I'm very happy with the 'new' sound, and the safety improvements on the amp. It's a nice 'living room' and recording amp. The amp is brighter and a bit 'punchier' than it was originally. It has a real bell-like tone...



From the video clips, it's obvious that the amp is now very quiet from a noise perspective (well, for Mod A, anyway)--sorry, no "before" video to compare to... For an amp that's only 3 watts (perhaps a bit more with fresh tubes), it's louder than you'd think.



While the Mod A upped the treble and punch, and Mod B got some of the the 'garage' tone I was hoping for, I'm not completely satisfied... If more 'drive' is the goal, the single stage preamp would probably limit the smoothness....And if radical changes were made--well, better to just build one from scratch....



Would I do it differently next time? Yes.



I'd tear the amp down to the bare chassis and rebuild from there. But what began as a simple 'filter cap' recap job sort of snowballed...



I'd certainly clean up the interior, tidy the wiring rats-nest, remove the dust, etc. Probably go the extra mile and use the 'orange drop' caps.



Since this isn't a highly desirable amp like an old Tweed Champ, the materials used aren't going to tick-off any collectors. The design itself utilizes common radio tubes, so even N.O.S. tubes are cheap and plentiful. I can experiment to my heart's content.



Anyway, I learned something, and I'll know better next time.



All examples are 'clean'--just guitar and amp, no F/X.-- Mod A, again with the Trash-o-caster (the video cam doesn't quite capture the treble correctly):Obviously, the sound quality of a small digital camera (functioning as a vid recorder) isn't going to be excellent...but it's good enough to get an idea...Everyone's taste in sound is different. it's a personal thing. So before you write:orororWell, you can't make a full-sizedfrom achassis (but both are cool!) Any tube amp can be modified and the sound shaped, but it's basic character will not change. This is a single-stage preamp, Class A tube amplifier.It's really a cool-sounding amp. But I understand if it's not your cup-o-tea...And I have other amps. If I want a different sound, I'll use them.