Who will buy a Fender Harvard Kit???

Okay, I haven't been able to find anyone who offers a real Harvard 5F10 kit.
I have been poking Mojo, trying to coax them into offering a complete kit. They need a lot of people (customers) who have a similar interest before a Harvard kit will be added to their product line. They have to meet a 100 piece minimum to have the chassis made. So I am just passing this along in case you guys are interested. Let them hear from you!

Funny you should bring it up, I've been thinking about this amp. I can appreciate where you are coming from. A Harvard would have the proper chassis. And a kit would have the right board and components.

That said, It would be fairly simple to build a Harvard in a 5E3 chassis. And, as the Harvard has plenty of power, it would benefit from a big speaker in a larger 5E3 combo cabinet.

With a Boot Hill 5e3 Chassis (and most other 5E3 chassis) there are four inputs for two channels. The Harvard is a single channel amp with three inputs. For aesthetics, one could install four input jacks to the single channel (or put two plastic plugs).

Now the 7 pin socket for the 6AT6 will fit in the hole for the 12AX7, so that's ok.

You would have an additional hole in the front for another knob and pot. That could be a master volume, a bass control or a presence control (Harvard has a negative feedback circuit). Of course, it would likely be mislabeled.

You could make it fixed bias or cathode bias. Anybody wants a hack job kit like this (so to speak), let me know. Same price as chassis kit for 5E3 (without transformers).

I'll make up a nice blue custom turret board for it.

BTW, not long ago, somebody got a group together and got Weber to make a run of Tremolux Chassis.

Fixed bias is a must, otherwise it is just a 5E3 with NFB.

Given a 5E3 kit and if I were to convert it to a Harvard, I would use the extra hole for a three pole two position switch, use a dual 1M pot for the tone control, use the second section for the treble control in a BF TB tone stack. Adjusted the treble capacitor for the 1M pot. The second channel volume control would be used as the bass control. Added a 1M resistor on the input of the cathodyne PI for good measure.

I found I liked the change from Tweed to BF on the sort-of Harvard I made (used 12AQ5's instead of 6V6's). I think with a 6AT6 I could get mild breakup in the BF position (sucks a lot of gain) and with 6AV6 in the first position I had more than enough gain to get dirty.

The amp is still out on loan so I am going on a shaky memory. I had a number of options in mine, it was a test case to see what mods I might like. I would not bother with them other than the BF option and maybe use a BF NFB in order to use a capacitor on the second stage cathode for added gain. Might have needed it for the BF tone stack, using a 4 pole switch it could automatically be switched in with the stack. A bit of a stretch from just co-opting a 5E3 board I know, maybe just a small perf board for the BF tone capacitors and resistor.

In the BF position

http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp142/printer2_photo/HarvardwithBFtone.jpg

You know, I think I just figured what amp to make for my nephew.

It would be pretty easy to simply add the extra jack & sockets to a 5F2A chassis.

Its been done.
http://www.tjadamowicz.com/amps/Projects/proj07.html

Really cant argue the neatness of the build, the guy did a great job.

It would be pretty easy to simply add the extra jack & sockets to a 5F2A chassis.

Its been done.
http://www.tjadamowicz.com/amps/Projects/proj07.html

Really cant argue the neatness of the build, the guy did a great job.

And he takes good pictures also.

I did it with a 5f2a chassis (originally a Marsh kit). I used a chassis punch to add a second octal and a hole for the 7-pin and drilled another for a third 1/4" input. I love my Harvard. It'd be great if somebody would produce a Harvard kit. Under-appreciated amp, for sure.

A Harvard chassis in a 2-10 cab would be a great gigging amp.

Okay you Pros are talking complete homebrew and I admire that but I need simple and easy. I built a Mojo Pro last summer and that went well. So I am hoping to convince Mojo to offer a kit or at least a proper chassis. If they dont then I guess I will modify a 5E3.

I know i'd looked at these before at some point. As it's relevant to the thread - here are some specs on the Harvard (http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-harvard/).

Depending on the cost I might want something like that. It'd be a while down the road though, getting ready to start my 5E3 before too long.

Pardon my ignorance but what would be the benefit of a Harvard over a princeton or deluxe, besides the fact that Steve Cropper played it?

A Harvard is a Princeton 6G2 without the tremolo so that might be one way to go. Might even be easier than using a Deluxe 5E3 board as it already has the fixed bias. The Deluxe went from the 5E3 to the 5G3 which has a LTP phase inverter so it has a different flavor than the cathodyne amps.The 5E11 Vibrolux is another option, pretty much the same as the Princeton 6G2 other than it uses the second triode in the first stage as the tremolo while the Princeton uses the phase inverter tube.
Whether the sound of a 7 pin tube changes the sound as compared to a 9 pin, can't say.

Pardon my ignorance but what would be the benefit of a Harvard over a princeton or deluxe, besides the fact that Steve Cropper played it?

Cool little amp. If you're a "Collect 'em all!" type ya just gotta have one doncha know?

12AT6 / 12AV6 tubes are dirt cheap compared to 12AY7s.

