[amcananey]

I'd like to underline what Doc just said. Don't assume that you need to replace the stock tube, or even that you will see an appreciable difference when using a different tube. Frankly, I haven't heard any tubes (other than 6SN7 tubes via adapter) that sounded bad (or, to be precise, anything less than stellar) with the Crack, and the differences among the tubes I have tried have honestly been minimal, at best. I wouldn't really bother swapping tubes unless you have a compelling reason to do so, and I can't imagine what that would be. Best regards, Adam

 

[Doc B.]

240V Crack kits from the sale are all packing today, which means a few to US addresses go out today UPS and the rest via USPS are shipping out tomorrow. Eileen called our winder and talked them into bumping our order for 120V power transformers up a week, so the shipping of the outstanding 120V sale kits will probably begin in about a week and a half to two weeks.

 

[Dark Helmet]

Tubes can be very synergistic in terms of how the driver  tube sounds with the power tube.  I have tried a few combinations and I like the Clear top RCA 12AU7 with my RCA 6AS7G.  I keep going back to this combination, which works well for me.  Remember not all tubes of the exact same type/brand will sound the same either.  Both of the tubes I use can be had for a price on par with the new russian tubes that are now available.

 

[Sayari]

Crack w/ Speedball mod rules ! Doc, many thanks for your timeless design... 

 

[Doc B.]

Thanks for the kind words!

 

[mellowbob]

I received the package today. Really excited to see if I was one of the first 6 to place an order during the free speedball sale. Opened the box and no tubes were included in the package. The packing list had the tubes checked off but none were found.



Looks like I'll be calling Bottlehead in the morning.

 

[amcananey]

Eileen will take care of you. You'll have them before you finish your build...

 

[hedphonz]

Quote:

I received the package today. Really excited to see if I was one of the first 6 to place an order during the free speedball sale. Opened the box and no tubes were included in the package. The packing list had the tubes checked off but none were found.



Looks like I'll be calling Bottlehead in the morning.

I too will be waiting to see if i am one of the lucky ones - i ordered within 10mins of receiving the email - however I wont be too upset as the free speedball is a huge bonus already.
Also i can almost guarantee that I wont be able to resist the temptation of investing in 1 or 2 " premium " tubes so the tubes that come with it will probably be stored for back up anyway.
 
Just bought myself a hakko soldering station - cant wait to abuse it on the crack haha

 

[brunk]

Quote:

Spoiler: Warning%3A%20Spoiler!

 
I too will be waiting to see if i am one of the lucky ones - i ordered within 10mins of receiving the email - however I wont be too upset as the free speedball is a huge bonus already.
Also i can almost guarantee that I wont be able to resist the temptation of investing in 1 or 2 " premium " tubes so the tubes that come with it will probably be stored for back up anyway.
 

 
 
Just bought myself a hakko soldering station - cant wait to abuse it on the crack haha

Haha nice! I bought the cheap Stahl soldering station for $12 on parts-express. It does go to 450 though, which will work the 4% silver solder i got there under their house brand. 1/2lb. for $44, pretty good considering the WBT 4% silver solder is $44 for 1/8lb. 

 
Also got a bunch of extra tips, pliers, solder tools, wicks, DMM etc. The works for about $200 including a nice Plano toolbox for it all to go in

 

[palmfish]

I finally got to hear the Crack with my HD800's at the last Seattle meet and I really liked it. I bought a kit from a fellow Seattle head-fier who never got around to building his. His kit was BNIB. I started building it this past weekend and got all the pre-soldering work completed tonight.
 
Ive been taking pictures along the way and here's where I'm at so far...
 

 

 

 

 

 
More to follow in the coming days!

 

[DefQon]

Didn't you stripe off the paper stuck to the underside of the metal plate?

 

[palmfish]

Nah, it doesnt bother me.

 

[Nowhere]

are these sold pre built with the speedball upgrade anymore? if so how much does it normally cost?

 

[telecaster]

Love the hammertone on the plate, will you stain the wooden casework?

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

are these sold pre built with the speedball upgrade anymore? if so how much does it normally cost?

Nope. Both are sold separately unless Doc runs one of those special limited orders where if you order a Crack before a date you get free Speedball upgrades, one recently just went by. All details and pricing is at bottlehead.com. Contact Eileen (Queen) or Doc for help on ordering or make an inquiry on the forums.