Tube Amp builds/kits?

nothing like a freshly strung turret board to get your blood going.

Anyone thinking of building their first tube amp (or any high voltage circuit) should read a safety primer prior to doing so.

(also good to always check with your wife)
 
I got into building my own about 20 years ago when I started playing rockabilly. And I only started playing rockabilly because I wanted a big Gretsch. The problem I had was that all the amps i could afford wouldn't twang on the low E string on a Gretsch - they just kinda farted. Started with a Hotrod Deville, went to a Bassman RI, then a Vibroking (used!) and then a Super reverb RI. Swppaed speakers, still not as tight as I wanted.It was around the time that "boutique" amps started to become available - but they were way out of my price range and weren't readily available in Australia.

I started with a 5E3 kit from Melbourne and it rapidly went downhill from there. I had to stop a few years ago because I couldn't afford all the parts any more - it's not cheap if you do it well. But recently I went through all my cupboards digging out any left-over transformers, chassis, etc so I could built some left-over-parts-amps, buying the odd extra bit to finish them off. I just built a '68-ish style 50W plexi (which will go into a 1x12 combo soon) which sounds amazing - I only needed to buy the chassis, an OT and a tagboard. Still it adds up. Fortunately the Heyboer Marshall-spec transformers are affordable and sound as good as any I have tried.

With tweed style amps I have found the trick is to get a Mercury Magnetic "Fat Stack" power transformer. At least for me it is. The Fat Stack has the same voltages as the stock tranny but more iron and it seems to be able to supply more current, so when I hit my low E string I get a beautifully defined, piano-like (cliché alert!) BEEEEowwww rather than pffft. So as a pedal platform you have a lot more options.

The other amp I just finished, also to become a 1x12, is a 5F6-A Bassman circuit which has a Fat Stack 8087 style PT, a regular 4Henry choke and a Super Reverb OT. I run KT77s in it and it is a killer pedal platform - it sounds huge, has clear big lows, sweet highs and a complex, full midrange. I split the cathodes in a similar way to a Marshall Super Lead so that the Normal channel is my pristine pedal platform channel and the Bright channel is the crank it with a Les Paul channel - too loud for home but what a sound! I also used a SS rectifier which let me filter it more heavily to get into slightly more Marshall territory.

This is why I love building my own. You can tweak to suit you own particular likes and dislikes and get something you can't buy. I have zero background in electronics but have learnt so much online - both good and bad! There is some great info available but a lot of crap as well.

Here is my latest "Marshall". Valvestorm chassis, Heyboer trannies, Sozo & F+T caps, etc.

Marsh it.JPG
 
HamishR said:
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Freakin' awesome, beautiful wiring and layout! I assume the tubes are mounted on the top so you can see em while playing? Cool. Also curious, how much does a build like this run you, you mentioned it's pricy but it seems like the tranny and tubes are the only really 'specific' parts there other than the big boy caps. I should probably start with a kit anyway...

Between pickup winding, an interest in cabinets, pedals, DIY mics and now Amps, I see my friends eyes start to glaze over when I mention what I've been up to. This last year hasn't made me any more fun at parties I think :p
 
Hey thanks Untro! Well there's the chassis and transformers as the most expensive bits, but they don't have to be prohibitive. I use a fair few Mercury Magnetics transformers and they are expensive but I mainly use them when I need particular attributes: for example the MM Fatstack power transformers. A Marshall build won't need that so I like to use Heyboers for Marshall style - they sound fantastic and are around 1/2 the price of MM. Still top quality, just cheaper.

Sozo caps are great but can cost up to $50-60 a build. Same with F+T electrolytics - top notch but can be almost $10 each. Then there's just the surprising number of other parts you need - tube sockets, jack sockets, pots, knobs, wire, tube retainers, switches, pilot lights... It all adds up. If I'm going to build an amp I'm not going to cut corners on part quality - that's kinda the point of building my own. Even building cabs can get expensive. If you live in the US it's not so bad but when you live outside the US as I do shipping is a major PITA! Especially with transformers it can get really expensive - and I've been waiting on a couple of trannies now for almost 2 months.

I'm still yet to build the cabinet for the Marshall. It's been too hot to work in my garage but it's beginning to cool down now.

As for friend's eyes glazing over - yeah, you have to pick your conversations! It's so odd how some people don't get as excited about electronics as I do. Weirdos.
 
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I'm aiming at building the Trinity B-15 (or the Ceriatone Aunt Peg), but I'm working slowly up to it.

