https://theultimatetone.com/ Mon, 11 May 2026 12:55:01 +0000 MyBB https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-G-day-all Sun, 18 Aug 2024 12:28:48 +0000 Resistor001]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-G-day-all
I am somewhat of a muso tragic and I started seriously looking for the ultimate tone just over 15 years ago. Probably longer than that but that's when I got more serious about it. I'd been struggling with a decent sound for 15 years for before that, even though I did have some excellent equipment along the way. Would you believe I have sold an old Marshall cab filled with 4 ten inch greenbacks that would likely be 40-50 years old by now, a blackface Princeton (before Fender did reissues of it) among other things. If I had only known what I had in my hands... c'est la vie.
I'm pretty sure the actual impetus to amp building was when I had a Soldano GTO pedal which was horrendously loud (pretty useless to me also since I'm NOT a high gain guy - but I was young and had no idea what I was back then). I took it to a repair guy to 'fix' it. After looking at it he said, what it really needs is to 'DC the heaters'. He just casually threw it out there like everyone knows what that means - well not I Sir.
So, I started purchasing 'textbooks' on amplifiers and 'how they work'. I was reading old textbooks but a lot of it was only indirectly related to guitar tube amps -all theoretical application. Kits were ok but I really wanted to know the ins and outs. I finally came across Kevin's books about 15 years ago. I gobbled them up, but nothing is as good as practical application. So, I made the Standard. It worked, which I was amazed and very happy about, but my partner and I moved to a unit close to the city and I no longer had the space to tinker - that was 2011. We are finally moving to a house (I married her too in 2012) and I'll finally have the space to tinker once again.
I've started reading the Tut series all over again - I'd forgotten basically everything. I found this forum because I was looking up details on decoupling stages.
And yes, I figured out how to DC the heaters - but I sold that pedal a long, long time ago.
My day job is a Teacher. I teach mathematics at a 'selective' high school and love linear algebra, differential equations and number theory.

Resistor001]]>
I am somewhat of a muso tragic and I started seriously looking for the ultimate tone just over 15 years ago. Probably longer than that but that's when I got more serious about it. I'd been struggling with a decent sound for 15 years for before that, even though I did have some excellent equipment along the way. Would you believe I have sold an old Marshall cab filled with 4 ten inch greenbacks that would likely be 40-50 years old by now, a blackface Princeton (before Fender did reissues of it) among other things. If I had only known what I had in my hands... c'est la vie.
I'm pretty sure the actual impetus to amp building was when I had a Soldano GTO pedal which was horrendously loud (pretty useless to me also since I'm NOT a high gain guy - but I was young and had no idea what I was back then). I took it to a repair guy to 'fix' it. After looking at it he said, what it really needs is to 'DC the heaters'. He just casually threw it out there like everyone knows what that means - well not I Sir.
So, I started purchasing 'textbooks' on amplifiers and 'how they work'. I was reading old textbooks but a lot of it was only indirectly related to guitar tube amps -all theoretical application. Kits were ok but I really wanted to know the ins and outs. I finally came across Kevin's books about 15 years ago. I gobbled them up, but nothing is as good as practical application. So, I made the Standard. It worked, which I was amazed and very happy about, but my partner and I moved to a unit close to the city and I no longer had the space to tinker - that was 2011. We are finally moving to a house (I married her too in 2012) and I'll finally have the space to tinker once again.
I've started reading the Tut series all over again - I'd forgotten basically everything. I found this forum because I was looking up details on decoupling stages.
And yes, I figured out how to DC the heaters - but I sold that pedal a long, long time ago.
My day job is a Teacher. I teach mathematics at a 'selective' high school and love linear algebra, differential equations and number theory.

