Honeytone Amp on Steroids

I took a Honeytone amp I had laying around and made a bigger case with a wedge shape that you can use as a monitor or an amp, made it so you can run it on a 9V,AA batteries or a wall wart. Put a pigtail on it to power a couple of pedals from the AA set up. It sounds great, I built if for my ukes and my Lap Steel when I am playing with ukes outside (no AC Power) Take a look at the pics. In pic 1 you can see the honeytone and the new amp being built.

Okay, I'll be the first to ask. Care to share the plans? The cabinet is easy, it's the electrical stuff that's trouble....

Ok.. Im gonna ask.. Why did you take a cool looking little portable amp, and make it bigger? The electrical mods, you couldn't add those to the little amp? Question two.. Can the amp from that honeytone actually drive that larger speaker? Question #3, what are ya gonna do with the shell of the Honeytone? I think those are cool, and I would like it to build it into a small amp for my daughter. She would LOVE one of those for her Strat when she is goofing around here at the house with it..

Other than that. Resourceful.

Cool idea.

I just took the entire board out of the honeytone and reinstaled in in the new box...I am a electronics tard.

I bought a 8 AA holder with a 9V connector ($1.89) and put in a dummy battery, so when I use AA NIMHs I get 9.5V fully charged with the meter (calculated it shoudl be 7 X 1.2 volts). With the AAs I get 10 X the capacity of a 9V NIMH.. I also made a dummy 2 AA "stick" for when I use Alkaline batts. (6X 1.5 Volts) I just made a pig tail with two 9V connectors and a wall wart connector wired in. So there are no mods to the stock wiring. I just insert it between the batter box and the amp board with the connectors. You have to wire the one to the board backwards though. I can post the diagram if you want (DC power is the extent on my electrical knowledge).

I got the speaker on e-bay, its a old stock/new radioshack 8" 15 watt speaker. Radio shack quick making speakers for hobby dudes/Dudettes. The port is for a sink drain with the angl cut off. (Glug Glug Glug). I also got the speaker grill on e-bay. I like the cool knobs, Radio Shack. The pigtail was from a 12V charger I had I couldn't remember what is was for so I cut it off and used it. (9V multi extensions fit into it also). Fabric was from Hancock fabs and glued down with Original white "Tacky Glue" from Wally Mart. Most of the box is 1/8 birch ply. The front and bottom are 1/4. It's all pretty light, one of my goals.

It was a fun project.

Tudorp said:

Ok.. Im gonna ask.. Why did you take a cool looking little portable amp, and make it bigger? The electrical mods, you couldn't add those to the little amp? Question two.. Can the amp from that honeytone actually drive that larger speaker? Question #3, what are ya gonna do with the shell of the Honeytone? I think those are cool, and I would like it to build it into a small amp for my daughter. She would LOVE one of those for her Strat when she is goofing around here at the house with it..

Other than that. Resourceful.

Click to expand...

I wanted to make a something for my Lap steel. The larger speaker sounded better (I had one in some speakers I made for my workshop and tried it out). The little honeytone sounds great with guitar and gained out and stuff, but i wanted a little fuller sound and the 8" speaker did that. Since the speaker is only rated for 15 watts it gets quite loud. I've hooked the Honeytone to 10" and 12" monitors and it will drive those. You can't use the headphone output as it is limited so you don't hurt your ears.

Really the answer is I just like to mess around with stuff like this.

Ukuleleblues said:

I wanted to make a something for my Lap steel. The larger speaker sounded better (I had one in some speakers I made for my workshop and tried it out). The little honeytone sounds great with guitar and gained out and stuff, but i wanted a little fuller sound and the 8" speaker did that. Since the speaker is only rated for 15 watts it gets quite loud. I've hooked the Honeytone to 10" and 12" monitors and it will drive those. You can't use the headphone output as it is limited so you don't hurt your ears.

Really the answer is I just like to mess around with stuff like this.

Click to expand...

Fair enough. I do stuff "just because" too... Nothing wrong with that. As long as the amp will drive the bigger speaker, your golden..

Ukuleleblues said:

I just took the entire board out of the honeytone and reinstaled in in the new box...I am a electronics tard.

