What are the No Compromise (obtainable) parts for Express

[declan]

Casey
thanks for all those tips, theres a mine of info in and between those lines

i have a very small selection of 12AX7, mainly mullard and brimar, a phillips or two and a few ive never heard of like "willow" which i hope will do the job, im planning EL34's but for my taste the mullards have gone to silly prices, RCA is probably the way to go.

As far as the total cost is concerned, i just want to stay within the bounds of reason, period correct screws and washers are not on the list.

Dai H, youre right, the knowledge is the valuable thing, i hope I can gain the ability to keep a small slice of it

However i will be ordering a bag of angels dust and a packet of mojo to sprinkle on it when its done.

Seriously though, thanks again folks , plenty of good advice and direction.

Tis good to find a friendly forum

[geetarpicker]

Another option is original KF specification transformers directly from the original supplier "Pacific" in California. Still available, last I heard. Others may have more info if there is a "new" part # to still obtain these

With some luck you can still find "Cinch" tube sockets. My original has these throughout. For my two personal clones I was able to source NOS "Cinch" outputs sockets and repro "Cinch" preamp sockets apparently made on the original tooling.

Watch ebay for the 1k 25 watt power resistors. The Xicons are ok, but the leads are really thin and flimsy compared to the original part Ken used. I found some NOS ones on ebay that were exact matches to the original, though they had a different brand inked on them.

Another option if you don't mind it's light duty is the Lorin ohms selector which you can still get. My original used this, and even though it is all plastic I've had no problems ever.

[Dai H.]

As far as the total cost is concerned, i just want to stay within the bounds of reason, period correct screws and washers are not on the list.

this could some sort of measure, i.e. "For $XXX, what is the best 'wreck clone I can do?".

Dai H, youre right, the knowledge is the valuable thing, i hope I can gain the ability to keep a small slice of it

I love old stuff, but (after buying old tubes, parts, etc.) in hindsight I think the smart thing is to (try to do) is learn to be judicious because some things won't matter, or may be valued really high in comparison to their actual effect on the sound, and some things might be substituted for something more available and less expensive (under the hood, under the label, etc.). The whole hype/mojo/input/output ratio thing...

[El_Martin]

Hi folks!

Having built only two TW style amps, I DON'T believe in single parts. TWs have to be tuned for perfect tone of each player. Ok, I'm not a good player...

As regards NOS parts:
Since I prefer currently produced parts, I was wondering if someone adopted the TW concept for these parts.
Did someone take into account differences between modern tubes/OS (gain, frequency response, etc.), caps,...
Needs probably a bit more than lowering gain and adding some snubbers across anode resistors...

I guess Paul Ruby and the usual suspects did it...

Ciao
Martin
PS: personally I like the preamp voltages a bit on the low side...soon my first attempt of powerscaling should yield further insight

[leaveitalone84]

Another option for EL34's are the Groove Tube EL-34M Mullard Reissues. Glen uses them and I just put a pair in my clone. They sound really great for the money (I got a set for $30 from CE dist).

Though some people have had problems with them my set was perfectly matched and very robust. Almost no mechanical noise compared to my JJ's and Svetlana's.

[Lonely Raven]

Casey
thanks for all those tips, theres a mine of info in and between those lines

i have a very small selection of 12AX7, mainly mullard and brimar, a phillips or two and a few ive never heard of like "willow" which i hope will do the job, im planning EL34's but for my taste the mullards have gone to silly prices, RCA is probably the way to go.

As far as the total cost is concerned, i just want to stay within the bounds of reason, period correct screws and washers are not on the list.

Dai H, youre right, the knowledge is the valuable thing, i hope I can gain the ability to keep a small slice of it

However i will be ordering a bag of angels dust and a packet of mojo to sprinkle on it when its done.

Seriously though, thanks again folks , plenty of good advice and direction.

Tis good to find a friendly forum

On my TW "inspired" amp (I hate to say clone when it's not truly a clone like Glen's fantastic builds), I find that tubes make a HUGE difference.

Absolutely take your time and try *everything* you have. Let your ears be your guide. You just might have some glass bottle mojo on a shelf and not realize it till you plug it in!

[Ron Worley]

I'lll add my 2 cents based on what Allyn and others have stated:

The basic sound is due to Tube, Transformers and Caps; in that order... (and the intrinsic design itself of course...).

Makes sense to me. Tuning the amp with component value or manufacturer changes is probably the key componet to KF's real genius. Unfortunately, I don't have that knowledge yet, so building it exactly like Francesca was my best tactic to getting something close.

Then as I get smarter (the wife would call that one debateable), I can work on voicing it intelligently.

Ron

[declan]

Thanks for all the input. My essential component list is a lot smaller than i had initially thought it might be.

Im in no rush though, my main aim is to do as much myself as possible. If it takes 6 months to gather and assemble parts.... then it will take 6 months.

[gearhead]

Is there consensus that the CD (Mallory) TC75 and TC 78 are that vital to the sound, vs Sprague Atoms?

[Allynmey]

Is there consensus that the CD (Mallory) TC75 and TC 78 are that vital to the sound, vs Sprague Atoms?

I've tried different kinds and thy all sound close. On my builds I usually use TC75's and replace the TC78's with Tech cap or F&T. Seems to be a nice combination.

[ampdoc1]

I disagree with the outlook that a bunch of esoteric parts are necessary to build a Wreck. I posted the original schematic of Kelly '90 a few years ago after building my first Express (there were a few minor mistakes on the schemo, but I was using a hand drawn schematic that I drew 17 years ago). When I built that amp, I don't think this site existed, and I think I was one of the few who had cloned the amp at that time.
According to some here, I did it all wrong. PT and chassis from a '60 Twin amp, OT a replacement for a Fender Super, PCB construction, no-name Orange drops, Ruby tubes, and pots from Magic Parts.
Funny, a half dozen of the best players in this town (= to those in any town, I'd reckon) were blown away. They had never played an amp with the dynamic response and touch sensitivity of that thing. And I actually heard a friend of mine hit a sustained note that produced 3 or 4 overtones feeding back in harmony.
There is no "magic" here. Ken came up with a circuit that will work, and work well, with almost any selection of parts. Will it sound the same as Glenn's amp? Yes and no. I've probably never had the hearing or the "ear" that Glenn has, nor on average, do most players. Even Glenn hears differences in nearly identical amplifiers. But will my amp thrill just about anyone who plugs in? Without a doubt!
Buy/build the basic amp; play with it, then experiment with caps, tubes and speakers to find the combination YOU like. The worst you can do will blow away any amp built on an assembly line.

ampdoc