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One-knob
titan of tone.
A S S E M B LY I N S T R U C T I O N S
With loads of
helpful tips!
Contents
Capacitor values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Final assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
COPYRIGHT WARNING
This material is protected by copyright and has been created by and solely for the purposes of StewMac.
You may not sell, alter or further reproduce any part of this material, or distribute it to any other per-
son. Where provided to you in electronic format, you may only print from it for your own private use.
Failure to comply with the terms of this warning exposes you to legal action for copyright infringement.
StewMac ICON KITS bring classics that are no longer made, or are simply
unaffordable, within reach. And the best part is you get to build them
with your own hands.
We give painstaking attention to parts selection, authentic materials, and
instantly recognizable details—everything that makes the originals so
sought after.
Build it with StewMac
These immersive instructions walk you through every step of creating
your pint-sized prince of rock-n-roll. And you’ll learn a lot, gaining a deep
knowledge of your amp’s inner workings.
Follow our steps closely for safety, too: we’ve carefully laid out a path that
even newcomers can follow in handling electrical components.
Building an amp can seem daunting, but nobody makes it easier than
StewMac. Watch for helpful tips along the way, too—we’re here to help!
Quick look:
Sort your components by type, using the parts list.
Learn more:
Gain Processing Output
Negative Feedback 22 K
.022 µF
220 K
4Ω
68K
25 µF 25V
470 1W
1 MEG
1 MEG
100 K
1.5 K
Processing
1.5 K
Power
on page 28.
22K 10K 2W
16–450
8–450
8–450
Power
AC switch
1 amp
slow-blow fuse
5Y3 GT
Resistor Capacitor Potentiometer Transformer Jack Ground Diode tube Triode tube Pentode tube
plate
grid
plate
grid
plate
screen ’57 TWEED 5W
cathode cathode cathode 5F1 CIRCUIT SCHEMATIC
A magnifier helps!
Capacitors
Hardware
67 8
9 r (1) 9-pin tube socket for preamp tube
45
1 23
6 7
8
4
3 2
Transformers
#0531
StewMac
Solder Monster
A resistor’s value—the amount of resistance it creates—is Capacitor values are typically printed on the component.
rated in ohms ( Ω ). Larger ohm values mean more resistance. The key values with caps are their capacitance and voltage.
For example, a 100Ω resistor creates ten times as much re-
Think of a capacitor as a container that can hold electricity.
sistance as a 10Ω resistor.
Capacitance, measured in farads, refers to how much elec-
The resistors used in amplifiers are too small to have value tricity this container can hold—its capacity. One farad (1F)
numbers printed on them. Instead, a system of colored would be much too large for use in an amplifier. Caps for
bands tells their values. The key to reading these bands is amps are rated in millionths of a farad, called microfarads
provided below. However, an easier way to decode these (μF), or trillionths of a farad: picofarads (pF). The voltage
bands is to download one of the many smartphone apps spec for a cap refers to how much DC voltage it can handle
for this purpose. at any given time.
One band will be the nearest to an end of the resistor. That A unique property of capacitors is that they don’t allow DC
band tells the first value. Combine it with the value of band current to flow past them, only AC current. This is important
2 to get a two-digit number (68 in our example below). in parts of an amplifier circuit, such as the path between a
Multiply that number by band 3 (68 x 1,000 = 68,000). Thou- preamp stage and a power amp stage. Here, a “coupling
sands are represented by the letter K, so this resistor is 68K capacitor” will block DC voltage, allowing only the AC guitar
(kilo-ohms, or KΩ). signal to pass.
If there is a fourth band, it will be either silver or gold. This Filter caps
indicates the tolerance allowed during manufacturing. The Capacitors also filter out 60Hz hum, or “ripple,” after the AC
resistors used in this kit have a +/- 5% tolerance, represented current from the wall is converted to DC. These capacitors
by a gold band 4. are called filter caps, because they filter out the ripple from
a power supply. The filter caps in this amp are the 8μF and
A magnifying glass helps a lot. The bands on a 470Ω resistor
are yellow/violet/brown, and the bands on a 47K resistor are 16μF electrolytic capacitors.
yellow/violet/orange. They’re easily confused! Electrolytic caps
Can’t read the colors? Electrolytic capacitors contain electrolyte: a liquid or gel
that gives them a large storage capacity. Electrolytic caps
You can always use a multimeter to test a resistor’s value.
are typically polarized.
Set your meter to ohms and connect the test leads on each
side of the resistor.
Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Band 4 8μf
1st Digit 2nd Digit Multiplier Tolerance Positive Negative
BLACK 0 0 1 None +/- 20%
25μF
+
BROWN 1 1 10
RED 2 2 100 Polarized caps
ORANGE 3 3 1,000 Some capacitors have polarity and some don’t. It’s extremely
YELLOW 4 4 10,000 important to install polarized caps correctly in a circuit. The
GREEN 5 5 100,000 positive lead of an electrolytic cap will be indicated by an
BLUE 6 6 1,000,000 indented ring around one edge of the capacitor. The nega-
VIOLET 7 7 tive lead will often be indicated by a band of arrows pointing
GRAY 8 8 0.01 +/- 10% SILVER to the negative lead.
WHITE 9 9 0.1 +/- 5% GOLD
Installing capacitors with the polarity backwards will make
the circuit malfunction and quickly destroy the capacitor—
6 8 x1,000 +/- 5% even causing it to explode.
Blue Gray Orange Gold 68K +/- 5%
K = 1,000
Our diagrams
show a flat
view of the
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
metal chassis
13
.022μf
.022μf
16μf
25μF
8μf
8μf
12
+
14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
4 5 4 5
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1 8 1 8
STEP 5
Install the speaker StewMac® ’57 MINI TWEED 5W
ICON KITS ORIGINAL 5F1 CIRCUIT
Remove the nuts from the four
DANGER: Unplug the amp before changing tubes.
speaker mounting screws. Carefully Tube locations from left to right:
panel.
Speaker
5Y3 6V6 jack 12AX7
Install the four speaker mounting (ECC83S)
nuts so they’re lightly touching the Use only 1-amp slow-blow fuse.
speaker frame.
STEP 6
Do not tighten the nuts in a circular Glue the tube placement chart
pattern around the speaker, because Cut out the tube replacement chart
STEP 4
this can warp the speaker frame. on page 35. Put a thin coat of glue or
Solder the speaker plug
Push the insulation back 3/8" at the Instead tighten one nut with a quarter contact cement on the back and glue
other end of the leads. Insert the turn so it’s just snug, then do the same it to the inside wall of the cabinet.
white positive lead into the center to the opposite side. Then snug the
STEP 7
post of the speaker plug until it reach- third nut and fourth. Repeat this criss-
Optional copper shielding
es the tip. Solder this lead in place by cross pattern of quarter-turns until all
If you prefer extra shielding on your
heating the tip and feeding solder four nuts have had one full turn. This
amp, apply copper shielding tape
through the small hole at the end of will give proper tension to compress
(item #0028) on the top back panel,
the tip. Give the solder time to cool the speaker gasket. Overtightening
covering the exposed wood. This
before soldering the negative lead. can warp the frame, damage the cone,
helps shield the circuit from unwant-
and cause unwanted distortion.
Use wire cutters to trim the black ed interference caused by other
negative lead so its end lines up with electrical devices.
the edge of the speaker plug’s cup.
Because this tape’s adhesive will be
Solder it to the outside of the cup as
subjected to heat from the tubes, it’s
shown above.
a good idea to staple the corners to
Don’t leave any solder on the outside the wood panel.
of the plug tip, or it won’t fit into the
jack.
STEP 8
Drill two holes in the boards
Place the insulator board behind the
Position the taped boards inside the Drill the 5/32" mounting holes
eyelet board, aligning the two boards
chassis as shown above, with a gap through the pair of boards. Separate
so the edges are flush. Tape them
of roughly 1/4" between the boards the boards and set the insulator aside
together with masking tape to keep
and the top of the chassis. The ends for later.
them aligned for drilling.
of the boards are flush against the side
of the chassis.
the chassis so you can see the two Number the eyelets and holes
mounting holes. Using a sharp pen- These instructions will refer to the
cil through the holes, mark the hole eyelets and holes by number. Use a
locations onto the insulator board. pencil to mark these numbers onto
your eyelet board:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
13
12
14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Power Transformer
Output Transformer
Transformers
are outside
Terminals
go under
transformer
mounting
nuts
Solder
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Wrap 1 8 1 8
Snip
Tube mounts and clips are outside
color-coded in four pairs, plus a single through the other grommet. 6V6 tube socket + tension clip
red/yellow striped lead. Twist the Mount the 6V6 tube socket in the
Using two 8-32 x 1/4" machine screws,
same-color pairs together. Feed the same way as the 5Y3 socket.
mount the transformer to the outside
leads into the chassis through the of the chassis. STEP 17
large hole in the chassis.
