Radio Guitar Amp 'How To' by Weird & Wired
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- čas přidán 29. 05. 2022
- Following on from my recent Radio Guitar Amp video I had some requests for a 'How To' 😄🎸📻
This is a fun modification to do to turn a radio in to a gritty Lo Fi amp. The results will vary between radios with their own unique tones and quirks.
This modification involves soldering a new input to the existing volume control. If you have any questions or tips please feel free to leave them in the comments 🎸📻
Is this a project you are intrigued to do or is it one you have done before? Let me know 😄 - Hudba
Best part of your show are the cool grooves you create for the demos. You are a funky dude.
Thanks for the kind words Marc! 🙇♂️ I do find each project inspires it’s own vibe 😎🎸🔈 which is exciting for me to find out! 😄
Your episodes of the projects you work with never cease to amaze me. Well done (again on a pink Cassette amp).
Thank you John! 😄 I’m glad you enjoy watching the process! Do you do these types of projects yourself? 🎸 📻
All the best my friend
Danny
@@WeirdandWired Well.. I occasionally make some DIY stuff.. but more non-electrical. I like to re-purpose things and turn non-musical instruments into something that makes music/noise (and then toss a piezo mic into the project). But you are doing projects that are light years ahead of anything I could create/make.
@@johnsaucerhunter Fab! I’d love to see some of your work 😄 I started out doing the same, a lot of piezo circuits 😎 🎸 I’m currently working on an Upright Bass made from a suitcase (The SuitBass 😂) which I’m planning on using a piezo for, but I have to see how well a suitcase resonates first 😂 🎸
Thank you for sharing your process. My favorite channel on CZcams! Please don't ever stop
We should definitely work on something together! 😏🎸
In the past I've removed tape heads and soldered an input jack straight to the old wires. It's probably not as healthy for the speakers but I got some really wild fuzz out of it.
I've recently revisited this cassette player to try that very mod and it works a treat! 😄🎸 definitely a much wilder fuzz which is exactly what I like 😎
All the best my friend,
Danny
I don't think there is anything wrong with that except the impedance isn't matched properly, but it's totally do-able.
Yep good stuff,good stuff 🖖🤞🙃🫶🏈👍✅
Thank you for the kind words! 😄🎸📻
All the best my friend
Danny
I always wanted to make my own tape echo.....i remember that radio from the 80s...wow 😂 everyone had them..lol ❤👍🤟👍
I do love a tape echo myself! 😎🎸
With the advent of modelling headphone units, you can now make a stereo practice amp that sounds amazing. I'm presently collecting the parts. TDA3110 amp boards are literally $2 on AliX, and all you need is the $40 modeller, a box, and a pair of speakers. You will end up with a practice amp much better and cheaper than the $200 options you see. I like the boombox idea as it's cool and has a handle. You could strap 18650's together with a charge board for portability...throw a bluetooth board in to be fancy.......the options are endless, and the only limitation is how good it will sound with the choice of speakers and enclosure.
I'd love to hear/see the final thing when you're done, keep me posted! 😄 you're absolutely right, the only limitation is your imagination 😎🎸 there's so many parts readily available and loads of helpful information online, what a time to be alive! 🤩
Is that also a Wildhearts Smiley Bones? ☠️
All the best my friend
Danny
Used tp havr the green boombox the same exact modsl from the 80s... Awesome
That's great! 😄 I didn't know there was different colours of this model, I'll have to keep my eyes peeled 📻👀
All the best,
Danny
My sister had a mono aqua one from this series
FYI Fun fact.. Pink was for boys and blue for girls but was changed by advertisers for marketing to women in the 60s.
Thanks for the videos
Pretty cool, thanks for doing this mod. Kinda sounds like a Pignose amp. This radio seems to have VHF radio frequencies? I have a friend who is a Ham Radio Operator and tube radio tech. He gave me a general tube radio receiver that has a phono (record player) jack that I can plug my guitar into.
Hey Michael! Thanks for the kind words, glad you enjoyed watching 😄📻 Pignose on a budget! 🐷🎸 I'm always intrigued by modding radios and cassette players as the tone/fuzziness can really vary
That sounds awesome, very convenient! 😄 I'm yet to modify a tube radio; I'm yet to find one that is reasonably priced for the things I'll do to it 😂📻🎸 one day though 🤞
All the best my friend,
Danny
Seems to sound pretty good...
So'vu'ever tried patching in the record and taking advantage
of the 'auto-level' ing compressor and the possible weirdness it could make
...er happen (?) cheers
Would this work for an AEG - acoustic electric with a preamp?
Fit a speaker out and try it through a bigger cab
Really enjoyed this video! Just have one question: is there a benefit to connecting the jack to the volume dial, rather than elsewhere?
I've seen some people take the wires that go to the tape head and solder their jack onto those. I prefer your method because you keep the tape mechanism intact. Also, if you replaced the built-in mic input with a 1/4" jack then could you record to tape?
