hot rod deluxe single point conversion

[tertheter]

I have just purchased an old hot rod deluxe, it had blown tubes and speaker was shot so I got it cheap with the intention of doing a Frommel mod kit on it and new speaker (WGS reaper hp 8 ohm ) unfortunately it looks like the board is basically a mess as well ( should have looked closer oh well ) So I have all the new parts but want to do a turret style point to point conversion on it now to make it a really nice amp. I'm not really worried about the reverb unit or the master volume channels etc... I just want a classic sounding clean fender sounding amp, I have a pedal board with tube screamer, compressor, delay, reverb unit etc to do the rest. Should I use the 5F6A board and parts to do it while still using the existing transformer and pots, inputs. I have new caps, resistors from the Frommel kit that I might be able to incorporate into this build and then purchase what I need to finish. My question is... am I on the right track or does anyone have a better idea for me ? thanks Terry

[jjasilli]

I've gone the mod route & several repairs.  It can be modded to sound great. But I disagree with Frommel -- experience shows me that the circuit boards of the HRD & all the amps in this line are unreliable. My HRD is on the fritz again.  So I suggest not to repair or mod it.  I recommend gutting & rebuilding with quality caps & a proper point to point board.  There are numerous, good rebuild options, so that's a personal choice.  I would retain the chassis & iron; and chassis mount the tubes, pots & switches.  Maybe retain the reverb & relay circuits, but mounted on a garolite board.

[tertheter]

Yes thanks I agree that's why I was asking, the boards are not reliable and the ribbon connectors to the tubes won't cut it. I'm just unsure as to what board I should order from Hoffman. I want to use turret style and have it come complete with them installed

[pompeiisneaks]

Yes thanks I agree that's why I was asking, the boards are not reliable and the ribbon connectors to the tubes won't cut it. I'm just unsure as to what board I should order from Hoffman. I want to use turret style and have it come complete with them installed

You'd need to either
a. use an existing amp he sells, those come pre populated and setup to the layouts and schematics he's got here, and work great (you pick a Deluxe Reverb or whatever, and build it)
b. come up with a layout of an amp you want and use his program to show him how to build the board and ask that he put in the turrets/eyelets himself.  Also a great option. 

So really it depends on which amp you want to build and if it already exists in his available amps or if you'll have to do some work designing a layout.  See his amps here:

http://el34world.com/schematics.htm

and here's info on his turret board program:

http://el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=22070.0

~Phil

[tertheter]

ok Great that's kind of what I thought but I wanted to be sure before buying them. thanks for the help guys cheers

[sluckey]

All of Hoffman's boards are 3-1/8" wide. The length varies for different boards and is listed on the order page. The 5F6A Bassman board is 10-1/2" long. I highly recommend pulling the chassis, cutting a piece of cardboard to the size board you want and place it inside the chassis to be sure it will fit properly. I would hate to buy a 10-1/2" x 3-1/8" board only to discover that there is not enough room to install it. Space can get really tight, especially inside a narrow tweed style chassis. Don't forget that pots and jacks take away from the usable width of a chassis.

[tertheter]

ok thanks for the heads up I will check but I think it will fit