Left-Handed Vintage S.E.X.

[PassionForSound]

I'm embarking tonight on my second Bottlehead build. My first was a Crack, this time it's the SEX. My first steps were taking the chassis plate for anodising to create a bronze effect and preparing the bell and plate chokes for painting.

Original plate:

WP_20130906_18_23_24_Pro by Lachfen, on Flickr

Prepped pieces for painting:

WP_20130910_09_00_51_Pro by Lachfen, on Flickr

Anodised chassis plate:

WP_20130912_09_34_56_Pro by Lachfen, on Flickr

It was supposed to be a bit more brown than yellow, but I think it will still look good...  ???

Chassis plate with partially painted pieces:

WP_20130912_11_13_33_Pro by Lachfen, on Flickr

We had a cold snap just as I was painting in the last couple of days and the finishes have suffered. I'll complete the work this weekend when temps come back up above 15 degrees (celsius).

By the way, it's left-handed because I've flipped the chassis plate over to the shiny side. I'm hoping this won't mess with me when it comes to the wiring!!

 

[Grainger49]

I would advise that you double and triple check the connections as you do it.  Mirror imaging can be tricky.

 

[PassionForSound]

Thanks Grainger,

I ended up going back to normal setup (not upside down). Still looks almost identical.

 

[Mike B]

Cool.

It would be a shame to cover up Doc's artwork with the wire brush, I just love it.

Everytime I see it I think of a slightly overcast beautiful sky -

 

[PassionForSound]

Cool.

It would be a shame to cover up Doc's artwork with the wire brush, I just love it.

Everytime I see it I think of a slightly overcast beautiful sky -

With the yellow-brown tones on mine I think I've turned Doc's artwork into a mustard gas cloud or fallout zone! 

 

[adamct]

That literally made me laugh out loud!

 

[Paul Birkeland]

With the yellow-brown tones on mine I think I've turned Doc's artwork into a mustard gas cloud or fallout zone! 

Hmm, a fallout themed amp would be fun...

 

[adamct]

Aren't those the ones that get sent back to you?

 

[PassionForSound]

It's starting to take shape...


WP_20130914_19_05_26_Pro by Lachfen, on Flickr

 

[PassionForSound]

I had to repaint the plate chokes from scratch after the Dulux paint caused me all kinds of problems. The White Knight paint used on the bell did a great job so I used their nearest colour and I think it's better than my original choice. The White Knight option was much more cream than white.

By the time I took this next photo I'd had a chance to stain the base (Jarrah) and mount the various transformers/chokes.


09200001 by Lachfen, on Flickr

I did the build with a couple of mates who are also building their own SEXs. Looking at Billy's amp mid-wiring I can only assume it's love!


09210015 by Lachfen, on Flickr

 

[HF9]

Looks nice! The cream has a nice vintage feel that the white didn't, so I think it was serendipitous

 

[Paul Birkeland]

It's starting to take shape...

Be sure to reverse the output transformer connections to the pair of binding posts you reversed.

 

[PassionForSound]

Thanks HF9 - I agree!

And, PB, thanks for the heads-up - I triple checked that during the build.

 

[Grainger49]

About a year ago I got one of my speaker leads swapped.  It drove me nuts trying to figure out what was wrong with the system.  (I know, short trip)

 

[PassionForSound]

Nothing like an out-of-phase speaker to mess with your head!

 

[PassionForSound]

I never posted the truly final shots so here they are... (the base needs another sand and varnish, but it's fine for now)


09280022 by Lachfen, on Flickr


09280023 by Lachfen, on Flickr


11150003 by Lachfen, on Flickr

 

[ffivaz]

Wow, that is nice. Congratulations.

 

[mcandmar]

Very nice  8)

 

[mithrandir39]

nice job, Loquah! love the understated classic looks!

 

[PassionForSound]

Thanks everyone. I LOVE this amp.