Members FWAxeIbanez Posted January 3, 2006 Members Share Posted January 3, 2006 yes you sure can... how did I miss that? well, I guess I'll go run by and dig around in my grandpa's garage, he had a ton of soldering irons around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard Guy Posted January 3, 2006 Members Share Posted January 3, 2006 Yes, Soldering Irons, pencil type, 30 ~ 40 Watts. 60/40 (Tin/Lead %) or 63/37 Solder. No flux. No soldering gun types as they inject potentials that can damage some electronic parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 5, 2006 Author Share Posted January 5, 2006 Okay, next up is the wiring for the transformers, tube sockets and chassis mounted parts. On this step you will want to plan things out a little bit first, before doing the soldering. Once again, the manual defiitely points this out. Notice that some of the wires in the picture above are "twisted". That's helpful for reducing noise, and the manual points out which wires have got to be twisted (the green wires going to the tube sockets in the picture above), as well as suggesting what other wires you may also want to twist. Just be careful once again not to pull on the wires near the transformers. Holding the wires near where they come through the chassis holes with one hand while twisting with the other will prevent you from twisting or pulling on the wires at the transformers. Leave yourself plenty of wire to reach the places you need to get them to. And again, give some thought to the routing, and plan things out before you start cutting wire and soldering so that you can bundle and tie wrap the appropriate wires together for a nice clean build. One thing that I noticed was omitted from the manuals is any mention of the "extra" wires from the power transformer. That's going to confuse some new builders, and it is something that Guytronix should consider correcting in the next edition of the manual. Just cut the wire ends off evenly (without stripping), apply some heatshrink tubing over the ends and bundle them seperately. Another thing you may have a bit of trouble with is some of the chassis mounted star grounding points. The tabs all sit pretty flat, making it difficult to thread the wires through the holes. No big deal - just pull the nut off and gently bend the tab ends up a little bit with a couple pairs of pliers... or you can use a flathead screwdriver to bend the tips upwards a bit if you prefer. In either case, make sure the nut is tightened firmly to insure nothing comes loose and gives you grounding problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scott Glover Posted January 7, 2006 Members Share Posted January 7, 2006 Originally posted by alcohol I personally don't like the tone of a Pod. The digital recreation of analog tones just don't sound as good. I don't either and I own one, but I bet those amps sound very good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard Guy Posted January 12, 2006 Members Share Posted January 12, 2006 Phil's recommendations are valid regarding the extra primary transformer wires. The extra wires are for;100 VAC120 VAC220 VAC240 VACThese different value windings/wires are to support any Country's AC voltage as we ship and support our kits World-wide.Yes, select the wire that matches your Country AC voiltage and cut the rest back an inch or so, wrapping each of them in shrink-wrap or electrical tape. The color of each wire and it's AC volt application is defined in the manual ;^)Guytronix will put a line in the manual that describes what to do with the unused primary VAC wires. Thanks, Phil, for making the documentation bullet-proof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rog951 Posted January 12, 2006 Members Share Posted January 12, 2006 Originally posted by Richard Guy Now, I KNOW you wanted to say "idiot-proof" but I can see where that might not be the most professional way to describe your customers! I definitely plan on picking up one of these kits sometime in the near future, so please let us know when you see a price increase on the horizon. I would've bought one earlier but I'm already backed-up with "projects" as it is and don't really need another one sitting around cluttering up the house. Do you think current prices will hold 'til, say, summertime-ish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard Guy Posted January 12, 2006 Members Share Posted January 12, 2006 Hello Rog951, Thanks for your understanding. I almost used the old Navy term, "Sailor-Proof". Funny you should ask about a price increase. We just had one. The Kit has been at the same price for over 38 months. Increases in component, chassis, G-10 material and transformer iron drove the modest increase. If you send an email to support@guytronix.com with this request, I'll honor the original price for 45 days. None of the accessories were increased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FWAxeIbanez Posted January 13, 2006 Members Share Posted January 13, 2006 oh man... I want to build one of these so bad it hurts, but money I was counting on fell through, so now I'm on the outside looking in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danocoustic Posted January 13, 2006 Members Share Posted January 13, 2006 Originally posted by Richard Guy Hello Rog951,Thanks for your understanding. I almost used the old Navy term, "Sailor-Proof". Thanks for not telling that I was one of the sailors who asked this very question! I e-mailed Rich to ask about the extra xfmr leads. He answered within hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard Guy Posted January 14, 2006 Members Share Posted January 14, 2006 Hello Dano, No, you were not one of those bad sailors! You question was very valid and helped make the current documentation better. You did a great job building the Kit. Thanks again for being my Customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danocoustic Posted January 14, 2006 Members Share Posted January 14, 2006 Originally posted by Richard Guy Hello Dano, No, you were not one of those bad sailors! You question was very valid and helped make the current documentation better. You did a great job building the Kit. Thanks again for being my Customer. ...just gimme a break on the price of an Ardmore when I order