12AX7 tube socket
STEP 14
Uncover the mounting bolts and With two 4-40 x 1/4" machine screws,
Install the speaker output jack
install the transformer on the outside mount the 12AX7 socket. Position the
of the chassis, with four 8-32 locknuts Mount the speaker jack to the chassis
socket so pin 3 is toward the open side
inside. Mount the two grounding with the large washer on the outside.
of the chassis.
strips at the corners as shown.
stewmac.com 12 © 2018 StewMac
LEFT+R IGHT
FUSE LAMP VOLUME POT JACK 1 JACK 2
refer to however
the parts are
shown on the
diagram
LEFT RIGHT
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1 8 1 8
4 5 4 5
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1 8 1 8
Solder the power cord’s green ground lamp and tube heater filaments. Power transformer yellow leads
wire onto the nearby grounding strip. Trim the power transformer’s yellow
STEP 26 leads to an appropriate length. Wrap
u STEP 24 one yellow lead onto pin 2 of the 5Y3
Power transformer
Power transformer black leads socket.
red/yellow lead
Run one black lead from the power Wrap the other yellow lead onto pin 8
Trim the power transformer’s red/
transformer to the side lug of the fuse of the same socket. Don’t solder these
yellow lead to an appropriate length
socket. Trim it to fit and solder it. yellow leads yet.
and solder it to the 3-lug terminal
Trim and solder the other black lead to strip along with the green wire from
the remaining switch lug on the back the power cord.
of the volume pot.
stewmac.com 14 © 2018 StewMac
FUSE LAMP VOLUME POT JACK 1 JACK 2
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1 8 1 8
Output transformer blue lead Ground the volume pot Inspect and double-check
Trim the blue wire from the output Cut a 3" piece of green wire and solder This is a good time to step away from
transformer to a suitable length and it to the left lug of the volume pot as the project for a few minutes and take
wrap it onto pin 3 of the 6V6 socket. pictured. a break.
Don’t solder this connection yet. Wrap and solder the other end of this When you’re ready Be suspicious
STEP 30 wire to the three-lug grounding strip to go at it again, Assume there's
Output transformer yellow lead near the pilot lamp. carefully review a mistake and
Trim the yellow wire from the output A wire between two parts like this is every connection you’re the one
you’ve made so far.
transformer to an appropriate length called a jumper. Don’t cut this piece who’ll find it!
and wrap it onto the center lug of the too long, because there’s just enough When everything
speaker output jack. green wire to create all the jumpers checks out, you're ready to move on
you’re going to need. to the eyelet board.
Solder after
all the parts
are in place
Don’t think of solder as glue Make the specs visible How much insulation to strip?
Good mechanical connections make Attach components with the specs With plastic insulation, strip 3/8" from
good electrical connections. Solder’s facing out so you can read them. Many the wire ends. Push-back wire works
job is to finalize an already good joint, builders also align resistor bands to best when you strip away about 1/4"
not to hold the parts on the board. read in the same direction. of the cloth wrap.
electrical contact before soldering. wiping it often on a damp sponge. touch anything until the joint has
n Melt a small amount of solder onto Also keep it tinned by occasionally cooled completely. A good solder
the tip of the iron (“tinning” the iron). melting a little solder onto it. joint is shiny — a sign that it was left
Hold the tip against the connection to cool undisturbed.
n Feed solder to the connection, not
until the connection reaches solder- to the iron. Stop feeding solder once n After the joint has cooled, trim away
ing temperature. This should take just the eyelet is filled. Keep the iron on the excess wires.
a few seconds. the connection for a second longer; n Plan so each joint is only soldered
You should also tin component leads, this pause gives time for all of the flux once. Resoldered joints are messy and
like coating multi-strand wires to help to cook out of the joint. more likely to fail.
the solder flow for a more solid joint.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
13
.022μf
12
Dotted wires are on
back of board 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
13
.022μf
25μF
12
+
14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
25μF
+
STEP 41
6
eyelet 22. Positive Negative
Add a 1.5K resistor
+ one jumper Note the polarity of the capacitor.
STEP 39
Install this resistor/capacitor assembly
Add a 220K resistor Add the other 1.5K resistor between
+ one jumper between eyelets 6 and 20, making
eyelets 6 and 12.
sure the capacitor’s negative lead
Add the 220K resistor between eye- Flip the board and add a 5" yellow goes to eyelet 6.
lets 6 and 7. jumper to eyelet 12. Run the jumper
Add a 2-1/2" yellow jumper wire at
Turn the board over and add a 5" up through hole 23 and pull it tight.
eyelet 20.
yellow jumper at eyelet 7. Run the
jumper up through hole 19 and pull
it tight so it stays in place.