Resistor001]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hiyya Wed, 26 Jun 2024 07:05:38 +0000 capacitivewaves]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hiyya Im Sarah, from France. I've been repairing tube amps since 2016 and occasionaly building some, mostly copying iconic designs (and their flaws ). So far I built a JTM45 with more low end, a 5W mesa-nspired amp, 2 Hiwatt-50W clones and a few low watters based on Rob Robinette's micro Deluxe. While roaming on the internet I came accross London Power Power Scaling and I ordered all 6 TUT books. I am looking foward to reading them all but I only finished TUT for now and it made me want to experiment a lot of stuff I am not very at ease with (hello solid state).
For the moment I'm building a 2-channel amp with boost, reverb and FXloop for the largest reheasal place in town. Big challenge as I'm trying to implement solid state circuitery for switching in there. I built the mosfet FX loop as in TUT fig 7-27 and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out !

Happy to join the forum to discuss all of this with you all  

Cheers !]]> Im Sarah, from France. I've been repairing tube amps since 2016 and occasionaly building some, mostly copying iconic designs (and their flaws ). So far I built a JTM45 with more low end, a 5W mesa-nspired amp, 2 Hiwatt-50W clones and a few low watters based on Rob Robinette's micro Deluxe. While roaming on the internet I came accross London Power Power Scaling and I ordered all 6 TUT books. I am looking foward to reading them all but I only finished TUT for now and it made me want to experiment a lot of stuff I am not very at ease with (hello solid state).
For the moment I'm building a 2-channel amp with boost, reverb and FXloop for the largest reheasal place in town. Big challenge as I'm trying to implement solid state circuitery for switching in there. I built the mosfet FX loop as in TUT fig 7-27 and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out !

Happy to join the forum to discuss all of this with you all  

Cheers !]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hi-All--325 Thu, 30 May 2024 04:02:41 +0000 Linke]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hi-All--325
I’m new to the Forum but not necessarily new to London Power. I’ve been buying Kevin’s kits and PCBs for quite a while but I hate to admit, I’ve only assembled one of them! Lots of work ahead!
I’m a retired automotive engineer from Detroit now living in Tucson. I took my first guitar amp building class given by Bruce Egnater about 8 years ago. Life took me away from amp building shortly after until I took Bruce’s design class last Fall. After that I decided I want to dive into amp building as I have a new home in Tucson and finally some spare time on my hands. Last Saturday, I completed the 8 week amp class at Roberto Venn Luthier School. I now have lots of crazy ideas but not much practical experience! 
I have a couple major projects that will include many of my London Power unbuilt PCBs as well as a couple new ones. I’m joining the Forum on Kevin’s recommendation as I’m hoping to gain more knowledge in power supply design.
Thanks for the opportunity to join and I’m looking forward to the community and knowledge here!

Brian]]>
I’m new to the Forum but not necessarily new to London Power. I’ve been buying Kevin’s kits and PCBs for quite a while but I hate to admit, I’ve only assembled one of them! Lots of work ahead!
I’m a retired automotive engineer from Detroit now living in Tucson. I took my first guitar amp building class given by Bruce Egnater about 8 years ago. Life took me away from amp building shortly after until I took Bruce’s design class last Fall. After that I decided I want to dive into amp building as I have a new home in Tucson and finally some spare time on my hands. Last Saturday, I completed the 8 week amp class at Roberto Venn Luthier School. I now have lots of crazy ideas but not much practical experience! 
I have a couple major projects that will include many of my London Power unbuilt PCBs as well as a couple new ones. I’m joining the Forum on Kevin’s recommendation as I’m hoping to gain more knowledge in power supply design.
Thanks for the opportunity to join and I’m looking forward to the community and knowledge here!

Brian]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Ohayo-from-Japan Wed, 07 Feb 2024 03:45:33 +0000 Looselectron]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Ohayo-from-Japan
I am also the proud the owner of two VHT Special 12/20RT amps. What's so special about them (my amps)?

First, they are more affordable than the brand suggests. Before the VHT Specials, I had a Little Lanilei, another very special tube amp with its own unique approach to power scaling designed around a 12AX7 power-amp and an LM386 driving a 6" speaker in a cute cabinet women often mistook for a handbag thanks to the hand embroidered mermaid on the grille. I'd tote that around the greater Tokyo metropolis to rehearsals and gigs where I'd use it like a head to drive a larger cabinet. Eventually I had a friend build me my own full sized cabinet, and we went to a distributor showroom not far from Narita International Airport to audition different Eminence speakers in a cool 4x12 with a selector switch. The amp on top of that cab was a VHT Special 12/20 but there was no way I could afford a VHT amp! 

