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1983
Carvin X100B
There
were a few variations of the X-Amp. This Series III model is the early
"H" revision which utilized 6L6GC output tubes. It has a
type of sound that is almost impossible to be had with today's typical
modern amps. As you might guess, this model is no longer
manufactured.
Features
of the X-Amp
Both
drive and clean channels share the 3-band EQ, presence, and reverb.
The 5-band graphic EQ is assignable to either channel for additional
coloring. The clean channel has a pull-bright switch and the drive
channel as a pull-HI LEAD switch that "opens up" the amp.
Reverb, channel switching, and a 7db volume boost are activated from the
floor switch.
The
drive channel has the ability to obtain "clean-type" overdriven tones at
both high and low volume levels. The clean channel has been
described by my amp tech as having qualities similar to a
Fender Bassman. Wattage is switchable between 100 and 60 watts.
Below
is a shot of the back panel of the 1983 X100B Series III head.
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Need a
manual for your X100 / X60?
CLICK
HERE
Back in '83, this
is all that came with the X100. But hey... with
this amp you didn't need a dissertation to get a great tone. |
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JAN Phillips 7581A
(Military - USA)
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I've
got four matched NOS JAN Phillips 7581A output tubes in it right now.
These are
considered the best of the 6L6GC type. They give a nice vintage, bouncy round tone.
Lots of headroom with smooth breakup when they finally distort.
With this
particular
7581A becoming rare, I went ahead and bought a matched backup
set from
Lord
Valve.
Willie knows his tubes.
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I've got a
nice picture of these glowing bottles that makes a neat looking
desktop wallpaper.
CLICK
HERE FOR TUBE WALLPAPER
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For preamp tubes in my X100B, I am running these new-run
12AX7EH.
They
get smooth, "non-grainy" vintage sounding preamp
distortion. |
12AX7EH |
1993
Carvin Quad X-Amp / T100
Rack Amplifier System
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This
system can do it all. The Carvin Quad X preamp has been
called the guitar industry's best kept secret. I don't know
if I would go that far but if you have a certain electric guitar
sound in your head, with a little tweaking you can get it with the
Quad X.
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My Rack Components
Preamp........................
1993 Carvin Quad X-Amp
Power Amp................. 1993 CarvinT100 Tube
Stereo
Effects Processor..... 2001 Carvin XP4
Power Conditioner... Carvin AC120
Case............................. SKB 6-space rack
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1993
Quad
X Preamp
There
are four channels in the Quad X: Clean 1, Clean 2, Crunch ,and
Sustain. There are a total of nine 12AX7 preamp tubes used.
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It's
called "Tube CascadeTM"
- The Quad X uses 9 tubes.
Each
12AX7 tube has two sides: Clean channels 1 & 2 use a
single tube stage - each taking a side from tube #1
(V1). Channel 3 uses 2
tubes which is 5 tube stages (V2, V3, and half of V4).
Channel 4 uses 11 tube stages
- the other half of V4 plus 5 more tubes (V5, V6, V7, V8 and
V9). |
Quad X Panel Diagrams
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(Click
images for more detail) |
Features include
mono or stereo operation, 6 flexible effects loops, a spring
reverb tank, a first-rate adjustable noise gate, cabinet-voicing simulator circuitry for
direct-in, and a 5-band graphic EQ in addition to each
channel's dedicated active EQ knobs.
The FS-77 footswitch controls
the preamp's channel selection and reverb, effects loop and
graphic EQ for each channel.
Below is a shot of
the inside of the Quad-X. The tubes designated V1-V9 and go
from left to right. Currently, I'm running all JJ Tesla.
V1, V2, V3, V4 are ECC803S. These go to channels 1, 2 and 3.
Channel four tubes are V5, V6, V7 with ECC83, both V8, V9 have
ECC832. Channel four really came alive when I added the ECC832
tubes.
Quad X-Amp Sound
Samples
Channel 4 (mic'd, no
effects)
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1993
Tube 100 (T100) Poweramp
The
Carvin Tube 100 stereo power amp shipped with 4 EL34 output tubes and
cranks out 50 watts in stereo mode and 100 watts bridged.
