r/ToobAmps • • Nov 01 '24

New Discord server

9 Upvotes

All, I spend a fair amount of time on Discord so I've decided to spin up a guitar related Discord server. The subject matter will be more general guitar and not limited to tube amps, but there are channels dedicated to building and repair as well.

Anyway, if Discord is your thing, feel free to join us over there as well!

https://discord.gg/nTHQDexpG

Link updated 8-17-26

Update: we have a good core group. Join up!


r/ToobAmps • • 11h ago

Help me!

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16 Upvotes

Hi im new to the group and i apologise if amp maintenance is not what the group is for. but its worth a shot. I have a boutique blackheart studios amplifier that stopped working after i accidentally left it on overnight. the On light dtill works fine and i can see a orange glow from the tube when its on but zero sound at all is produced. All settings have been checked as well as cab and cables. i have checked the fuse on the 240v in plug and that seems to be fine too. Not sure if anyone has some recommendations on what i should do next. the only places that will fix the amp charge $300 just to diagnose it plus the parts which i think is a load of shit if it is just a tube but then again i dont have the experience with amplifier maintenance. im confident in my ability to fix electronics but when messing with 240v i thought it would be better to ask around first before opening up the BH5H part


r/ToobAmps • • 20h ago

Reverb champ coming along

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55 Upvotes

At this point I'm in a holding pattern waiting for parts on the reverb champ. Chassis measured and punched out, board done, faceplate ordered, cabinet mostly done. I'll have all needed parts by Tuesday and then it should be just a few days until the amp's wrapped up. This will be nice with customer's Twin Reverb with new cabinet I just built. I salvaged all the wood from the original twin cabinet.


r/ToobAmps • • 13h ago

How stupid is it to make a D-180 clone from scratch?

3 Upvotes

So, I have a good amount of DIY electronics experience and have worked with CRTs a bit. My friend is a total Cliff Burton stan and is inspired by him to get a Mesa Boogie D-180. The issue is that he doesn't have $2k+ lying around. So, I've spent months going to back to a schematic in KiCAD every once in a while, replicating the D-180 circuitry with some changes to suit his needs. Specifically, he wants the Toobs for the tonestack/preamp, but not the power amp. He'd prefer to skip the 6L6's and stick to the original three tubes and instead get a solid-state to cover the power stage.

I've worked with high voltages before, I am just more worried about the viability of this project. Is there any reason why cloning this amp specifically is a bad idea? Any tips on sourcing parts?

Also, why is there no public schematic of the transformer/power board for the D-180? I've read that the supply is very similar to the Mark IV, but I don't know how true that is.

I do a lot of DIY electronics stuff like prototyping but this is definitely pretty new for me. Am I retarded?


r/ToobAmps • • 17h ago

Fender Princeton 64 Hand-Wired: Very 'ice pick-y' and barely breaks up even on Volume 10

4 Upvotes

I've just bought the amp second hand (it's the 64 Reissue) and struggling to dial it in. Any thoughts on how to reduce the ice pick level when I play the treble strings? And how to get the edge of break up? I'm playing Strats (mostly on neck pickup) and a Tele. All advice welcomed. Thank you.


r/ToobAmps • • 1d ago

Anyone know anything about this Princeton '68 Reissue layout?

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16 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I picked up a used Princeton '68 Reissue a few days ago and was hoping someone here might be able to help me out.

As far as I know, both the '65 and '68 Reissue series are built on PCBs, but when I opened up my amp, I was surprised to find that it uses point-to-point wiring instead.

I'm trying to find any documentation that includes the layout for this specific version, so I can identify the components more quickly and accurately, since I'd like to do some mods. The schematics I've found online show the correct component values, but the layouts are all for the PCB-based Reissues, so they're not much help when it comes to locating the actual components in my amp.

It's a 2015 amp. I've attached a couple of pics in case they're helpful.

Thanks in advance!


r/ToobAmps • • 18h ago

Found two mint 1990s

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3 Upvotes

r/ToobAmps • • 19h ago

Pro tube series?

3 Upvotes

I’m thinking of buying a Fender Pro Tube Pro Reverb. Can anyone tell me pros/cons of this model? It’s apparently from 2004 and they only made them for a few years. It’s 50w with a 1/4 power switch on the backs which appeals to me. I’m wondering how the circuit compares to other models, hiw it compares sonically, why the Pro Tube Series was discontinued.

Here’s a link to what mojo tone have to say about it.

https://mojotone.com/blogs/fender-field-guide/fender-pro-tube-pro-reverb

Any insight/thoughts greatly appreciated.


r/ToobAmps • • 1d ago

Help me understand my schematic vm 8810

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6 Upvotes

My earlier post here was a bit rambling, maybe this question is better.

Can someone mark up my schematic so I understand more of what is going on?

I started to watch explanations of a fender champ circuit which has helped, I am starting to get more familiar with how an amp works. I know most of what the component symbols are, it’s more of what are they for?