Fixed bias and more gain (compared to a Deluxe) makes a Harvard one bad little mutha.

12AT6 / 12AV6 tubes are dirt cheap compared to 12AY7s.



Just try and find a NOS RCA 12AY7 for twice the price of a 12AT6 (only one triode so you need two).

12AT6 Tubes NOS NIB (Price per Tube) US $2.57

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/12AT6-Tubes-NOS-NIB-Price-per-Tube-/380311020401?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item588c4da371

...except I'm a little balled up. Harvard uses a 6AT6 'cuz the 12AY7 (or AT or AX) humbucking filament thing doesn't apply. Still a dirt cheap tube. Grab a few before a commercially available Harvard chassis shows up. They won't stay cheap for long.,

...except I'm a little balled up. Harvard uses a 6AT6 'cuz the 12AY7 (or AT or AX) humbucking filament thing doesn't apply. Still a dirt cheap tube. Grab a few before a commercially available Harvard chassis shows up. They won't stay cheap for long.,

Couldn't help myself, bought 4.

Pardon my ignorance but what would be the benefit of a Harvard over a princeton or deluxe, besides the fact that Steve Cropper played it?

My first amp was a Harvard and it had a sweeter tone to my ears than a 5E3 and I have owned an original 5E3 as well. They ARE different.

A Harvard is a Princeton 6G2 without the tremolo so that might be one way to go. Might even be easier than using a Deluxe 5E3 board as it already has the fixed bias. The Deluxe went from the 5E3 to the 5G3 which has a LTP phase inverter so it has a different flavor than the cathodyne amps.The 5E11 Vibrolux is another option, pretty much the same as the Princeton 6G2 other than it uses the second triode in the first stage as the tremolo while the Princeton uses the phase inverter tube.
Whether the sound of a 7 pin tube changes the sound as compared to a 9 pin, can't say.
Actually, the tweed Harvard is closer to a Vibrolux minus the trem. On the ones that I have built, I've used the Vibrolux fiber board and omitted the trem ckts.

Actually, the tweed Harvard is closer to a Vibrolux minus the trem. On the ones that I have built, I've used the Vibrolux fiber board and omitted the trem ckts.

Actually what I was saying. You could use either a Vibrolux or Princeton board as they are basically the same circuit but one uses V1 for the tremolo while the other uses V2.

Printer, what will you do with those 12 volt tubes? Can you make the heater work on 6volts?

I have a mess of 12V power tubes,

12BK5 (31)
12V6GT (20)
12AB5 (20)
12AQ5 (16)
12W6 (13)

so I have been using 12V transformers for the heaters. It is easier to find small 12V transformers with enough current to power an amp than 6V transformers. To get the HV I use 120V isolation transformers with a 240V option. I can get a variety of voltages running them at 120V, 120V with a doubler (about the 300VDC needed for a Harvard using SS diodes), transformer flipped so the secondary is used as a primary and the two 120V primaries hooked up to give me 200V. Using the isolation transformer and a 12V transformer (often 12V wall adapters which I scrounged the transformers from) is the lowest buck option for a 15W or less amp. Runs me about $20 per amp although it is not as convenient as a real tube PT.

I guess f someone were inclined they could have a separate transformer for any 12V tubes if the rest of the amp is running 6V. I know there are some out there that would think nothing of building a switching PS taking the 6V up to 12V although I am not one of them.

Paul Chambers @ Chambers Amplification has made the best Harvard clone for years. If you have any questions you should talk to him. This is the best sounding Harvard clone I have heard! http://www.chambersamps.com/chambers-signature-amplifier.html

Paul Chambers @ Chambers Amplification has made the best Harvard clone for years. If you have any questions you should talk to him. This is the best sounding Harvard clone I have heard! http://www.chambersamps.com/chambers-signature-amplifier.html

Those are nice.

I'm sure the Chambers amp is very nice but 1400 bucks and higher (Victoria) is excactly why I have an interest in DIY.

Best bargain in a complete 5F10 might be Richter's Charm School. Under a grand to the door. Looks like a real beauty.

@ Niles - I make all my own circuit boards, if you want a Harvard board, just get the black fiberboard and eyelets from MOJO, cut and drill. I have mine laser cut these days and still press eyelets myself, but in the beginning I cut and drilled them by hand. Oh and by the way, Chambers Amps makes their own boards too and like a lot of us builders we approach our builds in a artisan way, hand crafted to high standards. We spend hours doing trial and error on what caps to use to give a true vintage sound, transformers that come the close to vintage voltages, neat lead dress to cut unwanted noise, the right speakers to get that vintage sound. And then there are tubes, don't get me started on finding the right tubes! When you put all that together and spend all that time, you will see why the cost is what it is, you get what you pay for. If you want a "simple" kit you are not going to get the sweet sound that you liked so much on your original Harvard.

How about this? Never played one of her amps but she gets great reviews.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Richter-Charm-School-5F10-12-Tweed-15Ws-of-Classic-Tones-/130710701405?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6ef7055d

Nevermind........