Hello and thank you for stopping by. I need to throw this out there, and start getingt to it.
I'm gearing up for my 3rd tube amp build, but, this one may stand to be something different from my previous builds - I've built a Fender 40 watt and a 20 watt 6V6 Marshall plexi. I'm an electronic technician pretty much by trade so fortunately, these builds went well and I use the Fender as my gigging amp.
I need to build a third amp for an instrument I made. On first sight, this intrument looks like a walnut Stratocaster with elaborate brass inlays and one single pickup, a humbucker in the neck position. This "guitar" will never be picked, plucked nor strummed. It is a fretless that I made strictly for use with an ebow (electronic bow). It is a pure, singing melody instrument who's lyrical expression is far close to a cello or violin than any guitar you would ever hear. It is my big, 10 pound electric violin/cello that looks oddly like a Fender Stratocaster. Primarily I've been using it straight through my DI - micpreamps - stereo FX processor - D/A converter into recording software. I'm fairly convinced that it would benifit from an amp that has a strong Hi Fi element(s) to it. It can sound good through a typical clean guitar tube amp but sounds a bit strident or mushy. a little of that is OK but it lacks a more pristine quality that is heard though my relatively hi-end home studio front end.
I'd like to use a pair of KT88's for the power section. The idea of having good headroom at moderate stage volume is attractive, and plus, I just like something about those tubes, even the way they look.
The option for UL also is something that interest me for this project. and if for some reason, I preferred straight pentode, I'd still have the option.
I build a "tube designed station" out of an old Bogner amp so, I'm in a good place to try different topologies as I go.
Strangly enough, this "guitar" used with the Ebow, volume pot full up yields an output of nearly 3 volts at maximum. This is just about line level and a very high output compared to the typical 250mV of a typical electric guitar. So right there, It would be easy to push every stage of a typical guitar tube amp into saturation (which is the opposite of what this will need).
In my recent looking around for alternatives I found those Dynaco Hi Fi amps interesting, that perhaps they may be a good start to hear what this strange instrument would sound like though a more Hi Fi tube amp.
What would your first inclination be for an instrument with 15k ohm @ 2-3volt output be if you wanted it big, rich and clean?
I figured it wouldn't be too much to ask for 60-70 watts from a pair of KT88's in UL.
Thanks muchly for your time,
Phil D