Rewiring a tranny combo so that it can be used as a cab for a valve head?

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Is there any reason I can't buy something box shaped from ikea and house a speaker in it?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Is there any reason I can't buy something box shaped from ikea and house a speaker in it?

Technically speaking, no. Although there probably is some thought into acoustic characteristics when designing cabinets. Maybe you could house it in a suitcase for easy transportation? Crispy is your man if you want advice on that.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Technically speaking, no. Although there probably is some thought into acoustic characteristics when designing cabinets. Maybe you could house it in a suitcase for easy transportation? Crispy is your man if you want advice on that.

Just been watching this guy.
It's all great, but the bombshell at the end is illuminating. . . And bodes well for me shonking something together.

 

[WouldBe]

When was the last time you saw a transistor radio?

All modern radios are transistorised, just that they are integrated onto a chip.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Bingo Bongo. Looks like someone not too far from me is selling a cab that they have ripped the amp section out of. The 16 ohm speaker isn't super great but just the cab is worth the £25 they are asking even if it's just for spare parts. (And even the shit speaker is worth double that).

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Well well well. This guy is amazing.



I saw his video on guitar tone a couple of years ago and loved the way it ripped apart all the expensive wood tone bollocks (all wood and absolutely anything a guitar was made out of actually).

But this is insane. I have always said that the most important guitar effect is the eq. When I am recording you can almost compleatly adjust the amp tone by digitally analysing the recorded tone and matching it to another separately recorded guitar sound.

 

[kalmatthew]

I mean almost every radio you see these days is a transistor radio even if not marketed as such.

As for building your own cabs, it's possible but not easy. You could probably get some impedance transformers that might help but audio isn't my strong point and I'm a bit pissed so no more comments today

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

As for building your own cabs, it's possible but not easy. You could probably get some impedance transformers that might help but audio isn't my strong point and I'm a bit pissed so no more comments today

If I am going to build an amp I am just going to do it with an 8 or 16 ohm speaker to match my amp. No messing about, you just plug it straight in. Building the cab is just building the casing. No electronics needed.
I want it to be as light and small as possible.

 

[kalmatthew]

If it has a speaker in it making it sound right will be tricky, the box is as much part of the acoustics as the actual speaker. Of your jsut building a box for the amplifier itself the only real concern is heat

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

If it has a speaker in it making it sound right will be tricky, the box is as much part of the acoustics as the actual speaker. Of your jsut building a box for the amplifier itself the only real concern is heat

See the detailed video I posted above about the (mostly but not all) bullshit about cab acoustics.
The thread has already explained what I am doing, though this has changed significantly since the first post. I am not even bothering with the tranny amp at all now. Just getting a speaker and housing it in the lightest, smallest box I can get away with.
I'm hoping to get hold of the cab (that used to house a combo) and speaker someone is selling super cheap. I'll cut the cab down so it is smaller. If the speaker is too bobbins, I will temporarily replace it with another more desirable one from my Marshall 50w combo that I barely use.

 

[keybored]

It used to be slang for a portable transformer also although not heard it referred to as such for a decade at least.

These are still lazily called trannies.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

View attachment 380745

These are still lazily called trannies.

That’s what I meant. Not heard it for a while now but I’m on the underground nowadays which is better on the language stuff than contracting on building sites.

 

[SpookyFrank]

What do people call tranny amps now then?

If you mean an amp that has transistors instead of valves, they're called 'solid state'.

While we're here, anyone know if I can take the spring reverb out of my old transistor amp and use it as an independent effect box? The reverb sounds gorgeous but the rest of the amp is temperamental, crackly and shit.

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

Well well well. This guy is amazing.



I saw his video on guitar tone a couple of years ago and loved the way it ripped apart all the expensive wood tone bollocks (all wood and absolutely anything a guitar was made out of actually).

But this is insane. I have always said that the most important guitar effect is the eq. When I am recording you can almost compleatly adjust the amp tone by digitally analysing the recorded tone and matching it to another separately recorded guitar sound.

I like his catchphrase.
I heard big music equipment makers have taken out a contract.
I worked a few times with people using amp modellers and they sound great, just add AI and we can get rid of the humans altogether.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

If you mean an amp that has transistors instead of valves, they're called 'solid state'.

While we're here, anyone know if I can take the spring reverb out of my old transistor amp and use it as an independent effect box? The reverb sounds gorgeous but the rest of the amp is temperamental, crackly and shit.

Depends. I took my orange tranny apart earlier in the year and as I recall the spring reverb was separate unit with connecting wires as if it was just plugged in send / return. Would you not have to send power to it too? The short answer is probably/ maybe. The long answer is - I think you would have to take the amp apart and have a look at what's there. I'm fairly confident I could it with my orange. How handy are you?

 

[seeformiles]

My Fender Hot Rod combo has its speaker connected to the amp by a M/F 1/4” Jack and I let the guitarist from a support band at one gig plug in his own 30 watt head without any problems.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

My Fender Hot Rod combo has its speaker connected to the amp by a M/F 1/4” Jack and I let the guitarist from a support band at one gig plug in his own 30 watt head without any problems.

That is a completely different issue. All combos are just speakers connected to amps. Most valve amps have the 1/4" from the speaker rather than being hardwired. It's literally just two wires connected to the speaker. You can actually just buy a quarter inch connected to two speaker cable clips and connect direct if you really want to.
I have a 100w 8ohm combo that I used to plug my Orange 7/15w (switchable) into at home (100w is too loud in the house).

Beware of a speaker / amp mismatch when letting someone attach their own head. It can blow your speaker or their amp. . . If it's a transistor head you are all good as long as the minimum load is reached.

 

[dessiato]

I was confused, and a little disappointed, by the thread title. I thought it was about rewiring a van.

