Peterson Amp Bass 150W

I have not come acrosss one of these before so thought I would share some pictures of this nicely made bass amp.

Judging by the selection of Hitachi output MosFETs these amps come from the 1980s/1990s I would estimate.  Build quality is very high and no reason these amps won’t go on for ever.  The only issues I faced on this one was of volume dips and the cause was just some of the jacks sockets suffering a little corrosion.

If you have one of these amps and want to get it restored don’t hesitate to get in touch to book it in.

I would love to see some schematic info on the Peterson amps.  If anyone has any please let me know.

 

Custom Build and Kit Amps

Kit Amps offer the best value way of getting your hands on an unaffordable or unobtainable amp. I have worked on many of these as repairs or builds and everytime I would choose kit over a big name brand.   But that is just my opinion based on the fact that I like to get my sleeves rolled up.

Once built you then own a classic sounding amp with an expected lifetime of forever.

Building your own kit is well within the scope of someone that can follow instructions and has patience.  If you need a hand with the dangerous stages such as initial power up or mains wiring then you should contact a reputable tech to help.   I do this fairly regularly for people. 

Caution: Once you have built a few amps it does become addictive.

You can get fantastic guidance and inspiration on amp building at robrobinette‘s fantastic site as well as many other sites out there.

Custom builds are not so cost effective as you have to gather all your own parts work out the build design.   However this gives you even more choice etc and this can be a way to build the amp of your dreams.   See the matchless  example below that I helped build.

TAD (Tube Amp Doctor) Kits

This TAD remake of a classic Marshall is pretty much identical to the original and has a few upgrades that make it even better.

Things like ceramic valve sockets, noiseless (compared to marshall) transformers and the cloth wiring adds to the sense of luxury.

Ok you never see this stuff but it is kind of comforting knowing that it is there inside.

TAD also supply cabinets and they are great quality too.

Ceriatone

Ceriatone are a Malaysian supplier that offer fantastic kit although the shipping and import costs put a few people off.  They use vintage style wound transformers and provide excellent supoport.

Vyse

Vyse amps used to be called Torres Amps make classic reissues of Fender amps primarily.   I have serviced a few and the build quality is stunning. 

Modulus

Modulus make a range of kits and parts.  I am regular consumer of their parts but yet to see one of their kits.    They do give excellent support so I have no doubt that they would be good and they do allow much customisation on the parts eg. CTS high quality pots or selection of tone caps.

Custom Build – Matchless

This custom build was completed by a client of mine and I just helped with a final checkover.  Note the use of Hammond off the shelf transformers and wiring neatness.

Boutique Amp Repairs

Every now and again I am fortunate to work on some really beutifully made amplifiers. Although these amps are usually inspired by some vintage classic Fender or Marshall, it is the attention to detail that seems to make all the difference in terms of tone and playability.

Tone King Metropolitan

Take this Tone King metropolitan.  The chassis is engineered from what appears to be airplane grade alloy held together with screw that don’t round off on the second use.  The pots have a velvetty feel making you feel perfectly in control.

LazyJ J20

Simple enough 5E3 based amp with three.. err no four controls what could be simpler… Oh wait a minute round the back is a reverb with Tone, Reverb level and a Tremolo and wait there are more surprises.  The Footswitch also has level controls… This amp is a great concept adding extra modules in the cabinet keeps the amp compact but allows for lots of flexibility.  The addition of the attenuator is the attraction for me and allows you to operate the amp a all volume levels.

Build quality is excellent as is the parts with Switchcraft jacks through out, cloth wiring, solid fixings and tweed covering done to the highest standards.

Divided By 13 – JRT 9/15

An exceptionally well built amp from California where build quality oozes from every angle.  Heater wiring, components lined up like soldiers, paper wound transformers, vibration absorbing pre-amp tube mounts.  It is to die for.  See Website for details and also the extensive list of top players that are using these great amps.

Orange

Orange amps are characterised by their distinctive colour, original sound, great build quality and over engineering that sets them apart and above their rivals.

Orange Bass Terror

The original bass terror in its small tin box with carry bag was an immediate success. Great sound and highly portable. It comes in 500w and 1000w variations and is pretty reliable.

Some issues that I have come across are:

  • Power supply dying, blowing fuses repeatedly usually suddenly. Fortunately repair is achievable and if not replacement modules from Orange are available.
  • Power amplifier burn out caused by overheating, overload or just bad luck.
  • Other faults are typical service things like valves, control pots and jacks.
  • Like all class D amps reliance on good fan airflow is essential so make sure to clean it out every couple of years or so.

Repair success is pretty good on these amps thanks to the excellent support from Orange.

To prevent damage to your OBT make sure you dismantle and vaccuum out all of the dust from the fan once in a while. Class-D amps rely on cool running to keep working any reduction in the cooling ability will cause the amp’s early demise.   

  1. Turn your amp of
  2. Use a paint brush to dislodge any engrained bits from the fan blades whilst using the vacuum to suck away the debris.
  3. Repeat every year or two. 

Dusty old OBT

Video showing power supplu startup proecdure following repair

 

Orange Rocker 30

These 30w, 1×12, dual gainy channel amps have very little to go wrong in them.  The only issues I have seen are from typical wear items like damaged pots, jacks and valves.

Amploft