Interesting that Ken would give out the schematic with the amp. I have seen another schematic that may not be the same as the original DLM, which supposedly was built in a Champ chassis? Ken had carefully guarded the schematic etc on the DLM. At one time there was talk of it being manufactured by an amp company, but nothing evolved..
2tone wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2020 4:40 pm
Interesting that Ken would give out the schematic with the amp. I have seen another schematic that may not be the same as the original DLM, which supposedly was built in a Champ chassis? Ken had carefully guarded the schematic etc on the DLM. At one time there was talk of it being manufactured by an amp company, but nothing evolved..
Hogy at Komet Amps was going to market the DLM but it was cost prohibitive for a small amp. You would pay the same amount for a 5w amp as a 50w amp.
I asked JM about them awhile back, here's his response:
The original which no one really knows a lot about was a Fender champ modified with an El 34. It is a single ended amp.There was one or 2 not sure of even 2 but could be one more, however, I knew the owner of the original built on the chassis. I don't know how much it was modified from the original Champ. I'd have to do some searching. I think it sold on ebay for like 40K. I played the original DLM modified champ and it was horrible. Farty bass not full sounding at all. I don't recall how the ones built on a chassis sounded. Ken didn't really like it either but he built a few to satisfy close friends who really wanted it. I was asked to reproduce them a while back, but declined.
Regarding JM's comment, I think JM can't be right. The DLM has two pre-amp valves whereas a Champ has only one 12AX7. Hogy has posted clips of the DLM on the Gear Page, it sounds killer.
What Hogy mentioned, though, is that while it follows the topology of DLM, it is definitely not the same amp and himself was less than excited with the original So JM might have had a point.
Hogy was less excited with the real amp due to the small original output transformer. My initial point was that the DLM can't be just a modified Champ as a Champ only has one 12AX7. It has to have a different topology.
Hogy has seen the real amp and the circuit diagram. We are not to know how different the amp built to the diagram is to Hogy's amp.
I think if he were to sell it, he would be looking at having it made overseas to meet the price point of such amps
I dare say we don't know enough about it to build it and I don't see that changing soon. The thing I noticed with Hogy's amp is he ditched the GZ34 for a solid state rectifier. The transformers in the amp are bigger than what we are accustomed to for a Fender Champ. Though the Fender transformers only just cut it. I stuck a 6L6 valve in with a transformer that could deliver the extra wattage and the power transformer was extremely hot.
AX84 have made high powered single ended amps that would give the DLM a run for it's money.
By no means is this a DLM, but it is a higher gain circuit with a single ended output stage that can really push some volume. Also it does more than just the 68 specs, lol.
Single ended 6550s in parallel in this video. Huge OT. Biggish PT. N
Choke.
I've since put some el34s in this amp and think it sounds a bit nicer.
I had experimented with using the Trainwreck topology in this amp but wasn't a huge fan of it at the time since I wouldnt be able to have all my switching options to make it every different kind of Marshall any more
I have dozens of videos of this thing through its life cycle on my channel to gander over but nothing with really great audio; Im too lazy to mic it up.