(Click image for more detail)
On
the front are level controls for each channel, signal indicator lights,
and power on-off/standby switches. The rear panel has
a stereo/bridge switch, presence adjustments and impedance selectors (4, 8,
16) for each channel. The
unit is force-cooled with a rear panel mounted fan.
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For output tubes, I'm using JJ Tesla E34L
tubes in one channel and Groove Tubes EL34 in the other.
I had a couple of reversible mods done to my T100 to give it
earlier breakup. On the JJ side, I had a tech wire in a
master volume. The Groove Tube side has two 390 ohm
resistors wired in parallel to cut down on the output, allowing
me to drive the tubes harder.
It works!
See the image below. The modification schematic is listed
below the image.
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AX84
"Hi-Octane"
(Home built)
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In 2002,
I built this tube amplifier below with my own two little hands
using the schematics I got from the AX84 web
site. This amp uses the "Hi-Octane" circuit
that has been perfected by Chris Hurley who runs the site.
Instead of
doing the wiring using terminal strips, I bought an eyelet board
from Jim at The
House of Jim. He makes them for most all of the AX84
projects. It made the wiring easy.
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Terminal Strips
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Eyelet Board
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Avoiding hum in an amp like this, requires some
research on amp grounding and wiring theory. Wire paths in
relation to input, output and tube receptacles is important.
On
the close-ups, note the white ground wires attaching to the chassis at
two points (my stab at "star
grounding"), the twisted heater wires and other twisted
pairs.
I
lucked out... mine is as quiet as a mouse.
Click
here to see the insides. |
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This
homebuilt is a FULL 2 WATTS and
uses a 6n1p output
tube.
This amp honestly
rocks and it does it at living room levels.
It has a master volume, gain, and
3 eq's on the front. At rear, there is an impedance switch
for choosing 4, 8, or 16 ohms.
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With the gain up,
the distortion is thick and full but individual notes still retain
definition. With the gain
low and the master up, the 6n1p saturates and gives a nice
controllable grind. There are no high-volume crystal clean
sounds to be had from this one!
At 2 watts,
it doesn't take wall-moving sound levels to get the output tube to
saturate. It's ideal for home use... it's still pretty loud,
so I can't crank it up when my wife is home. But when I do
get to crank it up enough to drive the 6n1p, the neighbors aren't aware
:)
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My "Hi-Octane" sitting
on top of my Jenkins 2x10 cabinet
Speaker
Cabinets
2002 Jenkins JSS 210
Custom-made closed back 2x10
cabinet
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This
is a custom system built by Doug Holt of Jenkins
Sound Shop in Wheeler, MS. He specializes in custom
cabinets made especially for guitar. |
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This
sealed enclosure houses two different Weber
Vintage Series 10-inch speakers - one Weber Ceramic Blue
Pup and one
Weber Ceramic Silver Ten. These speakers are rated at 20 watts each
and have a very nice sounding breakup.
Each speaker has
its own characteristic and combining these two speakers in the
same cabinet creates a full range sound not normally found in a 2-speaker enclosure. The Blue
Pup has strong mids and clear highs, while the Silver Ten gives
clear lows and a smooth treble response.
Other benefits
of having different speakers are the added options available when
recording using a close-mic on the cabinet. Because it has a
closed-back cabinet, the sound is focused and tight.
I had Doug wire
it with a dual position ohm selector switch on the back - switchable between 4 and 8 ohms. |
1992
Carvin V412T
Slanted/Sealed 4x12
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This sealed enclosure holds four Carvin "British Series" BR12
- 12 inch speakers. It is wired for 8ohms and is rated at 400 watts.
I love this
cabinet. Lots of tight bass but clear, distinct mids and
highs. The angled top half adds to the sound spread.
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Homemade
Openback 2x12
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The middle cabinet in my stack is an openback that I built
in 1983. The top, bottom, and sides are made of 1"
pine and the front and back panels are " plywood. It
is switchable between 4ohm mono and 8ohm stereo modes.
It holds
two Celestion Vintage 30 - 12 inch speakers. The design of
this cabinet (or lack of) adds no color to the sound. You
hear strictly speaker and although it records well, it has limited
live application use by itself. But when attenuated and run along with the 4x12, it can add a lot to the amp's
overall sound. |
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