trinityamps.com

I was going to buy a Trinity 18 watt last year, but I opted for a RockyTop 2204 clone instead because I was not sure that my own 2204 clone, that I was having build problems with, was going to survive my inexperience in building an amp. Well, the few problems I had with my 2204 build are being fixed by an amp tech as I write...Presence control grounded by mistake, DC standoff heater circuit at wrong end of 10uf cap, and poor lead dress causing "squeal" in master volume control. I should get it back soon; then I will have two killer sounding EL34 2204's! NOW;

I was experimenting, substituting the JJE34L's with the newer JJ6V6s power tubes in my RockyTop(it has dual bias controls), and I really liked the smooth sound and early compression of the 6V6s's! Problem is, even the JJ's aren't built for the 516 volts they are drawing! If I keep on using them in that amp they will probably fry in a hurry. SO;

I am considering building a Trinity Triwatt because of it's use of 6V6's and switchable higher gain overdrive circuit. This would only be my second build, but I have heard that the Trinity instructions are very complete. I was just working from schematics(different ones pieced together) for my 2204 build, and it had several non-stock mods - improved bootstraped MV, DC standoff heater circuit, and dual bias controls.

1) How difficult is the Trinity Triwatt kit to build?
2) Where is the best place to buy a head cabinet for it?
Thanks.

_________________
My life was never the same after...BLACK SABBATH!

I'd say it's an advanced build. For one recent builder, it was his second build. His first was a JTM45. Plenty of pics of builds in the TRIWAT forum too to give you an idea. So far, everyone has been successful with no issues.

Here's a link to the layout. Maybe you can assess the complexity from that.

viewtopic.php?t=1567

Trinity sells head cabs. See Advert: viewtopic.php?t=1516

_________________
Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

The first thing I ever soldered (besides copper water lines) was a Trinity sIII kit. And it worked after about 5 minutes with Stephen walking me through a couple of debugging steps.

The documentation is VERY thorough
There are usually a number of people here on the forum to help out.

And the cabs are very nice If you look through the pictures, the mahogany and maple cab set are mine, and the pictures don't do them justice MUCH NICER in person.

I just got my Triwatt kit and cab, been waiting to get the time to start.

Hope this helps

Man, I wish I had a layout like that when I was building my 2204. It would have made things SOOOO much easier. Yes, it looks like an advanced build, but very easy to follow, and if the assembly instructions are as complete, it seems like it would not be that hard. Especially if everything you need is included in the kit and made specifically for that amp. I'll start saving up for it. Very exciting! Thanks for the info and links to the pics...you too Stephen!

_________________
My life was never the same after...BLACK SABBATH!

The Cabs Stephen makes are just awesome. Top notch. I've got two head cabs and a speaker cab and a head cab and can't wait until I can get more.

Trinity also makes a 6v6 option for their 18w so if the marshall/6v6 is something you really want; that amp might be worth looking into.

As for the kits, the instructions are great and detailed. If you follow the layout and you know how to solder you will be fine. Stephen also includes great troubleshooting and mod information with the build guide. I would try to get good at lead dress but I can also say that my 18w sIII was my first experience with soldering something like this and thus had amateur level lead dress and still is very quiet. Perhaps a testament to the design.

Good idea to check the 18watt w/6v6 option instead. But, does using the 6v6 switch increase the wattage of the amp, or is that fixed at 18 watts by the OT?

Also, I like the Presence control on the Triwatt, but I noticed some recent postings regarding the installation of NFB on the 18 watt, so I see that it can be done.

I've never owned a cathode biased amp before, but I was just about to buy the 18 watt anyway last year, before I decided on the RockyTop 2204.

Lots of stuff to think about here, including maybe adding VRM to an 18 watt! The 18 watt kit is a little less expensive, a little less to save for. Thanks for the input.

_________________
My life was never the same after...BLACK SABBATH!

I might have been that 2nd time builder Stephan was referring to. Anyway it does fit my profile. I say go for it. He is correct I think as calling it "advanced", but you will come away with a little more knowledge and a hell of an amp. He will support you if you stumble. I did, but I am very glad I opted for the HIWATT. It is my favorite by far!!!!

It's still 18W. Mainly due to the voltage the tubes are running at, which is ultimately a factor of the PT. In the Triwatt we run the 6V6s at much higher voltages, so we get closer to around 22W.

