I am asked many times about the programs I’m using to design my amp layouts. So I thought of putting together a three part video tutorial about using Inkscape, a free vector based drawing program (for Win or Mac). I also made available the actual Inkscape amp layout drawing presented in these tutorials so you can use it as a blueprint starter template for your drawings. Please share your drawings! They are art!
Because the EF86 pentode is such a finicky tube but sounds so wicked (once you find the right one), I thought it might be worth showing the pain I’m going through (besides replacing Fallon with Leno), to keep things quiet:
Where I show how I am attaching the EM80 Magic Eye tube to the inside of the Gabriel 1×12″ Stinger Combo. The hole I drill has a 1-3/8″ diameter using a Forstner bit. Then I am using a transparent plexi and a metallic shield screwed on the front valance.
The electrical connections are made via an octal tube socket connection on the side of the chassis. The electrical layout of the Magic Eye can be found here.
The weekly tip on how to mount (solder) the copper buss wire to the front controls (potentiometers), and a jig. The buss wire can be found at any hardware shop and the one I’m using here is 14 AWG.
I thought this particular build (a Gabriel Stinger 7w Head with an Celestion AlNiCo Blue open back bottom) was worth of recording a video demo to keep for the records. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the way the Blue interacted with the Stinger. It is as if they were from the same movie. The 100 dbs sensibility of the Blue helps making this Stinger rig pretty loud for it’s humble 7w power rating. Obviously what you hear is NOT what it sounds in reality since you really need to be in the room to get the full emotional vibe of the tone but you can get an idea. Sit back and enjoy! And of course please leave a comment!!
Welcome to the first GSG giveaway of a $30.00 high end Pink Diamond 12′ Lava Cable!
It Features G&H Industries Gold-Plated Show Shavers™ plugs, a 99.9% pure copper low strand count conductor, 23 pF/ft low capacitance, a 93% spiral shield for excellent RF rejection and it is and assembled with 4% silver solder to maximize signal flow. Made in U.S.A.
Not affiliated or sponsored by Lava Cable, so this one is personally from me!!
The rules are simple:
1. Subscribe to GSG’s YouTube Channel
2. Favorite this video
3. Leave a comment (on the YouTube video page NOT here!) with a random number between 0 and 1000.
The lucky number will be announced on the same video on March 21st, 2011! Details in this video:
So you finally received your tube guitar amp, you spent a fortune for it, and you love its sweet tone and all, but. . . You live in a small apartment, with sonically transparent walls, and you want to have happy neighbors. Your dilemma was addressed actually by a lot of amp builders by building attenuators that act just like a speaker load and output just enough power to the speaker that you need. But there’s an easier and more effective way of taming your amp by using a Variable Voltage Regulator (VVR) that will let you turn your amp’s Volume to where you want it, but control the overall amp output to an optimal level.
MercyMe Gold Disc
It is a special thing to have the amps I build with a guitar player in a major band but it is really special to have all guitar players of the same major band using them! You know that people out there appreciate your amps when my good friends and guitar players Mike Scheuchzer and Barry Graul of MercyMe, surprised me one day with a package at my door with this superb Gold Commemorative Disc presented to myself! HUGE THANKS Mike, Barry and MercyMe folks!
Guitar pedal board routing
I’ve been asked numerous times about when will I make those Gabriel Ts available again. The task was always on my list but never got to it.
So finally here it is! The Gabriel Amps Clothing Line, a fashionable, wide variety of apparel in various styles, colors and sizes! Take your pick!
Gabriel T
From T-Shirts to coffee mugs and beyond am working on a couple more Gabriel products so check back regularly because I will be making these available as I finish them.
Show off that you are an owner (or a fan) of one of the finest hand-wired guitar amps on the market!
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