I had one of those, and yes it was built from a salvaged Hammond chassis, using the transformers. I like Dr. Z and his company, but I did not like that amp much so I sold it. There are better ways to get a 2xEL84 guitar amp, since these old Hammond transformers weren't meant for guitar applications.The DrZ 'Carmen Ghia' is supposedely a Hammond AO-35.
I had one of those, and yes it was built from a salvaged Hammond chassis, using the transformers. I like Dr. Z and his company, but I did not like that amp much so I sold it. There are better ways to get a 2xEL84 guitar amp, since these old Hammond transformers weren't meant for guitar applications.
I respectfully disagree...I had one of those, and yes it was built from a salvaged Hammond chassis, using the transformers. I like Dr. Z and his company, but I did not like that amp much so I sold it. There are better ways to get a 2xEL84 guitar amp, since these old Hammond transformers weren't meant for guitar applications.
In broad, architectural strokes, the AO-35 makes a neat little compact amp - chassis, trannies, and tube holes line up perfectly, though it's pretty snug. We strip the '35s down to the bare metal, re-finish them in Rustoleum Hammertone, put the old trannies back in, and then everything else is new, different, or proprietary - including tube sockets and multi-section can cap. On the last batch of AO-35 amps I used Fender-style eyelet boards for the first time, which greatly improved layout and consistency across all 25 units.What an interesting thread. Thank you for starting it, and thanks for the contributors. I was blithely ignorant of the Hammond AO-35 and that it influenced the Carmen Ghia and Goodsell amps. How cool to stumble on this thread this morning and read up on it.
Richard, your amps sound fantastic (they look gorgeous as well, and those models, oh boy, very nice!). I did find a Hammond schematic out on the net, very interesting stuff. Similar to other 2 x EL84 amps, but with some unique twists. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Nice work... I can look at the underside and almost hear it - It looks like it would sound great...This is one of my builds. Its a clone of a famous ao-35 based amp. It lives in a pine cab with 2 10" alnico webers and sounds great. The ao-35 is a very simple amp and responds well to changes in speakers and tubes. Lots of tone in a small package.
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Very cool! Would you happen to have a schematic/diagram for this guy? I'm geared up for an AO-35 conversion as we speak. Would be greatly appreciated. Can't quite see everything from the pic. Thanks. JasonThis is one of my builds. Its a clone of a famous ao-35 based amp. It lives in a pine cab with 2 10" alnico webers and sounds great. The ao-35 is a very simple amp and responds well to changes in speakers and tubes. Lots of tone in a small package.
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