Amped - week 17 with LGRP

Most of this week actually had very little to do with the Leonardo Guitar Research Project.

Mon through Wed we had Mikko from Uraltone to guide us in building tube amps.

Very intriguing!

First task; place all the parts on the base..

And then the soldering began...

And went on for the rest of the day. Time was flying, once in a while one could here comment like "Oh, is it four o'clock already?" "What! It's already seven, the guards will kick us out soon". This was pretty much where I left for some dinner & Zzzz.

Tuesday was to be all about soldering for me as well, Some quite tight spots for almost an absolute beginner but patience and care did the trick.

After 11 hours of soldering and only the printed circuit board left to solder I felt quite hopeful that the amp would be rocking some time wednesday.

Wednesday morning I took my coffee staring at the circuit board in a meditative manner as if preparing for battle. I think this session brought us closer together because the soldering went quite smoothly.

So finally time to test! With a mixed feeling of confidence and unbelief I took my work up to the testing facilities...

And it was alive! And the Sound! I made this!

After some experimenting with how to make perfect corners with Tolex coating I decided to call it a day and leave the box uncoated and study this a bit more before opening the glue jug..

Thursday after art classes I was able to somehow land on my feet from electronics land and go on with sanding the boys of my guitars for protective coat. The lacquer brought out some beautiful colours of wood.

Friday a little clean up of the dove tail joints..

...but mostly we cleaned up our department and carpenter's benches for Monday which is the day for entrance exams to Ikata this year. I wish all those ladies and gentlemen the best of luck and some peace of mind remembering how exciting the day was for myself last year.

I feel very lucky and grateful to have the chance to be where I am today on my way to luthierism <3