13
8μf
8μf
12
14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Create the ground bus Add one 8μF capacitor Add the other 8μF capacitor
for the filter caps Wrap the leads from one of the 8μF Wrap the other 8μF electrolytic cap
A wire connecting multiple compo- electrolytic caps through eyelets 5 onto eyelets 3 and 17. Connect the
nents is called a bus. Using two pieces and 18. Take care to match the polar- negative lead to eyelet 3, wrapping it
of wire, you’ll create a bus connecting ity shown on the wiring diagram: the over the ground bus to make a tight
eyelets 2, 3, 5 and 6. negative lead connects to eyelet 5. connection.
Cut a 1-3/4" piece of green wire and When electrolytic capacitors do not u STEP 47
remove all but 5/8" of the insulation. show a positive or negative symbol, Add a 10K resistor
Turn the board over and wrap the wire look for the arrow design, which + one jumper
onto eyelet 6, placing the insulation points to the negative lead. Place the 10K metal oxide resistor
between eyelets 6 and 5 on the back u STEP 45
between 16 and 17.
of the board. Add a 22K resistor Connect a 2" yellow jumper wire to
Run the exposed wire up through Connect a 22K resistor between eye- eyelet 17.
eyelet 5 to the front of the board, and lets 17 and 18.
wrap it down into eyelet 3.
Cut a 3/4" piece of wire and remove
the insulation. Wrap this between
eyelets 2 and 3. These wires make
the ground bus for the three filter
capacitors.
13
16μf
12
14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
u STEP 48 u STEP 49
.022μf
16μf
25μF
8μf
8μf
between eyelets 2 and 16, with the insulation so that later you can tell it +
12
14
negative lead through eyelet 2, which apart from the other yellow jumpers.
connects to the ground bus estab-
On the back of the board, run the 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
lished in Step 43.
jumper between through holes 4 and
Cut one 3" yellow jumper. Flip the 23. Pull at least 2-1/4" of this jumper
board over and add it to eyelet 16. up through hole 4, and at least 2" up
Run the jumper to the front through through hole 23.
hole 15 and pull it tight. Now all the components and wires
Cut two 10" green jumpers and twist
Cut one 3" green jumper and wrap it them together. Twisting these wires are on the eyelet board. Take a break
onto eyelet 2. reduces unwanted hum and noise. to rest your eyes before making sure
you’ve followed each step correctly.
Run them behind the board and pull
To find no mistakes at this stage is
them to the front through hole 1
surprising, and it’s much less work to
and 15. Leave 2-1/2" of lead coming
find them now than after soldering!
through hole 1 and about 3-1/2" at
hole 15. As you check your work, make sure all
the connections are tight.
INSULATOR
BOARD
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
13
.022μf
.022μf
16μf
25μF
8μf
8μf
12
+
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1 8 1 8
u STEP 50 u STEP 51
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
13
.022μf
.022μf
16μf
25μF
8μf
8μf
12
+
14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
4 5 4 5
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1 8 1 8
Connect two 100Ω resistors Connect two green jumpers Connect the input jacks
to the lamp socket to the lamp socket Solder the jumper from eyelet 9 to
Twist one lead from each of two 100Ω Wrap the twisted green jumpers from the to the right lug (tip connection)
resistors together to join them. Wrap hole 1 onto the pilot lamp socket of input jack 1, along with the resistor
the other leads of these resistors to lugs along with the resistor leads and lead. This resistor lead connects to the
the lugs of the pilot lamp socket. green transformer leads. Solder these center lug of input jack 2; solder that
Don’t solder these connections yet. connections. connection now too.
u STEP 53 Trim the excess lead wire and inspect Solder the other lead of the resistor
Add a ground wire the pilot lamp lugs to be sure there is to the left lug (sleeve connection)
Solder a green jumper to the joined no contact between them. of input jack 1, along with the short
leads of the 100Ω resistors. jumper from that lug to the center lug
u STEP 55
on jack 1. Solder that center lug also.
Solder the other end of this jumper to Solder two volume pot
the ground strip near the pilot lamp. connections Solder the jumper from eyelet 10 to
Solder the jumper from hole 4 to the the right lug (tip connection) of input
center lug on the volume pot. jack 2.
