Anyone Built a Guitar Amp From a Kit?

[p1p]

That's a time machine!

I've played with the idea of building one, but although cheaper than buying one outright, I didn't see any resale value one one if I went through with it. Just in case I didn't end up loving it.

[deke]

I have never built an amp, but this post reminded me of a Heath Kit amp I had wayyy back in 1979. It was a tube amp with one 12" or maybe 10". I bought it from another kid in high school and it sounded really nice. Unfortunately I discovered he stole it from a church! I returned it (without snitching), but as odd as it may seem, I never found an amp that had quite the same character and I have owned many many amps.

[bleakanddivine]

Over here, in fact just a couple of miles from here, there is an amp kit supplier who runs workshops where you can build your own amp from a kit in a supervised setting. Anything like that near you?

Amp Building Courses

[Just Russ]

The first thing I tried to build was a Champ kit and it was a horrible experience. It was expensive and supposedly the most specific when it came to instructions, but those instructions didn’t match the actual pieces and the chassis wasn’t even drilled with the right amount of holes. The amp was a disaster, even after the constant back-and-forth with the company to get the details hammered out.

Then I bought some pedal kits from Mod Kits DIY and those were REALLY simple to put together. The instructions couldn’t be better and it really helped build some confidence. I eventually ordered their cheapest amp and put that together over a few days and had a good time.

It was absolutely terrifying to turn it on, knowing the power that was going through it. My brother got a real bad shock one day when we were kids and ended up bleeding everywhere (doc said he was lucky he didn’t die) and I have a bit of a fear of getting shocked myself. I ended up using the sole of a Doc Marten to flip the amp on for the rubber sole.

It didn’t sound particularly awesome, but it was a fun experience and I could see doing it again if I knew the instructions were clear and the company was reputable. I’d love to build a Vibro Champ one day.

[Jazzbyus]

I know some of you are very advanced types who can build amps from scratch... I respect you but this question isn't about that.

Has anyone bought a kit, like the ones from Stew-Mac or MojoTones, and assembled it into a solid working amp? I've got the itch to try it, but it's a substantial investment of money and time, not to mention the various incidental hazards of working with stuff that can stop your heart.

Any experiences with amp kits, especially maybe the more complicated, like Princetons or Deluxe Reverbs?

I built a 100 watt plexi clone from a Weber kit. It had no instructions, only a component layout. You will need a volt meter that reads up to 600v. I had one bad component and they responded promptly with a replacement. The only modification was because I did not like the fiber eyelet board. I bought an epoxy circuit board blank from tube depot, turret solder lugs,( and setting tool) and designed my own layout.

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[pilotony]

Hello all,

Has anyone assembled the StewMac tube amplifier kit? I'm thinking that this might be a good quarantine project.

Thanks,
Tony D.

[lawson-stone]

Which one? They have a bunch. Fender Deluxe Reverb, Princeton Reverb, etc. I always wanted to do a Deluxe Reverb...

[pilotony]

Hello Lawson:

Thanks for your reply.

It's the 57 Mini Tweed 5W. My wife was on Amazon this morning and came across this item. I just went to the StewMac web site and saw the other amp kits.

I play in a pit orchestra for a local theater group. Sometimes they need two guitarists and they call another regular who uses a Deluxe Reverb and a Strat. I like that amp/guitar combo since it has a mellow sound with a little crunch. I have a Twin that I only use at home for obvious reasons and a Princeton Reverb reissue. I think the 5W Mini Tweed would be a nice addition and a not too difficult first try at building a kit amp.

Thanks,

Tony

[neatomic]

Take a look at mojo-tone kits as well

Tweed Amp Kits

[vernon]

A 5f1 Tweed Champ is a great project. I built one from Boothill kit... the first and only amp I’ve built. You can do it. Mine was about $200 for the chassis and electronics. Another $200 for a NICE lacquered tweed cabinet and another $75 for speaker and tubes. My only advice is to have someone who knows electronics to go to who can check for missed connections when it doesn’t fire up as expected. Great quarantine project!

[feet]

I've heard good things about the mojotone kits as well.

[Sam Sherry]

. . . the 57 Mini Tweed 5W. . . . I have a Twin that I only use at home for obvious reasons and a Princeton Reverb reissue. I think the 5W Mini Tweed would be a nice addition and a not too difficult first try at building a kit amp.

That amp is certainly a straightforward circuit and StewMac provides great instructions. Those are two great qualities for a first build.

My personal taste, I'm not looking for a 5W 1x8" combo with no tone controls.

The next step up is a 5E3 style 1x12 amp with a tone control. There are bargain 5E3 kits available from Weber and plenty of other places. The bargains come without instructions in the box, but there is plenty of online instruction including Rob Robinette's site.

There is no feeling in the world like firing up a homebuilt amp and having music come out the front with no smoke out the back! Have at it, maestro!

[lawson-stone]

Actually I think the StewMac amp kits ARE the MojoTone kits but with very detailed, well presented instructions and evidently excellent call-in support. They'll do a lot of hand-holding if you need it.

[pilotony]

Actually I think the StewMac amp kits ARE the MojoTone kits but with very detailed, well presented instructions and evidently excellent call-in support. They'll do a lot of hand-holding if you need it.

I just checked out the MojoTone kits Lawson. I think you are correct in that they parallel StewMac's lineup. Thanks for the info

[339 in june]

I went that route some years ago, checked all available 5F1 kits in Europe and US and ended up building my own kit with separate components bought from a German supplier (Hammond transformers and WGS HP)
You can find all schematic or lay-out on the net
I built the chassis with stainless steel I could get at work
I built the cabinet with wine wood boxes
A good project to start with amp building !
Only two problems when I wanted to fire it up :
- one wire soldered in the wrong place : easy to find as 5F1 circuit is quite simple
- output transformer wires were mixed. That was harder to find ! Thanks to an electronic forum, I could find a guy who got the same problem and explained that the supplier change the color code of the wiring without up-dating the specs !
In the end, I have a very light amp, I made by myself, that sounds good and quiet.
I made a NAD thread at that time, but I'm unable to find it with the anemic search motor/engine here !
Here are some pics :


Have fun and stay safe !

[pilotony]

Great job "339"! Very neat soldering on difficult connections along with excellent photos of your work.
With our proximity to NYC, staying safe means staying at home!


Thanks for the photos and info.

Tony D.