Pimp my Vypyr (Head Cab Build)

[KramerGuitars]

Great work guys! I bought my T60 because I wanted the portability of a combo. Why not buy a T120 instead?

[markcm]

Great work guys! I bought my T60 because I wanted the portability of a combo. Why not buy a T120 instead?

For me, I already had a T60 with a damaged chassis so transforming it to a head was a no brainer. I also enjoy the tone of higher end speakers more so than the stock Vypyr speaker. I have side-by-side compared my DR Z 2x10 cabinet, a Celestion Vintage 30 and a Celetion G12M-70 which all sounded much better to me. In my opinion the Vypyr speaker is not bad, it does a pretty good job at covering the full range and seems a bit "louder" but it has this slight "cheaper" sound to my ears when side by side with a Celestion. The G12m had quite a bit more "flavor" in the mid to low end where as the Vintage 30 was closer to the Vypyr speaker with that added "flavor" in the whole range but again, closer to the vypyr than the g12m. I also have a Peavey XXL 212 cabinet but it sounds thin to me, and bugara 212 cabinet which sounds fuller but still doesn't do it compared to celestions. I like the light weight of a T60 head and separate cabinet too. I like to play loud and my T60 is loud enough plus I don't have the extra expense of more tubes in the 120. The Head cabinet I built is birch ply rather than particle like the T120, it matches my DR Z cabinet and it's sexy!

Tube60 heads are kool too because you can connect the original speaker wires to a 1/4" jack and use it with a 16ohm speaker or use the EXT jack without the primary jack with an 8ohm speaker. Of course if you are using both jacks, both speakers need to be 16ohm and if using only one you just have to remember not to mix them up although I've done it without killing my transformer

[Jacko]

Holy crap, guys. I'm not sure how missed all of these head conversion. They look great!

[Classic30inCincy]

markcm--

Consider transplanting a WGS Speaker (Or, Speakers) in your Peavey XXL212 cab.

I'm thinking about experimenting by pulling one of the Blue Marvel / Classic 1238 8 Ohm speakers and install in it's place a Sheffield 1230 8 Ohm (In inventory!).

[markcm]

markcm--

Consider transplanting a WGS Speaker (Or, Speakers) in your Peavey XXL212 cab.

I'm thinking about experimenting by pulling one of the Blue Marvel / Classic 1238 8 Ohm speakers and install in it's place a Sheffield 1230 8 Ohm (In inventory!).

What is a "WGS" speaker?

The XXL cabinet is built very well and looks nice (if you like black), I've considered putting my Celestion's in it but I'd kind of sold on building a replica DR Z Z-best 2x12 Small Theil ported cabinet and I'm really happy with my DRZ 2-10 for the moment so I don't have the initiative to play with the XXL

[gtanny]

i didnt go the tolex route and i only have the 30W combo but i went for a quick recover of crushed purple velvet

[Jacko]

Oooooh crap that looks too cool. I always tell people to consider going to a fabric store when you want to cover a cab or an amp. There are tons of possibilities.

[Jacko]

Well, I done did it. I turned my Vypyr 15 into a head and chabinet.

I took my unused Vypyr Tube 60 cabinet, chopped off the top, installed a piece of 3/4" plywood and routed it to match the other sides. I built in some bracing and installed a 10" Eminence Ramrod and a 10" Ragin' Cajun. Both are 8ohm, but wired in parralel they come out to 4ohm for the vypyr 15.

I installed a 2 jack dish in case I want to run my Vypyr Tube 60 through it, which requires 16ohm; I'll just connect the 2 speakers in series to get 16 ohm.

For the head, I just chopped off the bottom and attached a 1/2" piece of plywood for the bottom and routed it to match the rest of the enclosure.

I got orange tolex that is very close to the stuff Orange amp uses. The speaker grill is the beige weaved kind Mesa Boogie uses sometimes. I couldn't find the same as Orange uses.

Here she be:





It sounds great! I'm still going to build a cab for the 8" speaker that came with it. This way, I can compare the volume and sound of the 2x12 and the 8". But more importantly, it'll make for a very portable mini 1/2 stack

[Klink]

Wow! Love the purple crushed velvet covered combo and the orange stack is pretty cool also - good work guys!

[dalrymple]

The Vypyr 15 covered in purple crushed velvet is so over the top I cant decide if I want to get some, or pop on my shades. Very cool. Best practice amp on the planet, IMHO.

As for the orange Vypyr 15 set up, that looks very cool, like a custom shop offering. All these cosmetic and cabinate variants made with these inexpensive amps makes me wonder what it is about Vypyrs that inspires this treatment? It cannot be just the low price of the original amp, since there have been lots of cheapo amps made over the years. I wonder...??
Dalrymple

[markcm]

...makes me wonder what it is about Vypyrs that inspires this treatment? It cannot be just the low price of the original amp, since there have been lots of cheapo amps made over the years. I wonder...??
Dalrymple

LOL

I know many people around here have piles of gear. I love my vypyr T60, I have a Fromel kit mod'd (replaced resistors and capacitors) Made in USA Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10 (retail with the mod about $1k vs. $450 for a new vypyr 60) that I just can't get myself to use because I like my vypyr so much. I also had a modest pedal board (several hundred $$ there) which hasn't been touched in 6+ months either. I borrowed a buddy's Line6 M13 the other day just to see; let's not forget that the M13 cost as much as the Vypyr t60. The M13 has some good sounds, I didn't hear any tone suck but it also had 14 million effects I would never touch and the Line6 metal effect was the same fizz I can get out of any line6 box. I think the delay and reverb in the M16 were better but the "tube drive" effect in the M13 wasn't as good as the amp simulations in the vypyr, in my opinion.

This same friend who loaned me the m13 uses a JCM2000, loves the sound but it's just too much amp and has to be cranked to get the sound he wants, weighs a ton. He's been shopping for all these smaller boutique amps, vox and such... I keep telling him, just get the vypyr T60, it's such a great amp!

[markcm]

Here's an update... I've since built a replica DR Z Z-Best 2x12 cabinet to match my blonde Vypyr Tube60 head. I used a vintage 30 and a G12M-70 (both made in UK). Here's a few shots:

[Classic30inCincy]

Shaaaaarp....

Personally Intrigued By The Port Design.

Does It Add "Ambiance" With The Back Closed?

BTW---Missed your question about WGS Speakers.

WGS Speakers are made in Paducah, Kentucky USA.

WGS has a very nice selection of American & British Tone speakers.

[markcm]

I am new to the idea of guitar cabinet porting as well. This is called a small Thiele port design, I copied it from the DR Z Z-best cabinet which get’s really good reviews (and sells for $850!) The shelf provides a low pass filter, with the cabinet in this horizontal position the port couples with the floor and really adds to the low end punch. When the cabinet is stood vertically on end and the port is vertical it has a long throw effect without the low frequency boost. I’ve only used it in my small jam room but I can definitely tell a significant change when rotating the cabinet. The porting makes the cabinet a bit heavier but it’s still in the 2x12 range.

Both of these cabinets are 8 ohm so I built a little box that both cabinets connect to in series and then the box connects to the main output of my Tube60 at 16ohms or I can hook either one up independently to the extension jack at 8ohms with nothing connected to the main output.

[vypman]

I like both of the vypyr amp and cab mods,the orange one looks very good and so does the lighter blonde colored one. Peavey should have a pimp my vypyr contest so that anyone who pimps there vypyr can for example win a vypyr 15 or 30w and maybe a sanpera foot controller,what do you guys think about this idea?