Skylark Faceplate with plenty of rust (click for fullsize image)

Now it’s not going to matter one bit if I don’t do anything about the looks, but it would be nice to get her cleaned up. There is no way I am going to be able to clean around the silk-screened lettering or lines. So the whole thing is going to have to come off. I don’t even know how you clean these things.

Now, the chassis is actually just a single piece of metal, bent and punched. I’m not sure if it’s steel or aluminum but either way, it’s easily bendable.
Here is a picture of one out of the cabinet :

5T Chassis out of cabinet and looking from behind

So I suppose I could just have one remade. That would surely cost more than the amp, but I’d come out of it with the specs for new metal, which would be a good thing for anyone else trying to do this. Then I would need to get the art redone or redesign something. Again.. favors or money and no improvement in the sound.

I’m leaning towards leaving it, for obvious reasons, but very early in the process I’ll have to make the decision.. anyone have any thoughts?

Also, the fix to WP was a hack so I have to change up some URL. If you have problems with pictures or sound, lemme know.

Feel free to join in!

Put your search engine on it.

It’s nice to be back.

Not sure here.   In fact, I have to admit to a bit of confusion.   See the output of a guitar pickup is roughly 0.5V peak to peak.    Maybe as much as a volt on a high output pickup.   The gain of the first stage is roughly 40 or more.    Now this will be cut down by the volume pot but even so, at full volume would I be seeing 40 V or more going to the grid of the second triode in the 12AX7?   No.  Of course not.   I need to read a bit more, but I think that its current that is actually amplified and that the load will determine the actual voltage change.

What I really need to do is get it on the scope, but clearly, there is a disconnect here.    I have another idea..  stay tuned.

The problem was that like a bonehead, I didn’t try to dry fit any of it together and once the T8 was in place, it was hitting the PT.

So I had to rip the damn thing out. Just as well. I went researching T8 prices and found that I had gotten a steal! I paid 15 bucks for an NOS Mallory T8 T-Pad Attenuator. I can’t find them for under $80. I didn’t know.. in fact, I had just lucked into the idea and bought the first one I found.

Since I wouldn’t be putting a it into every amp, I needed to build a separate box for it.

Here is the final (with the original box for show) :

The wiring is just the application guide drawing with jacks instead of Amp and Speaker :

And thats all she wrote.   Works great but as I play with it more I  definitely hear the loss of tone.

Ron was an excellent teacher and a lot of fun to talk to. He had so much of the history of music in his head that there would always be some little historic note to go with the lesson. In fact, I was quite surprised (and pleased) to be able to introduce him to the famous Keith Richards quote about open tunings.

Good Bye Ron. Thanks very much for everything.

(scroll to bottom of this page to see him and get details) Buffalo Bros Guitars