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Following a strong itch I've had for way too long, I finally bought a kit for a TC-15. I wanted to introduce myself and thank the forum in advance for all the hand holding I may need to build it. I'm a first timer.

BTW, Everything everybody has been saying about Stephen has been true. The personal customer service (patience) has been exemplary.

Good morning,
Milnoque

It Lives!!!

The only thing I got wrong during the initial build was hitting the wrong center pin on the impedance switch. The cleans are amazing. It has an amazing variety of tone colors.

Unfortunately, It sounds harsh when cranked. I'm just going to play through it tonight and explore the controls. I'll tackle troubleshooting the high output side tomorrow.

Well congrats on the build success. What tubes are you using? And was that on the EF86 channel or channel 2?

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

Both channels do it but it's worse on the 12AX7 channel.

As for tubes:
On your recommendation I got a pair of Amperex Bugle Boys for the EF86. the 12AX7s are new Tung-Sols except for a Sovtek in V2. One of the first things I plan to do is swap out that one with a Tung-Sol. I'm using JJs for the EL84s. I have a pair of NOS RCAs I can try there. The GZ34 is an EH.

I believe I may be oscillating when the amp starts to distort. For what it's worth, The first stage resistor on the EF86 has it's longer lead away from the tube pin. I need to correct that, but the one on the first 12AX7 is right the pin.

Okay,

Switching out the Sovtek for a Tung-Sol, redoing the resistors, and tying up a couple of leads seems to have solved the problem with the 12AX7 channel. I did it all at one time so I don't know which change made the difference. It sounds great all the way up. I'm probably going to want to try to warm it up a little if I can drag myself away from playing it the way it is.

My problem on the EF86 channel remains. I noticed that the volume knob is noisy and when tapped you can hear it through the amp. I think I'm going to like this channel quite a bit when I straighten it out.

I think you've got it, Milnoque.

It's fairly well known that the EF-86 tubes are a bit micro-phonic, so for my build I put in a foam washer around the tube socket to dampen the vibrations. Unfortunately that is not the best solution as the foam melted from the temperature, but, having said that, the it remains and the tube socket is loose, but dampened from vibrating against the chassis and that, coupled with a high temperature O-Ring around the tube itself, sufficiently dampens the micro-phonic tendencies.

See my build thread:

viewtopic.php?t=1146

J

You said "pair" of EF86 Bugle Boys... you meant one right?

I went though 3 EF86 tubes before I bought some Amperex (not bugle boys, but Amperex made in Germany EF86's) that sound great and you can slap the amp and it doent make noise. You can actually tap the EF86 tube and it doesnt make noise!

The first two EH EF86 tubes I bought were pretty much unusable.

I dislike JJ power tubes. I love the EH EL84's but I just got some Gold LIon's and they are really nice.

AJC

I meant a pair. One for the amp and a spare.

I'm not having a problem with microphonics. The channel is distorted at low volume and characterless. It gets squirrelly when turned up. I'm hoping to get some time to get some readings this weekend. Life conspires against me. I'm sure it's something simple. I haven't even swapped out the EF86 to be sure it's not the tube. I wanted to make sure my voltages were good first.

Great, I quoted the wrong post. I'm not having a great day.

I'm happy to report that the problem with the EF86 channel was a bad tube. I waited until I had time to check everything with a meter before swapping. Everything now works as it should.

It says alot about the quality of the instructions that a first timer like me could get through the entire build with only one minor wiring error.

This amp is every bit as good as I'd hoped it would be.