Solder the jumper from eyelet 8 to the
right lug on the volume pot.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
13
.022μf
.022μf
16μf
25μF
8μf
8μf
12
+
14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
4 5 4 5
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1 8 1 8
u STEP 57 u STEP 59
Solder two green jumpers Connect the red + blue
Solder the green jumper from eyelet output transformer wires
11 onto the remaining lug on input Trim the red wire from the output Wrap the other green jumper from
jack 2. transformer to an appropriate length hole 15 onto pin 7 of 6V6 socket. Add
and solder it to eyelet 16 along with another green jumper here, long
Solder the green jumper from eyelet
the other wires wrapped there. enough to reach the 12AX7 socket.
2 to the ground strip near the pilot
Twist these added green jumpers
lamp. Trim the blue wire from the output together.
transformer to an appropriate length
u STEP 58
and wrap it onto pin 3 of 6V6 socket. Wrap the jumper from eyelet 17 onto
Solder the 5Y3 tube socket pin 4 of the 6V6 socket.
Don’t solder this connection yet.
Wrap the yellow jumper from eyelet
Wrap the jumper from hole 19 to pin
board hole 15 to pin 8 on the 5Y3 u STEP 60
5 of the 6V6 socket.
tube socket, along with the yellow Solder the 6V6 tube socket
transformer lead which is already Wrap one of the two green jumpers Strip 3/4" of insulation on the jumper
wrapped on that pin. from hole 15 onto pin 2 of the 6V6 from eyelet 20. Pass this through pin
socket. Add a second green jumper 8 of the 6V6 socket and wrap it onto
Solder the connections to this socket
to this pin, long enough to reach the to pin 1 of this socket. This creates a
(five wires). Trim away the ends of
12AX7 socket. short jumper between pins 8 and 1.
the wires.
Solder the connections to this socket
(eight wires). Trim away the ends of
the wires.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
13
.022μf
.022μf
16μf
25μF
8μf
8μf
12
+
14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
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1 8 1 8
u STEP 61 u STEP 62
Solder the speaker output jack Solder the 12AX7 tube socket
Solder the jumper from eyelet 21 Wrap the jumper from eyelet 22 to pin Wrap the jumper from eyelet 24 to pin
and the yellow lead from the output 6 of the 12AX7 socket. 1 of the 12AX7 socket.
transformer to the center lug of the Wrap the jumper from eyelet 13,
Wrap the jumper from the volume
speaker jack. coming through hole 25, to pin 2 of
pot, coming through hole 23, to pin
7 of the 12AX7 socket. the 12AX7 socket.
Wrap the jumper from eyelet 12, Wrap the jumper from eyelet 26 to pin
coming through hole 23, to pin 8 of 3 of the 12AX7 socket.
the 12AX7 socket. Solder the connections to this socket
Connect one green jumper from the (eight wires). Trim the wire ends.
6V6 socket (from either pin 7 or pin 2) Now that you’ve soldered the com-
to pin 9 of the 12AX7 socket. Wrap it, ponents and wires, take a break. Rest
but don’t solder it yet. your eyes. Review your work later,
Wrap the other green jumper from carefully looking again for any errors
the 6V6 socket (from either pin 7 or before moving on.
pin 2) through pins 4 and 5 of the
12AX7 socket, joining those pins in
one connection.
DON’T INSTALL
TUBES YET!
Mount the chassis Install the pilot lamp Clamp the power cord
Place the chassis into the cabinet and Insert the pilot lamp bulb into its sock- Remove the cable clamp from the
run the two 10-32 x 1-1/2" machine et from the front of the chassis and cabinet wall and wrap it around the
screws through the top of the cabinet, twist until it locks back in place. Screw power cord, about 6" from the chassis.
into the chassis. Fasten loosely with the red jewel lens over the socket. Remount the clamp with the cord.
locknuts.
u STEP 66 DON’T INSTALL THE TUBES YET!
Hold the top back panel in place, flush Install the volume knob DON’T PLUG THE AMP IN YET!
with the edge of the cabinet. Move Turn the shaft of the volume pot to
the chassis so it’s flush with the back
STOP!
zero and install the chicken head
panel, and tighten the locknuts. knob so that the indicator line points The next page
u STEP 64
to number 1. is going to
Install the fuse keep you out
Insert the 1-amp fuse into the fuse of trouble!
socket from the front of the chassis.
Make sure the socket cap is securely
in place. Never use a fuse rated above
1 amp in this amplifier.
two types of tests we’re about to do: Test the dangerous DC voltage
checking continuity and reading The dangerously high DC voltage that
voltages. The instructions that came passes through the 5Y3 rectifier tube
with your meter will be helpful. 89 and the filter caps is referred to as “B+”.
