Synchrony Pedalworks
Well-known member
- Build Rating
I wanted to share this post on my Weber 5G15 Reverb. It is a tube reverb kit and it is fantastic! I have noticed that several people have posted desire to build a tube amp or another tube project, but have concerns about the project. Hopefully, this post might inspire you to take the plunge.
This is my second tube project. I have made a Mojotone Vibro-Champ clone about 3 years ago. The Weber product is great and much cheaper than Mojotone. If you chose a Weber product, you will need to enough knowledge to use the layout and schematic to be successful. Below was my approach to the build.
1. Dry fit the large parts, like the power transformer, choke, etc. Also, dry fit the pot's and jacks. When using a kit, I have found that I have had to enlarge holes in the enclosure and it is easier to make that change in beginning. I also used a different style of footswitch and my RCA connector needed the hole enlarged.
2. After the dry fit, wire the power transformer, choke, etc to the fuse, filaments and tube pins.
3. Populate and solder the eyelet board. When populating this board, I frequently took the board to the enclosure/chassis to measure the length of wire needed to connect to the tube pins.
4. Once the eyelet board is populated, I connected the wires from the power transformer, choke, etc, to the eyelet board.
5. Lastly, I connected the ground leads and double checked my wiring.
Once powered up, you need to learn how to discharge the filter caps. My father, who is a EE, created a device to discharge the caps. However, I do not have the plan for it. If needed, let me know and I can ask him about the details.
Now, to the funny part. My buddy called me right after I had started it up for the first time. However, there was no sound.... I started to measure voltages. I was doing all the right procedures. However, when my buddy was talking, I accidently touched two tube pins and not one. ***Spark*** and "Oh, shit!" It scared both us! Fortunately, I was isolated and only the voltmeter's probe was touching the pins. In the end, the lack of sound was due to my input 1 M resistor shorting my tip of the input. I had forgotten to clip the extraneous lead.....
Below are a few pictures of the build. The sound clip is one of my favorite, recent pieces. I am using PedalPCBs Low Tide and Cobbler. There is some delay added with my Walrus D1 and finally, the Weber Reverb. I saw @steviejr92 recent post about his Low Tide. He had mentioned that he was trying to figure out how to use it. For this piece, the Low Tide adds some modulation, thickens the tone, and adds a Lofi element. It is a great pedal.
This is my second tube project. I have made a Mojotone Vibro-Champ clone about 3 years ago. The Weber product is great and much cheaper than Mojotone. If you chose a Weber product, you will need to enough knowledge to use the layout and schematic to be successful. Below was my approach to the build.
1. Dry fit the large parts, like the power transformer, choke, etc. Also, dry fit the pot's and jacks. When using a kit, I have found that I have had to enlarge holes in the enclosure and it is easier to make that change in beginning. I also used a different style of footswitch and my RCA connector needed the hole enlarged.
2. After the dry fit, wire the power transformer, choke, etc to the fuse, filaments and tube pins.
3. Populate and solder the eyelet board. When populating this board, I frequently took the board to the enclosure/chassis to measure the length of wire needed to connect to the tube pins.
4. Once the eyelet board is populated, I connected the wires from the power transformer, choke, etc, to the eyelet board.
5. Lastly, I connected the ground leads and double checked my wiring.
Once powered up, you need to learn how to discharge the filter caps. My father, who is a EE, created a device to discharge the caps. However, I do not have the plan for it. If needed, let me know and I can ask him about the details.
Now, to the funny part. My buddy called me right after I had started it up for the first time. However, there was no sound.... I started to measure voltages. I was doing all the right procedures. However, when my buddy was talking, I accidently touched two tube pins and not one. ***Spark*** and "Oh, shit!" It scared both us! Fortunately, I was isolated and only the voltmeter's probe was touching the pins. In the end, the lack of sound was due to my input 1 M resistor shorting my tip of the input. I had forgotten to clip the extraneous lead.....
Below are a few pictures of the build. The sound clip is one of my favorite, recent pieces. I am using PedalPCBs Low Tide and Cobbler. There is some delay added with my Walrus D1 and finally, the Weber Reverb. I saw @steviejr92 recent post about his Low Tide. He had mentioned that he was trying to figure out how to use it. For this piece, the Low Tide adds some modulation, thickens the tone, and adds a Lofi element. It is a great pedal.
You really knocked it out of the park!
