So the mad (and highly unqualified) scientist in me has conjured up another way to waste money unnecessarily on musical equipment.
I'd like a valve amp:
- quiet enough for bedroom volumes
- just loud enough to play with a quiet drummer
- with at least gain, bass/mid/treble, and volume knobs
- a physically small, light, portable combo
I struck upon the idea of getting a cheap, crappy, second-hand solid state combo, ripping the amp out and replacing it with a kit valve amp (more on that in a sec). A few minor cosmetic changes to the cab, and whamo there's the project.
Of course its way cheaper to just buy a small valve amp off the shelf, ready to go. My issue was that the smaller, cheaper ones tended not to have the three band eq. To get that you had to go high wattage and high price.
...until I discovered a Chinese mob selling kit amps. They mostly do clones of classic amps, but they also have one which:
- is based on vintage Fender tone
- has a 3 band eq
- is 15 watts
- has reverb and a few other bells and whistles
- is pretty cheap for what it is
No knowledge of electronics required, just plug the transformer and valves into the circuit board and you're off.
I haven't been brave enough to pull the trigger on the kit yet, but I spotted a Kustom Sienna 30 for sale at a practically throw away price. The size and weight seemed perfect and the tan leather covering looks pretty nice. I couldn't say no, so it's now sitting in my lounge room awaiting a good butchering.
(pic not mine, pinched off the net)
Here's where the trouble starts. Most combos have the amp running along the top of the cab front to back, face plate is either along the front or along the top. I didn't realise until I got it home that Kustom amps do something a bit weird. The amp sits 90 degrees from where you'd expect it to, forming the rear panel of the cab:
Its a great space saving solution and allows for a smaller, neater unit with easy access to the amp itself. All well and good while the amp is solid state.
If I were to swap this for a valve amp, the valves would have just enough clearance to sit inside the cab, running along the top of it and sitting just above the speaker cone. I suspect I may run into heat issues if I do this.
What do you lot think?
Will I have to ditch my nice pretty box in favour of something a little more conventional?
Will the heat not really be that much of a problem?
Should I continue the mad scientist approach and explore impractical and unwieldly solutions to the heat problem?
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