What was your very first build?

[blues junkie]

So I have caught the amp building bug BAD. I have been doing ALOT of reading and doing research about amps. I really want to tackle a D-style build... but realize how difficult they are for a first time builder. I am considering doing a first build on a Mission 5E3 Deluxe and while I don't really have any interest in this style of amp I can't think of any other way to get Started in building amps.

So my question to all the good folks here is... What was your first build? Did you jump right into a Dumble build or did you work your way up?

I have very good soldering skills and I can understand a Layout and a schematic.

Sooooooo.... How did you get started?

Thanks.

[Berger]

My first build was the ax84 firefly. I built the pcb version from calhoun.

I came more from building pedals and the pcb was familiar for me to work on..then I moved on to turrets,etc

[Structo]

I built a Brown Note D'lite 44 which is a type of Dumble clone but a lite version.
I'd had a lot of electronic experience and training but had been away from it for a long time.
My biggest problem was tube theory, I never learned much about it because in school they pretty much skipped over it as solid state was coming on strong.
That turned out well enough and then I built a few more small amps just for fun.

Then last year I built a 100w ODS from scratch.

You are right those are a complex amp and has a lot of wiring.

I'm 54 and built the D'lite in 2007.

[mlp-mx6]

Took a Bassman head and did the "Bluesmaster" mod from John McIntyre (published in Guitar Player). Next I took a silverface Vibro Champ and made it into a mini-Bassman. I had a friend custom-build a cabinet for it. The bug REALLY bit after that one.

[glasman]

My first build was a long time ago. It was called the PlexiVerb. Kinda plexi wtih my own reverb concoction. El34's. It later became a Trainwreck clone and now sites in my Storage locker to age gracefully.

Actually used a plexiglass board for the components. Still ahve that board haning on the wall of my shop. used brass pins for ties point. State of the are.

Gary

[ER]

You won't really learn the important stuff by building a kit, it might help your confidence in the beginning though. I would think about what you really want in an amp and start figuring out how to get THAT.

Just as an analogy, you might think you want a ford mustang or a chevy camaro, or a corvette or a cobra, but if you're building from the ground up, is that what you really want in the end? Some people spend a lot of money on the hunt, and get there by chance (if they're lucky) after many wrong turns. What did the chesire cat say "if you don't know where you're going it doesn't matter which way you go"?

My journey with amps started when I was a kid and my grandpa gave me an old SS bassman 100 he dug out of the dumps that I promptly turned into smoke. I would kill stuff not knowing any better and would consult with the only electronics people I knew (HP engineers at my church) who didn't really know the old tube stuff, so the library, old schematics, high school electronics, and finally by the time I knew enough to be dangerous (and what questions to ask) along comes the internet and lots of helpful nice people to fill in the blanks (there's still quite a few; nice people and blanks that is). Mostly it was because if I wanted to play I needed to take care of and fix my amps myself Marshalls, Hiwatts, Fenders, boogies, dean markleys, Just enough to acquire them but not enough to have someone else keep them happy and running.

My first amplifier built was a pair of simple single ended hi-fi amps built from salvaged parts. Then a few single ended guitar amps, again from salvaged parts. Then I built a tweed bandmaster again from salvaged parts. I mostly look at my junk box and think what could I make out of this. The only amp I've bought everything for is my dumble project, and I'm taking my sweet time with it for a number of reasons, but mostly it's a refining process honing in on my dream guitar amp to get the tone I hear in my head.

Not because these are the "ultimate" amp, or sell for 40k or whatever, but because I hear Lowell George, David Lindley, Steve Kimock, 1970's Jerry Garcia, Texas Flood, and yes even....Henry Kaiser (O.K. I said it!). Not so much the gear page ultimate man toy but the elusive "fender built right".

A dumble is not a dumble, there are many flavors and camps.
Soldering skills and understanding a schematic or layout is just the tip of the iceberg. What do you want in an amp? What kind of guitar do you play, what music style, what tone do you hear in your head, your "voice" to express yourself musically? Even Dumble wouldn't build an amp without knowing this from a client.

Amp building takes a lot of time and energy, especially d-style amps As with any major project it's good to have a clear goal of what you want to end up with and why.

I'm not trying to dump cold water on your project just the opposite, lots of folks here can steer you in the right direction if you can clarify what you are looking for. A kit won't give you any of the how and why that you really need to tackle a dumble project. Enjoy the journey. Not to sound all zen or anything but I've learned more by not building amps than the other way around. The collective memory and learning from others sharing their mistakes here is priceless.

-E

[John_P_WI]

Started fooling around with a Carvin X100 B in the 80's when I was a little metal head. Shocked the crap of me "learning".

Then:

Took a Bassman head and did the "Bluesmaster" mod from John McIntyre (published in Guitar Player).

Yeah, me too. Built it in the early-mid 90's, gigged with it for blues. Would really sing if you could open it up. Modded the head a few years ago to a plate loaded tone stack with 4 gain stages - Yeah man!

