Starting my Wreck board and I have a question

[lgehrig4]

I started the assembling the board today and I'm following the build guide as well as a couple other diagrams. One of the diagrams is for the outer foil orientation.

I was looking at those photos of Ingrid and noticed that only 2 of the Mallory caps are oriented the same as in the diagram. Now I've read that Ingrid was modified but I'm sure switching the caps around wouldn't have been one of the modifications.

Could someone clarify this for me? I just want to make sure I have it right before I start to soldier the components.

thanks
Jeff

[redshark]

Follow Ingrid and Francesca pics, not a diagram.

[Reeltarded]

Ingrid is not Ken's work at this point. It is one of his amps that has been done over.

[Blackburn]

Are you using original Mallory PVCs?

[lgehrig4]

One diagram is rom the build pages on this site and the cap orientation was posted here as well. They are both the same in terms of the board wiring but Ingrid's caps are facing the other way.

No reason to assume these are incorrect or they wouldn't have been sticky'd on a site pretty much devoted to TW's

[Blackburn]

The outer foil goes towards ground on Wrecks. Not sure why it's popular for Sozos to go the other way even in amps by very reputable builders. You won't hear any difference in tone, but you may have more noise one way versus the other.

[Reeltarded]

It matters. Everything matters. Nothing matters.

[Blackburn]

Do you really think so?

Or are you being a rascal?

[Reeltarded]

You know me. I am the guy who likes the sound of the backward cap amp.

[Colossal]

For cap orientation, see here:
https://tubeamparchive.com/files/expres ... il_997.pdf

With respect to Miles' seemingly cheeky comment, I think there is true meaning there IMO:

If you want a copy of an Express that may or may not be truly brilliant, make a copy and nothing matters.

If you want an Express, pay attention to each detail, no matter how small, and everything matters.

People may scoff and say, p-shaw, it's just a modified Fender, but anyone who has built one and has really gotten it right, the difference is in those very minute details. It matters.

[Blackburn]

Interesting link you got there, Dave. I agree about the minute details in Wrecks, but I haven't personally heard differences with a change in orientation. I also haven't built a true Wreck, so there's that. Is it widely accepted then that Ken strayed from the norm with cap orientation as well?

[Reeltarded]

The foil to ground matters less than the actual values of the resistors compared to their marked values, unless you are just looking at an open amp.

[redshark]

For cap orientation, see here:
https://tubeamparchive.com/files/expres ... il_997.pdf

With respect to Miles' seemingly cheeky comment, I think there is true meaning there IMO:

If you want a copy of an Express that may or may not be truly brilliant, make a copy and nothing matters.

If you want an Express, pay attention to each detail, no matter how small, and everything matters.

People may scoff and say, p-shaw, it's just a modified Fender, but anyone who has built one and has really gotten it right, the difference is in those very minute details. It matters.

Only 2 caps in that diagram are positioned like a real trainwreck. I guess ken didn't pay attention to that and had all the foils going to the faceplate.

[Blackburn]

The foil to ground matters less than the actual values of the resistors compared to their marked values, unless you are just looking at an open amp.

I'm not perplexed any more...

[Colossal]

Only 2 caps in that diagram are positioned like a real trainwreck. I guess ken didn't pay attention to that and had all the foils going to the faceplate.

I drew the diagram and Martin Manning edited, orienting the outer foils with respect to best practices for lowest noise. I cannot comment as to what Ken did or did not do. Can it be said with certainty that for the Mallory PVC series that the black marking printed on the cap actually indicated the outer foil?

We also have to keep in mind that we base most of our "how to replicate an Express lore" on a very, very limited sample of one or two amps. As we build amps, we all evolve our styles so it's certainly possible that other KF amps were built with attention to foil orientation. Ken also got the phase backward on the heater wiring on Kelly 90 too.

Foil orientation is documented on TAG as to making an audibly significant difference in the bloom of a Dumble as well as the quality of overdrive. I would not discount its significance in a Trainwreck, despite what Ken may or may not have done in the few gut shots we have to reference (I'm not leaving that one to chance )