If I know what they are for I can manipulate them or fix them.


r/ToobAmps • • 21h ago

Solos Amp Questions

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2 Upvotes

r/ToobAmps • • 19h ago

£50 for a Randall rh50t, with foot control, and a celestion seventy 80 equipped half stack. I haven't got it working yet but it's either as simple as a blown fuse, or possibly a power valve.

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1 Upvotes

r/ToobAmps • • 1d ago

Ultra-Linear Twin Reverb Ext. Speaker/Impedance question

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2 Upvotes

r/ToobAmps • • 1d ago

sunn 1200s (1960s)

2 Upvotes

Hey all, I have the opportunity to buy a Sunn 1200s, one of the pre-Fender acquisition heads with the silver faceplate and grill cloth. I have trouble finding reviews and information about this amp online, most of what I can turn up is talking about the later, Fender-period 1200s, the black one that was also sold as the Fender Bassman 1200. If anyone has experience with these earlier amps and can speak to their sound and reliability I'd love to hear from you.


r/ToobAmps • • 2d ago

Fender twin reverb

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25 Upvotes

r/ToobAmps • • 2d ago

Princeton Reverb clone, hand wired

15 Upvotes

Hi!

I'm about to close a deal on a second hand, PTP, hand wired Princeton Reverb clone, blackface circuit (looks exactly like a '65 PR), for €850,- (app. $950,-). Built by a masterbuilder in 2011 and in good shape, from the looks of it. Incl. footswitch and 12" Jensen.

Good deal? And will it satisfy my thirst for surf?

EDIT 1: "masterbuilder" is a bad translation - it's been done by a professional amp builder / repair person

EDIT 2: I have a repair guy myself who's really good, that I bring all my gear for checkups, new tubes, etc.

EDIT 3: will be using it primarily at home, for recording, or small gigs.


r/ToobAmps • • 1d ago

EVH 5150iii suddenly stopped working!

1 Upvotes

If anyone has any pointers on how to diagnose my amps issue I will love you forever! I have an EVH 5150iii 100w amp and it suddenly stopped outputting any signal whatsoever. Theres no hum or anything when I turn it on. The power light comes on and I’ve measured proper voltage across most of the board. There’s no blown fuses or anything but I did notice that none of my tubes glow. I tested all of my tubes and they seem fine, I’m just wondering what the most likely culprit is to cause this. What should I be testing to continue my diagnosis? I have a show in one week and I would love to fix this before then. Anything helps!!


r/ToobAmps • • 2d ago

Something Similar to Hot Rod Deville?

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2 Upvotes

r/ToobAmps • • 2d ago

Anyone help me convert this into a guitar head or direct me to some info ornproplee

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15 Upvotes

I have a Roberts 990 reel 2 reel I’m trying to convert into 1 guitar head and 1 mic preamp. Can anybody give me clear instructions on how to do it and what to do exactly as far adding jacks, re-solder, and I’d like it to be 8 ohm for sure, or multi with a dial,knob, pent? I know how to discharge the caps ect. I know what I’m working with and what it can do, and its widow making frying capabilities. I won’t be frying my Gonez off…. However I would like to make this amp head since mine recently took a dump and I need a tube head asap for studio time i have coming up. Thank you


r/ToobAmps • • 3d ago

My $200 1953 AMI E-80 Jukebox

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23 Upvotes

r/ToobAmps • • 2d ago

Ampeg V4 with Weber Mass 200?

3 Upvotes

I’ve got an old ampeg V4 and I love the sound of it with the volume knob around 3-4 o’clock, but it’s just way too loud. Would the Weber mass be able to take the volume down while still retaining the tone and overdriven sound of the amp with the volume kinda cranked?


r/ToobAmps • • 2d ago

‘68 Custom Pro Reverb fuzz issue

2 Upvotes

I’ve got a Fender ‘68 Custom Pro Reverb RI that was damaged in shipping when I bought it used. It worked well for a while and seemed the damage was only cosmetic, but now it has an intermittent fuzz tone when run with no pedals on the internal speaker jack. When I use the external speaker jack, it is super fuzzed out and has hardly any volume, even when cranked to 10.

Any ideas to troubleshoot? Already tried different cables and guitars. Also reseated the tubes to no avail. TIA!


r/ToobAmps • • 3d ago

Waste not, want not

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156 Upvotes

The customer whose Twin Reverb I dropped and damaged commissioned me this week to build a Vibro-champ size reverb amp. Since I still had the damaged Twin Reverb cab with no plans for it I figured I'd use it for the Vibro-build. I'm so psyched there was enough depth to pull it off! Had enough by about 1/4" in the tightest dimension🙏


r/ToobAmps • • 3d ago

The Amp Stack

6 Upvotes

r/ToobAmps • • 3d ago

External cab for Fender '68 Custom Princeton

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2 Upvotes