SSS - Nukular Warhead - Chassis are Finished

[M Fowler]

I want to run four 6550 tubes what would you guys recommend for PT and OT for a SSS.

Never built anything with those tubes so this is a new adventure

Mark

[David Root]

PT: Hammond 278CX. 400-0-400, 465 mA. This covers the 4x6550 (or KT88) for 150W. Only 6A on the heater winding, so preamp/PI/Driver needs a separate PT. I had planned on doing this anyway.

OT: Edcor CXPP100-MS-1.7K This is a 20-20K 100W OT that will do 150W comfortably, weighs 11 lbs.

I am also first going to do a 100W dry run without reverb or tremelo, by recycling an SLO-60 type build that didn't work out too great. It has a 400-0 toroid PT I had custom built, FW 1200V bridge, 400 mA. Have to drill out the chassis for 4xpower tubes, fortunately it's aluminum, one of Allan's Gromet 60 runs.

For the preamp tubes I have ordered a Dynaco PAS preamp PT from Triode Electric, the guys that sell Magnetic Components iron. I think it's made by M-C. 330-0-330, 15 mA, 12V 800mA, good for 4x12AX7.

OT for this will be either a M-C 100W Marshall or a NOS Bassman 100 I got from dreric. I have a quad of Mesa STR-415 aka 7581A I want to try out on it.

Now I have to get some inductors for the shelving filters!

[M Fowler]

Thanks David I will have to do some internest widow shopping to see what I can find.

Man I am in need of a K50 chassis and your cutting one up

I have that same Edcor 1k7 OT in my 100w Rocket reverb.

[Roe]

please report how the 1k7 sounds. I like the sound of 1k7 with el34s but tend to prefer 2k+ with 6l6s and similar tubes. I'd like to build a SSS myself but may opt for 2k2 and higher voltages instead of 1k7 and somewhat lower voltages. higher z and higher voltages tend to give a brighter, cleaner tone - wouldn't you say?

[greekie]

Any updates?

I'm planning on jumping into this one, as a friend of mine has persuaded me to build him a SSS after 12 months of nagging!

[M Fowler]

Nothing new from me.

My chassis is on the shelf waiting for me to decide on transformers.

Got all the pots and filter switches installed. No boards made yet.

Mark

[pazzo63]

Ciao don t use toroidal transformers they don t sound good!Cheers

[M Fowler]

I won't use toroidal transformers

Haven't looked at my SSS project for awhile to much going on right now.

Mark

[David Root]

Pazzo63, why do you not like toroids? I could maybe understand it in the OT, but not in a PT.

[pazzo63]

Ciao David d i m not a tech so i don t know the technical aspect but they sound sterile at least the ones i ve tried, i ve changed many years ago also in my old cae preamp with a normal trafo Big difference more deep and natural sounding BEST

[ER]

Check out an old peavey VTA-400 for an iron donor. If you come across one they're usually CHEAP.

-Erik

[greekie]

What's keeping everyone from finishing their project?

I am currently working on mapping the project with information from this forum, as well as a deep read in the different books I got on the subject.

Jake

[T Wilcox]

shhh... the SSS is the best kept secret in tube amps. If the info got out the people that have it wouldn't be able to sell them for $5k or more.

seriously I predict the info will be available very very soon!

Todd

[Zippy]

I am currently working on mapping the project with information from this forum...

What does that mean?

[David Root]

The main reason for me is we don't know "the four things that you need to know to build an authentic SSS, none of which have ever been published on this forum", (and probably never will). Told to me by someone who knows, and who has been helpful to me on other builds, so I have to respect his position.

One of these is of course the filters. With/without inductor(s)? One of these I think is local NFB. I realize that's not much help. I suspect the power supply configuration is one because of a comment Brandon made a long time ago on this forum about "SSS circulating power supply", whatever that is. #4, your guess is as good as mine at this point.

I think that if I knew where to look in RDH4 I'd have most of it. HAD is a gifted adapter/adopter who used a lot of stuff he learned. The only things he didn't learn from the Westinghouse circuits, Leo Fender and RDH4 was the right way to do overdrive in the preamp and his uncanny understanding of what makes a great guitar amp and how to realize it. He might have picked up some stuff from the great '50s hifi amp guys too.