Latest project. All tube steel amp 92 watts, 15" Neo s

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Weighing in at 46 lbs, almost 1/2 the weight of some of the older Fender tube amps!
This is my latest project aimed at the market need for an all tube steel amp that will not take your arm off when carrying it around!
This is a rendition of the Tweed era high powered Twin Tweed amp. Last made in 1960 with Brown Tolex covering.
I am presently testing a Jensen Neo, 150 watt speaker (weighs 6.25lbs). The parent company of Jensen is SICA. They also make two more 15" Neo speakers that are on the way for evaluation.
They have cast baskets and are rated at 250 watts (weighs 6.70lbs) for one and 350 watts (weighs 8.85 lbs) for the other one. I am testing all these using the 1501-4SB speaker as my baseline for the tone I want.
The amp will be using a solid state plug in rectifier. This get a bit more plate voltage than the stock 5AR4. Also the amp has adjustable tube bias. Fusing on the 6.3VAC supply as well at 9 amps.
Prototype is built as my other Tweed amp except with Heyboer transformers.

So far it is sounding great! Will be testing with the different speakers next week.

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

The tone stack is very similar to the Fender Twin except it moves the mid notch to around 750hz, perfect for steel guitar. In fact, the most common mod to Twins for steel is to set up channel one with a mid notch at 750 hertz.

Just add your favorite effects and steel on!

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Very, very cool, Ken! How about using the unused input jack holes for aux send and return?

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Ran out of jacks. Will be putting those in.

No bells and whistles, no effects loops, no effects built in. Just a raw tube amp with a great tone. Keeping the weight down and tone are the goals. People use digital effects these days and I prefer them over spring reverb, etc.

Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

Holy cow. Now I'm gonna have to come test one out.

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Come on down, Roger. I need some good testers here. Jack Conyers will be helping out as well.

In my attempt to also move out of the "dark ages" I have written a website and published it (WebEasy 8.0, for dummies like me)

http://foxvintageamps.com/

Mike Taylor · From: Wetumpka, AL

..and just in time for CHRISTmas..

Great looking amp Ken..

Mike

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

I hope to build 12 after the first of the year. I may have to take orders on this one with a deposit?

Still got the other amps to sell and those are going better than expected. The 5D6B is a superb amp for guitar, lap and harp. I have six of them uncommitted at this time. I hope to also build another run of them after the first of the year.

There is a tremendous difference in cost to build a tube amp as opposed to a solid state amp. A much smaller profit margin and a big investment up front for parts! Still, it is what I will do. I think there is a need for boutique amps at a more reasonable price.

This amp in the Victoria line (with 2-12" speakers) runs over $3400.00.

We hope to price it closer to the first amp we built, $1999.00 and be able to offer Mercury Magnetics transformer with it.

I will know more as I determine the right speaker for the amp. I also want to do a D2F cover for each amp. Got to send the cab dimensions to Tom and have him build one for the prototype

Dominic Macrone · From: Florida, USA

Ken - I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a Fender Twin Custom 15 and here you are building what I am looking for; tube warmth and punch through a 15" speaker in a manageable size / weight combo. I play acoustic / electric (Gibson Chet SST and Les Paul Acoustic) so am very interested in hearing this combo with a Taylor T5, Tele Thinline or similar instrument. Any more / additional info you have will help me decide whether to wait!

Thanks,
Dominic

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Dominic, would love to have you come up from Florida and help with the testing of the prototype next week! The new speakers will arrive Monday (SICA Premium Lite Neo). We are in South Georgia, just above the Florida line (north of Valdosta).

Keep an eye on the website and here on the forum for our progress and final sales price. I have the figures in from Mercury Magnetics on the transformers. I just need to get the cover manufacturer set and we will have it together.

I want to do the order this month to build at least 12, or more. That would put shipping into January on the products needed to build (and put it into next fiscal year for the business).

Dominic Macrone · From: Florida, USA

Ken - I didn't realize you were right over the border.....it is a long drive (4 hours?) from Tampa, but I can do that out and back in a day for an opportunity like this! I apprecaite the offer...and I could make it work around the 18th - 19th.....unless that is too far off?

Thanks!!!!!!

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

That would be great. We also have a guest room as well as a 24' travel trailer that is set up all the time. Let's do it! I hope to have Tommy Butler coming this week as well from Nashville to help out. I know he has a great ear and will be a great resource for the project!

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

I am going to do the production run with a Switchcraft switching speaker jack on the aux speaker jack to allow the amp to transfer from the 4 ohm tap to a 2 ohm tap, allowing the use of a 4 ohm extension cabinet.

Also Mercury Magnetics will be the the transformers for the new amp!

Checking with Tom a D2F about the covers.

Playing it today in the shop with Jensen Neo 15". It is as reported a bit hot at 2K hertz. The SICA speakers should calm that down.

Mike Schwartzman · From: Maryland, USA

Congratulations Ken...this sounds like a pretty exciting project. All tube, 100 watt package weighing in at under 50 lbs...AND tweaked to pedal steel specs. I think you'll sell 'em all. Best wishes on the speaker smoothing out the 2k bump. Pretty on the outside and inside too.

Watch out...Your next project might have to be designing the matching outboard reverb unit to go with it. I'll betcha you'll get requests, ha ha.

