trinityamps.com

Hi Folks,
This is just my second post and it seems appropriate to introduce myself, detail what I currently use and what I am hoping to accomplish. I apologize in advance for the length of the post.
Current rig:
A-Guitar into a true bypass wah-wah then direct to:
B-Marshall Class 5 through a speaker level direct box into 1/2 of an early 70's 1960B cabinet with 25 watt 75hz greenbacks
C-Direct box out into a Lexicon MX300 effects processor used primarily for delay/echo and rotary speaker effects
D-MX300 output into effects loop return of a Marshall MGHDFX100 amp into the other 1/2 of the same 1960B cabinet. Using the effects return bypasses the whole preamp section, but provides an added benefit of being BEFORE the digital reverb and effects (chorus, flanger, etc.) of the amp. These "on board"effects of the amp are already well tailored for guitar use and work wonderfully without much tweaking.
This setup works very well as the input of the MX300, as well as the input of the MG amp, gets the full sound of the Class 5, helping to make the delays and other effects sound very natural, especially long echoes, up to 5 seconds. This ends up working as well as having a sound engineer add these effects through the FOH console, except that it puts the control of their use in my hands. The Class 5 sounds pretty fantastic, except for limited variety of tone, a little flabby/tubby in the low end and once the second amp is added, it can be a little louder than some gin mill owners are willing to accept. It seems a little pointless to try to add any kind of power scaling, PPIMV or VRM to this amp, given it's already limited capabilities.

Hopes/Goals
A-Get a little more tonal variety/choices
B-Get a little more low end clarity, not cleaner but more clear and defined
C-Good control of apparent volume without loss of tone, dynamic response and harmonic guitar feedback.
I tend to run my "main sound" amp generally floored and play with a very light touch (no pick) and live just on the edge of full blown feedback/howl and just oozing all that harmonic Marshall goodness! I like to refer to my tone/sound as "Screachin' & Squawkin'". It seems that an 18 watter with VRM might be just what I need! Possibly even less wattage, but with the same preamp section might be appropriate?
Any and all help, advice and comments will be warmly received.
TIA,
Gene

Do you want to stick with the Marshall tone? A Tramp has a huge tone arsenal in a very compact package.

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

Yes sir,
I am a huge fan of THE Marshall tone.
Thanks,
Gene

Ah then, suggest you stick with an 18 watt variant. You need to choose which tone you want to build on - early to modern / low to high gain. Sounds like the VRM will be key as well.

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

Stephen,
Ya know, I guess I hadn't really looked hard at or thoroughly researched the Tramp before my last post. From a cursory glance, I was afraid it was a unit that tried to be a jack of all trades and likely a master of none, kinda like many Boogies. With the reviews and comments, it seems pretty cool. It may not be my end all, be all amp, but with the reported ease of successful construction it may well be a good candidate for my first build. If general consensus is correct about amp building being gratifying and addictive, (I suspect it is correct) I'm certain this won't be my last and only build. Just a couple questions though, on the"Tramp Production Specs" page:
http://www.trinityamps.com/phpbb/viewto ... =16&t=2049
it says in #7. 2 tubes (3 max). I'm not sure what this means? Is a third socket installed to allow switching from one power tube to another or is it to have the choice of using one or two power tubes at a time?
I am truly excited about starting this new amp building journey and through much online research, you folks appear to provide the best and most extensive help and support for your customers. Are ther any options that I should be aware of before ordering a Tramp kit? If so, it would be nice to understand:
A-What the options are
B-What they actually do
C-What is the purpose/function of the dual impedance output transformer?
&
D-How much any options increase the difficulty of the build process.
Thanks For Your Thoughts,
Gene

2 tubes (3 max) means there is a hole pounced for a second Noval socket (9pin) in case people want to experiment with more gain or other features.

The choice of power tubes is done by replacing the tube and flipping the bias switch.

Other Tramp options are - combo or head! it already has plenty to offer

The purpose/function of the dual impedance output transformer is to support even more power tubes such as EL34, KT88. As is stands and is documented, it supports 6v6, 6L6, KT66 and any octal that needs 5K impedance. The additional impedance is 2.5K

If you want to wire in an additional switch for the transformer impedance selection, the increase in difficulty is minor. You can also rewire wire Speaker impedance switch to select multiple transformer impedance selection. That is a little more challenging.

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