Cygnus EL34 Hawkings 42 Watt

[Cygnus X1]

Just finished this and couldn't wait to post something about it.
Every time I wired up the single ended Cygnus-7 with an EL34 it didn't sound very good.
Put this together based on the higher wattage push-pull version and it sounds amazing!
Guitar is a homemade LP Standard with Stephens Design proto VL4 and PAF Star.
(Not real high gain, vintage PAF designs).
Mics are AT3035 close and MXL V63M ambient.

Quick pic and clip.

https://soundcloud.com/cygnus-1963/cyg-el34-dirt1

Cyg EL34 Hawkings.jpg

A fair amount of work to do still.
I kind of hacked together the bias with a jumble of resistors and caps.
Just didn't have the right values on hand.
Still have to finish the paint and cleaning up the wiring.
I haven't even taken measurements beyond the usual safety-startup items.

Just a quick dirty clip but the cleans are dynamic and full like the other Cygnus builds.
The mild to medium gain settings are good as well.
I thought the gain would be a bit more complex than the 6L6 or 6V6 versions,
and it is.
Less compressed and more "in your face".
Would make a great gigging amp to cut through the mix.

[javert]

Very nice! I was just wondering, do you have any kind of formal training regarding the safety of working with these? I've wanted to get started on my own amp work (you know, doing basic stuff like biasing tubes), and I understand the theory, but I'm a bit reluctant to stick my fingers in circuits with those kinds of voltages.

[straycat]

Sounds good Cyg

[Cygnus X1]

Thanks!

J, nothing but experience and reading.
Nothing formal.
Meters are cheap, and I keep several hooked up every time I have an amp opened up
on the bench.
One on the AC primary, one on the high voltage rail.
Another good quality (Amprobe or VTVM) meter used for actual measurements.
The first two 10 dollar meters are there just to remind me whether it's plugged in, or on, or still charged up.

[javert]

Aha, I see. How about discharging the caps? Any special procedure?

[Cygnus X1]

Aha, I see. How about discharging the caps? Any special procedure?

Yes, I use a 1K 10 watt ceramic resistor with insulated gator clips.
Attach to any plate, or available HV spot and watch it discharge with your meter.
Standby needs to be set to "Play" position.
Make the wire bright enough to see so you don't accidentally leave it connected when powering up!

Safety devices?
Overkill but I have an isolation transformer, a variac, and a light bulb limiter.
Those things are useful for starting up old gear that might be prone to blow up from bad components.
Also handy for starting up fresh builds.
But with the right precautions you shouldn't need all of those.

Research the web for amp building and modding sites, and educate yourself.
I shouldn't sit here and hand out advice on how not to kill yourself when the chassis is open.
I just work slowly and never take chances.
I'm not under the gun for time, so best to play it safe every time.

Last time I shocked myself was repairing my AC/Gas heater unit.
Those motor run caps carry a lot of juice for a very long time!

[javert]

Great, thanks for the advice, Cygnus!

[Cygnus X1]

Other end of your discharge lead goes to circuit ground.
Forgot to mention that...

[Cygnus X1]

This site has a lot of info and links.
Click on the "Tube Amp FAQ" section to get started.

http://www.geofex.com/

[javert]

Other end of your discharge lead goes to circuit ground.
Forgot to mention that...

Haha, yeah. Figured that out, though

This site has a lot of info and links.
Click on the "Tube Amp FAQ" section to get started.http://www.geofex.com/

Cool, thanks. I'll check it out.

[javert]

No, wait, I thought I was supposed to hold it in my hand

[Nightbat]

Friggin hell?

Soundcloud won't accept my browser and I need to update?

[Cygnus X1]

What browser?
I am using Firefox...which seems to want to update every 4 days lately.

I'll see if I can get to my old sound clip site...hang on.

Try the MP3 version at Soundclick:

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12056696

[Nightbat]

What browser?
I am using Firefox...which seems to want to update every 4 days lately.

I'll see if I can get to my old sound clip site...hang on.

Try the MP3 version at Soundclick:

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12056696

IE8 (still running XP)
But YT isn't giving me any crap even though they announced barely months ago that support for IE7 would stop
so I figured SC wouldn't be so quick to close off a good number of users


Amp sounds great, but I really think either a different placement of the mic or different speakers would reduce a lot of that 'Sans speaker simulating DI-Fizz'

[Cygnus X1]

I can foresee a day when I don't bother to play, or record ever again.
Seriously, I don't have time to do it.

I know the builds are great, the rest is up the the users.

Edit, I'll leave the post but damn that just sounded whiney.
I really wish I was as good at playing like when I was in my early 20's and playing
for hours every day.
At some point I played no more.
Went through a lot in life and decided I was a better tech than player anyways.
Now it burns me that I can't play well, nor would I take the time to even set up for
a decent clip.
15 minutes into it and I feel like I'd rather be doing something else!