r/ToobAmps

I know of the vh140c but I cannot find a direct copy in diy amp form if anybody has any suggestions that would be great!

Local consignment store has a Kay K 504 for sale for $275. Owner indicated caps had been changed, and three prong cord is added. I’d love a Vibro Champ, but they’re prohibitively expensive at this point. Seller says this amp is similar.

Apart from single tone knob vs treble and bass on the VC, are they similar? Is this amp worth this price for home use?

I’ve checked Google, and vids are scarce and low quality.

Thanks!

Hello guys,

I've been playing a Line 6 Spider amp that I bought in high school for a while but I want to upgrade to a new amp, and I really want a tube amp, and in my research, I have gravitated mainly to these three, who all have their own pros and cons for me. For context, I'm a bedroom player.

5 Watt: Most affordable, potentially worst sounding

15 Watt: Affordable, sounds good at least on demos

Vox AC4: sounds nicest to me, most expensive but can get second hand at a decent price.

I'd just like to not spend much more than 400 dollars on the high end. I have a good paying job but I don't want to completely blow a whole paycheck, y'know?

I'm leaning towards the Vox but I also don't wanna just go based on purely brand value.

If there's any others I didn't list on here that I should look more into, let me know! Thanks!

Hi everyone.

Yesterday I received a socket probe that I ordered to measure plate voltage on a DRRI 65’ to calculate total dissipation %, I already owned (and used) an idle current probe. I am also familiar with DMM usage.

I ask for assistance because, when attempting to measure the plate voltage via the socket probe, after flipping amp out of standby, the transformer hummed aggressively and popped the 2A fast-blo fuse on the back of the amp.

Now, this probe is pretty stupid simple to use and verified all my leads were connected correctly before and after the fuse blew. Probe was clocked correctly, tube was clocked correctly and both were fully installed.

Quick run down of instructions provided with probe:

1. Connect leads to DMM to COM and Voltage ports.
2. Set DMM to 300-600v DC or auto-range if available.
3. Install probe and tube clocked correctly
4. Turn amp on for 60 seconds on standby, and then flip off standby.
5. Take read.

Is there anything I’m missing here that would cause this?

The only thing I have concerns with is the permissible use of “auto range” on the DMM. my DMM starts reading in mV, is it possible this is the cause?

Either way, after replacing the fuse on the back, the amp appears to be functioning normally. Is there anything I should keep an eye out for the may be damaged? I know there’s a possibility the transformer, rectifier, traces, and screen resistors took a hit, but nothing seems amiss right now.

Ive got a bunch of NOS #2033 dual-triode tubes, once used in Honeywell flame detectors. Has anyone ever put these to use in audio circuits?

Hi guys, first of all sorry if my way to explain is wrong. Now let's go to the point.

I bought a Supro DK12 on February, via Amazon. It was the most affordable in my region and I live in a small town. Last year I purchased a Blackstar Debut 50r, but it was very difficult to get that sweet blues tone or classic rock with my drive pedals. I had to put the gain really high in my pedals to achieve it.

I thought I needed a low wattage tube amp to get that fat bluesy breakup. So i went for the Supro. Surprise for me: it works the same. I have to set the gain of my klon and TS very high to achieve that tone I have in my mind from the pedal demos I have watched. My bad, these are my first 2 amps and my experience with pedals and setups is limited.

1st question: If I change the speaker for something like 30 watts or less would that help? My stock speaker says 70w 8ohms.

But the biggest problem is that, after aprox 1 hour, the knobs of my Supro get hot and I have to turn it off. I suspect if I keep it on longer it will get really hot. The plate where the knobs are located is also hot and gets hotter if I keep it on for 2 or 3 mins more. I suspect this is not normal and I'm not sure what to do. I usually practice for less than 45 mins and just recently did 1 hour or a bit more.

2nd question: What do you recommend? I think this should not be normal, maybe I'm exaggerating. Could this be an issue with the amp? I don't see the tubes clearly, not sure where they are located.

Thanks in advance!

I'm in the process of building out my dream amp of a 50 watt fender 1X15 combo. It was a tough decision between a Bassman and a Bandmaster because I like the overall tone of a Bassman more, but love tube amp tremolo. I settled on a Bassman, but I wonder how much of a hassle it would be to add a tremolo circuit to the amp.

Has anyone ever done it before? Was it worth the effort to you?

Thanks!

Hey team,

I’ve got a classic 30 which is probably 20+ years old (which I appreciate isn’t that old for amps, just providing context) which has stopped working.

I was using it lastnight and the volume reduced but was still audible, then it returned to normal after ~30 seconds. It did this a couple more times and then stopped working altogether.

When I had the lead plugged into the amp but not the guitar, obviously if you touch that live end you get that noise but this wasn’t happening either, regardless of volume.

There’s a guy who’s happy to have a look at it for me but that will obviously be more costly than if it’s something I could fix.

Is there anything you’d suggest it’s likely to be please?

This fender Greta amp will power on and sounds alive, but it isn’t putting out any sound from the guitar. I had been playing it through a Dean Markley speaker cab with a Vox Stomplab IIG modelling pedal when it stopped working. I did use this combo a few times before disaster struck. I think the fuse is still good- the multimeter beeps and reads close to zero ohms.

Any ideas what the issue might be? I thought the impedance was 8 for the cab and 8 for the amp but perhaps I have that wrong.

Thanks in advance- trying to save a visit to the repairman but I am aware of the dangers in tinkering here.

Hi all -

I’m moving back to the DFW area after 12yrs. I last used Slemmons for tube amp repair. Not sure if they are still around.

Who’s everyone in DFW taking their tube amps to for repair? Or, who not to take amps to for repair?

I’ll be the Fort Worth side of the metroplex, but don’t mind the drive for a good tech.