How about we post some pics and layouts?

[Funkalicousgroove]

I just got through reading that the SOZO caps take 100 hours to form and sound right, that's a whole lot of living room time before you can take the amp out and gig!!

[PeteRH]

I am a bit tempted to take out my 715's in the one amp that has them and replace them with 418's but it really sounds good as it is

If it sounds good leave it!! I might be tempted to change a one or two at a time but never the complete rebuild.

My Jim Kelley has 6PS in some places and 71?'s in others. I always like to think that Jim chose to go this way due to their individual attributes....especially noting they are the same values but different orange drop types.

[RossH]

yeah...I'm leaving it.

[Allynmey]

Sozo Caps break-in. They do sound better after break-in! I don't think it takes 100 hous though. I built a hi gain 18 watt tmb with Sozos and it took about 20 hours to smooth 'em out! Here's a tip:

Plug in a dummy load or one speaker wwrapped in pillows. Take a portable cd player or anything with a line out. Let it play for two or three days at half volume. That will break 'em in nicely

-or- Play your %ss off for a week straight....probably a better idea!

Allynmey

[gnugear]

An easier way would be removing the power tubes and letting the amp run over night. I got this info from John (soZo) himself. I guess there's enough signal running through the amp to break it in sufficiently. I've done it in my Marshalls and it seems to work great (and save your power tubes)!

[Funkalicousgroove]

Great Ideas Fellas!!! I'm going to try them in a JTM45 and in my upcoming Rocket, I've heard such great things, I just never get a chance to play around the house!

[PeteRH]

I finally got my Liverpool clone up and running last night. It sounds great as is but noting it has a few startup problems I am expecting a lot better!! SO much promise.
Unfortunately the feedback loop howled....even money chance to get the output tranny leads round the right way and I seem to get it wrong more than right....but since it was switchable via the presence control it was played without neg feedback and no presence control for a few hours.

The fingerjoints look nice....but it looses that Trainwreck cab simplicity.

The cab is straight grained pine with a knotty piece up front.

I was going to wait for the wood control panel to be added before I posted pics ....but the rate I work that will be xmas. Better now than never.

Cheers
PeteRH

[PeteRH]

here's the money shot.

[doctord02]

Nice looking build Pete. How about some clips when you get it dialed in?

[Dai H.]

beautiful cab. Nice!

[HiGain]

Here's a pic of the "two rock kit."

Thanks to Mark for the great layout information and everyone else who posted tips, pictures and schematics.

Jake

[Funkalicousgroove]

Looks good for a first build! May I make the small suggestion that you use shielded wire for all of your preamp grid wires so that they don't pick up noise- Only ground one end of the shielding, that will make it nice and quiet.

[Moose]

I'm actually going to say DON'T use shielded wiring unless you have noise. No need to add the mess of working with shielded wires and the extra capacitance unless you've experienced a problem.

YMMV, of course.

[HiGain]

Looks good for a first build! May I make the small suggestion that you use shielded wire for all of your preamp grid wires so that they don't pick up noise- Only ground one end of the shielding, that will make it nice and quiet.

Thanks! I thought about using shielded wire, but after the thread about RG-x wire, I was hesitant. I have some shielded wire, but I believe it is high capacitance.

I'm actually going to say DON'T use shielded wiring unless you have noise. No need to add the mess of working with shielded wires and the extra capacitance unless you've experienced a problem.

YMMV, of course.

OK, thanks for the advise from both of you. I'll see how it goes first, and switch wire if necessary.

Jake

[Robert]

Looks great Jake. I'm not sure what you have off the bias point to ground. Should be a 1ohm 5 watt resistor (I used a 1%). Also, I don't know if it is incorrect or not. I wired my two speaker outputs the same as you did. My jacks are the shorting kind, so I think it doesn't work correctly,not sure though, when I use only the farthest jack from the impedance selector. It just seems unusual to only have one wire going to that furthest jack. I'm curious why you mixed the different caps in the preamp section. I am also not satisfied with the tone controls. I wired them according to our layout diagram but they really don't alter the tone that much. Fortunately to my ear the amp doesn't need much tweaking of the tone controls.