Late to the Trainwreck party, gonna build one anyway.

[Matthews Guitars]

Definitely no gigging, not while it's mine. NOBODY would pay to hear ME play.

But they might pay me to STOP, and go home.

[Matthews Guitars]

I've found that the sweet spot for this amp is with the volume about half way up. No point in cranking it, it just gets overstuffed and loses definition.

Halfway seems to be where it delivers the goods. Does this sound about right for the type?

[Matthews Guitars]

I revise my estimate...cranked up to about 9 (or 4:30 if you prefer clock faces) is the sweet yet brutal spot.

I've ordered the chassis and transformers to begin two more Wreck builds.

[johnnyreece]

I admit, I was afraid of the power, so I built the triode version first (AX84 4-4-0). After chatting with RJ for a while, I bought the parts to try a 6Y6 version. Still haven't built it, but in theory, gets a little closer to "the sound" without melting your face off.

[Matthews Guitars]

I personally am not afraid of power. My practice rig, whichever of most of the amps I own, they're all 100 watters. I've been playing my TWX and my '73 stock Marshall Superlead a lot this week, and they get run with the volume at least halfway up. Because that's where the big tone is hiding. Nobody complains, the house has great soundproofing and you don't hear it outside, so it's all good. I stick in my earpro and just GO.

[Mark]

Of the attempts I have made with Trainwreck Express/Liverpool amps, I found the amp sounds pretty tight regardless of where the volume control is, the treble seems to get softer at higher volume settings.

[johnnyreece]

Because that's where the big tone is hiding. Nobody complains, the house has great soundproofing and you don't hear it outside, so it's all good. I stick in my earpro and just GO.

Hah! My house was built in 1892 before insulation was a concern. Still has original windows, and the only thing between my house and my neighbors is the driveway on either side. I can hear what they're saying when they talk outside. I will say, they're generally fine with the volume as long as it's during the day, so that's cool.

[Matthews Guitars]

I'm using the APD-8065H power transformer in my Express. Out of an abundance of caution I wired it up using the lower voltage 260V plate winding. This means I don't worry at all about over-voltaging the plates on any EL34s or 6V6s I care to use. Or anything else if I decided to mod for other power tubes.

How is the amp going to sound and feel different if I decide to revise the build and use the 300V plate winding instead of the 260?

I'd like a notion of what to expect before committing to doing it.

[martin manning]

How is the amp going to sound and feel different if I decide to revise the build and use the 300V plate winding instead of the 260?

Conventional wisdom says it will be a little stiffer and cleaner on 300 vs. 260V. That +15%, so I don't think there will be much perceived volume difference. This should be an easy thing to try both ways and pick your preference, no?

[johnnyreece]

You could also put it on a switch. I did that with a somewhat recent build. It's an On/Off/On switch, so the middle position becomes a standby. The middle poles are output to the rectifier, and the outside sets are the different secondaries.

Edit: I do find Martin's thoughts to be true; not much difference in volume. The only reason I have this installed is because I use 6K6GT tubes all the way up to EL34. I don't throw the full voltage at the little 6K6GTs. I'm running them hard enough as it is...

[Matthews Guitars]

Thanks, I'll probably just leave it be because I like the overdrive I get out of this. I would not really want it to be cleaner. That's not the point of it, not for me. And I have other amps that play really clean at any volume level you might want.

[johnnyreece]

Totally respect the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. The only reason I incorporated it into mine is the need for a lower B+ for the 6K6 option.

[Matthews Guitars]

After having lived with this amp for some time now, I have come to the conclusion that it's just more trebly than I think it should be. Oh, I can get a tone I like, but the presence is almost all the way off and the treble control is barely past noon. That's not the tonal settings I'd prefer and other people comment on how bright the amp is.

Then I watch my Express reference video, Glen Kuykendall's ebony block SG demo video on youtube, and his amp is much warmer than mine, so yeah, there's adequate justification for some tonal revoicing to warm it up some.

I've carefully checked my circuit and I have all the standard values in the signal path so I don't know why it'd be so different.

I did make ONE design change which should hardly matter, just a matter of using one resistor to take the place of two in parallel going to ground, because the correct parts got missed when I ordered them. But otherwise it should all be on spec for parts and values.

[Roe]

details like a hot bias helps with the brightness