New member!! Whoo!

[Yano]

Hello guys! I am currently in the prosses of making my first guitar. The bug has got me and I decided also to make myself a 212 cab to go with a ht-5 that I would like to get. So I planed that (I am gonna wait to finish the guitar - one thing at a time!)

So, because I can only work on the guitar at school, the bug has got me again! I thought 'stuff the ht-5' Ill make myself an amp thats suited to what I want!

I would like to make a 1/2 (or as small as I can) watt metal monster with a clean channel and another - with lots and lots of gain.

So I would like to ask a few questions....


Where can I learn the knowledge needed to build and, if nessesery design my little monster? Are there any webpages that I can read a section of a night?


How much would the parts cost (at a minimum) and do I need any specialist equipment?

Thanks!!!


Yano

[Enzo]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

There is plenty of material and links on this firum to teach you a lot. if you have never built an amp, I would suggest looking into a kit or even getting an old amp and fixing it up. That wil get you involved with the circuitry and working with the parts without starting from scratch.

[Chuck H]

+1

If I had it to do over again (starting and learning) I would buy an old hand wired amp (easier to work on and navigate) and once I had it working properly I would add the mods I wanted to it. This is almost certainly the cheapest way to go and the results can be outstanding.

You can get any advice you need here. Even suggestions about what kind of amp to look for as a starting platform and what to avoid. How many watts do you need??? Do you want a combo or a head???

Get a couple of books about tube amps. I could suggest the Radiotron Designers Handbook but that's a bunch of tech info that someone jumping in would find boring and useless as hell. You will eventually want to get it though. For now there are several books that could help you. The Kevin O'Connor "The Ultimate Tone" books are very popular, I don't have them. The Gerald Weber books are very good but don't cover high gain preamps. One book that will cover high gain preamps is the Dan Torres book (Inside Tube Amps). Dan gets a rough ride around here, but his high gain preamps do sound good and he's been in the tube amp mod game a very, very long time. A little Google searching will reveal even more options I'm sure.

I modded many, many amps and built my first few complete circuits with a cheap Radio Shack soldering iron. I don't recommend it, but it can be done. I built my own eyelet boards and even salvaged lead wire at times. Until recently I've never spent much $$$ on this hobby and I've always had better than average results in return.

So Welcome. Ask any question you have. There are no dumb questions, just dead hobbyists that didn't ask and electrocuted themselves. (note: look into safety procedures too).

Chuck

[Yano]

Thanks for the advice guys!

I am only 16 so I have a very limited fund with which to do this.

Is it wanting to start of by making on that OTT an idea? One of the compelling things that attracted me to it in the first place was that I could make a really quiet amp that I could play high gain stuff on.

Is there a basic layout anywhere that I could start off with - a (very) low wattage amp that I could slowly change to fit my needs. Anywhere from 1/2 a watt to 10watts would be perfect!


6l6, loads of gain, a wide band-eq ect?



I soppose I could start with a TT and change some stuff with the more experienced people on here checking it. Is it possible to get a TT schem detailed enough for a noob like me?

[stingray_65]

depending on your speaker 10 watts can be VERY loud!

If your new to electronics AND amp building AND on a tight budget, I always suggest scrounging parts.

The most expensive items in an average tube amp will be the transformers.

start out looking in your local goodwill, salvation army, antique shops and ask around for old tube electronics that don't work.

I often find old organs are the best for donor parts, you get speakers power transformers output transformer, a chassis or two, sometimes you get lucky and get decent tubes and an ocational choke.

I seldom will pay more than $20 but they are a hassle to get back home because of thier bulk.

If you are new, be sure to search on this forum about saftey procedures. there are LETHAL VOLTAGES in a tube amp. these voltages can remain inside the amp for days after its been powered up last.


tube amp designs are defined by the power transformer. the power that is available will determine how many tubes you can use, what your output tube choices will be and in the end how loud your amp could be.

your output transformer will determine what class your amp will operate in and what output tubes and speaker impedance you need.

the beauty of slavaging an old amp, wether it came out of an organ, a hi fi stero or a tv console is that these parts are all ready matched up.

it's a common mistake to believe that a lower the output wattage the less expensive it is to build. to a point.

you'll find that transformers (power) for 3-12 watt amps will cost about $30-$50 or more and will depend more on what brand you buy than anything else.

OT's will cost you from $18 - $40 depending on what class of operation, output wattage and brand.

that said, the cheap way out is a simple amp like a fender tweed champ.

the sound is awsome and the circuit is simple enough you could build it without really knowing how it

works.http://www.schematicheaven.com/fende..._5f1_schem.pdf

multi channel / multi voiced /multi tone knobbed amps are more intricate and there fore more expensive AND a more likely to fail being it is your first build.

I do not want to sound discouraging in any way. this is a rewarding hobby for many and the eduction is priceless.

Ray

[Chuck H]

One of my personal amps, and a favorite, is a 12 watter I made from the guts of an old console record player. I got it off someones front lawn with a "FREE" sign on it. It even had an original Jensen P12R in it. I built the amp entirely from salvaged parts (as was my plan) with the exception of the combo cabinet. The cab was easy because it is "scewed and glued" pine covered in purple vinyl with a paisley fabric grill cloth... All salvage but the wood. I hardly get to play it because it spends soo much time out on loan to others who have heard it. And it cost me almost nothing to make.

Since you want a clean channel and an ultra high gain channel I think a bigger amp with a master volume would serve you well. Otherwise it's hard to get a usable clean tone with a five watt amp. Or, as was mentioned, look into old tube gear. Not guitar amps but organs, consoles, intercom and P.A. stuff that is low output. You won't get a very loud clean tone but it will give you the opportunity to get that cranked amp tone at lower volumes. The choice is yours. Choice of compromises I mean. It can be a hard choice if you don't already know amp circuits, as far as what to build, but your going to get a funky cool home made amp that will WOW you buds no matter how you go. And you really can do it cheaply.

Chuck

[Yano]

Thanks for the help stingray and Chuck.

I am not gonna go for the tweed champ idea, because I would prefer to put more time into designing one for me and end up with an amp that sounded 'me' than make a copy.


If I were to use one 6l6 in and IDK what in the pre would I be able to get more than say.... 2 watts?

If I lay down what I would like then would you be able to advice?


I would like one volume and gain (lots of it) and an on/off.

A 6l6 in the power amp section - I dont want it to break up too early so perhapse 2 would be better?


Again - I dont know what preamp tubes would do... prehapse a/two 12 AX 7 EH.
As for the values that you are talking I am sure that given some persuasion and a schem my parents migh decided that as its educational.. (-:

[stingray_65]

check out the P1extreme at AX84.com

it only has the 3 band bass mid treb tone stack, but its a versitile circuit lending itself to many many mods to make it your very own.
when built with the universal Hammond OT 125DSE you can swap out a variety of output tubes for very different flavors.

Ray

[tedmich]

check out the P1extreme at AX84.com

it only has the 3 band bass mid treb tone stack, but its a versitile circuit lending itself to many many mods to make it your very own.
when built with the universal Hammond OT 125DSE you can swap out a variety of output tubes for very different flavors.

Ray

+1 on AX84.com, check the LeadII preamp tone:
http://www.ax84.com/static/corepream...tom_LeadII.mp3


also the 4-4-0 amp.... and an HO! but a P1 is best to start!