, I'm willing to bet that in the room it crushes. Meaning more a reflection of the phone rather than the amp.

I appreciate the feedback... I agree with you for sure as far as the phone affecting quality.

Yeah that's the problem with Youtube clips. The iPhone mic eats all the lows and they sound much more thin than in the room. It is what it is. It sounds way bigger and more full in the room, but that's the limitation that we must live with. I bought a 57 and a iPhone pre and I'm not that much more impressed with it either. I know other guys will record into some high end programs but I don't want a processed sound. I have a Two Notes Torpedo. I can make the amp sound basically any way I want with all the cabs, mics and eq, but that's not what the point is. Speakers make a big difference too. I wish everyone could hear it in person, but that's not a reality.