The Burpster Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 My first attempt at building or pimping an amp. Those that have been around a while will know I have no problem with ripping instruments to bits and putting them back together after adding my particular flavour to them, but I had had no reason to be so brutal to an amp after finding the Mesa (walkabout scout 1x12) as it's pretty close to perfect. That being said it is a big old heavy lump, as am I, and those 2 dont add up to moving around with grace. I therefore thought it was time I had a light little combo to scoot over to my mates with when we want a light hearted noodle. My first combo was a Roland cube so I knew these were very versatile and light but they are a bit Asthmatic and sound very hi-fi, also 30w just wont compete with N’s 50w valve amp so I needed a bit more oomph. A kind BCer let me have a knacked Cube 30 (amp blown) which was to become the donor for the new combo. Initially I wanted a MarkBass LM250 but settled on the smaller PJB D-200. I also knew which 10” speaker I wanted, a Celestion Green Neo 200w jobbie. So now all I had to do was make it all fit together. I stripped the Roland covering off the cube and took all the giblets out. The box is only held together with heat glue so a hotair gun softens it and the baffle and other bits that don’t work can be removed. A new baffle was fitted as far back as poss, and then the supports to hold the amp and new back were made out of 15mm MDF. I apologise for the plagerism of Mesa’s cab design here but in fairness it does work so what the hell..... I made a leap of faith and bought some Tolex and spray glue and after spraying the back parts matt black applied the Tolex the outside. (my first effort is OK but the next will be better. I fitted the new Celestion after soldering a heavy gauge speaker wire to the tabs and a Neutrik to the other end. The rest just falls into place. In use it is still a bit hi-fi as a pure digi amp is going to be, but running a DHA VT-1 Bass Eq through the effects loop brings back the valvey loviness that I now take for granted. It also makes this little combo very loud....... Weight wise it comes in at exactly 10kg, which is bliss after the Mesa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 very tidy bit of work....top class ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Very neat! I know what you mean about the Scout. I love mine dearly, but it's just slightly too heavy for whipping in and out of the car to front-room rehearsals. If only they did a 10" version... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Nice job, Bob! You're going to start a new trend! Cue loads of busted amps, burnt cones and solder burns... I did a (fairly) good job of turning a Trace combo into a head/cabinet once. That was fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted June 13, 2010 Author Share Posted June 13, 2010 Thanks guys...... I love the idea of recycling or renovating/upgrading...... This area is a darn sight easier to make a huge difference than basses. There must be loads of blown heads/ combos out there, and really this was quite easy to do. Granted it took quite a bit of thought and planning but execution? Not that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT! Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 (edited) [b][size=4]best. combo. ever[/size][/b] Edited July 3, 2010 by BT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 Really tidy conversion! I'd have been tempted to leave it looking as stock as possible, then really scare people when you fire it up, like a little car with a V8 in it A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 Hmmmm leaving it standard looking couldnt really be done as the PJB couldnt be slipped in anywhere whilst the Roland amp lump was in it... Just been playing my new pimped fretless through this and I just realised what a clever little monster this is -18v preamp into the DHA and the PJB = Stand back or your it makes your kidneys hurt ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Very cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Very cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 great piece of work. Not cheap though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 This is fantastic. How does it sound compared to how it was? I remember my Cube 30 being a great sounding little unit with the Roland amp in it, but unsure how much of that was down to the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Nice bit of work there. As an aside, how's the PJB? It's one of the small heads on my shortlist to drive a couple of BFM J10s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) [quote name='razze06' post='1183044' date='Mar 31 2011, 10:08 AM']great piece of work. Not cheap though [/quote] Its cheaper than it was going to be - I originally wanted a LM 250 top put in the box..... That being said it was an exercise - I loved the PJB / LM250 idea the only thing that put me off was the lack of Valvey tone - (so thanks to Mr Hall for putting that right!) [quote name='Wil' post='1183045' date='Mar 31 2011, 10:12 AM']This is fantastic. How does it sound compared to how it was? I remember my Cube 30 being a great sounding little unit with the Roland amp in it, but unsure how much of that was down to the box.[/quote] Errrrrrr it doesnt sound a bit like the Cube, and I do have a reference as my first practice amp was a cube30X - Please don't take offence but this is a proper rig set up - it competes with my geetard's 50w valve amp on equal terms. [quote name='clauster' post='1183596' date='Mar 31 2011, 05:29 PM']Nice bit of work there. As an aside, how's the PJB? It's one of the small heads on my shortlist to drive a couple of BFM J10s[/quote] Well when I first fired it up I thought it was a bit weak as an 'up to 200w' head (me being used to Mesa's), but this was clearly an input issue - boosted by the DHA this is easily gig-able and would compete with a drum-kit or, mic'd would kick ass equally to a bigger rig. I am thoroughly impressed by this little unit and how it performs - The only mildy annoying issue is a lack of line in input to play an MP3 but then with a different preamp/mixer this issue could be sorted. - I would have no hesitation in recommending the PJB kit on the basis of this one. I now live in a much smaller place and semi-detached, so I cannot now wind it up even to 1/2 way - Edited April 1, 2011 by The Burpster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrenleepoole Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 That's well smart! D200 Cube envy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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