i'm a newbie! which is the best way to start?

petesake · Post by **petesake** » Mon 08/28/06 5:12 pm

hi, my name is pete and i'm a newbie. i'm veery interested in putting together an 18 watt amp and i have a couple ways i think i could go about going about it, but i just wanted some advice if that's okay.

i'm thinking either i could buy a kit and wire it up, or i could buy a pre assembled board first and the rest of the materials and go about it that way.

is it best to start out with actually putting everything together?

i'm doing research here on forums and am very impressed with the amount of information.

i'm thinking of getting ThunderTweak's 18 watt board and trannys from Mercury. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Smokin-Tone · Post by **Smokin-Tone** » Mon 08/28/06 5:24 pm

What level of experience do you have? Have you done any repairs /mods or electronic work?

bamboo · Post by **bamboo** » Mon 08/28/06 5:53 pm

Unless you have a fair amount of experience with electronics, reading schematics, and have a good handle on what parts to get from where....I'd think your overall building experience would go much smoother by getting a kit from one of the many vendors which offer a version of the 18watt.

Which kit you get it up to you and if you do a search of the forum you can get an idea of the characteristics and pros and cons of each version/kit.
(as much as I like Mercury Magnetic's transformers for certain projects, I'd have a hard time recommending them for an 18 watt build. There are many others available which are at least as good and much cheaper)

Actually, you are just entering the fun phase of the project. Do the research, look at the different options, check out the sound clips, think about how much gain/crunch you are seaking, what cab configuration works for you, what speakers, how much $ you can invest, etc....This is the part that I really like probably because it's like dreaming about my perfect amp. In fact, I've been jonsing to do a Trinity SIII build because I like the concept and even have a cab ready for it. Just need to get the time and get rid of a couple other amps to make room for a newborn.

Enjoy!

LeeM · Post by **LeeM** » Mon 08/28/06 6:56 pm

YOu might consider starting with a true beginner project like the AX84 P1. Check over at AX84.com for more info. Or an 18 watt Lite.

petesake · Post by **petesake** » Mon 08/28/06 7:44 pm

thank you so much. i have no experience what-so-ever but i'm ready to learn!

ever since the first time i played my friends marshall 18 watt reissue i had to have one. building it sounds more fun.

thanks for the tips guys.

jhegel · Post by **jhegel** » Mon 08/28/06 9:17 pm

Petesake wrote:

i have no experience what-so-ever but i'm ready to learn

I second the AX84 suggestion.

Building a P-1 Extreme would give you alot of good experience and a great sounding amp. Do the Theory documents, get a good kit, it's a great learning experience. More do-able for a first timer than an 18 Watter.

Post by **rjgtr** » Mon 08/28/06 10:36 pm

If you like the sound of an 18 watt then build an 18 watt Lite model amp. It isn't harder than a Champ or P1, and you'll get the tone you want. There's a couple good kits available that will take the guesswork out of parts buying. The full standard 18 watt is a little harder, mostly due to the tremolo circuit. The lite gets you the 18 watt tone without the tremolo.

Smokin-Tone · Post by **Smokin-Tone** » Mon 08/28/06 10:54 pm

I agree with RJ. Get yourself a kit with a good set of instructions. A lite would be a good build and get you the tone you are after. Newbies have sourced all of thier own parts succesfully but odds are you will forget a few things and spend more in freight than if you had just bought the kit. Plus you have no docs or support. There is plenty of help here if you get stuck.

petesake · Post by **petesake** » Mon 08/28/06 11:22 pm

hey, yeah i check'd out the ax84 P1 kit and it looks basic, which i like as a beginner, but the website said it didn't come with any directions. does anybody have any experience with a weber kit? from tedweber.com. apparently it comes with everything including directions.

an 18 watt lite kit sounds just what i want. but first a kit. thanks for your help!

Post by **jaysg** » Tue 08/29/06 12:34 am

petesake wrote:does anybody have any experience with a W**** kit? from tedweber.com. apparently it comes with everything including directions.

Persona non gratis...please go with any other kit possible.

brownnote · Post by **brownnote** » Tue 08/29/06 1:16 am

Go for the LITE...
The P1 is a cool amp for practice and recording, but the LITE is something you can actually gig with.

I did a layout for the LITE that you can find on my website that's pretty easy to follow for a first timer.

You may have a couple of hiccups along the way but nothing that you won't be able to get help with.

pch18 · Post by **pch18** » Tue 08/29/06 8:55 am

rjgtr wrote:If you like the sound of an 18 watt then build an 18 watt Lite model amp. It isn't harder than a Champ or P1, and you'll get the tone you want. There's a couple good kits available that will take the guesswork out of parts buying. The full standard 18 watt is a little harder, mostly due to the tremolo circuit. The lite gets you the 18 watt tone without the tremolo.

Hi petesake,

The 18Watt Lite sounds like it would be a good choice for you as it has the tone you are after, and I found it to be an easy build. Rocco at BrownNote http://www.bnamp.com/ has a great kit for the Lite at a great price - I chose his kit to do my first amp build and as matter of fact I fired it up for the first time last night. The kit sounds and looks great!

