New to board and need advice

redozzman · Post by **redozzman** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:16 pm

I have been a long time poster at the Plexi palace and have read threads regarding the Metro amp kits, anyhow, I have decided to take the plunge and buy one of the plexi kits. This is where the confusion and questions begin. Please bear with me.

I want to build the VH spec 68 plexi but after coresponding with George he reccomended that I start with the 69 kit which enables better support and instruction.(I have no experience with building amps and this will be my first encounter.) I have read all the theories and mojo regarding placement of filtercaps ect in producing the VH mojo hence my desire to build the 12000 series amp. Here are a few questions that the experienced guys could help me with

1. is the 69 plexi kit easy to change over to the 12000 series and is there a big difference in tone from cans on top of the chassis vs. on the board. I know people claim there is a difference I really dont care about cosmetics only the tone.

2. Should I take Georges advice and do the 69 kit first then go from there.

3. What OPT and PT should I buy if i want to convert to the 12000 series later.

Thanks for any input.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 6:07 pm

Well, working backwards.....

The PT and OT that come with the '69 kit should be fine for 12000 series sound -- the OT with the '69 is the Metro 1.5" Dagnall clone, and that tranny started showing up somewhere in '67. The PT voltages should be fine as well.
You can lower the filter cap values to simulate the '67 values. I think the placement of the caps on a board vs. chassis mounted is a pretty minor point.
George's recommendation is partially based on the fact that there are no step-by-step instructions for the '67-'68 kit he offers, and he simply doesn't have the time and resources to offer the support for that kit in addition to what he's already doing. He offered it only due to popular demand. In the end, you have to decide if the '67 is what you truly want -- and if nothing else will do, you will need to spend the time researching the amp and the available layout to build it right. And patience will be the primary virtue in being successful.

Lucky for you everyone and their mom here has built one now, so you should be able to get the help you need along the way!!

redozzman · Post by **redozzman** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:41 pm

Thanks for the response, I am building this amp for one reason. The VH sound, I have a killer 69 small box 50 watt amp that sounds great and I sold every other marshall that I owned because its a one in 100 amp. Now I want to build something that can capture the true VH tone. I have read the post on this forum and listened to the clips and I want that killer tone. So here I am.

IF the only true way to capture the VH tone is by going with the 67/68 spec amp then maybe thats what I need to do. Now if building the 69kit is a necesary step in the process and can be easily converted to the VH 12000 series then I am ready to begin. I also want to gain experience and knowledge along the way. But I don't want to get in over my head!

I also don't want to spend the money on the 69kit to find out later that I should have bought the 68 from the get go, I guess there is a bit of catch 22 with my current situation since I am newbie.

What do you think?

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:03 pm

Again, if you are pretty sure it's the '67/'68 you want (which sounds to be the case) then go for it. Just be prepared to do a little extra legwork without the instructions. You're in the right place to get the help you need though -- you just need to supply the patience to work carefully.