I have an Extended Foreplay 3 I built a long time ago and the Sweetest Whispers just plain old dropped dead. Switches not making contact. Real pain. Didn't touch it for years. Put it back in a system once a year or so to see if it fixed itself. It never did.
So I finally get the gumption to fix it right. So I have ordered some DACT's but in the mean time I went to the local electronics store to buy a couple carbon pots to get me up and running. Before I did that I put a couple 100K's in and they were hair trigger.
The Bottlehead community and Paul Joppa armed me with the perfect info to get rolling again. So back to the store and I get some 20K pots. I come back and one is way hair trigger and the other isn't. So for a couple days I run one barely cracked and the other one maxed. Then I start losing left channel tubes.
So I search for the manual. Crap. Can't find it. I've moved at least three times since I built the amp (courtesy of Uncle Sam). So I email Bottlehead and they get me what I need.
So tonight I run through the voltage checks and everything is good to go. What the heck?
Only thing I've done is mess with the pots. So I drop the meter on them and one reads 20K, no surprise there and the other one reads.......get this......250K. You gotta be kidding me.
So back I go and I get another one this time I make the guy measure it in front of me.. Gotcha this time.
So then I go back and play devils advocate and find a 12AT7 tube in the amp. Crap I'm more messed up than a soup sandwich.
Finally got it going and it's making BEAUTIFUL SOUND. Even with the carbon pots. John Lee Hooker is here with me in my Living Room.
Anyway, new builders, don't be shy to try this but like the old carpenter saying goes, "measure twice, cut once".
Measure twice, solder once. Don't take anything for granted. Take your time. If you get in a pinch the Bottleheads will bail you out. Promise. They've saved me from myself several times and I have several kits.
John
