New guy needing help making an amp

[torea]

Hey all,

I'm rather new to this, but am hoping you can point me in the right direction.

I have a Wurlitzer Tone Cab that I want to use for electric piano, and as a guitar effect cab. It has 6 speakers - 2-12", 2-3", and 2-4" speakers.

I'd prefer it to be tube, but any tips will be much appreciated =)


Thanks!

[selloutrr]

going to need more information.

build history / experience?

do you have the supplies to build an amplifier

what ohm load is the cabinet. wattage

do you need a preamp or will a power amp work?

budget?

it might be cheaper to purchase a used amp.

what tone, wattage, size, etc are you hoping to achive?

[torea]

going to need more information.

build history / experience?

do you have the supplies to build an amplifier

what ohm load is the cabinet. wattage

do you need a preamp or will a power amp work?

budget?

it might be cheaper to purchase a used amp.

what tone, wattage, size, etc are you hoping to achive?

I've got little experience, but I have a local tech who I think can help me if I can show him what I'm doing.

I don't know what supplies I need, I'm trying to get a picture of what this is going to take. I know it's more complicated than just soldering some wires, but I don't know where to look or what to look for.

Unfortunately, I don't know the wattage or loads. I got this thing free and haven't found any info on it whatsoever.

I'll probably need a preamp.

Not sure on a budget at the moment. Just trying to get a picture for what it will take

Can you recommend any amps that can power this kind of thing?

Tonewise, I have a Fender Hot Rod amp that sounds great with the piano, if that helps. The amp for this cab doesn't need to be incredibly powerful, it'll only be used for recreation and recording.


Thanks for the help, sorry I'm slow on this. Like I said, I don't really know much here, but I'm trying to learn

[torea]

Alright, I did some more research, and asked around elsewhere.

I was told doing 2 or 3 separate amps might be the easiest way. So I'm thinking something along the lines of a 50-100W amp for the 12"s (Tube or solid state), and maybe 15-20W tube amp for the little speakers?

[Super_Reverb]

Alright, I did some more research, and asked around elsewhere.

I was told doing 2 or 3 separate amps might be the easiest way. So I'm thinking something along the lines of a 50-100W amp for the 12"s (Tube or solid state), and maybe 15-20W tube amp for the little speakers?

One thing I'd suggest is figure out if the creative part of you wants to go the distance to craft an amp, while learning how amplifier circuits work and the finer points of circuit design and component selection

OR

Does the frugal part of you want to build a high sonic quality and sturdy amp for significantly less money that you can buy one on the street?

If it's the former, suggest building a smallish and simple 2 x EL84 PP or 6L6/EL34/6550 SE amp as a project to hone your mechanical and electrical skills prior to undertaking a larger, more complex amp project.

If it's the latter, think hard about jumping into a large amp build.

If you build, you'll need to spend significant time in your design phase to make sure the preamp, power amp, power supply, and any desired special features will mesh into one amp that you're happy with. Even if you build a classic amp, using someone else's design, you need to know how it works to debug it and to fine tune the sound when you are finished.

cheers,

rob

[Cygnus X1]

It took me a good 15 years before I finally decided to "jump in the pool".
While doing mods, tweaks, and minor repairs.

In the meantime I gathered up probably 10 thousand dollars worth of tools, equipment, and parts.

You can probably squeak by with a thousand dollars to start.

I always recommend build a 5F1 Champ first project.
And READ, then ask questions.
Always SAFETY FIRST!
(That's why actual builders are very shy about giving advise to beginners...it's not that they are snobs, they just don't want anyone to get hurt).

[Cliff Schecht]

My dad got me a '59 BMRI when I was fairly young (thanks dad!) and this was my main amp for a good 6 years until it got stolen a few years back. Getting that stolen, being a EE student, being broke and not having a usable amp is what drove me to start building guitar amps. Luckily I had been collecting/hoarding tubes and parts since before I started college.. I'm sure others here have spent lots of time digging through boxes in garages, basements, sheds and junk/surplus stores (as well as eBay and CL nowadays).

And that's just collecting parts, also like others said it's important to not just be able to fit parts together but to understand what the parts do individually and as a whole. The true gurus are the ones who can do this and understand things on many different levels (i.e. understanding things at system level as well as the discrete level, much like an IC designer).

[torea]

Hey, thanks for all the replies

To Super_Reverb: It's a bit of both, frugality and curiosity. If I could track down and buy one of the vintage amps that belongs in one of these beautiful cabs, I would. But unfortunately, tracking one down will prove very difficult, and buying it will cost much more than I'd like. Plus I've always wanted to know how the amps work, and always wondered about making one.

I'm thinking maybe I'll make a small simple amp that I can hopefully use to power the small speakers (or at least two of em), then move on to the big amp for the bass side.


To Cygnus X1: I hear ya on safety. I'm in absolutely no rush to get a new spikey haircut before my funeral. I've been talking to a local tech, and while he doesn't know anything about this particular cabinet, he might be able to coach me through amp building. At least spot check before I run power through so I don't get zapped. I'll try to have more formulated and directed questions in the future, just at the moment I'm still a bit too new to know what my questions should be.

To Cliff Schecht: I'm hoping I can start scavenging *ahem* I mean collecting parts. The guy who I got the cab from has tons of old amp stuff, and it seems like he's willing to give away everything but tubes. So if nothing else, I'm sure I can at least get some parts (tons of empty chassis) from him for little or nothing.



Alrighty, well since posting, I found this site/schematic - http://www.ax84.com/p1x.html - I've been reading the FAQ on that site since there's a lot of the fundamental stuff there. I was thinking maybe that amp could power my little speakers. Can you guys tell me what I need to find out to check that? Like I said, unfortunately I don't know what the speakers are ohm/wattage-wise.


Thanks so much =)