The new cat

[lumox0013]

hi all,
Its been a while so I figured i would post up the build I did for my birthday this year its been up and running for a few months the more I play with it the more I like it, but I've always had a split personality. I was saving this part setup for a Cornford Hellcat build but guess Ill start collecting pieces again,maybe next year. cheers

PS Special thanxx to colossal for hooking me up with the best iron I've had yet !!

[xtian]

Man, those red end bells. That's why they charge the big bux.

[lumox0013]

yeah, I got these second hand from here a while back . I would have a hard time buying these new (waaay outa my budget) but they sound as good as they look sooo...

on another note I have been trying to figure this circut out . can anyone break down whats going on in the gain channel .is it 3 cascaded gain stages before it hits the follower/tonestack/PI ? thanxx fellas

[xtian]

Schematic?

[lumox0013]

I used the stray cat layout but its close to the same. thanxx xtian

[turbofeedus]

Build looks great! Very clean

[lumox0013]

Thank you, turbofeedus . i'm on the cabinet now, should make one mean 1x12 combo

[xtian]

I count four cascaded gain stages, follwed by a cathode follower, prior to hitting the PI.

[lumox0013]

So would v3b be the final gain stage and v3a the follower? it is a lot of gain

[xtian]

You can tell the cathode follower from typical gain stages, because the signal exits on the cathode (pins 3/8) not the anode (pins 1/6).

[lumox0013]

I'm a bit of a slow learner but I try to get another bit of the puzzle on my way around . thank you xtian

[lumox0013]

The only thing about this amp i am struggling with is the background noise , I've been playing on a rocket for many years and that amp is dead quiet . the clean side of this amp is as well ,when the master is turned down. if i pull the first tube even with the master cranked the noise is reasonable which i think tells me it is in the first gain stage it appears to be the opposite of a cold clipper with no cathode resistor or bypass . I would like to understand what is going on in this stage before I dive into modifying it any insight would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[xtian]

Can you describe the noise? Is it white/pink noise? Sure, because there's so much GAIN! You might reduce the white noise slightly by using 1- or 2-watt metal film plate resistors, instead of carbon film.

[lumox0013]

I would say white but that would be a guess its sort of shhhishhy i will try the metal films but I am more interested in what effect the lack of a cathode resistor is playing in the equation and the grounded 3meg off the input ? thanxx again you rock