I bought a 8 AA holder with a 9V connector ($1.89) and put in a dummy battery, so when I use AA NIMHs I get 9.5V fully charged with the meter (calculated it shoudl be 7 X 1.2 volts). With the AAs I get 10 X the capacity of a 9V NIMH.. I also made a dummy 2 AA "stick" for when I use Alkaline batts. (6X 1.5 Volts) I just made a pig tail with two 9V connectors and a wall wart connector wired in. So there are no mods to the stock wiring. I just insert it between the batter box and the amp board with the connectors. You have to wire the one to the board backwards though. I can post the diagram if you want (DC power is the extent on my electrical knowledge).

I got the speaker on e-bay, its a old stock/new radioshack 8" 15 watt speaker. Radio shack quick making speakers for hobby dudes/Dudettes. The port is for a sink drain with the angl cut off. (Glug Glug Glug). I also got the speaker grill on e-bay. I like the cool knobs, Radio Shack. The pigtail was from a 12V charger I had I couldn't remember what is was for so I cut it off and used it. (9V multi extensions fit into it also). Fabric was from Hancock fabs and glued down with Original white "Tacky Glue" from Wally Mart. Most of the box is 1/8 birch ply. The front and bottom are 1/4. It's all pretty light, one of my goals.

It was a fun project.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the explanation. I don't claim to understand it, but I do appreciate it. I'm mechanically inlcined, but have no electronics sense. You lost me with the battery set-up....

Got any sound clips?

Aloha Ukuleleblues,
Thanks for the the breakdown.....let me get this straight, you're saying the more juice you give
this and it will boost the sound output???Will this extra boost blow some circuts? and what about
adding a fuse just in case....And by your calculations 7x1.2 volts should be 8x1.2 volts since there
is eight batteries....and why do you have to wire the board backwards???what's the purpose??
sorry for all the questions, just trying to figure it out.....maybe the schmetics would help.....
Thanks MM Stan..

mm stan said:

Aloha Ukuleleblues,
Thanks for the the breakdown.....let me get this straight, you're saying the more juice you give
this and it will boost the sound output???Will this extra boost blow some circuts? and what about
adding a fuse just in case....And by your calculations 7x1.2 volts should be 8x1.2 volts since there
is eight batteries....and why do you have to wire the board backwards???what's the purpose??
sorry for all the questions, just trying to figure it out.....maybe the schmetics would help.....
Thanks MM Stan..

Click to expand...

It's not exactly more juice, but with the higher amperage batteries the voltage doesn't drop at peak volume. It's a more consistent voltage. Yes I was surprised when I put the voltmeter on the batteries and got 10.5 volts with eight batteries, but that was measured after pulling them straight off of the charger. After they sat for awhile the voltage dropped almost 1 volt. The calculated voltage should be 1.2 volts times the number of batteries wired in series. If you look at a 9Volt NIMH its rated at 7.2 Volts. Just like a 1.5 volt AA NIMH is rated at 1.2 volts. I guess getting the voltage up from 7.2 volts and having a higher capacity is what makes it sound better.

I didn't wire the board backwards I used two identical 9 Volt connectors to put between the pack and the board to run the pigtail, so I had to flip one to make the female a male and Visa versa. If I could have found a Male and a female connector the black and red wires would have been in the correct place on the "male" plug. Once I show you the diagram you'll understand.

We just got done playing a Luau this after noon and have another to play tomorrow on the 4th. I'll draw it up Monday.

I am very satisfied with the sound. I had 6 Aklaline Batteries in it with a "jumper stick" to fill in two slots today. I used it at the Luau as a floor monitor for my lap steel and powered two 7 band EQs, a Reverb and an overdrive pedal(s) from the pig tail.

I'll definitely post some sound byes or a video this coming week.

I didn't wire the board backwards I used two identical 9 Volt connectors to put between the pack and the board to run the pigtail, so I had to flip one to make the female a male and Visa versa. Once I show you the diagram you'll understand.

Thanks for the response and explanation. So you reversed the wires between the pack and the
board, if I got that correct? I guess the higher capacity improves the volume and consistancy of sound
Thanks for sharing, can't wait for the sound clips or videos..... MM Stan...
Btw- I just ordered an honey tone amp for myself ....