How hard is it to build your own amp?

[CoG]

Hi all,

I'm wondering how hard it is to build something like an AX84 P-1

http://www.ax84.com/?pg=legacyprojects&project_id=p1

if I order a kit for it... mostly I'd just like to have something I can noodle through once a week and say "heh, I built that" instead of creating some kind of magic tone machine.

I have no experience in this kind of thing, but I try to do one thing I have absolutely no experience in every couple of years. I have a healthy respect for electricity and I'm great at following instructions.

Or should I start with a BYOC pedal or something...?

 

[Charlie]

Have you soldered before? It isn't too tough but it does take some time to learn how to do it well. I'd definitely get your hands dirty with some byoc kits first. You'll be making yourself some great pedals and learn to solder at the same time. And worst case scenario it's only 75 bucks or so down the drain.

I dove right into the amp thing and made a 1 watt all tube amp. It sounds great, and it works.... but I made SUCH a mess out of the thing because I didn't know what I was doing - most amp kits don't have very good instructions btw.

So I just finished up my 5th byoc kit and now I'm going to make another amp kit I think I'll do a much better job this time around.

 

[redmax61]

What Charlie said.

I would actually start on amps by modding either a stock Fender Champ or Epiphone Valve Junior. They're easy amps to work on, and they're an open canvas for mods.

The next step would be to build one from scratch. I'd recommend starting with a kit amp - just to take the hassle of hunting down the right parts. Then I'd move on from there. I did both, and now I'm in the design stages for my next two amps.

Another cool place to go is 18watt.com. There are offshoots of that site that deal with Push-pull amps, Single ended amps, etc.

Most of all, take your time and HAVE FUN!!!

 

[Charlie]

Hey Redmax can you recommend some books about amp design? Something technical but not SUPER technical. I have 'valve amplifiers' from Morgan Jones and that is a bit too much for me. I also have 'the guitar amp handbook' from Dave Hunter and that is too basic.

I guess I'm looking for something intermediate.

Thanks.

 

[CoG]

Any opinions on their tremolo pedal? That's really the only pedal I am in the market for right now.

I looked at the instruction manual and it all seems like stuff I can handle. Thanks for the tips, guys.

 

[RR]

Try Here :buildyourownclone for effects.

If you want to get into guitar tube amp building and you need background try here:
Kendrick Site

If you have no prior electronic experience I recommend those DVDs, books tutorial Kendrick Site. I'm sure there's website on these topics but you have to do a search and gather up all the information.

You have to be ambition and have the willingness. I would recommend to other members about Kendricks site or sites for information and then these members would complain, "Too much reading ...", "I don't want to purchase those DVDs ..." etc ....

Its like these member don't want to put the effort and wants everything on a platter. If you are those type of member, I highly recommend NOT to attempt to build diy amps. You are impatient and will eventually electrocute yourself. These type of members are looking to save to build an amp not to acquire a new hobby.

Now if you are patient and have the willingness to learn, then I more than encourage you. Its a funny hobby, but it not for those it a one time thing.

Like anything, take the learning curve slow.

 

[CoG]

Thanks RR. Basically if I build an amp someday it's because I want to be able to play it and say "I built that!" even if it's nothing special to listen to.

However, (despite being a Linux user) I'd rather spend 200 hours playing guitar than 200 hours building and troubleshooting an amp.

I do know how to solder, so I think I will try a BYOC pedal or two first and see if I enjoy sitting down at the workbench and fiddling.

Any advice on BYOC pedals appreciated. How's the bypass quality on them? I will probably build a trem, and I'm curious about the EQ because I'm an EQ junkie.

 

[RR]

Whoa, Linux user!

...
However, (despite being a Linux user) I'd rather spend 200 hours playing guitar than 200 hours building and troubleshooting an amp...

me too, personally I enjoy playing the guitar than anything else.

ironically my occupation is software developing (info tech stuff, MIS stuff, not low level stuff like the design software engineers do here) but when it comes to the computer's hardware other than basic stuff, I don't know much.

I go to the multi-media guy here at work and he tells all about things what to get for recording (he has a band and homes studio). I haven't yet purchase recording hardware / software yet.

