Paleo-Electronics Blog

As I alluded to earlier, there are a thousand options that I want to try with the Songbird.   I only got through a third or so of them before I stopped writing and this is nearly the smallest simplest amp you can make (although I have a plan there too!)

Now many of the options that I was considering are simply to try them out, with all other things being equal.   I have no real idea what effect they would have…  I want to hear them for myself.

Here is a quick list of things I am considering :

Input

• Fender vs. Gibson style grid stoppers,  Old school cap and grid.

Pre-Amp Stage 1

• Switchable bypass cap, Tweakable bias voltage,  Bias negative warning light, The Dave Hunter small cap mod, Other plate voltages

Pre-Amp Stage 2

• Variable NFB, Switchable “Tone Expander Cap”

Output Stage

• Switchable Bias Cap, Master Volume Control, Triode/Pentode switch

Power

• Standby Switch, Hum balance vs. rectified heaters, choke vs smoothing resistor.

That’s a lot of options and I’m pretty sure I’ve missed some.   So my plan is now somewhat different.   I am going to build the amp as an analog computer first.   The person who gave this blog it’s name calls it bread boarding, but I think of that as using the board with all the little squares.

I will create component boxes for all the pieces I need.  I’ll put banana jacks on them for connections and wire them up as need to try things out.   I’ll have generic parts, like decade boxes, alligator clip leads,  octal and nine pin tube sockets, pots etc. and I’ll make up custom stuff like switch sets, and transformer holders.

I’d like to have them all sitting on something stable.   Maybe I’ll put velcro on the bottom of all these boxes.   I think I’ll do the Real McTube II like this first.   Woo hooo.. this sounds like fun