Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: Opry Audio on April 28, 2019, 11:31:39 am

Title: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: Opry Audio on April 28, 2019, 11:31:39 am
Yo! I'm really looking for an excuse to build something simple with harmonic trem, basically what's in a brownface showman IMO the best sounding harmonic trem circuit I've heard. Is it worth doing a vibro champ build with harmonic trem and an extra gain stage from the unused triode? I haven't really loved any vibro champs that I've played, but I'd like to do something crazy with it. Maybe doing a 5w with harmonic trem and a separate line-out so it can be used as a preamp in the front of a louder amp. Maybe with a 15" extension cabinet? Does this sound super cool or super lame? Would harmonic trem even do well with a cathodyne PI and a SE output?
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: sluckey on April 28, 2019, 12:28:36 pm
Maybe you would like a Revibe unit that can be used with any amp?
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: Opry Audio on April 28, 2019, 01:01:12 pm
I've done a lot of research on the revibe and would really like to build one! I actually have a PT and reverb TR for a 6G15 I was thinking about building and just got them because i could get the transformers really cheaply. Do I need something more powerful for the revibe? Is there any potential to add a tube preamp aspect to a build like that? Sort of a feature aside from the reverb and trem but that would work well in the circuit?
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: sluckey on April 28, 2019, 02:04:02 pm
The Revibe is a challenging project. You'll be in the deep end of the pool, especially if you are thinking of adding preamps and stuff. The 6G15 PT is adequately rated for a 6G15, but is slightly under rated for a Revibe. It will supply power to a Revibe unit, just barely. You will want a bigger PT if you add more tubes.
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: shooter on April 28, 2019, 02:09:08 pm
I was just typing....
Isn't v2 basically the "pre"?  Taking guitar to 6V6 level.  I would think tubes are better spent AFTER the re-vibe  :dontknow:
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: Opry Audio on April 28, 2019, 02:11:37 pm
The Revibe is a challenging project. You'll be in the deep end of the pool, especially if you are thinking of adding preamps and stuff. The 6G15 PT is adequately rated for a 6G15, but is slightly under rated for a Revibe. It will supply power to a Revibe unit, just barely. You will want a bigger PT if you add more tubes.

What PT would you suggest?
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: sluckey on April 28, 2019, 02:21:02 pm
Depends on how many additional tubes. If you will tally up the amount of filament current needed for your circuit, I'll be in a better position to suggest a PT.
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: Opry Audio on April 29, 2019, 09:44:33 am
Depends on how many additional tubes. If you will tally up the amount of filament current needed for your circuit, I'll be in a better position to suggest a PT.

I would be looking to do a 5 triode harmonic trem, so I guess 3 tubes for the trem itself. 4 preamp tubes and a 6V6. I like how the Weber revibe sounds a lot, I would like to know what folks think of the hoffman. I would probably construct the layout P2P

I’ve heard of some reverb units designed with 2 tanks that humbuck each other? Anyone have info on this? Or some examples?
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: sluckey on April 29, 2019, 09:48:42 am
Quote
I’ve heard of some reverb units designed with 2 tanks that humbuck each other?
I'm not familiar with that idea. Could you post some links to such info?
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: st on April 29, 2019, 10:13:51 am
I'm not familiar with that idea. Could you post some links to such info?

I hate to draw attention away from Opry's question, but here I go anyway. While not containing schematics or authoritative build reports, the following is a discussion on humbucking reverb thanks I once bookmarked.
https://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=66617.20
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: shooter on April 29, 2019, 10:14:20 am
I built one early on here and loved it, the guitar guys did also, the downside;
Quote
probably construct the layout P2P

that's what I did, it's a pretty complex circuit on it's own, my lead dress was bad, I got too many gremlins from P2P, most of it became a donor box because of that.  The extra money up front will save your sanity later, fwiw
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: Opry Audio on April 29, 2019, 11:28:21 am
Quote
I’ve heard of some reverb units designed with 2 tanks that humbuck each other?
I'm not familiar with that idea. Could you post some links to such info?

Here is a schematic which I think has an example if I’m not totally confused. There should be noise cancellation in theory if you run the input and output transducers from 2 tanks in series just like a humbucking pickup? It looks like PAIA released a kit with this design. Maybe it’s worth exploring in tube form https://www.paia.com/ProdArticles/hotspuse.htm
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: Opry Audio on April 29, 2019, 11:37:47 am
I built one early on here and loved it, the guitar guys did also, the downside;
Quote
probably construct the layout P2P



that's what I did, it's a pretty complex circuit on it's own, my lead dress was bad, I got too many gremlins from P2P, most of it became a donor box because of that.  The extra money up front will save your sanity later, fwiw

You don’t feel like there’s any way for it to be done right? Not even in a parallel terminal strip turret board esque layout? I’d think it would make the lead dress neater just connecting whatever component to its desired location.
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: PRR on April 29, 2019, 12:18:00 pm
> PAIA released a kit with this design.

"....should be mounted in a location that is free of ambient electro-magnetic fields."

So PAiA did not claim any special hum-buck ability. IMHO, it may be mildly more susceptible to electric buzz due to the double-high impedance at the pickup. (Mitigated some by the low impedance recovery amp.)
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: shooter on April 29, 2019, 12:48:30 pm
NOT my build, but I look at it often, dream of the day I get close  :laugh:

If you can do this in P2P  :worthy1:
end of day, it's your project, done your way
Title: Re: Vibro Champ with harmonic tremolo?
Post by: kagliostro on April 30, 2019, 06:25:42 am
Quote
Maybe doing a 5w with harmonic trem and a separate line-out so it can be used as a preamp in the front of a louder amp


An Herzog ?


(https://i.imgur.com/FipqkuO.jpg)

https://el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=17218.msg172218#msg172218 (https://el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=17218.msg172218#msg172218)

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Ciao

Franco