Hi, I got the Trainwreck feva

[Fischerman]

Hi,
I'm new here, just ordered an Express kit without trannies or tubes from Nik and some Heyboer trannies. I've built a few amps from scratch and have built the Express circuit (one of the early Blue Guitar versions) into a BF Bassman once but I ended up yanking it out (I liked it a lot though). I've also built the 'Blues Express' into a SF Princeton amp that was chopped down to a head before I got it...that amp is still like that and I like it a lot...but they sound quite a bit different than the long-tail PI in the Express.

I'm sure I'll have a bunch of questions but I'll start with these:
Early Express cloners complained that their amp was too bright. Is that still the case?
Have people had much success with post-PI MVs in Express builds?
What about 'Cut' controls, cloners had success with them?
Do the more 'successful' cloners just build it per layout...then tweak it to taste or do they go 'strictly' to the layout? Didn't KF tweak each one individually (not that I have the skills he does)?
I noticed many folks are getting the dual secondary PT, what is the consensus on the B+ for an Express? Do most prefer the 260vac taps or the 300vac taps? Or are the 260vac taps for a Liverpool and the 300vac taps for an Express?

Thanks for any input. I've been a member of Ampage for years (I remember Mark Abbott's name from the old Ampage) under the name Matt (MattT @ new ampage).

[Allynmey]

Use the 300V Taps
Paul Ruby still has few 290V tap PT's i think. These are made to the original specs.

I would stick to the exact layout and parts if you want to get an Express sound. You can tweak things later. If you build your amp your way, you may have some issues and not really know where to go with the build. It happens a lot. I alway feel it's better to get a working amp before you tweak.

Allynmey

[straycat]

I am in the process of building an express with a set Of Paul Ruby's Heyboer transformers here are the specification I got from Heyboer

Tim,

HTS-5199

Primary 120 volts Black Leads
Secondary:
300 - 260 - 0 - 260 - 300 @ 300 mA
Yellow -Yel/Grn -Yel/Red - Yel/Grn - Yellow

6.3 Volts CT @ 7.5 Amps
Brown - Brown/White Brown

5 Volts Winding @ 3 Amps
Gray & Gray

M-6 Steel used

HTS-5200 - 5.2K

Primary Impedance 5200
Green Blue Purple

Secondary
Common Black
4 Ohm Red
8 Ohm Yellow
16 Ohm Gray
M-50 steel used Butt stacked in sections

Hope this helps

Alden Arendsen
Heyboer Transformers

There are no 260 leads on the transformer I got from Paul Ruby


If your are interested in a Master Volume check out this thread on another forum starting with Page 5 it is based on a Ken Fisher design.Rockstah has one installed on his marshall and it sounds good.You might have to join the forum but is has alot of useful info .If you have any questions Rockstah is the one to ask on this one.

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php ... 1947f1a81a

[rockstah]

the last 10 or so clips in my plexi soundclick link has this master volume.
ken fisher type 2 PPIMV ( all the way down to "franny making noise clip " )

anyway here is a layout i drew up. this master sounds the best ive heard and its completely out of the circuit when dimed.

[img:136:120]http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/11/31302520035.jpg[/img]

here it is in my plexi :
[img:161:120]http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/11/31018162512.jpg[/img]

I have yet to try it in my Express - i bet it will sound killer.

Mark

[Fischerman]

Hey Mark,
It's Matt3 from the Vinatge Amps forum. You've been busy!

I've listened to Mark's clips many times (great tones and playing BTW) and I've installed post-PI MVs a ton of times. I've tried the Rich mod as well as KFs MV from the Trainwreck pages several times each as well as some minor variations on them. And once you do a post-PI MV, adding a 'Cut' control right next to it is duck soup. That one you posted Mark...that's the one novosibir uses, right? I actually have that exact MV in one of my amps...the only dual-pot I had on hand one day was a 250K so that's what I ended up with. I do recall being very pleased with it (I think it's in my homebrew smallbox).

Those are the exact trannies I'm getting, the 5199 and the 5200. I've been dealing direct with Heyboer for several years and when I called they told me that Ruby had just placed an order for 10 sets...so he just added another set onto that 'batch' of trannies. Heyboer trannies have served me very well over the years. These are just the single secondary trannies and I'm certain Phil said 5199 and 5200. He specifically said "only the 300v secondary".

Mojo sells the dual secondary PT (and they have the weight listed wrong on their site...so you save on shipping I suppose)...but for more $ than both from Heyboer. When I asked about the OT...the guy @ Mojo said it only had a 6K6 primary...which I've read is correct per some Expresses but I guess I had surmised that the cloners had better luck with the 5K2 primary.

Do people really use the 50pF treble cap? I always assumed it was a mistake and never even tried it.

I've also read that some have had better luck using Liverpool PI values in an Express. What was the improvement? I usually have better luck with more current and a 'longer tail' (i.e. 10K tail resistor instead of 39K...or the Vox 47K). But that's always been with Marshalls.