trinityamps.com

Since Joey and I kinda got sidetracked on my VJ build in the Tramp forum, I figured I'd move things over here.

First, the guts of my modded version... (Ken Watts built the turret board for me).



And the modded front panel...really have to do a custom faceplate for this...



And for kicks, stock OT & replacement...that factory job really is a little thing...



I've been picking away at this thing for about a year so I don't think I can list all the various mods I've done, but here's a summary of the current configuration...

- replaced volume pot with quality Alpha
- add tone pot
- pre-amp/tone stack inspired by 18w Lite/Trinity 18 normal channel
- added "fat" switch (cap across the vol pot, don't recall value)
- added gain boost switch (a pretty big boost)
- added switchable NFB (rear panel, off/on, either a 42K or 27K - can't recall which)
- replaced OT with Hammond 125ESE
- replaced PCB with turret board (by Ken Watts)
- upgraded all board components
- changed pre-amp tube to new stock Tung-Sol 12AX7
- EH EL84 power

And the results...

With the boost, fat, and NFB all off the amp is cleaner & more detailed than stock with substantially more headroom. When overdriven it has a JTM45/18w character

With the NFB on & fat off the amp becomes more Fenderish. Mids are more relaxed & it sounds brighter & open overall.

With the NFB & fat on the amp gets a bit more Voxy. Still has the jangle, but with a more compressed feel to it.

With the boost engaged, well, controlled mahem in any setting. With the boost on & NFB off it's kind of like a hot-rodded Marshall.

I think I've finished with the mods on this thing, except maybe doing custom front & rear panels at some point.

Now I'm ready for the next project...'65 Deluxe Reverb...

Another fun thing to play with is the voltage divider prior to the volume control. It's a linear voltage divider and dumps half the signal to ground .

There are a few neat things to do in that spot that affect the gain and overall voicing of the amp. I have a switch in that spot on one of my VJ's I call a "Fender/Marshall" switch.

Good looking amp btw!