it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard Guy Posted January 14, 2006 Members Share Posted January 14, 2006 Dano, roger. I love repeat Customers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 More to come - sorry for the delay... NAMM and the studio schedule are kicking my butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AMZ-FX Posted January 19, 2006 Moderators Share Posted January 19, 2006 Here is a pic of the Gilmore Jr. atop my big amp cabinet:I have this amp on loan from Rich so I didn't have to build it The sound is very smooth and rich. It is much louder than a 1/2w solid-state amp that I own, which is based on the LM386 chip.Lots of great tube tone in this little amp... AND... it loves pedals. A boost or overdrive only add to the enjoyment of this gem!I'm sure you will enjoy it immensely, Phil.best regards, Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Buckeyedog Posted January 19, 2006 Members Share Posted January 19, 2006 which would you think would be a better "first build".....the Jr. or the Ardmore?? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard Guy Posted January 19, 2006 Members Share Posted January 19, 2006 Hello Buckeye, Thanks for your inquiry. Phil should chime in here too as he built both Kits. My experience is that the Gilmore Jr is a bit easier to build than the Ardmore, but not significantly easier. They are both very close regarding difficulty. Currently, the Gilmore Jr has more optional tone/gain mods that are field proven. This provides for interesting experiments after the unit is built 'stock'. If it were me building for the first time, I would build the Gilmore Jr. The most important thing to remember is Electronics Safety when building/testing. The next important item is having adaquate soldering skills. I recommend that for first time builders, that they get some trashed equipment from the curb and unsolder/solder components for pratice. 60/40 or 63/37 solder, no flux and a ~ 35 to 45 Watt soldering pencil is fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danocoustic Posted January 21, 2006 Members Share Posted January 21, 2006 Hey...Rich Guy turned me on to a cool thing.I got the 2 watt mod. It needs a tube socket adapter and a new tube.There's an unused socket hole on the Gilmore Jr. chassis.Rich sent me a ceramic socket to bolt into the open hole, to store the unused tube.Very Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members olgluefoot Posted January 24, 2006 Members Share Posted January 24, 2006 Hey there, just wondering if the power light that comes with the kit could be replaced with a fender jewel style light? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members titovanburen Posted January 24, 2006 Members Share Posted January 24, 2006 is the armore loud enough to use in live situations with a rock band? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard Guy Posted January 24, 2006 Members Share Posted January 24, 2006 Hello Gluefoot, Yes, a 6.3 VAC Fender-ish (heater supplier voltage) jewl light is easily installed into the Gilmore or Ardmore Kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard Guy Posted January 24, 2006 Members Share Posted January 24, 2006 Hello TiTo,The Ardmore is pretty loud at ~ 8 Watts but may fall short of using it live for heavy rock. The tone is there, but the volume may not be unless you mic the speaker and run it through the PA. Heavy ' ham-fisted' drummers are very tought to compete with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Originally posted by Danocoustic Hey...Rich Guy turned me on to a cool thing. I got the 2 watt mod. It needs a tube socket adapter and a new tube. There's an unused socket hole on the Gilmore Jr. chassis. Rich sent me a ceramic socket to bolt into the open hole, to store the unused tube. Very That IS a cool idea! Actually, that might be something you might want to consider adding into the 2 watt mod kit Richard. I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Lots of great tube tone in this little amp... AND... it loves pedals. A boost or overdrive only add to the enjoyment of this gem! Stick a HBE Germania in front of it sometime if you get the chance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Originally posted by Richard Guy Phil's recommendations are valid regarding the extra primary transformer wires. The extra wires are for; 100 VAC 120 VAC 220 VAC 240 VAC These different value windings/wires are to support any Country's AC voltage as we ship and support our kits World-wide. Yes, select the wire that matches your Country AC voiltage and cut the rest back an inch or so, wrapping each of them in shrink-wrap or electrical tape. The color of each wire and it's AC volt application is defined in the manual ;^)Yes it is. And the fact that the transformer is capable of working with the various line voltages of different countries is a excellent feature IMO, and I'm sure it makes things easier for Guytronix too - no worries about accidentally including the "wrong" transformer when shipping overseas. Guytronix will put a line in the manual that describes what to do with the unused primary VAC wires. Thanks, Phil, for making the documentation bullet-proof Well, to be fair, the documentation is already quite good. But I do feel that adding information about the extra transformer leads is a good idea that will avoid potential sail.. er, builder confusion, and I'm happy to hear that you'll be including that in the next manual revision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Originally posted by titovanburen is the armore loud enough to use in live situations with a rock band? It would really depend on what you're looking for, the efficiency of the speaker(s) you'd be using, the style of music and how hard everyone else plays. I really don't think it would be appropriate for your needs if you need loud clean tones, but it might work with an AB switch as a lead amp, in conjunction with a higher powered amp for clean tones. I'll be doing some measurements of SPL levels of both amps at various volume levels. Also, if anyone's interested in being part of the "testing crew", please drop me an email with your contact info so we can try to get something scheduled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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