Bottlehead Forum
Bottlehead Kits => Crack => Topic started by: Kitchener on March 25, 2018, 11:25:28 PM
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Just wanted to share my humble setup with you fellow Crackheads.
(the small aluminium puck in the back reveals my profession; cadastral surveyor :P )
A vanilla Crack with Svetlana 6N13S and RCA Clear Top, Sennheiser HD6XX and some homemade cables.
Base is finished off with clear polycoating, no fancy colors, just wanted to preserve the natural color of the alder wood.
Though I'm not sure I would have done the same again.
The polycoating gave the wood a somewhat dull, office-like look.
-as you can see, it blends in very well with my govnerment office desk!
If I ever get a new base, I'll probably stain it to look more like Tandberg radios (http://cdn.simplesite.com/i/70/cb/284008258427603824/i284008264440186538._szw1280h1280_.jpg) of old (I got one of those after my grandfather, love it to bits but needs some restoring; my next project!)
-is it much of a hassle sanding off a polycoat to stain the wood?
Transformer bell finished with a clear coating, just wanted to preserve the look of raw metal.
Kind of wish I'd given the plate the same treatment...maybe, but I don't want to ruin the "distressed" aluminium look.
Could of course dismantle it and give the plate some love, but ...naaah.
The cables turned out okay.
They're braided 20 gauge stranded wire covered in cotton sleeving.
A bit unwieldy, I should probably have used some thinner wire. You live, you learn.
-or rather: You DIY, you learn.
I've got some other cables made from Mogami mic wire that I'll probably use more.
Next up: Speedball incoming!
Then: Film caps, hot rodding baby!
And then: Power Bypass Caps!
Maybe down the line: Choke and New pot/atenuator, if the need to tinker becomes unbearable.
Full disclosure:
I don't possess the hubris to call myself an audiophile; I couldn't describe lows/mids/highs to save my own life.
I just like tinkering with stuff, and the Crack is ...well crack to me in that regard!
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Nice work.
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Thanks for sharing the photos in HD so that we were able to see the fine detail of your project. Looks great! JS
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Thank you!
You're too kind. It's just a plain coat of poly ;)
-but I do like it that way.
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The amp looks good! Spend some time looking at different base finishes before you do anything to it. But when you decide, 30 minutes or so with a palm sander will have the base ready to redo. Personally I like to use a sanding sealer as the first coat on open grain wood like alder, especially if I'm using a darker stain. It avoids the blotchy look where the open grain absorbs more stain than the closed grain sections of the wood.
The top plate won't rust since its aluminum so you are good with no finish there. The clear coat on the transformer cover is perfect because it will rust if not painted.
Take your time and enjoy your amp while deciding on the final finish for the base. Also spend a few weeks at least listening to the stock amp before adding the speedball. I see far too many people rushing to upgrade only to discover cold or missed solder joints in the original build. Make sure it's solid before changing anything.
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Lots of really good advice there.
I might give the base a do over down the line if “the madness†grabs me.
Right now, and for the foreseeable future, it will keep the plain poly coat.
I’ve actually had the Crack for a couple of months now.
I recently got the HD6XXs and could finally pair them with my DIY cotton sleeved cables.
So I thought now was a good time to present it :)
Got a Speedball coming, and looking forward to heat up the soldering iron 8)
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I think you did a great job.
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Thanks a lot.
People keep showing off their awsome powder coated, neat-wired, mirror-finished Cracks so I feel mine is pretty tame in comparison.
But it is mine, I built it, and that's invaluable to me :)
I'm probably goint to update this thread as I start modding the Crack down the line, instead of starting a new thread for those who want a look and perhaps inspiration.
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Congratulations on your Crack build!!
It looks great and enjoy your accomplishment!!
Part of the DIY is sharing your experience with others, so thanks for that and let us know
how your upgrades go!
Alex