Amp building

[DeathIsMyJustice]

any you guys know anything about amp construction? Im going to start building myself a 50 watt tube amp soon

Rar!

[taxistationary]

Re: Amp building

Good luck finding output transformers. If you do, they are gonna cost ya!

[Black Mariah]

Re: Amp building

/me listens for the tappity-tap of Pete's keyboard.

If you haven't built anything before, start with a pedal or twelve. It's a PITA to do that stuff.

[DeathIsMyJustice]

Re: Amp building

I aint built an amp befor... but Iv built a far few other things

Rar!

[Hotrodder]

Re: Amp building

2 links for ya

http://www.ampage.org

http://www.ax84.com

[RacerX]

Re: Amp building

And here's a really detailed FAQ:

http://www.geofex.com/tubeampfaq/taffram.htm

[Twisteramps]

Re: Amp building

Few bits of advice...

If you're into this to build an amp and save money, forget it. By the time you factor in your labor, cost of parts, cost of equipment you'll need to do it right, etc... you can generally buy an already built amp for much less. case in point on your fifty watt amp:

I have no idea what you're building, so let's make a 50 watt one channel marshall. You're looking at:

$150-$200 for good transformers
$30 or so for a chassis
Do you have the tools to punch (put all the holes in) a chassis? add that to the cost (drill press, set of bits... budget around $150)
Turret board construction? You'll need the drill press above, and turrets and board - add another $20, $35 to have one built
Tube sockets - figure at least 2 preamp, 1 driver, two power... so 5 sockets, we'll go cheap and get em for $10
assorted caps and resistors - $40 and up, depending on whether or not you want the voodoo parts or not
assorted things like fuse holder, power on light, switches (which are expensive as hell) pots, grommets for putting in the holes you drilled for the transformer wiring, power cord, power cord receptacle, input jacks, output jacks, wire, solder, soldering iron, standoffs for your board, screws, bolts, lock washers, and tubes. Estimate at least $100 for this, more likely $150 depending on where you get the stuff and how much you need.
Ok, do you want an enclosure? Unless you have a wood shop, get one already tolexed for that professional look... $200 and up.

Total estimate to build that 50 watt amp, without taking into consideration shipping (good luck finding all this stuff: You'll likely need three or four different sources at least):
$700 low estimate, around $850 high.

There are a LOT of fifty watt amps you can buy for that much money, and they will work right the first time. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Start small... build an ax84 P1 project for your first amp, then slowly move up the food chain. It's a fun thing to do, and I love it... but it's not for people who are in a hurry to get something done asap nor is it for someone without an eye for detail. You can get *killed* working on a tube amp.

Pete

[RacerX]

Re: Amp building

Originally posted by Twisteramps:
You can get *killed* working on a tube amp.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ah, how would YOU know?! [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

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J/K! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[DeathIsMyJustice]

Re: Amp building

thanx fellas... I aint building a amp to save money (I realy dont need any more amps)

Im doing it a project for myself (somthing to do I guess)

Iv have already had a look about the ax84 site and I was planning on buildng the the High-Octane. This maybe my 1st amp I build but when I build it (hehe Im a lazy f*ck so it may take time) It wont be the last [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[charvelguy]

Re: Amp building

A kit is probably the best way to go for your first project(s) or modding upon existing things.