new 2XEL84 Rocket

[telentubes]

Finally finished this 2XEL84 Rocket which has been on the bench for a couple of months. It was worth the wait as it sounds fantastic right out of the box. I imagine things will change as it breaks in, but for now it's my favorite amp.

As always, I leave the leads long until I decide if it's a keeper, or if I will salvage the iron etc. for other projects. I think I'll be trimming back the leads on this one. It's great.

It's mounted in a roughed out uncovered pine open back combo cab with a Celestion Blue.

Here are the initial voltages...
V1... (pin 1, 98V), (pin 3, .76V), (pin 6, 64V), (pin 8, .54V)
V2... (pin1, 216V), (pin 2, 64V), (pin 3, 64V)
V3... (pin 1, 187V), (pin2, 30V), (pin 3, 44V), (pin 6, 187V), (pin 7, 30V),
(pin 8, 44V)
V4 and V5... (pin 3, 9.6), (pin 7, 309V), (pin 9, 285V)
GZ34... (pins 2 and 8, 312V), (pins 4 and 6, 250V)
(B+1, 312V)
(B+2, 289V)
(B+3, 235V)
(B+4, 216V)
(B+5, 211V)

I used the headphone trick, and oriented the coupling caps as recommended for low noise, and this amp is REALLY quiet at idle. I'm really happy about that. Just learned about the cap foil "trick". Thanks to all who posted on that subject.

And a few pics.

[Ian444]

THAT is an incredibly tidy build. You must be proud of it!
So I guess you are not missing the choke then...

[fishy]

Congratulations on the build.

I am a big believer in the Edcor trannies having used a few now. Very hard to fault.
A few have put a middle pot in place of the fixed resistor - don't be afraid to play with that if it perks your interest.

The Rocket is a wonderful amp for sure. Enjoy.

[M Fowler]

Really nice build do you like the tones your getting?

Mark

[Lonely Raven]

I'd love to 2XEL84 Rocket, just to keep the cost of power tubes down!

What a great looking faceplate on that! Very clean build as well!

(mental note - build amp stand for bench)

[telentubes]

Ian444, I don't miss the choke, but you can't help wonder what the difference might be. There was a discussion about the chokes possible connection to "chime" in an earlier discussion about a 2XEL84. This amp has lovely chime. I was kinda surprised.

fishy, Yeah, a mid pot, or at least a variable resistor wired in wouldn't be a bad idea, but so far, I'm happy with the balance.

Mark, I haven't cranked it yet, but the low to mid volume level tone is very very good. Lots of rich harmonics, and a kind of natural reverby quality inherent in the circuit is in there too. It has more chime than I expected and a focused bass. You can also hear that wirey sound especially on the low strings, which I love. Also, thanks to you again for encouragement to take on this project.

One question... Most of my voltages are in the ball-park, with 3 exceptions...
The plate of V1b (pin 6). Mine is 64V. Rocket chart says it should be 96V.
Grid(pin 2) and cathode (pin 3) of V2. Mine is 64V. suggested is 119V.
Any problem with these lower voltages?

Thanks.

[M Fowler]

Any problem with these lower voltages?

Not if your liking the tone. You could decrease the dropping resistor to increase voltage here.

The description of the amp sounds like it is a very good amp Funny how 18w can get the job done volume wise too! I play 18w amps live in small bars without any problems unmiked. The drummer doesn't back off either and insists my amp be placed next to him for reference.

Mark

[surfsup]

Looks great! Thanks for the photos as the rocket is "on-deck" so to speak now after the supre. Been hearing so much good about this rocket it is time. And someone posted a clip that sounded so good and smooth. Man, can't wait!

[telentubes]

Mark wrote, "Not if your liking the tone. You could decrease the dropping resistor to increase voltage here."

What's affected when the voltage is increased? Tone, headroom, feel? And how does it change? Just trying to get a feeling for tweaking tools.

[KT66]

Really clean looking, nice. I dig the faceplate too.

[RJ Guitars]

That is some nice lookin work and I really like that circuit board, the power supply section in particular.

I really have my own curiosity about losing the choke and the tube rectifier... don't want to give up any tone but wondering if you can get to the same place without those two items?

My experience with voltage changes in these amps is that the impact can be kinda subtle until you drop the V1a plate voltage below about 90 V DC. At that point the sound starts to loose definition and eventually just gets fizzy. I would suggest if you make changes to your dropping string you try to keep the preamp voltages near the established Rocket specs.

I have been a fan of the Edcor trannies for a long time. They are not only beautiful but they sound awesome. Keep looking for some very good press to come out on their use in Express builds, there is some studio work going on right now that has the potential to really turn some heads... They are also proving to be a very good tranny for the rocket builds.

rj

[M Fowler]

What's affected when the voltage is increased? Tone, headroom, feel? And how does it change? Just trying to get a feeling for tweaking tools.

Increase in headroom, gain, clarity and affects tone. Experimenting here could either make the amp sound better or you may actually perfer the amp with the lower voltages.

But like rj said keep the voltages close to the established Rocket voltages, not higher.

Mark

[telentubes]

Thanks for that info rj and Mark. I may mess with the voltages a bit. I played the Rocket at a low volume gig last night in place of the Spitfire, rj Champ, or 2XEL84 Stang Ray that I've been using. The Rocket sounds awesome by itself in the living room but could use a little more clarity and treble to fit better in the mix with a band. Guess I have some tweaking to do.

Really happy with the Edcor trannys.

[ampbldr2]

[quote="I used the headphone trick, and oriented the coupling caps as recommended for low noise, and this amp is REALLY quiet at idle. I'm really happy about that. Just learned about the cap foil "trick". Thanks to all who posted on that subject.[/quote]

If you have the links to the headphone and cap foil can you post them? Looks really nice so far.

[telentubes]

Here's the most recent cap discussion...
http://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... rientation
or search for "Cap orientation again..." and it will come up. I'll try to find the "headphone trick"