Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: proaudioguy on January 03, 2021, 09:49:30 pm

Title: Need help picking parts on the store
Post by: proaudioguy on January 03, 2021, 09:49:30 pm
I need help ordering these parts.  i had all this built several years ago but I tried a set of NOS tubes and I couldn’t get the trem working with the bias set correctly for the tubes.  The old crappy russian 5881/ 6L6s worked OK although not perfect. I ripped all the parts out and tried the bug and I hated it so I ripped all that out and I wanted to put it back.  It got sidelined for about 7 or 8 years and its all fallen out of my mind.  I really want to get the parts ordered while I get my head back around the circuit.  I am MUCH better when schematics than with the parts layout although I like to have both as the layout is really nice for getting parts in the right holes.  The amp is a Twin Reverb and when I built it there really wasn’t much info here on how to get the trem working strong on a 4 x 6L6GC amp.  I’m hoping someone has worked out the appropriate mods and I can substitute certain parts on these pics when I order.  Also is Doug back online yet?  I know he takes off for December.


Is there any advice from the brain trust on how to drop the Twin from 4 tubes to 2 tubes while also keeping BOTH 8 ohm speakers (4 Ohm total load) connected?  Its the original 1968 output transformer.  I don’t think there is another secondary tap to reflect the right impedance back on the 2 tubes leftover if I pulled 2 out.
Title: Re: Need help picking parts on the store
Post by: sluckey on January 03, 2021, 10:19:32 pm
May I suggest the Trem-O-Nator? Read on....   http://sluckeyamps.com/trem/trem.htm

I've also attached a schematic that shows this trem circuit in Hoffman's AB763.
Title: Re: Need help picking parts on the store
Post by: proaudioguy on January 03, 2021, 10:59:29 pm




Hey buddy, long time.  Glad to see you still here.  Does this look like all the parts I’m missing? I have a couple extra parts that I seem to have misplaced.  I’ll probably add a few more.  Can’t figure out my login to save my cart but I’ll figure that out. 


The next time I build a tremolo amp, I’ll try your circuit.  Looks cool and the description looks fantastic.  Right now I want to get this amp up and running as fast as I can so I can get it back into service.  I want to use it in my rental inventory.


Looks like I need to order that 22uF cap somewhere else.  Bummer.  Shipping costs are a slow death.
Title: Re: Need help picking parts on the store
Post by: proaudioguy on January 04, 2021, 12:58:57 am
Looks like that 22uF its just a bypass cap at 50v, not the 500v panasonic so no issue there.  The .1uF caps, can they be 200V Orange drops?  The parts list calls for 230V but I assume 200V is fine?


I’m starting to get back in the groove now.  Didn’t take but a few hours of staring at the schematic and picking out parts to start bringing it back.

Looks like changing the circuit to your tremonator will be really easy.  Just a few parts.  I’ll dig back into it later after I have it all up and running.  I really like the RAMP up and down rather than the square wave on off on off sound.  What does your circuit sound like?


Title: Re: Need help picking parts on the store
Post by: sluckey on January 04, 2021, 10:09:07 am
Sound is very smooth and plenty of intensity. And it doesn't care which tubes you are driving. No fussing with bias. A huge improvement over the bias vary trem. There are several sound samples on the page I linked.