Built lot's of Plexi's, Fenders etc in the past. Today, I have hosed my hearing enough from the past that I only try to build amps that sound good at lower volumes.

[boldaslove6789]

The first thing I started doing was modding Fender amps to Dumble spec's (tonestack values, plate values etc.) and cap jobs.

I would just ask all my friends that had beat up old fender's and Marshalls and started to offer cap jobs for free or mods for free but all at the cost of parts.

That turned into gutting and rebuilding mod amps after I had done soo many mods to them, then on to building them from scratch. it took me a few years to really grasp tube amps and the way they work, voicing them, etc.

You'll start to find your rhythm after a while

If you're going to build a small wattage tube amp I highly suggest just finding a schematic and layout for the amp you wish to build and sourcing all the parts by yourself. This will give you a chance to find out what components are what and what they do, component values, etc..

A good book that I highly suggest too is:

"The guitar amp handbook" by Dave Hunter

It's a good read for any builder I think, whether you're a Pro or DIY'er

[Luthierwnc]

My first hackery was a Bluesmaker from McIntyre as well. I used a late SF Super Reverb. That amp became a lot of different things and had the holes to prove it.

The first build was converting the components of en Eico HF20 (I think -- the 2 EL84 power amp) into a Spitfire 1X12 combo. I think one of my nephews has it now. sh

[stevlech]

5F6a was my first build. After that, bought a Super Reverb kit but never finished it. Now that I think of it, that chassis should be brought to it's fullest potential- D' style. I've done a couple of 5E3 variations and an AC30 type amp as well. I'm still working on the confidence to tackle the Dumble circuits, though.

[blues junkie]

WOW lots of great stories.

ER- You make alot of sense...Thankyou. I pretty much am not sure a Kit is the way to go... it would be fun , but I don't think I'll get alot out of it. I thought of looking for a old Bassman or Bandmaster and modding the hell out of it. I don't own an amp right now so I can't even mess with something just to learn on. My buddy wants me to mess around with his Blues Deluxe but.... I don't want to F**k it up. I play Blues/Blues Rock, my main and only guitar is a PRS DGT that I saved a Long time for.

I guess my idea of a perfect amp would be a single channel amp with big fat cleans (6L6's?) very touch sensitive that can get great overdrive (think ODS meets Trainwreck) with just the twist of the guitar volume. Though I still love the characteristics of a Dumble style amp.

Boldaslove6789- I have "The Guitar Amp Handbook" I have read it more times than I can remember... It's a great book.

Any other book recomendations would be great.

The biggest problem is I don't even own an amp to tear into. If anyone has any suggestions to what would be a good cheap amp to purchase to experimemt on that would be very helpfull. I do own a Mustang III but... I don't consider that a proper amp to learn on.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks.

[M Fowler]

Started in 8th grade through high school modding the Zenith tube amps found every where some were single 6V6 and some were Push-Pull 6V6.

Added input jack and speaker jack. Most of these didn't need any fixing they worked. People would just throw them out.

My cheap CHAMP.

Mark

[John_P_WI]

Any other book recomendations would be great.

Thanks.

Kevin O'Connor's The Ultimate Tone 3 would be a great book to have as it covers various builds and building techniques.

[overtone]

I think I learnt most by fixing old junk amps at the same time as builds made from any old schematic that seemed to have a pretty pattern...

The first build was indeed a kit. (Champ type) My intention was just get enough knowledge to service my old seventies British amps.
The kit did not really get me there. At that stage I was so cautious (scared) it was probably difficult to take much on board anyway. I was wearing rubber gloves the whole time and her-indoors would stand nearby with a big broom ready to give me a good whack if I started to go up in smoke.

There is a lot of ground to cover and experience to muster, but after fixing a good few rats-nest 50s garbage amps without schematics there won't be much that will scare you any more. Playing those things can be really very entertaining and rewarding.

Consider a mix of building from well documented projects, such as you can find here, and some good old rats-nest insanity. That will get you learning. If it is just a one amp and be done with it plan, then take a look at the Rocket.

Good luck! Best, tony

[Gibsonman63]

A kit would be better than a lot of the newer PC board amps as far as experimenting and modding. The problem with the newer amps is the construction. You'll be half an hour getting it apart enough to solder, then its really easy to damage the PC board if you aren't experienced with a soldering iron. A vintage Fender takes a couple of minutes, but do you really want to learn on a (potentially) valuable amp? Build something you can easily swap componants on and have fun.

PA amps from the 50s and 60s may be a good compromise. You can get a Bogen relatively inexpensively and convert it to a 5E3. Or buy an organ chassis. Lots of people are gutting those these days and selling the complete chassis.

I learned on my own amplifier collection. You get to a point when you have a few that you don't play much, they don't do so well and I was not finding anyone around here that I really trusted. I spent a couple of years reading, hanging out here and other forums and going through all of my amps getting them in playing condition. Then I built an Express, even though it was not recommended for a first build.