rockabilly69 Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Miss my Vibra-Trem 20! My next amp will be another Top Hat.... Rob I always see used TopHats going for reasonable prices. My favorite, with out a doubt, is the Club Royal which I prefer over my current Club Deluxe. I slightly prefer EL84's to 6v6's in these circuits. If I see a deal on one I will let you know:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smurph1 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Spend your money on the product that makes you happy" Amen! When I bought my 68 Custom Princeton, I had no idea it was PCB, No Idea it was Made in Mexico,.. I just thought the tone was awesome!! That should really be the reason we buy anything!! That and a dollar will get you a coffee at Mickey D's!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanschoyck Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 Spend your money on the product that makes you happy" Amen! When I bought my 68 Custom Princeton, I had no idea it was PCB, No Idea it was Made in Mexico,.. I just thought the tone was awesome!! That should really be the reason we buy anything!! That and a dollar will get you a coffee at Mickey D's!! I've had a 65 DRRI around the house for years and it never occurred to me particularly what was inside of it. Would you say the "mojo" factor is important? I find that what's happening in my head is what matters. If you believe voodoo works, it will work on you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJLII Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I've had a 65 DRRI around the house for years and it never occurred to me particularly what was inside of it. Would you say the "mojo" factor is important? I find that what's happening in my head is what matters. If you believe voodoo works, it will work on you. +1 on the DRRI. I had one of the original reissues for 10 years. It was a good amp. In a past life I manufactured commodity electronics products. From an efficiency standpoint, PCB was the only viable alternative. I get why the "mass market" amp builders use it. That said, all my current amps (Carr Rambler, Victoria Ivy League, ThroBak 18w Classic Combo) are PTP/Eyelet Board/Turret Board construction. I prefer the more traditional construction methods from a service and repair perspective. Plus they emit the delicate aroma of cork when they get warmed up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big bob Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Carr slant 6v Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJLII Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Carr slant 6vimage.jpgimage.jpg Yup. True PTP can look like a real rat's nest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HANGAR18 Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 PRS has just come out with a new amp model they call ARCHON (100W tube head) which seems to be a combination of both hand wired and printed circuit board. I'm at the point in my research path where I am seriously considering getting one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slider313 Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 1964 Vibrolux 1x12 chassis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HANGAR18 Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 See this link for detailed explanation. http://www.prsguitars.com/archon/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Some of you may remember years ago that there were TV ads about how to get training in a trade that would lead to a good job. Two of these training programs were TV repair and VCR repair. These two devices have mostly became disposable due to technology advances. But I wonder, has anyone seen marketing for a better home theater system because it has point to point hand soldering? I haven't. If it's so good, then why doesn't it spill over to the AV market where there is stiff competition among the high end products? It makes sense to have amps where the boards can be easily replaced. In fact I can imagine having an amp where the boards can very easily be slid in and out for different sounds and options. In a few days I will have another PTP amp, one I know well individually. It's worth it to me not because it's PTP but because of the final sound and features. I'm profoundly skeptical that a human hand doing the solder advances the tone. And I'd rather have a 2014 robot-built GM than a 1972 hand made one. This is progress, and progress isn't all good. I get it. But it is better for at least some. The one loop hole in this logic is the possibility of magic. Can it be that something intangible is transferred from the hands of the craftsman into the amp? I'd like to believe that's true. It happened every night with my mother's cooking. Randall amplifiers have something like you are talking about, you can replace a module and change the character of the amp. As far as an opinion on PCB vs. PTP, I don't have the amp experience that some have, but I have worked on electronics and some amplifiers and I've learned a lot in the last couple years. The article does have some merit, a well built and designed PCB is fine, allows for consistency and should be as durable as PTP wiring, as long as the jacks, tubes and pots aren't board mounted it should work and last as long as a tag or turret board, maybe even longer if your talking about the old style boards builders used to use. He's right they do warp and deteriorate. The problem comes in when you start placing parts that receive a lot of wear and tear and movement on the PCB, this makes common repairs difficult and sometimes more costly. Micro components also make it nearly impossible to make any repairs without replacing the board. I recently replaced the power caps in an old Marshall SS 100W head, the amp was at least 15 years old and still working, the board was pretty well made and laid out. Capacitors do fail, and in this amp it was quite easy to replace them without any problems. Quite honestly, I think a lot of the things we buy into as musicians is BS, there is no reason a paper in oil capacitor should sound any different in a guitar than any other quality capacitor of the same value, maybe they look cooler, but should sound the same. One last point, as a rule point to point is much easier to repair, but if something is really well made and never needs repair, who cares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 The old stop shopping and start playing concept of guitar playing. Seems like a relatively untested idea. Let us know how it works out. Wow I think you just stepped on some toes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Wow I think you just stepped on some toes! I hope not. I was making fun of myself. I hope no one took it the wrong way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I hope not. I was making fun of myself. I hope no one took it the wrong way. I did. I cried myself to sleep last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanschoyck Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 I did. I cried myself to sleep last night. Be brave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Be brave. I need my nu-nu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schundog Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Funny Stuff!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 PGS just posted this about the subject... If memory serves, Mike Soldano understood what PGS is talking about and is why his Jet City partnership makes well built amps.... http://proguitarshop.com/andyscorner/pcb-vs-handwired Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HRB853370 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Good article from Randall Smith on why PCB amps being rated inferior to PTP amps is mythological. http://www.mesaboogie.com/US/Smith/point-to-point.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
111518 Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Good article from Randall Smith on why PCB amps being rated inferior to PTP amps is mythological. http://www.mesaboogie.com/US/Smith/point-to-point.html It's Groundhog Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gitfiddler Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 It's Groundhog Day. Yep, again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoslate Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 From the Department of Redundancy Department.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuz Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 The American Pot Stirring Association of America...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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