Product Description
A very limited initial run of Type 636P prototypes at introductory pricing exclusively for existing Type 636 owners.
We want to thank those who have supported the Type 636 build and to get their feedback on the new unit. Ten units are being completed now and will ship as soon as they are tested and ready. Another short run of pre-production units may be built which will ship over the next couple of months. These are only for existing Type 636 owners. We will open up preorders for later builds this week but do not anticipate shipping these for 2-3 months.
Please note: the photo and demos below are of other prototypes - the design and build of the final units may differ in appearance slightly (though will be very close to the photo). Some demos feature units with the earlier silicon buffer board which don't sound as good as the final all-germanium design.
This is the hairy circuit you find in the mic preamp section of the Soundgas Type 636 - based on the Grampian Type 636 - famously used and abused by Lee Scratch Perry and Pete Townshend - and many others since. This is designed and built absolutely in the spirit of the original vintage units - no surface mount components or tone sapping DSP.
The unit features a balanced input via combined TRS/XLR socket, vintage germanium transistor circuitry with original Grampian specification Mic transformer, overload lamp, impedance switch and on/off toggle switch. Staying true to the original design, the output is unbalanced on a ¼” jack socket. Power is via a 12v external supply: please note we may not be able to supply one of these with the initial orders due to long lead times.
The prototypes will not have a faceplate and will be a very limited production. Demand is already very high and we cannot build many given current component shortages: it's a strange situation when the vintage components are more readily available than modern parts!
As with our original 636s, we have put tonal considerations ahead of all else. I was skeptical that we’d see a real benefit in using germanium transistors in the buffer section: all our original prototypes had used silicon and sounded great. However Ben and Dr Huw insisted that we build an all germanium version for comparison which proceeded to blow all the earlier versions out of the water.
The current situation regarding component shortages means that while we have secured enough vintage components to build 100 units, getting essential modern components is proving trickier with long lead times and a great deal of uncertainty. We are taking preorders to help secure further components and to help fund the early stages of the production process.
There's more info on the build including photos and demos here.
We want to thank those who have supported the Type 636 build and to get their feedback on the new unit. Ten units are being completed now and will ship as soon as they are tested and ready. Another short run of pre-production units may be built which will ship over the next couple of months. These are only for existing Type 636 owners. We will open up preorders for later builds this week but do not anticipate shipping these for 2-3 months.
Please note: the photo and demos below are of other prototypes - the design and build of the final units may differ in appearance slightly (though will be very close to the photo). Some demos feature units with the earlier silicon buffer board which don't sound as good as the final all-germanium design.
This is the hairy circuit you find in the mic preamp section of the Soundgas Type 636 - based on the Grampian Type 636 - famously used and abused by Lee Scratch Perry and Pete Townshend - and many others since. This is designed and built absolutely in the spirit of the original vintage units - no surface mount components or tone sapping DSP.
The unit features a balanced input via combined TRS/XLR socket, vintage germanium transistor circuitry with original Grampian specification Mic transformer, overload lamp, impedance switch and on/off toggle switch. Staying true to the original design, the output is unbalanced on a ¼” jack socket. Power is via a 12v external supply: please note we may not be able to supply one of these with the initial orders due to long lead times.
The prototypes will not have a faceplate and will be a very limited production. Demand is already very high and we cannot build many given current component shortages: it's a strange situation when the vintage components are more readily available than modern parts!
As with our original 636s, we have put tonal considerations ahead of all else. I was skeptical that we’d see a real benefit in using germanium transistors in the buffer section: all our original prototypes had used silicon and sounded great. However Ben and Dr Huw insisted that we build an all germanium version for comparison which proceeded to blow all the earlier versions out of the water.
The current situation regarding component shortages means that while we have secured enough vintage components to build 100 units, getting essential modern components is proving trickier with long lead times and a great deal of uncertainty. We are taking preorders to help secure further components and to help fund the early stages of the production process.
There's more info on the build including photos and demos here.