Worth Building?

[Axeplyr]

I am not an amp builder, but have wanted to for awhile. Over the break, I got to thinking what I might like to consider as a first project. I came up with the following, and wanted to float it by the experts for opinions. Is my project worth building?

Scope:
Single-ended class A amp accepting octal power tubes. A single EF86 preamp tube, no PI tube. Tube rectified. Must accept all octal tubes: EL-34, 6CA7, 6L6/5881, KT66/77/88. Accepts different rectifier tubes.

Cathode biased.

Parts List:
-----------
Preamp Tube: EF-86
Power Amp Tube: EL-34 (any octal)
Rectifier Tube: GZ-34 (others possible)
PT: Hammond 270 FX
OT: Hammond 125 ESE

Is it worth giving this a go? I chose this complement of parts because I wanted the simplest, most pure circuit imaginable. I have an EF86 tube in my 65Amps Soho, and I dig the tone. At the same time, I want a bit of versatility, and don't want to mess with biasing during tube swaps.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom, insight, and opinions!

[Blue Strat]

Looks interesting for sure. I've seen a lot of similar lineups but never with an EF86 tube. I'd go for it!

[BLC]

Interesting, do you have a schematic of this circuit ??

[UR12]

A lot of guys are building the "The Beast" which is basically a champ on steroids. Some of the guys have been using the 5879 pentode instead of the EF86 for the front end. They seem to be less microphonic than the EF86 but have some of the same shimmer or chime associated with pentodes. It can also be setup to take any octal output tube. There should be some info on them at sewatt.com

[Axeplyr]

Looks interesting for sure. I've seen a lot of similar lineups but never with an EF86 tube. I'd go for it!

Thanks! I want to do something a little different, but I still want to be able to dial in some very classic tones. The EF86 also takes pedals very nicely - something I'm very fond of in the Soho.

Interesting, do you have a schematic of this circuit ??

No, I don't have a schematic. I'm going to have to merge an EF86 preamp with a single-ended octal tube power amp schematic. There seem to be plenty of examples of each floating around though.

A lot of guys are building the "The Beast" which is basically a champ on steroids. Some of the guys have been using the 5879 pentode instead of the EF86 for the front end. They seem to be less microphonic than the EF86 but have some of the same shimmer or chime associated with pentodes. It can also be setup to take any octal output tube. There should be some info on them at sewatt.com

Thanks, I just registered, and I'll take a look. Might save me a little work.

After listening to the sound clips on the Sewatt.com website, I'm really digging the 5F6A tones. Very sweet!