trinityamps.com

Hey Tramps and on lookers.

Well, it's been a month since the amp camp. I have gone over my amp a few times and beyond taking everything apart and retracing my steps I have not had any luck getting any sound out of the amp. I'm afraid that I might mess something up if I start unsoldering my connections and would really appreciate some guidance from someone who knows what to look for. I have checked/re-checked my connections on the layout and have "chopsticked" around inside looking for "answers". This is my first build and I feel sort of like a ship without a rudder. I don't mean to sound like a defeatist here, but I am very new to amp building and a bit hesitant to "get in there" without any assistance for safety concerns and overall lack of knowledge. I know the forum here has been great help to those of you who have come across hurdles and have sought the help of others. If anyone has any time to personally assist me in going over this Tramp I would be forever grateful and would gladly buy lunch or compensate you for your time. Quoting a phrase I heard on a catamaran in Mexico a few years ago, "the crying baby gets the tit"...I hope my cry is heard.

Many thanks in advance.

Johnny

ps- I am in downtown Toronto close to Bloor & Bathurst. Some nights I have access to a car and could perhaps meet on the weekend either at my place or yours.

Your cry has been heard. Chris AKA 'kurtlives' has helped a few builders out at a "Amp Camp" rate of $20/hr. Very reasonable rate as you can imagine! I expect most things could be done quickly as he is is very good at this. Bonus - his location is Yonge /Eglington area.

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

Very reasonable, I have a bench rate of $50, first 1/2 hour free, then $40 an hour after that. Plus you pay for all parts needed.

_________________
Fantasy Noise is what my shop of dreams is called and was the only way to beat my addiction, like many here I suffer from G.A.S.


Tele's make the best noise

Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate it. Is there a way to message Chris from this forum?

Chris did a great job on my Tramp. He will be able to get your tramp going. I have Chris' email address but it's not good to post it on the message board because spam bots will get it. You should contact Stephen through the Trinity email address and he will set you up.

knights AT hotmail.com (replace AT with @)

Chris...

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http://pdfelectronics.com

Thanks. This being my first amp build I feel like I could learn more from some experienced guidance. It was a lot of fun getting together for the amp camp, but I felt like I was really rushing at the end there to piece it all together without any real time to test adequately and now I want to hear and use this Tramp but feel less than skilled at pulling it off solo. I look forward to working with Chris and will update on the forum.

Thanks again!

Yes, I agree, it was chaotic at the end. I think it's a three day course, or just build a "Tramp Lite" version with the options installed at a later date, on your own time. Idea being to get it working, then add mods/features to taste!

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

I would definately agree with the 3 day option for what we tried to do with the Tramp course but I think that 3 days would have been more of an obstacle for trying to accomodate people as well as the location. A "Tramp Lite" course would be good if everyone was able to leave with a working amp/chassis.

Chris,

Have you gotten any of my emails?

Johnny

None,

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http://pdfelectronics.com

Ok, just sent an email to that one. Check the spam or junk folder if you don't see it.
Thanks.

Thank you to Chris for getting my Tramp up and running; I really, really appreciate it. I've finally got to jam on it the past 2 nights and it is really addictive. I am working on customizing my pre-built cab. I'll post some pics soon.

Hello fellow amp rats. I must say I'm really enjoying the Tramp. I had an old Fender special design speaker in while waiting to pick up my Jensen Jet Blackbird and it has been a lot of fun crankin' this thing. I just installed the Jensen tonight and stretched my grill cloth. I bought some Minwax black stain but I'm thinking I need some color to make the dark green of the grill cloth "pop" a bit. I'm considering the SAMAN emerald or forest color. It is a water based stain. Does anyone have any experience with this brand? Has anyone used SAMAN stain on their amps? I'm thinking 103 or 104 for this, but am still deciding. http://www.saman.ca/products/22-saman-water-based-stain
Ok, well, here are some pics. The grill cloth looks like black here. That's kind of why I'm looking into a lighter or different shade so that it doesn't look so monochrome. The grill cloth is actually forest green and black with kind of a diamond pattern.

Use minwax pre-stain conditioner first. Then use minwax stain. Saman is very hard to get a consistant stain with. If you use a pre-conditioner on pine you reduce the blotching of the stain to where its easy to control. I have used Saman and I just keep going back to minwax. What has changed is I go to home hardware and pick up some Timber Mate tint base/natural wood/grain filler. Mix your stain,Saman works, and filler until you have a viscosity of milk. Use a brush to work the filler into the wood, let it sit for 3 ar 4 minutes. Use a rubber squeege and pull the excess filler off going across grain. Let dry for 3 or 4 hours or overnight. Sand smooth restain if needed, cover with varnish.
I like minwax wipeon. I normally keep a can of satin and gloss that I mix to come up with my own level of gloss. Normal is 3/4 gloss 1/4 stain. I have stains that are compatible with urethane so I make a toner shade for my first wipe on coat.
By using the grain filler you get an almost piano finsh with very little work.

_________________
Fantasy Noise is what my shop of dreams is called and was the only way to beat my addiction, like many here I suffer from G.A.S.


Tele's make the best noise

Thanks for the reply and tips. I was a bit reluctant to go with SAMAN on this project and will go with the trusted and true Minwax products. Hopefully I can get to it this week/weekend. I'll post some pics of the finished cab.

After contemplating color choices, I decided to go with Minwax "Antique Jade" water based stain. From my understanding, only the water based stains can be custom colored. I stained and finished the pre-built natural cab this weekend. I was inspired by the Fender sea foam green amps I had seen a few times. I wanted a vintage surfy look. I think I got it...
Here's my Tramp: