tube amp building

[dreamtwofly]

i have recently become very interested in the technical side behind my tone. Id really like to be able to perhaps one day build an amp from scratch, but i dont have much background knowledge as far as circuit boards and what not. Are there any DVDs or good websites that anybody can recomend that will get me started from a beginners standpoint.

[Cliff Schecht]

For guitar amps, check out the Valve Wizard (http://www.freewebs.com/valvewizard/) and for general tube audio, Pete Millet's site (www.pmillet.com).

It's going to take a lot of time, mind you. It's not that tubes are hard to design with, it just takes a certain amount of understanding of how the current/electrons flow and how the tubes physically work. It helps to get this before you'll really start to understand what makes an amplifier sound good/bad and what your limits are. You're going to spend a lot of time reading and trying to understand but practice and persistence pay off IMO. Make sure to learn about things like the Miller effect, gain bandwidth product, and pay special attention to the frequency/phase characteristics and stability of amplifiers. Feedback is also an incredibly important topic and having a thorough understanding of it will really help bring you to the next level as far as tube (and general electronics) design goes.

Good luck in your endeavor and make sure to ask a lot of questions, no question is stupid. And most importantly, you're working with dangerous high voltages so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE study the general safety guidelines for working with tube amps!

[martin manning]

The "Garage Talk" location is not the obvious place to look for this, but here's a link to a lot of other links:

https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.ph ... g+material

[Andy Le Blanc]

www.pmillet.com

www.tech-systems-labs.com/books.htm

These two are the only valid informational resources on line.
You can get the books on library exchange and verify the information
as valid bibliographical references.
You cant do that with a web site, no matter how many online rail that you can.

Most of the battle is finding extant and valid information.
If your near a college with a tech library put in the time with hard copy, used books etc...
find and build your own collection of reference materials.

The best way to do it is to simply get your hands dirty, get a soldering iron and basic digital meter,
find some junk and take it apart, use the parts,
put it back together, etc.... A lot of the fellows here have used kits.
I started before the inter web BS with trash gear, pawn pickings etc...

In the long run there's no good substitute for practical experience.
The first couple three projects are intimidating, but its very satisfying
to build toward a practical result, like a guitar amp, hifi pre, etc..

Welcome...

[67plexi]

You will need to tool up and get familiar with test instruments:
Millimeter, fluke 87-V you need a good meter.
A variable autotransformer
A tube tester
A soldering station
ESR capacitance tester
100 MHZ oscilloscope
A function generator
A drill press and a hand drill and cobalt drills and Uni-bits.
A reamer, nut drivers, ¼” socket set, screwdriver set.
Hand tools Kline tools hold up well. Wire cutters, wire strippers, pliers.
Measuring tools, I like INCRA rules for layout.
Books, start with basic you need to know ohm’s law, AC and DC voltages
Try to find someone in your town that builds amps the old ham radio guys are a wealth of information and can set you on the right track.
You will find out that it’s cheaper to have someone else build the amp for you
But it will not as rewarding.
Parts will be a big learning curve and it’s not cheap to stock
You should start off with a basic amp kit you can get one for $500-$1000 USD.
Safety first you will be dealing with lethal voltages.