This post is really just for posterity for myself rather than anything else.
Here's the list of things I have inflicted upon this poor thing so far
- – Made a junction box for the speaker wire/reverb cable to connect to and attached it to the chassis - essential to save headaches and swearing when changing tubes or speakers
– Swapped out reverb tank for an Accutronics one (replaced R18 with a 28K, added a 470K resistor across lugs 1 and 3 of the reverb drive switch, replaced pan with Accutronics pan # 9EB2C1B)
– Fixed the FX Loop (C109 to 2.2uf)
– Sped up the Tremolo (changed R38 to 27K, R37 to 100k)
– Added more gain to the normal channel, changed the brilliance switch caps to be useable (removed and jumpered R49, C12 to a 100pf cap, and then put a 68pf cap across lugs 1 and 2 of the Normal volume pot)
– Changed the treble cap in the top boost channel, and the one on the TB vol pot (c13 to 68pf, c16 to 47pf)
– Removed Top Boost Cathode Bypass cap for tighter bass, more headroom on the TB channel (removed c9)
– Changed the Plate resistors for more gain, and more vintage spec (replaced R6 & R7 100k Plate Resistors with 220K Resistors)
– Changed the screws out for ones that don't strip instantly
– Swapped out all the caps in the signal to Mallory caps (C11,C14, C15, C17, C18, C19, C20, C23 to Mallory equivalents)
– Changed crappy Wharfedales out to Alnico's, settling on the classic 2x Celestion Blues (great combinations included 2x Greenbacks, Silver + G12H30, Silver + Creamback, Silver + Blue, Gold + Blue, 2x Gold - favourites were blue + gold, 2x golds, 2x blues)
– Changed tubes to JJ power + rectifier, Sovtek preamp (Sovteks were surprisingly good, although I have some Tung Sols to try, and a Weber Copper cap for if the rectifier goes)
The biggest fixes tonally have been the speakers and bright caps, the rest is cumulative or just fixing things for better utility for me.
Only one last thing for me to swap out really, and that's the OT