So I checked the design specs to try and find something similar for less...but there isn't anything like that for less except maybe low-wattage amps also made in China for JET City or ENGL (probably the same factory even!) You don't get a boutique amp from LA for $500...unless it's a Little Lanilei. Like that amp, the VHT Specials have their own solution for "real tube tone at bedroom volume" that sounds compromised.  

So I bought a VHT Special 12/20RT head on the spot because tube driven reverb and tremolo for a few dollars more. Why not!?!?!?
That's another thing that makes this amp special: the reverb driver is a 6V6. This along with the power tubes can be swapped for 6L6GC extending the power (headroom and bandwidth, really) from twelve to twenty watts hence the uncool name of this consumer product.
Unfortunately VHT Specials are inconsistent from one to another. Head #1 is truly special but the non-RT head (#2) I later bought didn't sound as great as the one in the showroom, and stopped working one day because of a loose fuse!

More recently I got a 12/20 combo (#4) for $100 that died shortly after I got it. The 3-watt resistor between B+1 and B+2 eventually burns out in these amps when I play loud through 6L6GC tubes with the amp's internal switch set to HI (20 watts.) That amp is gone now but shortly there after I got a Special 12/20RT combo (#5) that works...for now...

My dream is to use them both in stereo but the power scaling circuit also fails more than one would expect a properly built amp to fail...but of course these amps were probably built by Chinese country girls (not like the detail-oriented Japanese women working at the Roland factories) after being muntzed by the Germans (AXL) who bought the VHT brand, and then tried to turn it into Bayringer. 

When the WATTS controlled failed a SECOND time, I had already bookmarked London Power. Unfortunately modding/repairing the Special 12/20RT is not as easy as the ad copy suggests because of the reverb+tremolo daughter board mounted directly over the parts that most often need replacing! Big gobs of solder take forever to melt. The wiring looks like someone in the factory thought it would be cute to throw a party for the mice before turning on the power to electrocute them. Still I love these amps. Find me another tube amp that can drive a 2Ω load.

Love is circuit where commitment to something produces positive vibes. That's why I dropped another $100 on an SV2+VCK for this amp! 
Of course I would love to have a Carr amp (and a more powerful amp for my car, too) but my son wants a $1000 camera for graduation...]]>
I am also the proud the owner of two VHT Special 12/20RT amps. What's so special about them (my amps)?

First, they are more affordable than the brand suggests. Before the VHT Specials, I had a Little Lanilei, another very special tube amp with its own unique approach to power scaling designed around a 12AX7 power-amp and an LM386 driving a 6" speaker in a cute cabinet women often mistook for a handbag thanks to the hand embroidered mermaid on the grille. I'd tote that around the greater Tokyo metropolis to rehearsals and gigs where I'd use it like a head to drive a larger cabinet. Eventually I had a friend build me my own full sized cabinet, and we went to a distributor showroom not far from Narita International Airport to audition different Eminence speakers in a cool 4x12 with a selector switch. The amp on top of that cab was a VHT Special 12/20 but there was no way I could afford a VHT amp! 

So I checked the design specs to try and find something similar for less...but there isn't anything like that for less except maybe low-wattage amps also made in China for JET City or ENGL (probably the same factory even!) You don't get a boutique amp from LA for $500...unless it's a Little Lanilei. Like that amp, the VHT Specials have their own solution for "real tube tone at bedroom volume" that sounds compromised.  

