Samuel Burns Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 (edited) I've been toying with the idea lately to build a tube amp from a kit. Has anyone here ever tried one that they can recommend? Are there any tips in general, because I don't want to start something that for marketing reasons is represented as fairly easy. I have some background as a hobby electronic and from technical education in high school so I believe I can finish a kit. Edited July 14, 2021 by Samuel Burns 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Any battery operated kit (i.e. low voltage), go ahead. Anything that includes 230 V, beware. If you do not have licences, you are not permitted to sell it, probably not even connect it to live wire. The idea itself is fine. It is still wise to give the ready unit to someone who is able to debug the system, before connecting it to 230. Now I have said it, and I am serious about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Burns Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 To be honest I have never really thought about the legal side of things. I'm not planing on building to sell on, but you made a solid point. I'd have to check with local laws on the issue. Any insights on the actual task at hand? Are these kits calculated to last or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottastopbuyinggear Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 (edited) A few years ago I built this - effectively a Fender Champ clone but with s solid state rather than valve rectifier: http://www.ampmaker.com/store/WF-55-4w-tweed-style-amp.html. However it seems that AmpMaker aren't currently taking orders (check the site for the reason - I daren't mention the word here!), so I'm not sure whether this will be an option within the next few months. I spent quite a lot of time looking around for a suitable kit and at the time, for UK based suppliers at least, couldn't find very much at all other than AmpMaker. There's quite a lot of stuff available from the US as I recall, and I also looked at a far east company called Ceriatone who had a pretty comprehensive range. From a quick search it does look like there might be more options in the UK now, though. (Edit - just spotted that you're in Germany, so these comments probably aren't relevant!) I found the instructions very comprehensive. I spent a lot of time reading through them before I even bought the kit, and followed them to the letter. I have a healthy appreciation of the dangers of 230v AC, but if you heed the warnings, follow the instructions carefully, and do absolutely all the checks, then you should be able to build safely. I built the amp over a few days in the Christmas holiday period, maybe spending a couple of hours a day on it. The one small thing I did over and above the instructions when I was testing was to use a second multimeter constantly attached to the power supply capacitors so that I could always see whether they held any charge or not. The one I built was a turret board construction, and came with a pre-drilled chassis. To answer the question "will it last", then I'd say absolutely yes, as long as you build it carefully in the first place. A final comment on safety. You absolutely can't take any chances. If you have even the slightest doubt about understanding the schematic (I don't mean how the amp works, but how to wire it up according to the schematic and instructions), or having the relevant practical skills to construct the circuit board, mount it and the other components, wire it all up correctly, and carry out all the tests, then you probably shouldn't embark on the project. Edited December 17, 2019 by Gottastopbuyinggear 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Burns Posted December 17, 2019 Author Share Posted December 17, 2019 4 hours ago, Gottastopbuyinggear said: A few years ago I built this - effectively a Fender Champ clone but with s solid state rather than valve rectifier: http://www.ampmaker.com/store/WF-55-4w-tweed-style-amp.html. However it seems that AmpMaker aren't currently taking orders (check the site for the reason - I daren't mention the word here!), so I'm not sure whether this will be an option within the next few months. I spent quite a lot of time looking around for a suitable kit and at the time, for UK based suppliers at least, couldn't find very much at all other than AmpMaker. There's quite a lot of stuff available from the US as I recall, and I also looked at a far east company called Ceriatone who had a pretty comprehensive range. From a quick search it does look like there might be more options in the UK now, though. (Edit - just spotted that you're in Germany, so these comments probably aren't relevant!) I found the instructions very comprehensive. I spent a lot of time reading through them before I even bought the kit, and followed them to the letter. I have a healthy appreciation of the dangers of 230v AC, but if you heed the warnings, follow the instructions carefully, and do absolutely all the checks, then you should be able to build safely. I built the amp over a few days in the Christmas holiday period, maybe spending a couple of hours a day on it. The one small thing I did over and above the instructions when I was testing was to use a second multimeter constantly attached to the power supply capacitors so that I could always see whether they held any charge or not. The one I built was a turret board construction, and came with a pre-drilled chassis. To answer the question "will it last", then I'd say absolutely yes, as long as you build it carefully in the first place. A final comment on safety. You absolutely can't take any chances. If you have even the slightest doubt about understanding the schematic (I don't mean how the amp works, but how to wire it up according to the schematic and instructions), or having the relevant practical skills to construct the circuit board, mount it and the other components, wire it all up correctly, and carry out all the tests, then you probably shouldn't embark on the project. Thank you. I was actually going to try and source a decent kit from the UK, because the pricing in Germany is ridiculous! I haven't built anything in a long time, but I have a very good understanding of circuit schematics although my builds where hi-fi amplifiers, pedals, power supplies and in general devices operating with low voltages and currents. My concerns where about how carefully these amps where designed and if people have actually built and operated them sucessfully. I will be having a lot of time off in the coming year and I wanted to put my time into builds that don't take up much space, are rewarding and when finished have a function other than hanging from a wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 On 16/12/2019 at 18:34, itu said: Any battery operated kit (i.e. low voltage), go ahead. Anything that includes 230 V, ... probably not even connect it to live wire. No law about that in the UK. It's not difficult to make anything using mains voltages safely, if you buy a kit it should explain what you need to do. If it doesn't send it back. If you already have some hobby electronic experience you have the basic skills, just follow the instructions carefully and test it properly. Valves are more challenging so you do need to be careful, and as well as following the design, make sure things like fusing, polarity, earthing are all done properly and for the construction make sure all high voltage points are inaccessible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirky Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 (edited) I've made two ampmaker kits, the WF55 mentioned above, and the P18, and 18 watter now discontinued. I've got it's successor, the P1800 in a box waiting for some time to get started on it. The instructions provided are very good. Prior to making my first I'd made a few pedals and done some pedal mods, always following instructions. Both amps I've made will last a lifetime I'm sure, they're both very decent quality. There are certainly a few nervous moments when you do the first tests, but following the instructions carefully gave me confidence. However next time I might get a friend who is a more experienced builder to give it the once over before I do the live tests. Edited December 17, 2019 by Kirky 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassalarky Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 I have made an Ampmaker SE5 kit. It was great, with excellent instructions. One thing I might suggest in addition to all the good advice above - perform a thorough PAT test on your finished amp. There will be someone local who can do it if you're not qualified yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cattytown Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Another ampmaker customer here. I did a WF-55 as well. Nice and simple instructions. I have a prototype of his alembic pre replica to build, but it was bought just before a really bad time in my life so I am having trouble getting round to attacking it... P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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