Build Your Own Clone Message Board

This will be a worklog for my first tube amp project. The electronics of my Hotrod Deville were recently destroyed, so i decided to build something to go back in the cab. I'm going to try and build a 65' Blackface Bassman AA165 kit i picked up from Mojotone.com. We'll see how it goes. Comments and tips along the process would be greatly appreciated, since this is my first crack at this.


Just got my chassis from the shop, I had them copy the chassis i took out of my buddy's Deluxe.



Making the hole for the power transformer. took me about three template modifications before i got it perfect. this part was more time consuming than i had expected.





And the output transformer.





Knob layout. Pretty much a stock Bassman layout except i stacked the inputs rather than the side by side to make room for two more knobs which will eventually become the reverb controls.



Quick mock-up.



Tube socket installation. I used a stepper bit on the preamp tubes and the dreaded hole saw for the power and rectifier tubes. I wanted to use a stepper bit, or better yet, a chassis punch, but i couldn't shell out that much loot for something that i was going to use once. The hole saw did alright though, better than i was expecting.







This is how i plan to lay out the boards inside, still not finalized here. this setup seems to put everything where it needs to be.



A couple boxed up shots to double check my mounting hole alignment.





That's what i've got for now. I'm waiting on some small parts before i get to soldering the main board.

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Man that's pretty awesome. You should be able to move some air for sure.

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Pedal building is like the opposite of sex. All the fun stuff happens before you get in the box.

Looking really good Tommy!

Kudos on the drilling job.

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Cool project! I had no idea a holesaw could get through a chassis. Good on ya!

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MasterDelayer/Reverbrador/Ampaholic/TopJacker

Subscribed. A Blackface Bassman has been on my wish list for a while. Great idea making one into a combo, looks really good so far!

I got most of the board populated and pretty much all of the wires cut to length. I'm waiting on a couple of backordered caps to finish off the filter board. I've got a couple more ground holes to drill and its just about painting time. woohoo!







I think i am going to relocate the bias circuit to the bottom, with the power and standby switches installed i am left with little wiggle room.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

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You might want to check the location of the filter cap board with the power tube sockets installed too. Looks tight!

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MasterDelayer/Reverbrador/Ampaholic/TopJacker

Yeah, it's a little cramped but it looks like it will have room. the camera angle makes it look worse than it really is. I may have to play around with different standoff heights depending on if i orient the the socket with the screen resistor up or down. measure eight times, drill onc...-measure again, drill once.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

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Had a go at some heater wire. I think it came out pretty decent. Does anyone recommend anything to put on the end of the insulation to keep it from fraying? I was going to put a small dab of liquid electrical tape on each one after completion.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

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Looks really cool. I like reusing/recycling enclosures/cabinets.

I recommend using metal film (5watt) on the screens. The screens can take a beating and carbon comps are known to burn up.

This is a terrific project, something I have been about doing for a long time. This matches my interest, even down to the amp model you chose. I am curious about a couple of things.


This doesn't look like a kit - I thought Mojo kits came with a pre-punched chassis. It looks more like you ordered a bunch of parts, which makes sense given your goal of recycling your existing amp.

Did Mojo let you order a kit without the chassis? Or did they help you choose the set of components you need?

Does Mojo provide clear instructions or are you using another source (book, web site)?

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"I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me."
-- Winston Churchill

Good call, I did that with the hotrod that got destroyed. Whenever UPS gets done with my claim and returns my old one, I will probably yank those out and put them in here.


@bcalla:
There are a good many options with the mojotone kits. I picked up the 'Bassman small parts kit' which consists of the fiber boards and components only. I got the transformers separately. saved over a hundred bucks by skipping the chassis and faceplate. The directions are pretty decent. You get a nice large color layout, and large schematics of the circuits. I did find two errors so far in the layout, but if you follow along on the schematic as you are building, they can easily be avoided. (one cap was mislabeled, one wire was omitted from the filter cap board).

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

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Small update. All boards are finished. I picked up a hodge podge (never typed that out before, how would that be spelled?) of nylon spacers and washers from mouser and came up with these standoffs, I think it turned out pretty decent.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

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The standoffs have brass inserts on either end and are separated by nylon in the center.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

It hurts me to say this.. but.. follow me on facebook and.. instagram

One last mock up of the controls to triple check fit before i start the painting process.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

It hurts me to say this.. but.. follow me on facebook and.. instagram

The painting process is like watching paint dry. In the mean time, I have time for the little things.
I drilled the shields off of the small tube sockets and picked up these cool blue ones.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

It hurts me to say this.. but.. follow me on facebook and.. instagram

That is a incredible project there and its going to sound awesome. I salvaged a 65 Bassman from garbage a few years bad and had it overhauled by a well respected amp re-builder here in NYC, I stuck it in a Rogers cabinet with two vintage Jensen 10's and It was one of the greatest sounding amps I ever heard. Bassman amps are powerhouses with incredible sounds and if I remember correctly, didn't Marshall copy his design off the bassman circuit?

Made some good progress yesterday.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

It hurts me to say this.. but.. follow me on facebook and.. instagram

I am pleased with how the heater wire came together.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

It hurts me to say this.. but.. follow me on facebook and.. instagram

This is coming together nicely. Can't wait to hear/see the finished project! You really did a fantastic job laying everything out. You should go to the Fender site and post this as a certified Hot Rod Deluxe Mod !

Starting to get crowded in there. good thing there's not much left to go. I probably should have put the output tube ground in before i installed the boards. Looks like a night with the needle nose is what's in store for me today.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

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Oh my, even the wiring is as neat as every thing else

It's going on the Fender site. In the thread where the guy told me to stick with fixing bikes because tube amps were over my head.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

It hurts me to say this.. but.. follow me on facebook and.. instagram

I'm pretty much done other than a few hardware bits and tubes.

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

It hurts me to say this.. but.. follow me on facebook and.. instagram

Couple more shots:

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If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

It hurts me to say this.. but.. follow me on facebook and.. instagram