So I bought a VHT Special 12/20RT head on the spot because tube driven reverb and tremolo for a few dollars more. Why not!?!?!?
That's another thing that makes this amp special: the reverb driver is a 6V6. This along with the power tubes can be swapped for 6L6GC extending the power (headroom and bandwidth, really) from twelve to twenty watts hence the uncool name of this consumer product.
Unfortunately VHT Specials are inconsistent from one to another. Head #1 is truly special but the non-RT head (#2) I later bought didn't sound as great as the one in the showroom, and stopped working one day because of a loose fuse!

More recently I got a 12/20 combo (#4) for $100 that died shortly after I got it. The 3-watt resistor between B+1 and B+2 eventually burns out in these amps when I play loud through 6L6GC tubes with the amp's internal switch set to HI (20 watts.) That amp is gone now but shortly there after I got a Special 12/20RT combo (#5) that works...for now...

My dream is to use them both in stereo but the power scaling circuit also fails more than one would expect a properly built amp to fail...but of course these amps were probably built by Chinese country girls (not like the detail-oriented Japanese women working at the Roland factories) after being muntzed by the Germans (AXL) who bought the VHT brand, and then tried to turn it into Bayringer. 

When the WATTS controlled failed a SECOND time, I had already bookmarked London Power. Unfortunately modding/repairing the Special 12/20RT is not as easy as the ad copy suggests because of the reverb+tremolo daughter board mounted directly over the parts that most often need replacing! Big gobs of solder take forever to melt. The wiring looks like someone in the factory thought it would be cute to throw a party for the mice before turning on the power to electrocute them. Still I love these amps. Find me another tube amp that can drive a 2Ω load.

Love is circuit where commitment to something produces positive vibes. That's why I dropped another $100 on an SV2+VCK for this amp! 
Of course I would love to have a Carr amp (and a more powerful amp for my car, too) but my son wants a $1000 camera for graduation...]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Aloha Sun, 21 Jan 2024 17:51:47 +0000 wardy]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Aloha I recently built a tube amp from a kit with a view to doing other stuff or maybe repairing tube amps.
I assume there are many on here who’ve done the same, anyone got any ideas or recommendations for a follow up project for me to have a go at?
Cheers]]> I recently built a tube amp from a kit with a view to doing other stuff or maybe repairing tube amps.
I assume there are many on here who’ve done the same, anyone got any ideas or recommendations for a follow up project for me to have a go at?
Cheers]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Greetings--306 Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:41:40 +0000 LB1]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Greetings--306 ]]> ]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-new-member--305 Sat, 28 Oct 2023 23:14:10 +0000 DudeofTube]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-new-member--305 https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-from-the-Silicon-Valley Sun, 28 May 2023 17:58:11 +0000 mooreamps]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-from-the-Silicon-Valley All I wanted to do was build amplifiers. I don't do guitar amplifiers any more, mostly because I do not play the guitar.
I am now doing small scale stereo amplifiers for my laptop computer audio.
I am also working on a next generation power supply filter, just in case I would ever want a simple way to power the filaments on a 300b.
I attach a link for more detail.


https://youtu.be/-HHfrJvo3aU]]> All I wanted to do was build amplifiers. I don't do guitar amplifiers any more, mostly because I do not play the guitar.
I am now doing small scale stereo amplifiers for my laptop computer audio.
I am also working on a next generation power supply filter, just in case I would ever want a simple way to power the filaments on a 300b.
I attach a link for more detail.


https://youtu.be/-HHfrJvo3aU]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-from-Westchester Tue, 25 Apr 2023 19:14:18 +0000 Drew1d]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-from-Westchester
This is Drew(1d) from Westchester.  I'm relatively new to building amps and just trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible.  I built a few simple amps...and rebuilt.....and...rebuilt again.  I like experimenting with different circuits.  I had to take like a year hiatus with my baby girl being born, but now I want to get back into it.

Cheers! 
-Drew]]>
This is Drew(1d) from Westchester.  I'm relatively new to building amps and just trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible.  I built a few simple amps...and rebuilt.....and...rebuilt again.  I like experimenting with different circuits.  I had to take like a year hiatus with my baby girl being born, but now I want to get back into it.