 

[twistedAM]

What do people call tranny amps now then?

Combos

 

[klang]

I was confused, and a little disappointed, by the thread title.

could def do with a few emojis.

 

[danny la rouge]

Combos

Combos can be valve.

The correct answer was given above by SpookyFrank - solid state. It’s solid state or tube/valve. And there’s also occasionally hybrid, like the famous and ultra rare Vox UL730 the Beatles used on Revolver and Sgt Pepper.

There are now also modelling amps, which though usually solid state get their own category.

I’ve personally never used “tranny” to mean radio (I’m not old enough to remember a world before transistor radios) nor as a shorthand for transistor amp. I’d say solid state or transistor. I’ve never heard “tranny” in that context.

 

[klang]

tranny takes a trip

 

[SpookyFrank]

Depends. I took my orange tranny apart earlier in the year and as I recall the spring reverb was separate unit with connecting wires as if it was just plugged in send / return. Would you not have to send power to it too? The short answer is probably/ maybe. The long answer is - I think you would have to take the amp apart and have a look at what's there. I'm fairly confident I could it with my orange. How handy are you?

I can work a soldering iron and figure out basic circuitry. The spring unit is its own box mounted to the bottom of the cabinet, I think just two wires to it which suggests it's unpowered.

When I've got another amp to use instead, then maybe I'll worry about taking the old one to bits.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Combos can be valve.

The correct answer was given above by SpookyFrank - solid state. It’s solid state or tube/valve. And there’s also occasionally hybrid, like the famous and ultra rare Vox UL730 the Beatles used on Revolver and Sgt Pepper.

There are now also modelling amps, which though usually solid state get their own category.

I’ve personally never used “tranny” to mean radio (I’m not old enough to remember a world before transistor radios) nor as a shorthand for transistor amp. I’d say solid state or transistor. I’ve never heard “tranny” in that context.

I was always a bit confused, as I only started hearing 'solid state' when the digital modeling amps came in. I have always thought them to be something other than transistor amps. . . but I guess they aren't.

 

[danny la rouge]

I was always a bit confused, as I only started hearing 'solid state' when the digital modeling amps came in. I have always thought them to be something other than transistor amps. . . but I guess they aren't.

 

[Sasaferrato]

I have an orange valve head (15w) that sounds great. The idea was that I take it to gigs and plug it into cabs they gave at venues.
However.
Increasingly venues only have combo amps . . usually pretty shit ones.
I have a 1x8inch cab I can use with it, but when I took that to a venue (for micing up) the sound man said it was too thin / not loud enough and I probably needed a 12inch speaker.
I was looking at just buying a 1x12 cab but they are a minimum of around £100 and a bit big/heavy.

I do however have an orange crush 30r tranny amp. It's small and light. only 10kg. It has a 30w four ohm speaker.
However, unlike my valve combos, it is hardwired rather than having the option to disconnect the amp section from the speaker.

Can I just snip the wires and connect two female sockets to each end. Then I could either patch them to continue to use the built in tranny amp, or plug in my external head?

Is there anything I should be concerned about? (obviously I would match the impedance - the Orange dark terror head has outputs for 4 8 and 16)

Will something explode?

Any chance of rewriting that in English? I don't speak geek.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Any chance of rewriting that in English? I don't speak geek.

The head is the amplifier and the cab is the speaker.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Any chance of rewriting that in English? I don't speak geek.

Do you need to know?

I have an orange valve head (15w)

It outputs 15 Watts of power. The power of an amplifier is measured in watts.

that sounds great. The idea was that I take it to gigs and plug it into cabs they gave at venues.
However.
Increasingly venues only have combo amps

A combination of amplifier and speaker combined into one cabinet.

. . usually pretty shit ones.
I have a 1x8inch cab

A speaker cabinet with one speaker eight inches in diameter.

I can use with it, but when I took that to a venue (for micing up)

Putting a microphone in front of the speaker to bring the sound of the amp into the music venues personal address system to be mixed for the audience to listen to.

the sound man said it was too thin / not loud enough and I probably needed a 12inch speaker.
I was looking at just buying a 1x12 cab

A speaker cabinet with one twelve inch speaker.

but they are a minimum of around £100 and a bit big/heavy.

I do however have an orange crush 30r tranny amp.

A 30 watt transistor combination amplifier and speaker made by the company Orange. It is named the Orange Crush 30R (the R is for reverb, which is an inbuilt effect it has)

It's small and light. only 10kg. It has a 30w four ohm speaker.

Speaker impedance is measured in ohms. Should not mismatch the amplifier ohm output and the speaker input. If the speaker is rated 8ohms then the amp output should also be 8ohms.

However, unlike my valve combos, it is hardwired rather than having the option to disconnect the amp section from the speaker.

The speaker in the combination amp is wired directly to the amplifier unit. In some combination (combo) amps the speaker is connected with a detachable 1/4inch jack plug (standard guitar lead size)

Can I just snip the wires and connect two female sockets to each end. Then I could either patch them to continue to use the built in tranny amp, or plug in my external head?

I wanted to rewire my combination amp so that it could be used as just a speaker or and a speaker and amplifier combination.

Is there anything I should be concerned about? (obviously I would match the impedance - the Orange dark terror head has outputs for 4 8 and 16)

It actually turned out that I couldn't match the impedance and this silly idea was abandoned.

Will something explode?

 

[WouldBe]

I’ve personally never used “tranny” to mean radio (I’m not old enough to remember a world before transistor radios) nor as a shorthand for transistor amp. I’d say solid state or transistor. I’ve never heard “tranny” in that context.

Tranny has been shorthand for transistor for decades.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Tranny has been shorthand for transistor for decades.

I never heard anyone refer to anything as solid state until at least 2003.