Amp Kits for a first Project

[AGP1]

I am thinking about starting my first amp building project. With no formal background in electronic engineering, but just enough of a basic understanding of the physics to keep from frying myself, getting a kit which offers easy to follow instructions is critical - rather than just a bag of parts and a schematic.

For this project it is not important that it is derived form a particular model,
( would like to eventually build a few different ones) as long as he end product is a quality amp. I have been impressed with many of the builds described in this forum, in particular those form Trinity, are there any others I should consider ?

Thanks
Al
:food-smiley-004:

[Scottone]

You could check out Allen Amplifiers as they have really nice kits. I built one of his "Old Flame" kits a few years ago and it went together with no issues and sounded great.

If it was me though, I'd start with the Trinity Deluxe clone.

[LowWatt]

I am thinking about starting my first amp building project. With no formal background in electronic engineering, but just enough of a basic understanding of the physics to keep from frying myself, getting a kit which offers easy to follow instructions is critical - rather than just a bag of parts and a schematic.

For this project it is not important that it is derived form a particular model,
( would like to eventually build a few different ones) as long as he end product is a quality amp. I have been impressed with many of the builds described in this forum, in particular those form Trinity, are there any others I should consider ?

Thanks
Al
:food-smiley-004:

You've probably seen my Trinity Tweed Deluxe slightly down the list, so you know where I stand, but it's hard to look anywhere else when Trinity is so close in Toronto, has an excellent product and customer support, and you don't have to deal with excessive shipping and border crossing charges.

[Stratin2traynor]

++1. My next kit (as soon as my wife forgets how many amps I have) will be a Trinity as well. Excellent product. Excellent service. Why go anywhere else?

[bcmatt]

I've built several Ceriatone Kits. I would highly recommend them as well.
If you are interested in building your own cabinet, it's a very good way to go. They are all very high quality parts (except the jewel light). I replace them with real fender Jewel lights for less than $4.
I built a Tweed Deluxe clone for a friend and after shipping, taxes, as well as buying a 12" Jensen Speaker, grill cloth, handle and feet from Tubesandmore.com, the whole project came to less than $600. He built his own cabinet out of pine, using the blueprint on my latest blog entry as well. (well he didn't stick too closely to it, but it definitely looks neat and is personalized. It sounds great too. He loves the fact that he has the same amp that Fender has now re-released for $2500 at only one-fifth the price.
I think people are generally afraid of border fees because it comes from Malaysia, but in all my orders, the most I ever has to pay to Canada customs or for Brokerage fees, has never added up to more than $25 (for anything from Ceriatone- and I have done some big orders like 3 amp kits at once). I have much different stories about ordering anything from the states though. I don't understand why this is, but I would say that there is nothing to be afraid of in this case.

[AGP1]

You've probably seen my Trinity Tweed Deluxe slightly down the list, so you know where I stand, but it's hard to look anywhere else when Trinity is so close in Toronto, has an excellent product and customer support, and you don't have to deal with excessive shipping and border crossing charges.

I definitely like the idea of dealing with certainly a Canadian, and even better a local, company. How does the Trinity Tweed compare to the Fender reissue ? and is there much (or any) difference in complexity between the Tweed and the Marshall 18watt clone to build ?

[LowWatt]

I definitely like the idea of dealing with certainly a Canadian, and even better a local, company. How does the Trinity Tweed compare to the Fender reissue ? and is there much (or any) difference in complexity between the Tweed and the Marshall 18watt clone to build ?

The Trinity is definitely better than the current reissue. Better transformers, vintage correct carbon-comp resistors, proper tube compliment (Fender uses a 12AX7 in V1, Trinity uses the vintage correct 12AY7).

My understanding is that the Marshall is slightly more complex, but it is a bigger chassis, so it's also a little roomier to work inside of.

[sliberty]

If you have never built an amp before (kit or otherwise), I'd recommend buying a 5E3 kit from Mission Amps. Bruce Collins puts together a great kit, and offers wonderful support, both on forums and directly. The 5E3 is also a good choice for a first amp build as it is not too complex, and there are many many people who have built them and can offer advice.

Another option would be an amp from the AX84 project. The kits are available through Doberman Amps. Chris Hurley is also very helpful, and the AX84 community can offer excellent support.