For any first-timers such as myself, I'd recommend a Champ or Princeton (5F2A), which is a Champ with a tone control.

After building my first 5F2A, I've ordered a few more chassis to build the same circuit a couple more times to really get it under my belt. Some people may be able to move faster up the amp-ladder than I can go — like ducks to water, but I'm no duck. A friend of mine is an amp Guru, and he walked me through my first build (actually more of a mod/repair/build — an extremely poor quality cheap kit that was aborted before it truly began — it had a mirrored chassis and a myriad of other maladies). After tube-rolling, I'm a believer: ₦-Omg-$ — why is it we have supposedly better technology now than back in the '40s/'50s/'60s, but we can't make better ₮﷼฿€$ ?


For my next build(s), I'll try to fly more solo, and hopefully it'll go more smoothly with the better non-mirrored chassis.



+1 to Fig's safety assessment, and...



HamishR's Marshall Valvestorm...

PUHDDULLL awwvv DREWWELL!




HamishR — GUTSHOT of the 5F6A PuhLEeAzE!





I honestly never intended to build amps, just a few pedals...
 
update on the 74x - I had to scrap the Mojotone order as their source for transformers (Heyboer) had mandatory shutdowns, and Classic Tone went under completely. To be transparent I am okay with that ( the order cancellation, not the virus-related horror....what kind of person do you think I am? ). ANYWAY, I had changed my mind about a kit altogether, so I am now sourcing the build.

So far I have the chassis, head and speaker cabs, speaker [subject to change], and most of the misc. hardware in-hand. On order I have the transfomers; I went with the Mercury Magnetics Superstack and P18RS PT. Tubes on order; matched pair of Genalex Gold lion EL84s, Genalex Gold lion 12AX7, and a TAD EZ81 - 6CA4. Caps - Mojo Dijon (someone tell me why SoZo would be a better choice, and I'll crank up up PayPal)

The biggest challenge ahead will be finding enough snippets of time to assemble the darned thing.

This build is open to advice, tips, critique, finger-pointing, laughter, and complete and utter disdain...so feel free to chime in.

Thanks for reading


EDIT: How rude of me. I will start another thread. My apologies @duffy_lane .
 
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Never built a tube amp kit because they’re expensive and I always wind up buying parts for something else (like pickups and hardware for a new guitar build, or a bunch of parts to overhaul my garage workshop) before I save up enough for a kit, but if anyone ever came out with a Garnet Herzog tube ‘fuzz’ kit, I’d be all over that.
 
Someone know where can I buy a full kit for Blackface bassman?

Or some good schematic?

Thanks everyone
 
peccary said:
That's a smart way to get exactly what you want, nice. My entire strategy was "bigger and heavier = better." I'm 39 now and didn't realize at the time how quickly things get heavy when you're older... or how much older I feel than I assumed I would... something like that!

Did you build the Fearless yourself or have it made by one of their builders?
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What do you real Bass players think of Hartke, I bought one of there 15" kickbacks for the little bit of bass I play, and to have on hand for small jams
 
Barry said:
What do you real Bass players think of Hartke, I bought one of there 15" kickbacks for the little bit of bass I play, and to have on hand for small jams
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I'd say that they are kind of bullet proof and easy to dial in. I don't think that they are particularly standout in any way, but they are affordable workhorses that don't really give you anything to complain about sound-wise.

I have never owned a Hartke amp but I have played a few of them because they seem to be the bass amp of choice in the few rental practice spaces I've used as well as the house amp at a couple gigs, which I think says a lot about their reliability and ease of use.

It's been a while since I've used one but I used to describe their sound as a bit "clanky" but they can also get a good growl. Not sure what they've been up to the past 5 or so years but I wouldn't kick one out of bed, and they are pretty reasonably priced. I always appreciate brands that focus specifically on bass, too.
 
Barry said:
What do you real Bass players think of Hartke, I bought one of there 15" kickbacks for the little bit of bass I play, and to have on hand for small jams
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By no means am I claiming to be real bass player.....but....

I have the same one. It's tight for sure. It doesn't have a really warm projection, but it will get loud. I run a Boss ME-50 in front of it for simplicity. The Ric 4003 seems overly "brassy" through it, so I typically play my old Jazz Bass with active pups.

I was thinking about opening it up but never got around to it It's currently stowed along with a large portion of my gear.
 
That's a beauty! I see the Mojotone cradle there. What tubes are you running?
 
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