Hi Radioegg,
Snyder80 has the right idea, SMD! WTF Ouch! Yeah stay away as you are going to dig a big hole for yourself.
Before you mess with ANY PCB,,,**Understand This FIRST.**
The PCB is the Heart of the Amplifier, it's often the only part you can't fix. If you Bugga the traces on single sided you might be lucky to fix it,, but bugga
those really fine traces on Double sided surface mount do-dads and it's instant Toxic waste land fill. Tears will almost certainly be the final result.
That last Q needs a clear understanding also.
I Quote;
" "would it be possible to make it accept 6v6 tubes, and do other stuff to make it sound more like a blackface deluxe or princeton (or brown or tweed for that
matter)?" "
Answer, A sex change is probably easier and less painfull. LOL
![[smilie=eek2.gif]](./images/smilies/eek2.gif "eek2")
You need to start searching for good info on Valve basics. Try *Valve Wizard* sells books,, Also King TUT Book 4 is supposed to have a lot of tricks.
Also visit the Tone Lizard site ,, and check the *Tone Lounge* while you are there. Heaps of good basic common sense from the above people.
Although some paremeters of 6V6 and EL84's are similar they are very different to work with. (Speaking from experience)
Or read my babble on here:
http://www.guitargear.net.au/discussion ... ic=22758.0
Halfway down that page is a post by me about how all the basic Valve circuits work. 2 posts down is *electric triode* comment. He is one of the better Qualified Valve geeks in Australia. (I've learned heaps from ET and his wealth of Valve savvy)
Needless to say I'm NOT an expert but being a guitar player since my early teens I've learned a lot about deciphering techno babble and BS.
(you can save a $fortune$ by learning to read between the lines) Your Amp is the last thing on the planet that will sound like an AC 30 because *Your Amp is FIXED bias* and the laws if fizzy stuff tells one that it will react very different to the same Amp that has K bias.
Brian May only used the *Normal Channel* of the AC 30 which is ONE Triode (half an AX7) and straight to the power stage thru a simple volume pot. (just adding a simple treble booster in front go figure
)
Yet most modern amps look like a wine rack in the back with multiple Triode's to get a half decent OD effect???? WTF?? goes on??? go figure?
AGain I've built it both ways,,,, Give me a Cathode Biased Amp anyday over fixed bias as they are far more reactive to dynamics.
If all you ever do is play clinically clean don't waste money on Valves just use SS Amps.
BUT if distortion dynamics is what you desire then yes a well thought out Cathode biased Valve Amp can be very rewarding and will out TONE the biggest
Wanker Brand Fixed bias Amps any day.
Also Bear in mind *the Crux of the Guitar Amp Problem* which is hardly ever mentioned.
SPL,,, How loud it is before it distorts.
Whether you have a Marshall Major 200 Watt or a 10 or 15 Watt Cathode biased little rig, ***Both are likely to be too Loud for low level practice.***
Amp Makers are fully aware of this issue and hence the Master volume amps with 90% distortion achieved via triode fizz bottles are all the rage but in truth it will never have the same mojo as a simple Amp built years ago cranked up loud which adds the tone and compression nuances of the PI >power stage and output Transformer.
So Any multi triode preamp distortion based boot-tweaky Amp built today is hardly likely to sound as convincing as the REAL THING.
Amp makers know full well the 75% of the buying public are home thrashers and want heaps and heaps of distortion but at containable levels.
They sell more Amps that way. $$$$$$
So don't complain if your exotic overrated funny brand name fixed bias fizz bottle rig does not quite deliver what is claimed on the advertizing brochure.
Cheers,, Phil.
