Two Rock Ruby

[mojo]

I had been agonizing about possibly buying one of the new Komet KF-50s, but finally took another direction. I saw a Two Rock Ruby on Ebay at a reasonable price and decided to get my Twreck style tones that way. Much cheaper option, I hope I'm satisfied long term with the sound. Anybody here have any thoughts on the comparative sound of the Ruby vs. Komet vs. Twreck? Also curious if anybody here has completed an amp with the Ruby chassis and trannies I saw discussed in the past?

[HeeBGB]

Mojo,

I can't really answer any of your questions but I would like to ask you to post some pics when you get it. I'm sure there are others here that would like to see it as well.

[HiGain]

There are already pictures in the files section.

Except for the bias supply and the loop/master volume feature, it is almost identicle to the A1a schematic. The loop funtion results in some series coupling capacitance that cuts more bass than is indicated in the A1a. But this can easily be fixed by increasing the cap values.

Jake

[dms]

Hi - just finished my Ruby build - just doing some final tweaks. Besides the effects loop, it differs from A0 in the following ways: Treble Pot = 1Meg, Bass Pot = 1 Meg, bright cap is 180pF, 2nd to 3rd stage coupling is a single .0022, the NFB resistor is 100k, the phase inverter has .1uF on one side, .022 on the other, and a 10k in place of the 22k to the 470R/1 meg combo. The PI output coupling caps are .022, and the plates have 100k and 2x180k parallel instead of the usual 82k. The B+1 has different filtering: 47uF in parallel with 200k, and B+2 to B+3 drops by 10k instead of 18.2k. If I would have had more patience, I would have made the trannies plug-connected, so that I could swap in my Heyboers and finally answer the question: what's the difference? Maybe in the future... couldn't wait any longer to get it fired up. I used Orange drop 225ps, based on Two Rock's suggestion, and based on the scarcity of 418ps. I used the same Ruby filter caps they do. I used the same mix of carbon film and metal film signal resistors. I purchased the same 12ax7a tubes from Joe, and used older Svetlana Winged C's. I copied the layout/wiring as closely as I could per the photo in the files section - to my best efforts, it is a spot-on copy. Has only about 1 hour of playing time on it, so it isn't even broken in. Can't do much with the master volume unless the gain is very low, otherwise it is just uncontrolled feedback. With the master off, the gain knob acts alot like a drive control on an overdrive foot pedal - not alot of volume change, but the overdrive just gets thicker and thicker. Everything sustains, I think, probably even the guitar strap, the pick and the cat.

Now a Ruby in the stable as well as a JTM45 and Fender Twin. I may never leave the basement again, except for more beer, or if I hear the doorbell (not likely).

[Funkalicousgroove]

I played one for about an hour 6 months or so ago, I thought it was FANTASTIC! I don't know how it compares to a real 'Wreck, since I've never met one, but I sure did like what it was! If I didn't build so many amps I would have bought it, but unfortunately since I have SO many parts lying around just waiting to become an amp I can't ever justify buying one. CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm anxious to hear how you like it.

[mojo]

Well, I got the Ruby in over the weekend and have had a few days to play with it. I haven't tried it with a band yet, but I'm so far impressed. I think it will do a lot of the tones I've heard from T'wreck clips. I like how I can mimic Dumble sounds with the master on as well - I like the tone with the master on almost as well as off. I'm now planning to get one of the "kits" from Two Rock and try to duplicate it using my "factory" amp as a model and then tweak away on the one I build until its perfect for me, that way I'll have a spare in case of disaster and be able to chase the tone in my head a bit more. I'll probably never really know if I would have really liked the KF-50 more, but I really suspect the difference in sound wouldn't have been worth the difference in money to me. I tried changing the stock Chinese preamp and Ruby power tubes out for used Mullards and was surprised that it didn't dramatically alter the tone for me - it got a bit darker and less splatty but not by a lot. I still wonder about the difference between my Ruby and a Wreck - anybody played both and have an opinion?

[mojo]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread to give results of more sonic experimentation. I recently got a chance to play through a real Trainwreck and A/B it with my Ruby. Bottom line is, the Ruby is REALLY close, but the Trainwreck sounded a little better to me. The 'Wreck was a tad less gainy, smoother, and very slightly more complex in the mids. I was actually pretty happy with that result, as I had read the way Ken F. dissed the Ruby as sounding pretty crappy in the interview for Dave Hunter's book, and had worried a bit that in person the 'Wreck would be in a completely different league. I can see why Ken might have thought that with his golden ears, as I preferred the 'Wreck too, but they sounded like two siblings where one looks a bit better rather than distant cousins.

I also finally got my second Ruby finished - my first is built by Two Rock, where the second is one of the Two Rock kits with some boards populated by Ceriatone, and then finished by me and Jon Davidson. I haven't had a chance to really play with it and A/B it extensively with my original yet, but it does sound very close to my first one.

I plan to probably tweak the second one more to try to more closely approximate the sound of the real 'Wreck now that I've played one and know how it compares to the Ruby head to head.