SE follies

[SILVERGUN]

Over a year ago I started a SE EL34 design that I swore was going to be the coolest amp I would have built to date.
I plagiarized some elements from Merlin. (see the bootstrapped cathode follower 1st stage and the EF86 operating specs + his schematic stylings), so it was sure to be a winner.
It has been pushed aside at least 5 times now by other amp builds and has gone through so many changes that the current state is kinda embarrassing, but I'll post it for everyone's enjoyment (except shooter - watch what you say there Captain Land Yacht )

This is a great story about how the prettiest schematic I ever drew turned into the worst sounding amp I ever built, and how I continue to believe that it could some day rise to glory. It should serve as a reminder that the word DESIGN should be respected and reserved for actual designers.

It was a miserable Saturday in May 2020 when I sat at my new beautiful bench to plug in and play my newly finished build which was sure to be THE GREATEST AMP EVER MADE. Basically because I had stolen some of Merlin's design ideas and cobbled them together with care.
The smell of coffee and solder fumes was in the air....

[SILVERGUN]

In that first picture you can see I was already auditioning attenuators as the green test lead has already made it's way out of the drawer. Something was horribly wrong.

But lets go back to the humble beginnings of my work of art.
This was how I first envisioned it would go...

[SILVERGUN]

All I needed was a chassis, some parts, and a daughter who would teach me how to braid my OT wires...

[tubeswell]

I was already auditioning attenuators as the green test lead has already made it's way out of the drawer.

Lots of gain in that preamp

[SILVERGUN]

I was already auditioning attenuators as the green test lead has already made it's way out of the drawer.

Lots of gain in that preamp

You aint kidding my friend.
We will talk about voltage dividers later.
I was busy falling in love with the way it looked.

[SILVERGUN]

The parts fell together as if they were destined to be, like a finely tuned Hallmark Channel movie. The flow of power supply red ducking cleanly past the signal white. It was all surely meant to be. As though guided by the hand of the late Ritchie200 himself, I built, free from the confines of a pre-determined layout. Determined to create a masterpiece for the ages.

Hoffman chassis, Fender PT I scavenged off of ebay, Classictone 15W SE OT, Doug's relay hookup, integrated bridge rectifier. I couldn't lose.
Or could I?....

[SILVERGUN]

I remember getting this far with the schematic before another traumatic life incident hit, it got pushed aside, and then things got kinda blurry.
The past year has been a blur.