overseas board kit company?

11 Gauge · July 7th, 2006, 09:57 AM

There is a company (in Asia somewhere, I believe) that sells board kits for Marshalls, 5E3s, Matchless, and most importantly, for a BLACKFACE CHAMP.

I desparately need a board kit for my Champ, and this company has one at a price that fits my budget. The problem is, I can't for the life of me remember the name of the company.

The Champ board kit is $60 through them, if that helps.

Thanks.

johnb · July 7th, 2006, 10:28 AM

Is this the dealer you seek - CeriaTone.Com - DIY Guitar Tube Amp
John

JohnnyCrash · July 7th, 2006, 11:56 PM

The Blackface AND Silverface Champs are the exact same circuit, the Fender AA764.

The Champ was one of the few amps to avoid CBS's bean counter's chopping block during the changes made from BF to SF.

Why?

It's a simple little Champ that was designed for "students" or children so it was already one of the most cheaply made (if not the cheapest) in Fender's amp line.

SO, IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO "BF" YOUR SF, DON'T BOTHER. Save the cash for a different amp build altogether :)

BY THE WAY
Ceriatone and Nik at Ceriatone are great. I got my 36 watt "Marshall" chassis and faceplates from Nik and it got here faster than I expected. He answers even the dumbest questions (and trust me, I can ask some dumb questions).

tazzboy · July 8th, 2006, 12:47 AM

in Asia? I would contact Ken Watts at http://www.turretboards.com/Default.htm

Here is his load loaded board http://www.turretboards.com/LOADED_T...BOARD_KITS.htm

11 Gauge · July 8th, 2006, 10:01 AM

And it's totally nonfunctional.

I did a cap job on it a few years ago, and the supplier I went with sold me junk parts (didn't know then what I know now).

As a result, the cap on the 6V6's cathode to ground exploded.

It took out the paired resistor, and who knows what else. I put back in the original cap and a resistor of equal value, but no dice. The amp won't bias correctly now - something like over 100 millivolts of idle bias current!

At this point I have to conclude that other parts on the board were destroyed as a result. Maybe the O.T. too, but not sure. I want to do one thing at a time, until I bring the amp back to the living.

So now I have a board with a mix of old worn out caps and subpar other ones, as well as some other parts that have obviously been damaged (maybe the anode resistor?) and obviously with an amp this old (it's a '65), there's got to be resistor drift and who knows what else is going on.

This is why I want to go to a board replacement. For $60 it's going to be far cheaper than having someone diagnose the amp, and only replace some of the aged componentry.

I got the cap can from the same supplier, and I suspect it is sub-par as well. Any recommendations on where to get a good one? Maybe Ceriatone carries these as well?

Anwyay, I really want to get this amp working again, but I have sparse little funds to do it. That's why Ceriatone seems to be the solution.

I'm somewhere between an amateur and intermediate in my amp tech skills. I know how to replace parts, discharge caps safely, and I have a bias meter. I have a Fluke multimeter, but don't really know enough to check voltage values and the like to diagnose EXACTLY what is going on. And I hate powering up an amp with the chassis pulled to do diagnostics - makes me real nervous of electrocuting myself. Just another reason to go with an entirely new board.

If anyone knows a better method to get this amp back up and kicking other than board replacement (on a very limited budget), by all means please fill me in!

David Barnett · July 8th, 2006, 03:47 PM

I think a fancy staked turret board is a bit much for a Champ. I'd get an eyelet board from Mojotone and hand-stuff it with new components. Or just re-use the existing eyelet board and replace all the components if you wanna shotgun the amp instead of correctly diagnosing the problem.

BTW, the output stage has no "anode resistor", the anode load is the Output Transformer.

...later...

Looking at what little BF Champ information is on Nik's site, I don't see a hole for the cap can on his chassis, so maybe the board has the full power supply on it? That would make it a more attractive option.

JohnnyCrash · July 8th, 2006, 08:04 PM

11 Gauge,

The SF and BF Champs are the same exact circuit, and I agree with db, you can go with Ken at Turretboards and it'll probably be much cheaper (especially with the higher shipping from Asia as compared to Ken in FLA).

With as many Champs as I've built, db's right again, MojoMusicalSupply.com has the more older styled board with eyelets, you can EASILY populate the board yourself. As far as those caps, don't be too nervous. It's not too bad, just pay attention to where you lay your hands and you're fine.

DON'T WORRY, I'm a complete retard and I haven't been zapped yet (except for a long time ago, BEFORE I started working on amps).

I've used all three. Ceriatone, Turretboards, AND Mojo.

They're all great places to get stuff from (I just got a red tolex'ed "small box" Marshall head from Mojo for my 36 watt "Marshall" amp I built). Mojo's old Fender styled boards are pretty cool - I got my Fender Reverb clone board from them as I didn't feel like staking the eyelets for that one (I had several builds on the bench at the time), cool but sort of plain looking.

It's going to be MUCH cheaper to assemble the board yourself. For a while I was even staking my own boards WITHOUT a drill press.

STILL, it sounds like you don't mind paying a bit extra for the board already assembled. to my knowledge, Turretboards only offers a VibroChamp loaded board or a tweed 5F1 Champ board.

