Want to build a TW Express- How do I get started?

[blues junkie]

Want to build my own amp this will be my first venture into this. On the upside I'm a experienced auto mechanic of 25 years.I'm very good with a soldering iron and I can read electrical diagrams. So how do I get started?The TW Express is the amp I want to clone.Any help on this woul be great.

Thanks
Chuck.

[Structo]

If you haven't built an amp before you are starting with a sort of maniac amp for a first build.
From the layout and schematic, they don't look too scary but they are spec'd to be on the verge of insanity (instability).
If you don't get all your ducks in a row and have a pretty good grasp at what is going on inside an amp, this amp probably is not a good first one to build.
From what I have read it is a troubleshooters amp.

They can squeal, hum, go freaky, etc. because of the circuit.
Ken Fischer built each one as an individual and had to resort to various tricks to make each one voiced to it's new owner and to be stable.
I haven't built one but I'm sure others will chime in on if this is a good first build for somebody.

If I were you I would build a kit as the first amp.
It can be frustrating to source all the parts ( chassis, transformers, components, etc) to say the least.
Take a look at Weber kits or Allen to get the first one under your belt.

[Ron Worley]

Look on the Amp Garage Wiki, there you will find a very detailed Bill of Material that I put together.

I am also almost done with a Build Guide, which Omar has indicated that he will also put on the Wiki...

This is a handful as a first build.. I know, I just did it....

I have been working on amps for several years and this is a demanding mofo... but boy is it worth it at the end. My advice (if you're going to try anyway) is to pour over the Francesca picks in the files section, and build it as exactly to that standard as your skills allow. Shitty wiring, soldering, components etc. are not tolerated well by this amp.

Ron

[DocJames]

Hey there's a question. How do I get on the amp garage wiki page. it tells me that I can't load wiki.ampgarage.com (or whatever the link was in omars post a few years ago). Is there a different URL to get to it, or a link somewhere?

James

[Ron Worley]

Works fine for me:

http://ampgarage.com/wiki

RLW

[Phil_S]

IMO, an Express is way too difficult, for reasons cited above, for a first build. There is much that a trained eye and mind will see and know, but a beginner will miss. I think, if I may say, you will be frustrated by this amp as a first attempt. Sure, you can put it together, all the parts seemingly in the right place. That doesn't mean it will sound good.

Build something simple first. Actually, build two or three that are progressively more complex and work your way up to the Express. I think the Express was my 8th attempt to build an amp and it still isn't quite what I'd like it to be.

You can build a Fender Champ or something from www.ax84.com. These are appropriate for a first build. As you build, you will start to "see" things in a different way. You'll learn how to cut wire the right length and get it tied in neatly. (Neatness doesn't necessarily count, but it helps a great deal.) You'll learn about wire placement. If you have trouble, a simpler amp will be easier to trouble shoot.

As you might imagine, amp building is addictive. Be careful.

[blues junkie]

Thanks for everyone's feedback and I think I'll start small and someday work my way up.I have an amp builder here in town that will build me a TW Express.So I think I will go that route.I must say ever sense I heard Glens sound clips of his TW ,the sound has been haunting me.I know most of it is in his hands ,but the way a TW responds to picking and volume tweaks to the guitar is definatley what I'm after.

[Ron Worley]

Na.... it's all the Wreck, Glenn's hands have nothing to do with it....

Actually, I am nowhere near the player Glenn is, but I will tell you that given the 20 minutes or so I have played my new creation, this bad Mama Jama will inspire you to things you couldn't do without it....

I agree that for me, it's all inspired by Glenn- Hands, Heart and Express....

Ron

[RockNRollDr]

Hey man, don't let these guys get you down, if you do plenty of research before hand you should have no problem. I finished my first amp back in February and guess what, it was an Express. I have no electrical experience, but I did my homework and learned everything possible about electronics and the Trainwreck circuitry, and it fired up the first time with no noise. I will warn you though that this is addictive because I just finished a Liverpool for my second build and I am getting ready to start a Rocket. Good luck in whatever you decide to build.

[philmanatee]

An express was my first full build and it worked and still works great. Prior to that I installed a metro point to point kit in a jtm-45 reissue, and I have changed out a lot of capacitors. Phil