146
by benadrian
Okay, confession time.
My band played a couple weeks ago. I brought out my half stack. It sounded great, but was too loud. I loved it, but yeah, it was a bit much for the room. I've always had the desire to build a version of my amp in a 1x12" combo. yeah, I have two 1x12" cabs, and running my head into one or both of them works and sounds great. My desire for a combo is more about a form factor and fulfilling a desire rather than logic or pragmatism.
I began to look for an amp to use as a donor; 1x12" combo, two 6L6 or EL34 tubes. I figure maybe I could find Hot Rod Deluxe in need of repair for a couple hundred bucks. I could gut it and build my amp circuit inside there. While I was looking, I found the Marshall DSL40CR. They can be found used for about $400-ish, and from what I can find online, they seem to sound good to great. They are also known as a not-terrible modern amp.
I know I just complained about the Marshall look in this very thread. I also have gone off the course of building something and just using a ready-made amp. And if I'm gonna do this, why not just get a cheap but good small power amp and use Helix with my 1x12 cabs? After reflection, I realize that I just like to try new things. I also enjoy finding clever and convenient solutions. If this works, it's a platform, that can simplify my setup and make practices easier and more efficient. If it doesn't work, I can flip it. If it breaks on me, well, I'll have no qualms gutting it and building my own circuit inside.
So yeah, confession, I want to get a modern, PCB, Marshall.