Slim
_________________
Emmons Push Pull, BMI, Session 400, Home of the Slimcaster Tele.

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

I have already put together a spreadsheet on the old Fender style reverb unit. Sure is an expensive little package to build! Can;t compete with a new Fender reissue reverb unit, which I think is pretty nice. However my personal taste is a digital reverb unit. I use an RV-5. I want to check out the RV-7, by Digitech. I saw in on YouTube and it seems like a great unit!

Allen Peterson · From: Katy, Texas

Ken,

Have you given any thought to bringing this amp to Dallas in March. It would be great to hear this amp played through by some of the professionals in a live setting, even if it was just in one of the vendor rooms.

Allen Peterson
_________________
2008 D10 Rains Pedal Steel, 2000 D10 Carter Pedal Steel, BR-9 Lap Steel, Nashville 400, Nashville 112, '65 Fender Twin Re-issue, MB 200, Telonics Volume Pedal

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Yes. I have already spoke with Albert about doing this at Dallas. We will likely ship both amps out in flight cases to the show (unless we find someone driving out from this area). We already have airline tickets, otherwise we would drive out this year.

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

Great looking amp Ken! I really like the fusion of the tweed and brown era cosmetics. I'll be curious to see if you can find a neo that will fill the bill. It just doesn't seem like there are any 15" neos with great tone that can handle 100 watts. Did you ever get around to trying the Jensen 300 watt neo 15?

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

I got in the the SICA Premium Neo Lite speakers today. The 250 watt version will be the one for the amp! It rules with tone to the bone. I could not have picked a better speaker. We also have the 350 watt version here for testing as well for the Nashville 400 and other transistor steel amps.

I am an OEM for Jensen ans SICA (the mother company that owns Jensen). All in all the SICA is the speaker for this amp and is available in 4 and 8 ohms.
We will use the 4 ohm and a Mercury transformer with 2 and 4 ohm taps. With an aux speaker jacks that switched to the 2 ohm load one can use their favorite speaker cab or I can supply a matching cabinet as well,

D2F will be doing the covers for sure. Tom and I have that all worked out now.

I will make a price announcement ASAP. Looking like we can be at the $1999.00 level instead of the $3450 price that Victoria has for a 2-12 version of the same amp!

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

Hey Ken - The SICA looks intriguing. Would you say it has a Jensen like tone? The specs I saw for the Pemium Lite Neo 250 watt looked smoother than the Jensen 15 NEO 150 watt. At the 2k frequency the SICA topped out at 105db which looks to be in the same range as the vintage Jensen alnicos.

I looked for a SICA dealer and found none. I would love to buy one of your amps but it will be beyond my means right now. In the meantime could you please PM or email me how to order a SICA from you?

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

I am so thrilled with the tone, smooth top end and tight bass that hits you right in the chest. I hear hundreds of amps every year and know when I hear a good amp or speaker. This is it! Headed to Lake Park to have Jack Conyer test it today. Tommy Butler will be here next week to cut tracks on it as well as lap steel on the Tweed 4 x 10" 5D6B amp!

I am waiting for a call back from my distributor on final pricing and shipping. They will allow me to put these two speakers on my web site, as they are directed at a specific market. Normally an OEM is not supposed to sell speakers to the public.

To sell these speakers and amps at an affordable price I need to invest a good bit of money in a quantity order. I plan to do just that after the first of the year and start building the amps.

I hope to get the 350 watt speaker tested in the next few days as well as with a modded Nashville 400 amp that I have. It presently has a new 1501-4 basket in it. Should be a good amp to check that out.

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Testing complete at Jack's place. Using a D-10 Zum with Bill Lawrence 910 pickups. Jack was thrilled! Compared to his N-112 and rack system (Revelation preamp, MPX-1, and Stewart 1000 with 2 cabs with 1501-4BW speakers. He says no comparison to my new amp!

The clarity and and tone is beyond my expectations! Perfectly clear tone. As Jack say, "You have a monster steel amp here".

Not sure now I want to change to Mercury transformers. I just could not ask for more tone and plenty of headroom. The SICA speaker is a clear winner.

Can't wait to get Tommy here to cut sound clips next week.

Rich Hlaves · From: Wildomar, California, USA

Ken,

I'm not supprised it sounds so good. You have everything you need and nothing you don't in there! My personal favorite in caps are the Mallory 150s, they just sound good! You use them. The Sprague electrolytics can't be beat. You use them. Same thing with the JJ 6L6GCs, great tube. I used Heyboer trannies in my last build and couldn't be happier. If you get the headroom from this you did with the 5D6B Bassman, why change? It might help you keep your cost down a little bit.

Amp looks great! I will look forward to hearing clips. I want to hear that Sica 15. I'm still very pleased with the Bassman. Everyone that plays it goes OMG! What is this thing you got here! Looks like another winner hear boys and girls.

Best,

Rich

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

I think the Mallory 150 caps are so smooth. Used then first in a Vibrolux Reverb clone and I was very pleased then as well. Jack and I are going to Jacksonville in a few weeks and he wants to play steel thru the new amp and I will take the 5D6B (Basmman style) for Tele. We gonna have a good time!

J. Dean Mooney · From: Malvern, Ar

Hi Ken, Have you tried the new amp with Telecaster? If so how did it sound? Thanks

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