trinityamps.com

I'd like to put together a nice small set-up too. Too many times I've had great players trying out amps here and I missed out recording them.

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

I researched it to death and it seems that for about $250 (for the mic and Lambda - Audacity is open source {ie. free!}) you can have a pretty decent direct-to-computer recording setup. Far from studio quality, but for me it's more about being able to review and track my playing and progress. And share a clip or two.

Where's the fall weather?!? I hate the heat!!

Here's the heater wire. Please note I haven't soldered it yet as I typically strip the wire back long so I can make a good mechanical connection. Then I solder and trim the excess wire.

Heater wire routing:



V1, 2, 3:



V4, 5:



Tag strip:



Time to heat up the soldering gun....

Looks good. Should be hum free with all that twistin' goin' on!!

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

Thanks to your pre-twisted wire!

Unit looks what I'm after. Do you know who sells them? Lexicon Lambda Studio comes wuth Cubase LE FWIW. There is also the Lexicon Alpha - single channel.

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

I contacted the Canadian distributor in Quebec a couple of weeks ago. They said Long and McQuade carries them, although I'm sure they would probably have to order them in. I've never seen one at the North York location I haunt.

And while I know the Alpha would be most practical for me, the Lambda has bells! And whistles! And looks cooler!

No building tonight. It has been superseded by beer. Lots and lots of beer. w00t!

Ugh. Solder smells especially foul today.

My continuity tester paid for itself today. Caught a cold solder joint on the heater wires. Good for me and my sanity if and when I have to troubleshoot.

On to the *da da dum (scary music)* cliff jacks.

Question for Stephen; is that just stripped wire that jumpers the output jacks across the top?

So I completed one set of input jacks at the faceplate.



And here's the routing with colours:



Good continuity at all points. I know I have to connect it to ground too.

Breaktime!



My best friends right now:



So when I connect the co-axial wire to V1, I want to only have a tiny bit of the middle wire exposed, a good bit of the wire shielding cut back and put heat shrink right up to the connection point, right?

Yes, cut off the shield 1/4" - 3/8" from the end and put the heatshrink tubing over most of the inside core and overlaps the cable. You just want to be sure the shield is well insulated.

Jacks are correct.

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

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian compatriots.

Well, I've got everything done that I can until the PT and OT arrive. Stephen just emailed and update -- he's due to get them tomorrow and I should get them by end week, along with my cab. Yipee!!

So here are the last things I got done. Everything else is tied to the OT or PT is some way.

Flying leads:



The dreaded V1 (which I didn't find too hard. Not having the transformers kind of forced me to take my time and do everything by the book)





Input jacks:



Yes, the observant of you are right - I've been relegated to the laundry room.

And from Stephen:





A scheduled trip to the in-laws in Belleville next weekend is going to put a serious cramp in my trial runs.

Ahhh... A man after my own heart I see...or with the same disease.

I got back into playing a few years ago and now there's 5 guitars in the house (not including an old BC Rich that I will someday re-assemble). There's also 4 amps (Traynor YCS100 head, Laney GH100TI, my Trinity sIII, and an old Line 6), and about a dozen pedals.

Building the Trinity has given me the builder bug. Lately it's been building & modding pedals. I picked up a handful of BYOC kits from Scott at axeandyoushallreceive.com - a Screamer (TS-808), Analog Chorus (EH Small Clone clone), a Phaser (MXR Phase 90) and a an Octofuzz (Tycobrahe Octavia clone). Within a week of building them I started modding. In the last 10 days I've torn the TS-808 apart again & rebuilt it with a pile of switchable mods. I've done the same thing with the chorus - working but has a minor noise issue to work out (lead dress I'm sure). Tonight I pulled my Dunlop JH-1 wah apart & installed trim pots for "Q", mids & bass. Gonna do a true bypass mod on that too as soon as I can source a 3PDT switch (gonna add an LED also). Then I've got plans for the Phaser...

I want to build another amp too. I'm trying to decide between a Fender clone or a Marshall 2204. Probably both eventually... And I want to pull the sIII apart & clean things up in there a bit...tidy up the lead dress & some soldering.

I'm actually enjoying the building/modding more than playing lately!

BTW, it looks like you had Stephen build basically the same cabinet I have. Looks like the only difference is I went for the dog-bone style handle. The Trinity folks do very nice work.

Kirb

I......AM......IRON.......MAN!!!!

PT and OT arrived today.

And the cab, the beautiful cab.

Pics in the morning.

That they do.

I know what you mean about the building/modding bug. It's putting a cramp in me moving out of my gross playing status.

How'd you find the Q mod for your wah? I don't have one but I've been looking at the Dunlop Crybaby 535Q. Despite some douche trying to insist the basic Dunlop wah was the same thing. "I'm telling you they're the same thing," he said. "You won't notice the difference in sound for the difference in price." Big surprise - tonnes of original Dunlops wahs in stock but they'd have to order a 535Q in.

What part of the island are you from?

I did my undergrad at St. FX. My first year I lived on a floor with 14 guys - seven Cape Bretoners, six Newfs and me, the lone "Upper Canadian."

I'll never forget the time I asked -- towards the end of the year -- who was going to get the 'oice' for our drinks.

Daughter just graduated from there this Year? Moonlight Cafe & Pipers!

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

I was there from 1991-1995. In 1993, they converted the old Triangle Tavern to Pipers.

The Triangle was like every dingy bar you've ever been in, but it had character (deer and bear heads in the wall)

Not long after it was upgraded to Pipers, Gord Johnson and Big Sugar stopped there to have lunch on a Thursday. They were travelling from a gig in Sydney to one in Halifax. Me and a couple of friends were there having lunch too.

The owner heard they played in a band and offered them the door at a cover charge of $5 a person. Gord said, "Sure, why not?"

Word got out and within two hours there was a lineup at the door. We just stayed in our seats (and missed our afternoon classes).

He played with two full Marshall stacks in a small club with about 200 people in the audience!! To this day, it was the loudest thing I've ever heard. But it was awesome -- he played from 9 p.m. until midnight with only a 15-minute break and then came out for a 30-minute encore. Best live show I've ever seen.

My hearing didn't return to normal for a couple of days.

Best thing of all -- we didn't have to pay cover since we were already there having lunch!

And for those who like blooze -- Johnson can do them in spades.

Try this link (http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sq ... xvyaldke~T) for just a taste of Ride Like Hell from Big Sugar's second album, 500 Pounds.

And Red Rover (http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sq ... xnwdldde~T)

And while I'm shilling for Canadian artists (although Gord's moved to Texas) Matthew Good's new album is great. Especially the monumental opener Champions of Nothing (9:35!) which has a guitar solo that gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. And Born Losers is great.

Of course, I'm a fan of anything Matt's put out in the last decade, so I am a bit biased. But if you've never heard him, I suggest starting with Beautiful Midnight for the former group and Avalanche for his solo work.

As promised....

Pilot light and switches:



Output jacks:



Mains, fuse, rectifier:



Chassis front:



Chassis back:



Tubes:



Next up: wire in the board, double check connections, check voltages, rock out!

Oh, and I'll put up a mini-photo tutorial on preparing the coax wires.