Links

INTERESTING WEB LINKS

The following is just a partial list of web links that I believe make my life a little easier and a lot more fun. You should have quite a bit of fun yourself surfing these sites. Keep in mind that all but one or two of these sites will provide a ‘links’ page of their own, leading you on an all day journey for tube ‘stuff’.

If you have a personal favourite that is not mentioned, or if you spot any link that is non-functioning, please let me know. 

Antique Electronics Supply All of the electronic parts and supplies like resistors/capacitors/transformers you’ll need. Plus NOS tubes (if you must have them), as well as a vast library of reprinted tube theory books. Get a catalog TODAY! Very close to one-stop shopping, and an indispensable resource, with other tube related magazines such as Vacuum Tube Valley for sale.

The Blue Guitar is the massive website of Steve Ahola. He seems very knowledgeable/experienced and genuinely interested in sharing schematics/mod ideas/etc. with everyone who ‘drops by’. Hours of surfing fun, and definitely the first place to check for any schematic you need.

Effectrode. They’re British, and they use ‘valves’ to make effects pedals including the PhaseomaticTM, which boasts a power supply of +300VDC! The Lemon SqueezerTM is another offering; a high-voltage compressor. When a simple Boss pedal just won’t cut it, think about these imports.

Guitar Player World is dedicated to free online guitar lessons for aspiring guitar players of all levels. Man, in my day I would take a 33 1/3 RPM vinyl record and play it on a Garrard turntable at 16RPM just to try and steal licks from my parents Les Paul records. This is just so much easier. If I had this, along with YouTube lessons and magazines giving away lesson DVD’s, I could have been a half-decent guitar player. Instead I’m a hack tube amplifier repair technician with a web site. Don’t be like me. Learn as much as you can, from as many sources as you can.

Just Radios is a lot more than the name implies. They sell capacitors, specifically high-voltage units for your vintage tube-audio gear. If you need a 630VDC film capacitor or a 450VDC electrolytic, this is a good place to check out. They are in Canada, which is a bonus for people like me. Also a ‘Capacitor Tips’ page, which advises you on the proper selection of capacitor type, based on the application.

Loudspeaker Components LLC supplies all of the raw speaker components to ‘regular’ speaker manufacturers, and will also supply the amplifier manufacturer with a very custom speaker featuring a plethora of options. If you can swing a fair sized order throughout the year, this could set you apart from everyone else who is just ordering Celestion Vintage 30’s.

The Marshall Amp Forum is strictly for all the Marshall owners. Now you can all gather around to discuss your Marshall amplifier whilst finding like minded blokes. Tips on where to find vintage parts, which tubes/speakers are recommended by others, and the like are regularly talked about.

MaxiMatcher make a plethora of high-end ‘tube-tester’ type equipment. There is a preamp model for checking the balance of that 12AX7 if it is intended for critical phase inverter applications, but it also checks gain, noise, and transconductance. The power tube model measures amplification capabilities and compares Plate current and transconductance up to four tubes simultaneously. They also sell adapters to test ‘non-standard’ amplifier tubes as well as a burn-in station! This is all done at real world voltages. Buying any of these will lighten your wallet considerably, but for the truly fanatical tube jockey, you will know that tube you are about to put into your amplifier.

Mojotone has everything in parts, plus the best selection in Tolex, Tweed, and prebuilt amplifier/speaker cabinets to match/replace your vintage piece. You could even build an entire 1959 tweed Bassman yourself, from ‘scratch’, with just one phone call!

Stewart MacDonald Guitar building parts, as well many books on woodworking, guitar repair, etc. They even sell tubes and Tolex! Toll free phone number, too.

Triode Electronics You can learn a helluva lot about tube electronics by checking out how the audio ‘old-timers’ did things. Sure, they sell tubes and parts, but they also have a few audio projects that will expand your knowledge far more than you’d think. Click HERE for their 4 tube push-pull amplifier that has no phase inverter!

Do you know of any forums, groups, support sites that we should include on here ?  Tell Me!