_________________
Great tones come in small glass jars!

If you are patient, and carefully follow the layout/schematic I think the Triwatt is not a "hard" amp to build.

I still found the TC15 more "work" maybe due to the interior layout or??

I think its more a case of following the instructions and understanding things (read and re read before you just guess and go at it) and then doing things in a methodical and careful way.

AJC

+1 on ajc's comments & the other comments above.

I can maybe put things into some perspective for you. My first build was a Trinity 18. I'd have to say that was pretty much a learning platform for me. I'm sure Stephen will agree I had a lot of questions about the tone when I first built the thing (many of them probably somewhat stupid I'm sure! ). I've recently rebuilt it (and converted it to the sIIIV6 layout).

My next build was a 2204 clone using Ceri@tone's chassis, panels & board. I sourced all the parts rather than going a pure kit route on that one (I wanted a true custom build...or as close as I could get with my limited skills/resources). Compared to the Trinity 18w, I'd say it was about on par difficulty wise.

I've built 4 or 5 amps since the 2204, the most recent being the Triwatt. In some ways the Triwatt is actually an easier build. The board, for example, is easier to work on due to it's "rectalinear" layout even though the component count is higher. The side effect is there's a lot of jumpers that can easily get missed (as you will see in the early Triwatt build threads, mine included). Also, with the top-mounted iron there's more working room in the chassis. If you have big clumsy fingers that's a wonderful thing!

In other ways, the Triwatt is the most advanced build I've done so far. There's a lot going on under the hood of this puppy. Attention to detail is key. Stuff like lead dress & routing are CRITICAL to a quiet, well functioning amp. The higher component count also means there's a lot more spots for things to go wrong, and that can make debugging more of a challenge. I would call this a more advanced build for sure, and probably not a good choice for getting your feet wet.

I'm not trying to deter you by any stretch! I say go for it if it's what you want, but take your time. Triple (or quadruple) check everything. Read through all the build threads posted so far. Have a close look at Zaphod's build pics for pointers on laying out the wiring for a quiet & well-behaved amp. Read the builder's guide thoroughly - there's a ton of great info in there, and it really helps to understand what you're actually creating.

And if you have a question, ask! I can guarantee you'll get top notch support from Trinity & many of the folks on these boards. If you have issues, we've been there in most cases and we're all happy to help. In the end you'll have a Killer amp.

Thanks for all the encouragement ya'll. I'm looking forward to being able to buy a kit...probably going to be a TRIWATT! But, one question that keeps me wondering is:

How can the 6V6 powered Triwatt closely duplicate the sound of old Hiwatts that used EL34's? or, I'm I wrong about them using EL34's? Don't get me wrong, the 6V6 power is precisely why an am interested in one, already owning two EL34 amps.

_________________
My life was never the same after...BLACK SABBATH!

Actually the OT and PT's have more tone shaping than the output tubes I think. Also the V1 preamp tube has a great deal to do with tone shaping.

That's a real good question. Tubetone74 just gave part of the answer. Hiwatts are often described as "tight" amps. In electronic terms this comes down to the fact that the whole way the power amp, the power supply and the negative feedback works in these amps, the power tubes are controlled in a real tight way. And of course the preamp and PI are pure Hiwatt. So you get the signature Hiwatt tone and feel, pretty much whatever kind of power tubes are used. In fact several of the original Hiwatts used KT88s instead of EL34s, and you don't hear people say they don't sound like Hiwatts.

Having said that, you do still hear some of the tonal differences of different tubes coming through. For example, KT66s sound somewhat darker in a Triwatt than 6V6s. And you can hear some subtle variation between different brands. So the Triwatt with 6V6s won't sound quite exactly the same as a Hiwatt with EL34s. But it will get pretty darn close. There are in fact some EL84 Hiwatt variants around, including the 18W hybrid "Marwatt", which are said to have a pretty good Hiwattish vibe. However, we chose to use 6V6s in preference to EL84s, because they have a much more EL34-like warmth and beefy low end, which EL84s don't. 6V6s also work and sound a lot better at the high voltages you need to get the real deal Hiwatt sound. There are some NOS Brimar 6V6s which are said to sound very similar to EL34s. You could possibly say the same of the Russian 6pi6 tubes, we've been running in our prototype Triwatt. They have a real nice breakup and balance between warmth and edginess that reminds me of EL34s.