I do assemble my own guitars and have two Allen Amp Kits under my belt. I do have some electronic background (semester in college) and better yet I do have a brother with an electronic degree not to mentioned the technicians here at work claimed they could help me out (they have the electronic instruments) if I need to trouble shoot.

But bottom line, I prefer playing the guitar than building guitars or amps.

 

[redmax61]

See, I'm kinda in the opposite place now. As a matter of fact, I could probably use your expertise in Linux.

I had to replace my primary digital audio computer back in April because I was having video issues, so I decided to get a Core2duo machine from Dell. I got it with Vista because it would have actually cost me more to stay with XP. I was told that Vista drivers for my M-Audio Delta 1010 would be available within about two weeks . . . yeah, right. Here it is October, and the drivers still aren't available. And I've had several sales people tell me that Vista is NOT multimedia ready and all of the other audio hardware manufacturers are having the same problems with Vista.

I'm trying to figure out a way to get an OS that I CAN use my Delta 1010 with, but won't lose my derierre on because of how much I have into MS Office, etc. I'm seriously considering Ubuntu Studio because I hear that it and the Delta 1010 get along AMAZINGLY well. I downloaded Ubuntu and built a liveCD to mess around with to get used to it. So far, I like it a lot.

My next step is to get another hard drive and set it up as the primary drive with Ubuntu Studio on it. I can use the original drive as a data drive and boot from it when I need what my Vista setup has to offer.

 

[Charlie]

Any opinions on their tremolo pedal?

I have a demo of the one I built here:

http://itwontburn.com/Tremolo_Demo1.mp3

 

[CoG]

Any opinions on their tremolo pedal?

I have a demo of the one I built here:

http://itwontburn.com/Tremolo_Demo1.mp3

that's nice... yeah, I'm looking for something simple like that, just to give me a little vibe on cleans now and then.

re; linux audio. I haven't used ubuntu studio... I'm using plain ubuntu right now and it runs my fw solo just peachy with freebob and jackd. I basically only use it for practicing, run the my record outs into Audacity and use gtick as a metronome, because Linux is my day-to-day OS for work and Internet. I'd switch to Ubuntu Studio if I wanted to build my recording setup around Linux because the latency in vanilla Ubuntu is not great, like about 10x what I have with the ASIO drivers under Windows.

I use XP for Sonar, Amplitube 2 cab sims and Half-Life 2

 

[TheSon]

Im a project kind of guy.

I had a generic old 60's carlsbro head... A single channel 2x el34 model.
It was nothing at all special so I gutted it leaving only the mains trans, output trans and valve bases in the chassis to start as a blank valve head canvas... I made it into a 50W version of the old 2chan dual rec circuit...
It totally ruled... I doubt it had anything on the originals but it sure kicked more anus than what it started out as!

This was, depending on the day, some of the best fun and worst stress at times, but so satisfying in the end when you first plug in and it roars in your face like nothing else.

I liked it so much that now I have torn it all back out and started again... this time its gonna (hopefully) end up as my own concoction, channel one a vox ac30 pre-amp switchable to an early plexi marshall pushed clean... then channel 2 as an od channel, taken from the MK-4 circuit.

get a basic grasp of soldering and circuits and your on your way... party on dude.

 

[stokes]

Start with a simple Champ design.You will see that just about all tube amps are based on this.Go to the Fender Field Amp Guide at www.ampwares.com/ffg/index/html they have the schems and component layouts for just about all the Fender designs.The layouts are very good for a beginner.The Jack Darr Book is considered the "Holy Grail" of amp trouble shooting and can be found at www.pacificrecone.com/JackDarrBook.html for free.All three of Gerald Webers books are great references for trouble shooting and mods.I suppose kit amps would be okay,although I've never used one,as I started building amps long before anybody started selling these kits,it seems to me you would just be following somebody elses instructions without actually knowing any of the theory behind what you are doing.

 

[nomad100hd]

an epiphone Valve junior is cheaper than most kits 130 bucks for a working head. used to be 100 bucks. There is a whole website devoted to modding Vj's, called www.sewatt.com. I have one and in a lot of cases i prefer it to my mesa.