567
The next step is to test this B+ voltage.
Continuity testing is simply mak-
12
34
ing sure current flows between two Plug the power cord back in. The pi-
points successfully. Touch the meter's lot lamp should light, along with the
red lead to one end of the section filament inside the 5Y3 tube.
being tested, and the black lead to the 12AX7
Again, spend a few minutes watching
other end. If the continuity is good, for smoke or smells.
your meter will beep or register this
on the display. u STEP 69 At this point, dangerous voltages
Test the standard AC voltage are forming in the filter caps. They’ll
Voltage testing is where you need hold a potentially lethal charge until
Set your multimeter to 20V AC. Check
to be careful. Some steps require the you discharge them, even after the
the heater voltage across pin 9 and
amp to be plugged in and turned amp is unplugged.
pins 4+5 on the 12AX7 socket. This
on. This becomes dangerous if you’re
should read between 5-7V AC. If this
not cautious. Respect the voltages For safety, only have one hand
reading is drastically different, unplug on the amp during DC tests.
and follow the directions, and these
the amp and check your connections.
tests are safe and easy. Keep your other hand behind your
If the multimeter reading is good, and back when you need to probe a com-
u STEP 68
the amp seems normal, unplug it and ponent. This way, you can’t be a path
Perform a safe power-up install the 5Y3 rectifier tube. Use one between B+ voltage and ground—a
At this point, there should be no tubes hand to open the tension clip while mistake that would send a dangerous
installed, and the speaker should be while you put in the tube with your charge through your heart.
disconnected. other hand.
Before plugging the amp in, turn the Seriously, keep one hand
volume knob to 3, which turns the behind your back!
on-off switch to ON. Switching the
amp on before the first power-up
16μf
8μf
protects you from shock if a mistake
Ground
You don’t need to read a schematic to build this kit. But it’s We’ve color-coded these stages on our schematic, to show
fun to see how the circuit works, and to see the different how the parts work together. Symbols for components are
subcircuits that interact to shape your sound. in the key at the bottom of the frame.
Working with the tiny signal from the guitar, the amp creates On the wiring diagram we build step-by-step in these
the power needed to drive the speaker. The signal is affected pages, the parts are easier to recognize. But studying these
by the gain, processing, output and power stages as it color-coded stages will help you understand where each
passes through the circuit. component fits into the creation of your sound.
Mic level
The gain circuit increases the signal The processing stage shapes the tone The output stage increases the line
strength to line level (about 1 volt), of the signal. Compared to most gui- level signal to speaker level, which
by passing it through 12AX7 preamp tar amplifiers, the 5F1 circuit design is typically 8 volts or greater.
tubes. has little in the way of processing, Amplifiers under 10 watts, like this
because there’s no tone control on
Inside the airless capsule of a tube, one, only need one power tube to
the ’57 Tweed.
electrons flow from a heated cathode amplify the signal to the appropriate
to be received by the anode plate. With this amp, players fine-tune their voltage.
Between these two elements is a tone by varying the volume and tone The output transformer adjusts the
grid receiving the tiny voltage from controls on the guitar. impedance to 4 ohms to drive the
the guitar. The guitar’s plate speaker. Amp output is typically 4, 8,
varying musical signal grid
or 16 ohms.
controls the flow of cathode
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Output
Gain 6V6 GT
68K
2 12AX7
.022 µF
.022 µF
4Ω
220 K
68K
1
100 K
470 1W
1 MEG
25 µF 25V
1.5 K
100 K
1 MEG
1.5 K
Processing
Power
22K 10K 2W
8–450
8–450
29
16–450
Power
AC switch
1 amp
slow-blow fuse
5Y3 GT
Resistor Capacitor Potentiometer Transformer Jack Ground Diode tube Triode tube Pentode tube
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7-7/8"
33
1-3/8" 1-3/8"
© 2018 StewMac
stewmac.com 34 © 2018 StewMac
StewMac® ’57 MINI TWEED 5W
ICON KITS ORIGINAL 5F1 CIRCUIT
Speaker
5Y3 6V6 jack 12AX7
(ECC83S)
Cut this label on the dotted line with a razor knife and metal straightedge.
Fasten it to the bottom of the cabinet using thinned wood glue or contact cement.
The duplicate copy is included as a backup.
Speaker
5Y3 6V6 jack 12AX7
(ECC83S)