I have built from a Ceriatone kit, and Nik does fantastic work putting these kits together. But, there are no instructions, and there is no real support for first time builders. Also, most of Nik's kits are for more complex amps that would not be very appropriate for a first build.

Keep it simple, and have a success under your built before you step up to the next level.

[AGP1]

Thanks for all of the responses. I will check out the websites for the suggested vendors.

I really appreciate the help!

[Ripper]

Don't rule out the weber kits eithers. They are a good option as well.

[sliberty]

The Weber kits are OK, but....

Parts are frequently sub-standard quality.
The fit of various parts is not always perfect with the chassis.
and worst of all
There is no support and no instructions. There is a forum, but that would be your only hope for help.

Given all of this, they are probably among the least expesnive complete kits around, so if cost is a major factor, and you can get help elsewhere, they might be right for you. But if you are on your own, and can pay a little more, Weber might not be the best choice.

[Robert1950]

If I ever get around to trying a build, and that won't likely be for a couple of years for few reasons, I would to start with something simple - like a tweed princeton, in a 1x12 cab. It would be nice I could source components within Canada. If not, I might consider importing the kit w/o cab and speaker - those I would try to get more locally. I haven't tried to solder anything for almost 40 years though, and I've stripped thread trying to change a speaker, and I've bent the prongs while trying to change a tube,.......

[Emohawk]

I would also recommend the Trinity kits for a first build if only for the fantastic support. I built a Trinity 18 sIII for my first build and Stephen was awesome helping me along the way.

I built a 2204 next, but I sourced all the parts myself. Chassis & panels from Nik at Ceriatone, most of the electronic parts from Metroamp, tubes from The Tube Store, and cabinet from Trinity (to fit the Ceriatone JTM45 sized chassis). I did use the Ceriatone layout (with some modifications by Joe Popp and some of my own tweaks).

I've recently built a Trinity Deluxe and I have to say it's a great kit for a first time build. Simple and again great support. It also sounds amazing, by the way!

It's a very gratifying experience - and a great way to get a fantastic amp for a fraction of street price for a re-issue or vintage piece in many cases. Depends on if you want to pay for the snob appeal of having an original I guess. :D

[Ripper]

The Weber kits are OK, but....

Parts are frequently sub-standard quality.
The fit of various parts is not always perfect with the chassis.
and worst of all
There is no support and no instructions. There is a forum, but that would be your only hope for help.

Given all of this, they are probably among the least expesnive complete kits around, so if cost is a major factor, and you can get help elsewhere, they might be right for you. But if you are on your own, and can pay a little more, Weber might not be the best choice.

I have put together 4 weber kits for people, 2 5E3s and 2 6m18s and other than maybe the jacks and switches could have been a bit more robust, I never had an issue with them at all. Two of the amps have been hard giggin for 4 years and other than tube changes I've never had to fix anything else on them for their owners.

[mhammer]

Another approach to that "first amp" is to simply buy one of the small single-ended units that everyone seems to make these days, and mod the crap out of it. To chose from you have the Fender Champion 600, the Epiphone Valve Jr., the Crate VC508, and many others. Thse are all relatively inexpensive, sound great to start with, and hold absolutely no vintage/collectible value so you won't mind tinkering. Saves you all the trouble of installing the transformers and assembling stuff. You can go immediately and directly to the tweaking and experimentation.

[Ripper]

Another approach to that "first amp" is to simply buy one of the small single-ended units that everyone seems to make these days, and mod the crap out of it. To chose from you have the Fender Champion 600, the Epiphone Valve Jr., the Crate VC508, and many others. Thse are all relatively inexpensive, sound great to start with, and hold absolutely no vintage/collectible value so you won't mind tinkering. Saves you all the trouble of installing the transformers and assembling stuff. You can go immediately and directly to the tweaking and experimentation.


A great way to learn how amps function etc as well.

[konasexone]

I'm going to have EL84 power amp boards available soon. I'll post pics of it as soon as its ready. It will sport 4 EL84, and have the option of being biased by cathode resistor or by adjustable regulator at the control grid. All connectors will be keyed Molex. The power supply board will follow and then preamp module.
All boards will be high quality PCB's from an offshore source. I myself junked a Peavey classic 50 and I'm replacing the less than stellar circuitry in it for something more tailored to my own liking , more durable and much more reliable.
My boards will have the option of installing connectors on either side of them to accommodate for different chassis set-ups.