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/diy/ - Do It Yourself


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1055918 No.1055918 [Reply] [Original]

I have an old RCA tube record player cabinet system I picked up for free, it's in great working condition and I was wondering how I would go about converting it into a guitar amp because I need one and I'm broke. It has a power transformer which I've read makes things a lot safer, but I don't really know where exactly to start. I'd love some help

>> No.1055929

>>1055918
Warning: I don't know a whole lot about hi-fi or guitar tube amps...

It is my understanding that guitar amps are made particularly different than hi-fi amps are--aside from being mono vs. stereo.
You can use any amp for a guitar, but if you want the classic guitar amp sound then you need to use one of the classic guitar amp circuits. They were made to distort in particular ways, even with no effects in use.

If you use modern/cheaper tubes then the main expensive part of a tube amp is the power and output transformers.
You don't have to buy them tho, you can make them totally yourself. They won't be quite as efficient (as loud) but they will still work.
You don't need to use laminations, you can use plain chunks of steel for the transformer core. You just have to use a gap to block DC current from circulating in the core.

>> No.1055979
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1055979

God damn you i could put two hours of work into that and flip it for $700

>> No.1056008

>>1055918
disassemble for parts and try to re use for a 5F1 champ circuit

>> No.1056027

>>1055918
sell the cabinet and buy the guitar amp, OP.

>> No.1056098
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1056098

>>1056027
don't destroy a perfectly good console for some retarded project you don't even know how to do.

>> No.1056201

>>1055979
fuck off, your shit looks horrible.

you are no better than the hipsters you're so proud of ripping off.

>> No.1056393

>>1056201

At least im not the fucking retard kid

>> No.1056394

Remove the components, replace with guitar amp

>> No.1057620

There are two rca jacks leading to the record player these can be used to plug a guitar into.

>> No.1057623

>>1055918

well, tell us what gear you have to begin with atm.

>> No.1057644

>>1056027
>>1056098
these!

>> No.1057765

>>1055929
You could diy fabricate all the resistors and capacitors in the amplifier too. They won't be as efficient, but your amp will be shittier than ever.

The tube layout in record players sucks for guitar amps. You're looking at cloning maybe the weakest of single ended Fenders.

>> No.1058837

>>1055979
this OP, sometimes it's better to be realistic and "fix" something for cash

>> No.1058952
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1058952

>>1055929
true.
guitar topology is often made to intentionally distort in different ways.

i made one here on diy ages ago.
someone archived it: >>/diy/thread/690267#p696115

check out the valvewizards site, or better yet, his books.
best resourse IMHO

pic is it finished, like a year after the tread^^

>> No.1058954
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1058954

>>1058952

>> No.1059682

>>1058837
This. Sell it for a couple of hundred dollars.
Pignose guitar amps go for around $75.

>> No.1059701

>>1055918
The main problem will be the flimsy cheap build quality. You're going to need to glue and seal the fuck out of everything and apply correct baffling. Even then, without the solid wood of a conventional cabinet it may sound like shit.

I say fuck the haters and do it, get a good quality stereo class A amp (or dual mono; I vote stereo so you can build some effects into it and get some amazing stereo phase/flange going on) and some speakers and build the fucking thing. Worst outcome is it sounds like shit and you are forced to build a kickarse new enclosure for your kit, learning a shit tonne in the process. Win/win imo.