Glad you enjoyed the video! 😄
I've not experimented with soldering a jack to the tape head myself; I first modded radios by soldering a jack to the volume potentiometer and took that same mod to the tape cassette 📻
I am intrigued to try this mod using the tape head to see if there is a difference, thanks for bringing it to my attention! 😄
Replacing the built-in mic with a 1/4" jack should allow you to record direct to the tape 🙂
All the best my friend!
Danny
@@WeirdandWired great, thanks for taking the time to respond!
Very unique sounding 'amp'! Could you disconnect this from the built-in speakers and connect it to a cab if you wanted to use it at a gig with a full-size speaker cab for more volume?
Hey Jank! Absolutely 😄 connecting a speaker output jack is a very similar process - the cable that connects to the speaker has a positive and negative wire, which can be connected to a jack with relative ease. As for how much power it would pack through a cabinet would depend on the radio and the speaker/s in the cab, but it would certainly make for an eye-catching stage rig! Possibly a sound person's nightmare also 😂
All the best my friend
Danny
@@WeirdandWired Could you do a video on how to make a cab out of scavenged/thrifted parts? I have heard of people taking speakers out of old PA systems and turning them into cabs. Or you could take, like, 30 speakers out of scavenged radios and put them all into one cab, where they would all add up to be very loud.
Also a video on how to make effects pedals out of scavenged circuitry perhaps? (like using lightbulbs as compressors, small vac tubes that can run off a 9v battery as distortion, or using raspberry pi's if you want to go digital)
Would the same strategy work with reel to reel recorders? I know they can also be turned into amps but not sure how. This video was super informative! Thanks a lot!
Hey Denisz! Glad the video was helpful to you 😄 I believe the modification would be similar to this, thought I've not done it myself on a reel to reel! I'm sure it would have a great raunchy tone though 🎸 do let me know if you modify one! 😄
All the best my friend
Danny
@@WeirdandWired i did modify a radio and im absolutely loving it! Thx for the video!
Ritchie Blackmore (deep purple) used to go into a reel to reel then into his amps for a gain boost so you might get a pretty hot signal form your rtr machine good luck 🤞
Could this record to the cassette? Or did the signal bypass the deck straight to the speaker?
I believe this had a built-in microphone, so recording to the cassette would use the mic rather than the 1/4" jack 📻🎸 which still gives a fairly blown out Lo-Fi sound through the speakers, as well as any string noise from the guitar or whatever else is in close proximity which is definitely a vibe if you're into it 😄
You could also replace the built-in mic with a 1/4" jack or other input for a direct signal to record straight to the cassette 🙂
I almost can't belive it would be this simple, but the proof is right there! Will this work with any radio or is the cassette deck a necessity?
Hey Robert! It certainly is a nice, straight forward modification 😄📻 The cassette deck isn't a necessity 🙂 I've documented a few radios that I've done the same mod on including this transistor radio:
czcams.com/video/cbrF49SdVeI/video.html
I love doing this mod because the premise stays the same - soldering an input to the volume - but the results can be surprising 🎸 I was so convinced the transistor amp would sound wildly distorted but nope, super clean!
Let me know how you get on if you try it yourself, I'd love to see/hear the results 😄
All the best my friend
Danny
@@WeirdandWired a vacuum tube radio with this mod would be awesome too
@ Jank Willson here's a video of the same mod on a transistor radio, the results definitely vary from radio to radio! 📻 a very fun mod to do 😄
czcams.com/video/cbrF49SdVeI/video.html
@@WeirdandWired This mod with a particular dirty sounding old radio you can get at a thrift store for 5 dollars, do those simple mods, you get a great dirty fuzz-ish sound plus the actual 'amp' with the speakers for a fraction of the cost of a 'real' amp + distortion/fuzz pedal.
And if you use a cheap thrift radial-dial telephone converted to a microphone, and put it up the the radio 'amp' to record your songs, then you get great cheap lofi sounds for a fraction of the cost of a lofi pedal...
@ Jank Willson I like your style! 😎🎸📻☎️ I definitely enjoy getting that authentic Lo-Fi sound straight from the source, whether it's a radio amp or telephone mic. Much quicker and easier for me than trying to manipulate a clearer signal! You don't necessarily need to spend a lot of money for a dirty sound, and I often find these unique, quirky mods can be a tool to inspire new music that I wouldn't get from using more conventional equipment 😄
I wonder if you couldn't somehow use the cassette deck as a built-in tape echo... How cool would that be?
Hey Jace! 😄 I like your thinking 😎🎸 I currently have a tape recorder that I’m planning to modify in to a tape echo, perhaps I will revisit this one after! 📼
All the best my friend
Danny
Play harmonica and a buddy playing cigar box guitar 😊
That would be a great duo! 😄🎸🎙📻
So you cant use both speakers at once ? Why...i need both !!!!
You could wire this for both speakers with one input jack 😄🎸 double the Lo-Fi fun 😎📻