HTH

_________________
Great tones come in small glass jars!

All very informative. You know, when describing typical Hiwatt tone, referenced to players, I find it interesting that I hardly ever see anyone mentioning Tommy Bolin. I never saw him use anything BUT Hiwatts. Once, in 1975 in a hotel room in Atlanta, I had the pleasure of hanging out with him and Glenn Hughes during the Deep Purple tour. I was only 17 but I had been playing guitar for six years. I asked Tommy what kind of distortion pedal he used in front of his Hiwatt, but he was too messed up to give me straight answer. Even though he was using a LOT of distortion from that pedal, his Hiwatt still always sounded very tight to me.

Has anyone tried the TungSol 6v6GT's in a Triwatt?

_________________
My life was never the same after...BLACK SABBATH!

I think that may be more due to the fact that Tommy Bolin is generally just little remembered at all. He died young, and only had a very short career with DP. He was with them during one of their least popular periods, after which they broke up, and he was eclipsed by Ritchie Blackmore's reputation in a huge way. I think he was probably very under-rated. However, the fact thathe used Hiwatts comes as little surprise. Marshall amps had developed a poor reputation for reliability, a lot of it due to having below-spec transformers. So many musicians would tour with the very reliable Hiwatts instead.

You got to hang out with DP when you were 17! How cool!!!!!

That's something I'd really love to try when I get the chance.

_________________
Great tones come in small glass jars!

Yeah, that was pretty cool all right. I used to know the favorite hotels in Atlanta where the big rock guys liked to stay. I would then call up the hotel and simply ask them to ring the room of whoever I wanted to meet. Lots of times the guys would just answer the phone. I would then say that I worked for the Georgia Tech college newspaper and was wondering if I could arrange an interview with them. I'd bring a small cassette tape recorder with me and usually one of my best friends, and the rest was easy. I realized that even at seventeen, I had a lot in common with these guys simply because I was a decent musician, and because I had been keeping up with their lives through publications like Circus Magazine and Cream. Most of them were pretty easy to talk to and actually liked the company and some one to talk to about their music.

I got to meet the guys in Black Sabbath that way, Blue Oyster Cult, and I hung out with Ken Hensley of Uriah Heep on three seperate occasions. I would always come away with backstage passes to the shows which was really cool too! Once I woke up Mick Ralphs of Bad Company a little too early in the morning; I remember that he was not very happy about that!

When I asked Tommy Bolin "what it was like to try and fill Ritchie Blackmore's shoes" I got an answer that I would never forget. Tommy got up from lying on his bed, and with his hair dyed about three different colors, looked me in the eye and said in a slow drug induced drawl "I don't know, I've never seen Ritchie's shoes man". Then he got up, with his back to the other six of us in the room (including Glenn Hughes) and bent over forwards to point his butt towards us all, and said "I've gotta go take a crap". Later that evening he gave me a copy of his first solo album, which I dropped out of it's sleeve two weeks later, taking a one inch chunk out of the edge of it. I still have it though! I have to say that Glenn Hughes was a lot more engaging that evening. We talked about his old band Trapeze quite a bit. Tommy died from an overdose about six months later.

At the DP show I got to talk to Rory Gallager, who was opening for them. Rory had broken his right arm and it was in a cast. He was still able to play great, with that beat up Strat straight into some little Fender combo sitting on a chair behind him on stage. I remember thinking that looked so funny in that huge arena, when all the other guys were using these multiple double stacks! Rory told me something that I have never forgotten, and my have actually helped my playing. After numerous beers that night, he told me to "close my eyes" when I play. He told me that would make me a better player, that if I cut out that sense while playing I would play with more "feeling". I have to say that I think he was right. Too bad he passed away; but I will always remember what he told me and fun I had that night.

_________________
My life was never the same after...BLACK SABBATH!

_________________
Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

Very interesting stories! Thanks for sharing.

I'd also relay the story from when I was hanging out with the guys in Nazareth (all Scottish) in the early 1990's when they were here in Colorado, but the truth is, I don't remember much past one hour after their show ended! Man, can those guys drink!!!

_________________
My life was never the same after...BLACK SABBATH!

No pics from these encounters?