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AUDIO FORUMS >> D.I.Y. >> DIY tube guitar amp and speaker
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Message started by Andy P on 09/18/20 at 21:40:03

Title: DIY tube guitar amp and speaker
Post by Andy P on 09/18/20 at 21:40:03

Hello, I am wanting to make a guitar amp And cabinet For my daughter with a smallish Zen style tube amp and an 8 or 10 inch Speaker so she can jam in her apartment or w a small group. Looking for a great sound and lots of fun to play. Can anybody in the group lead me toward some ideas? Lower cost is good but great sound is paramount. Thanks In advance for any ideas.

Title: Re: DIY tube guitar amp and speaker
Post by Lonely Raven on 09/29/20 at 23:16:35

I would just look at any of the Fender Blackface amps from the 60s. Simple point to point design, clean to nice tube overdrive sound, and you can go with an inexpensive kit, or hand select parts and go crazy with boutiqueness.

http://fenderguru.com/amps/champ/

http://fenderguru.com/amps/deluxe/

http://fenderguru.com/amps/princeton-reverb/

In the past, I've rescued parted out amps on eBay like '63 Champ transformers, then built a Deluxe or Princeton sized cabinet for the little Champ. Eventually I also built a Deluxe and Princeton Reverb. You can build according to your skill level and the volume/tone your daughter needs.

The Champ is super simple and a great practice amp that takes pedals...again, I highly recommend scaling up the cabinet and speaker to at least a 10" to make it a more well rounded amp.

Title: Re: DIY tube guitar amp and speaker
Post by Dominick on 09/30/20 at 01:02:43

My first guitar amp was a Fender tube bass amp. It housed four 8” speakers and I believe it was from the early 70’s. It had amazing punch and grunt!! I was like 14 at the time. I eventually upgraded to Peavy Stereo Chorus 400 due to the portability... but it was solid state. Biggest mistake I made was trading in that tube bass amp. I played an outdoor concert in HS and on like level 3 I was louder than the drummer.

You cannot go wrong with a Fender Tube amp...they have a sound like no other.

Dom

Title: Re: DIY tube guitar amp and speaker
Post by Lon on 09/30/20 at 01:17:19

Dom, Steve used to make a little guitar amp, I bet he still could assist if you contacted him. Basically a Zen amp in his cabinet.

Personally I totally understand the love of that tube bass amp. I have a '59 Bassman LTD Reissue and it's great. But to be honest I now use two other amps that surprisingly I like more and they are not all tube. One is a Fender TV Bassman Fifteen. Tremendous solid state (perhaps Class D?) amp with a 12AU7 preamp. Honest to gosh it has so much depth and texture and sounds like the worlds quietest powerful tube amp. The other is my jazz guitar amp, a Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight SE that I have that only has a clean channel (shop I got it from says it was a prototype, also had a special wine finish. This devil is light (separate head and cabinet) and rich and again totally quiet but tube-like, and there's no tube inside. . . . Shocks me that they are my preferred amps.

If you don't want to DYI these are worth seeking out (discontinued now).

Haven't found my photo of the Jazzmaster Ultralight yet.

Title: Re: DIY tube guitar amp and speaker
Post by Dominick on 09/30/20 at 03:05:31

Lon...I did not know Steve used to build a small tube guitar amp. I bet it sounds awesome. I may have to talk to him about that the next time I put a call into Decware.

My current practice amp is a little Peavy Auditon 20. I have had it for probably 25 years and it still is a fun little amp to play with.

I have seen a number of amps that are using the 12AU7 as a preamp and sound phenomenal. I played around with a small VOX that sounded really nice for the size. My niece started playing, and I was in charge of picking out a few amps for her to demo and the choose. Talk about fun !!

Dom

Title: Re: DIY tube guitar amp and speaker
Post by Lon on 09/30/20 at 07:01:35

I played drums with a guitarist who for several decades ran a Peavey that he abused he used it so hard. It kept on dishing out and he relied on it to have his very own sound. What a great guitarist he was . . . until he became so deeply immersed in the world of Scientology that he gave it up. . . .

I bet it WAS great fun to shop amps with your niece!

Attached is a photo of my Jazzmaster Ultralight SE when I purchased it, it's such a great amp:

Title: Re: DIY tube guitar amp and speaker
Post by Dominick on 09/30/20 at 20:07:39

Lon that Jazzmaster is beautiful !! I bet it has amazing sound. I love that it has a separate head. Definitely way better than being integrated into the cabinet.

Yes the Peavy amps can definitely take a beating. My Stereo Chorus 400 has seen guitars, male vocals, keyboards, and I even used to play music in a wedding hall that was interfaced through my iPad for a family party. It carried so well that the owner though I was a DJ and wanted to hire me.

Dom

Title: Re: DIY tube guitar amp and speaker
Post by carrollcota on 01/07/21 at 03:08:55

Very Nice!