102 Up & Running

[joe6v6]

The 2 Tube 102 Ive been working on fired right up, bias was set all the voltages were well with in range. I pluged it into a 2x12 cab & it was immediately apparent that something was not right. All the controls & the boost & OD worked just fine but it just sounded bad with awful overtones and distorted trailing notes that phased in & out at the end of cords & notes. I went back into the shop & rechecked all the voltages & all was well there, must be a bad tube,I hope, swaped a few tubes in & out with no good result. Spent the next hour checking , looking, wondering - nothing all seemed to be correct. I figured I would look it over one more time before posting here & asking for help & there they were - none of the wires on the send & return jacks were soldered. At the end of every build I always look at every solder joint with a magnifying glass but somehow I missed them. What a difference a few solder joints can make! Beuatiful Cleans & smooth singing overdrive. This amp seems a bit more flexable in the overdrive & boost department than the 124 I built. It seems to be able to do a rock type overdrive & a more smooth jazzy type drive better than the 124. Also it is more friendly as far as dialing in a nice clen sound & switching on the boost or OD & still have a nice tone. Very nice ending to the evening. I will put a few more pics when I finish the cabinit Im working on. . . Joe

[M Fowler]

Always nice to hear about a happy ending, congrats on your build.

Mark

[telentubes]

Hey Joe,
What kind of transformers are in this project? Glad it sounds so good.

[joe6v6]

The power trans is a P-T290DX its 325-325 @ 200ma, I used the 5v tap for the relays. . The Output is a Magnetic Components Classic Tone 40-18001. I already had the 4ohm one but I got this because In a head I wanted to have the option of diffrent cabs. Tx - Joe

[telentubes]

Thanks Joe.
I really like the utilitarian look of the uncovered aluminum front and rear panels. Nice and clean, but maybe you have plans for face plates.