Zanshin
Well-known member
- Build Rating
Dear diary, I yearn for juicy and sweet low to mid gain with sustain for days. I want the most aggressive cleans possible. When I pick a note on my baritone tele I want it to thump you in chest knocking you over.
I actually was going to build a SLO 30 but my package was “lost” by UPS. While I waited for the situation to be resolved I had time to consider what I really wanted. My current amp is a Boogie Mark V 35 and the SLO shares the same DNA (Mark IIc+). I don’t want to replace the Mark V, I want to complement it.
One issue I have with the Mark V is I have to be careful about how much volume is hitting it. It’s easy to goose it and run out of headroom fast, even on the clean channel. The high gain channel, in particular, really only needs a Precision Drive on zero gain to tighten up the bottom end before it hits the amp. It sounds great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s one sound for the most part, and variety is the spice of life.
So high head room, aggressive cleans… I decided on the Ceriatone SSS 50 kit which is based the Dumble Steel String Singer #4. I ordered the full kit, no tubes, and head cab.
I ordered lots of stuff to prepare. Low strength. Loctite and silicon adhesive.
A pile of transparent heat shrink in three diameters.
Weico 22 gauge tinned top coated wire in 9 colors, and 18 gauge in black and red for the heaters.
Extra solder lugs, extra terminal strips, extra standoffs, etc.
I sent the layout and schematics out to be printed large format. I didn’t really think how big they would actually be haha. Poster size.
I made a tool to drain the killer caps.
I started to populate the chassis and think on the details of the build. I have some moderate changes in mind…
A side note - I wonder if @Robert designed some of these Ceriatone PCBs
To be continued. I actually need to get the soldering iron out soon
I actually was going to build a SLO 30 but my package was “lost” by UPS. While I waited for the situation to be resolved I had time to consider what I really wanted. My current amp is a Boogie Mark V 35 and the SLO shares the same DNA (Mark IIc+). I don’t want to replace the Mark V, I want to complement it.
One issue I have with the Mark V is I have to be careful about how much volume is hitting it. It’s easy to goose it and run out of headroom fast, even on the clean channel. The high gain channel, in particular, really only needs a Precision Drive on zero gain to tighten up the bottom end before it hits the amp. It sounds great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s one sound for the most part, and variety is the spice of life.
So high head room, aggressive cleans… I decided on the Ceriatone SSS 50 kit which is based the Dumble Steel String Singer #4. I ordered the full kit, no tubes, and head cab.
I ordered lots of stuff to prepare. Low strength. Loctite and silicon adhesive.
A pile of transparent heat shrink in three diameters.
Weico 22 gauge tinned top coated wire in 9 colors, and 18 gauge in black and red for the heaters.
Extra solder lugs, extra terminal strips, extra standoffs, etc.
I sent the layout and schematics out to be printed large format. I didn’t really think how big they would actually be haha. Poster size.
I made a tool to drain the killer caps.
I started to populate the chassis and think on the details of the build. I have some moderate changes in mind…
A side note - I wonder if @Robert designed some of these Ceriatone PCBs
To be continued. I actually need to get the soldering iron out soon