Cheers! 
-Drew]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-all Sun, 25 Dec 2022 20:19:22 +0000 Darth-Apple]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-all
I'm Darth-Apple, from east coast USA. I'm a lifelong musician and somewhat of an electronics hobbyist (not an expert, probably far less knowledgeable than most of you all. ) 

Figured I'd join this community and say hi!]]>
I'm Darth-Apple, from east coast USA. I'm a lifelong musician and somewhat of an electronics hobbyist (not an expert, probably far less knowledgeable than most of you all. ) 

Figured I'd join this community and say hi!]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-New-from-Atlanta Mon, 12 Dec 2022 03:12:34 +0000 TheCrunchGuy]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-New-from-Atlanta https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-New-guy-from-UK Fri, 18 Nov 2022 22:47:15 +0000 Bassman]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-New-guy-from-UK
I'm a bassist and equipment tinkerer from London (England).

I like to design and make preamps, amplifiers and effects.

Lately, I've been prototyping valve preamps, and working my way through the amps laid out in TUT3.

Very happy to be here.

Evan]]>
I'm a bassist and equipment tinkerer from London (England).

I like to design and make preamps, amplifiers and effects.

Lately, I've been prototyping valve preamps, and working my way through the amps laid out in TUT3.

Very happy to be here.

Evan]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Oldie-but-newbie Sun, 06 Nov 2022 22:54:31 +0000 Builder1950]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Oldie-but-newbie https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-World Sun, 16 Oct 2022 07:30:25 +0000 physics]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-World
I'm a physics student, and in order to develop electronics skills I'm working on learning the design and modification of tube amplifiers. Figure it'll be easier to sink the time and effort into something if I enjoy it. Found the books while researching how the Orange Dual Dark's "attenuator" (PPIMV, apparently) and switched power scaling works. Right now I'm working through TUT in order to modify a 5W monoprice amp into something more along my Orange-leaning high-gain tastes. Looking forward to interacting with everyone, and glad to see that there is a forum dedicated to the books.

-physics]]>
I'm a physics student, and in order to develop electronics skills I'm working on learning the design and modification of tube amplifiers. Figure it'll be easier to sink the time and effort into something if I enjoy it. Found the books while researching how the Orange Dual Dark's "attenuator" (PPIMV, apparently) and switched power scaling works. Right now I'm working through TUT in order to modify a 5W monoprice amp into something more along my Orange-leaning high-gain tastes. Looking forward to interacting with everyone, and glad to see that there is a forum dedicated to the books.

-physics]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-not-sure-where-to-post-my-question Sat, 09 Apr 2022 06:15:54 +0000 KHowie]]> https://theultimatetone.com/Thread-Hello-not-sure-where-to-post-my-question
My name is Ken, and I am writing from a far away place. The nearest major city is 600 miles away, and advice regarding my equipment has not been within reach. I want to be respectful of this forum and follow protocol. I don't know what the appropriate section would be to post my question. I have a couple Altec tube amps (1520t Bridging amps) that came from our local movie theater. The amps sat for a couple decades, or more, before I got them. They seem to need a really long time (an hour or more) to get really warmed up and sounding good. Prior to that, they sound pretty bad. I had to have the power transformers rewound on both amps. Aside from that, everything is original. Is it possible that the caps are not working properly, after sitting so long? Please advise me where in the forum I should take my question.

Respectfully,
Ken]]>
My name is Ken, and I am writing from a far away place. The nearest major city is 600 miles away, and advice regarding my equipment has not been within reach. I want to be respectful of this forum and follow protocol. I don't know what the appropriate section would be to post my question. I have a couple Altec tube amps (1520t Bridging amps) that came from our local movie theater. The amps sat for a couple decades, or more, before I got them. They seem to need a really long time (an hour or more) to get really warmed up and sounding good. Prior to that, they sound pretty bad. I had to have the power transformers rewound on both amps. Aside from that, everything is original. Is it possible that the caps are not working properly, after sitting so long? Please advise me where in the forum I should take my question.

Respectfully,
Ken]]>