July 7th, 2006, 09:57 AM	#1 (permalink)
11 Gauge Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: The East Coast Posts: 3,085 10 Photos	overseas board kit company? There is a company (in Asia somewhere, I believe) that sells board kits for Marshalls, 5E3s, Matchless, and most importantly, for a BLACKFACE CHAMP. I desparately need a board kit for my Champ, and this company has one at a price that fits my budget. The problem is, I can't for the life of me remember the name of the company. The Champ board kit is $60 through them, if that helps. Thanks. __________________

July 7th, 2006, 10:28 AM	#2 (permalink)
johnb TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Georgia Posts: 44	Is this the dealer you seek - CeriaTone.Com - DIY Guitar Tube Amp John __________________ "Dim lights, thick smoke, and loud loud music is the only kinda' life that you'll ever understand!"

July 8th, 2006, 12:47 AM	#4 (permalink)
tazzboy Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2005 Location: Eugene, Oregon Age: 31 Posts: 3,293	in Asia? I would contact Ken Watts at http://www.turretboards.com/Default.htm Here is his load loaded board http://www.turretboards.com/LOADED_T...BOARD_KITS.htm __________________ tazzboy

July 8th, 2006, 10:01 AM	#5 (permalink)
11 Gauge Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: The East Coast Posts: 3,085 10 Photos	It's a Blackface, Johnny... And it's totally nonfunctional. I did a cap job on it a few years ago, and the supplier I went with sold me junk parts (didn't know then what I know now). As a result, the cap on the 6V6's cathode to ground exploded. It took out the paired resistor, and who knows what else. I put back in the original cap and a resistor of equal value, but no dice. The amp won't bias correctly now - something like over 100 millivolts of idle bias current! At this point I have to conclude that other parts on the board were destroyed as a result. Maybe the O.T. too, but not sure. I want to do one thing at a time, until I bring the amp back to the living. So now I have a board with a mix of old worn out caps and subpar other ones, as well as some other parts that have obviously been damaged (maybe the anode resistor?) and obviously with an amp this old (it's a '65), there's got to be resistor drift and who knows what else is going on. This is why I want to go to a board replacement. For $60 it's going to be far cheaper than having someone diagnose the amp, and only replace some of the aged componentry. I got the cap can from the same supplier, and I suspect it is sub-par as well. Any recommendations on where to get a good one? Maybe Ceriatone carries these as well? Anwyay, I really want to get this amp working again, but I have sparse little funds to do it. That's why Ceriatone seems to be the solution. I'm somewhere between an amateur and intermediate in my amp tech skills. I know how to replace parts, discharge caps safely, and I have a bias meter. I have a Fluke multimeter, but don't really know enough to check voltage values and the like to diagnose EXACTLY what is going on. And I hate powering up an amp with the chassis pulled to do diagnostics - makes me real nervous of electrocuting myself. Just another reason to go with an entirely new board. If anyone knows a better method to get this amp back up and kicking other than board replacement (on a very limited budget), by all means please fill me in! __________________

July 7th, 2006, 11:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lost Angeles and Orange County Posts: 7,128	*The Blackface AND Silverface Champs are the exact same circuit, the Fender AA764.* The Champ was one of the few amps to avoid CBS's bean counter's chopping block during the changes made from BF to SF. Why? It's a simple little Champ that was designed for "students" or children so it was already one of the most cheaply made (if not the cheapest) in Fender's amp line. SO, IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO "BF" YOUR SF, DON'T BOTHER. Save the cash for a different amp build altogether :) BY THE WAY Ceriatone and Nik at Ceriatone are great. I got my 36 watt "Marshall" chassis and faceplates from Nik and it got here faster than I expected. He answers even the dumbest questions (and trust me, I can ask some dumb questions).

July 8th, 2006, 03:47 PM	#6 (permalink)
David Barnett Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: LIttle Rock, AR Age: 52 Posts: 5,491	I think a fancy staked turret board is a bit much for a Champ. I'd get an eyelet board from Mojotone and hand-stuff it with new components. Or just re-use the existing eyelet board and replace all the components if you wanna shotgun the amp instead of correctly diagnosing the problem. BTW, the output stage has no "anode resistor", the anode load is the Output Transformer. ...later... Looking at what little BF Champ information is on Nik's site, I don't see a hole for the cap can on his chassis, so maybe the board has the full power supply on it? That would make it a more attractive option.

July 8th, 2006, 08:04 PM	#7 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lost Angeles and Orange County Posts: 7,128	11 Gauge, The SF and BF Champs are the same exact circuit, and I agree with db, you can go with Ken at Turretboards and it'll probably be much cheaper (especially with the higher shipping from Asia as compared to Ken in FLA). With as many Champs as I've built, db's right again, MojoMusicalSupply.com has the more older styled board with eyelets, you can EASILY populate the board yourself. As far as those caps, don't be too nervous. It's not too bad, just pay attention to where you lay your hands and you're fine. DON'T WORRY, I'm a complete retard and I haven't been zapped yet (except for a long time ago, BEFORE I started working on amps). I've used all three. Ceriatone, Turretboards, AND Mojo. They're all great places to get stuff from (I just got a red tolex'ed "small box" Marshall head from Mojo for my 36 watt "Marshall" amp I built). Mojo's old Fender styled boards are pretty cool - I got my Fender Reverb clone board from them as I didn't feel like staking the eyelets for that one (I had several builds on the bench at the time), cool but sort of plain looking. It's going to be MUCH cheaper to assemble the board yourself. For a while I was even staking my own boards WITHOUT a drill press. STILL, it sounds like you don't mind paying a bit extra for the board already assembled. to my knowledge, Turretboards only offers a VibroChamp loaded board or a tweed 5F1 Champ board.