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jim@littledawgamps.com
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There are various ways to add a line out to an amp so I thought it good to explain how to use the style that I add to the amps. The same line out is used on all of my amps from the 5F1 Champster & 5E3 D-Lux, 5F4 SuperDawg, 5F6A TOpDawg and even the 5E8A DoubleDawg. So let’s take a quick look at the proper use of that option offers. Continue reading
This is another question that comes up quite a bit so let’s take a look at it now. I like the 6V6s a lot because of their tone which tends to be on the warm side with what I consider to be “smokey” overtones, plus they also have the early break-up which I prefer as well. There seems to still be a lot of NOS 6V6GT tubes available which are my favorite as they have a smoother tone to them, and while the current production tubes being offered seem to have a bit more gain & edginess to them they also come in as a very solid tube as well. Continue reading
I’ve been asked this question several times in as many days so it seems like a good time to discuss the question. I’ve previously mentioned how the proper speaker load is important as well as matched speaker impedances in a multiple speaker configuration, so we don’t need to cover that again. This is directed towards amps that have individual speaker output jacks for their various speaker impedance options. Continue reading
While there are other names for this mod it seems the most common is the “Paul C” mod, so we’ll use that for this discussion. I also like to keep things simple for the benefit of the most people as well so instead of the technical aspects of what’s happening in the circuit, let’s look at what it actually offers the player. Continue reading
Regarding the transformer output ratings, I need to clarify how to interpret them. I use the manufacturer’s specifications in the description of various builds, but I don’t guarantee that you actually get that output in every instance. For example, a 6V6GT in a single ended amp like the 5F1 Champster or 5F2A Prince will only have an output of 5.5 watts regardless of the output transformer used. An 8 or 12 watt transformer will give you more headroom and a bump in volume over a 5 watt unit, but it’ll never exceed the ability of the tube itself. When you get into the push-pull circuits like the 5E3 D-Lux, then the output of the two 6V6GTs can go up accordingly with some of the larger output transformers but still may not yield the rating of the output transformer. Continue reading
I’m often asked questions like this, “What can I use the extension speaker jack for?” or “can I use another cabinet at the same time as my internal speaker?”. The answer is yes for the most part and you’ll find that a majority of the classic Fender amps will have an extension speaker jack with the exceptions being the smaller amps like the Champ or Princeton. Continue reading
One of the questions that I often get asked about is the proper use of the extension cabinet speaker output, so this seems like a good time to explain it and I’ll start with the speaker impedance. Continue reading
I talked with Nathan on the phone a while back and he asked about the TopDawg LunchBox that was listed on the website. So I had to tell him that even though I had planned on it, I hadn’t worked out the details for that build yet but would get to it as my next project. Since that conversation I did follow through on that project. Continue reading
Things have been a lot of fun for me since I started building Li’l Dawg Amps, and I do appreciate all of the encouragement that I’ve gotten from everyone over the years as well as the instruction along the way. When Don came up with the idea for a blog I agreed right away as I thought it was a great idea. I’ve found that a lot of questions I answer on a daily basis tend to the same ones, and having a clearinghouse for them like this would be a good source of information as well as a real timesaver for me. I’d also be able to keep you up to date on new amps as they come along like the new 5F6A TopDawg LunchBox. Continue reading