Just to give you an idea of how easy building an 18Lite is - I'm really new to this and the only experience I have with tube amps is doing some simple modifications to the Epi VJR (i.e. this is my first build of any amp) and it worked the very first time I powered up, so the build is pretty straightforward. I did however read lots of info on Safety and working with high voltages before I started, as well as checking and double checking my work against the layout and schematic before I applied power. Rocco has his own website with his own forum to support his kits and he also is very active on 18watt so questions are always answered within a matter of hours, if not sooner. As this was my first build, I had lots of questions which Rocco answered very quickly and he uses top notch parts for his kits. There aren't any step by step instructions that I know of, but between the schematic, the layout on his website and his great help with any questions I had, I really didn't need them.

Please let us know what you end up doing! Good luck on your first build - it's quite a rush when you finally flip the switches and that incredible tone fills the room ....

If you are interested in taking a look at some pictures of the amp here are some pictures (I'll update them later):

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/vie ... &members=1

If you are interested in the combo 1x12 cabinet I'm building for the amp here are some pics. It's nearly finished, but not quite:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/vie ... &members=1

This is my first attempt to build a cab so it's far from perfect ...

spunky · Post by **spunky** » Tue 08/29/06 9:51 am

Petesake,

The aforementioned kit does not come with any instructions, schematic or layout.
You can download the schematic and layout from the website but there are NO instructions.

BTW: I have 2 kits from there and decided to do them totally different than what came in the kit. Maybe I'm just picky but that is my problem! The 50 watt Plexi will be true to a 1967 including trannys... The 18 watt will be very close to Ritchies..

BBTW: Both kits were missing parts and I have to email several times to get it straightened out. I have enough parts to build a second of each amp and will to sell them to lower the cost of the "golden" versions I am building.

brownnote · Post by **brownnote** » Tue 08/29/06 10:18 am

spunky wrote:Petesake,

The aforementioned kit does not come with any instructions, schematic or layout.
You can download the schematic and layout from the website but there are NO instructions.

BTW: I have 2 kits from there and decided to do them totally different than what came in the kit. Maybe I'm just picky but that is my problem! The 50 watt Plexi will be true to a 1967 including trannys... The 18 watt will be very close to Ritchies..

BBTW: Both kits were missing parts and I have to email several times to get it straightened out. I have enough parts to build a second of each amp and will to sell them to lower the cost of the "golden" versions I am building.

You got 2 of my kits and they were both missing parts?
I don't think so...are you talking about WEB'R?
If not...Help me out here...what kits did you get and what parts were they missing?

JoeV · Post by **JoeV** » Tue 08/29/06 10:37 am

Hey! Welcome to ampbuilding. Be careful, it's addictive!

I agree with others that you definately need to get a kit (sourcing parts can be challenging for the uninitiated), and the Lite sounds like a good choice. I built a P1 first and liked it, but it doesn't have the Marshall growl you're looking for. It's more Fenderish, to my ears. Still, the dudes at AX84 (I'm one of them) will make up for the lack of step-by-step instructions by a long shot, and Doberman is a great company to support by buying their kits.

Here are some tips that I wish I'd known before I started my first build.

1. SAFETY FIRST! Go read and study the drifter amps safety page here: http://www.drifteramps.com/safety.html

2. Never put two hands inside an engergized circuit, EVER. One hand in the back pocket when taking voltage readings or chopsticking components.

3. Chopstick with a wooden chopstick, not a pencil. Graphite conducts!

4. Learn to solder a proper joint BEFORE starting the amp wiring. Heat the turret and component (with a heat sink for capacitors and diodes) and flow the solder onto it. Don't "blob" it on.

5. Learn to read a schematic before starting your project. It's not hard, and if you start on an old Champ schematic, you'll learn all the basics right away.

6.

the P1 Theory Document, even if you're not planning on building a P1. You won't understand everything, but it's a GREAT way to learn how amps work. You can find it here: http://ax84.com/dp.php?pg=projects&project=p1

Good luck!

petesake · Post by **petesake** » Tue 08/29/06 10:59 am

thank you all so much for your help! i really appreciate that you took the time to answer my questions and the helpful links. i will definately research on the electrical shock big time!! i'm going to order a kit this week and i'll keep researching.

i'll let you know what's going on.

thank you, guys!

brownnote · Post by **brownnote** » Tue 08/29/06 1:21 pm

spunky wrote:Petesake,

The aforementioned kit does not come with any instructions, schematic or layout.
You can download the schematic and layout from the website but there are NO instructions.

BTW: I have 2 kits from there and decided to do them totally different than what came in the kit. Maybe I'm just picky but that is my problem! The 50 watt Plexi will be true to a 1967 including trannys... The 18 watt will be very close to Ritchies..

BBTW: Both kits were missing parts and I have to email several times to get it straightened out. I have enough parts to build a second of each amp and will to sell them to lower the cost of the "golden" versions I am building.

I checked my records...you did not order any kits from Brown Note.
Sorry you had a bad experience from the other company.

petesake · Post by **petesake** » Tue 08/29/06 3:43 pm

JoeV, i was on my way to work and read your last reply a little too quickly, intending to read it further, actually, here at work... i was wondering what you mean by

Heat the turret and component (with a heat sink for capacitors and diodes) and flow the solder onto it. Don't "blob" it on.

i am guessing this is much different than wiring, say, a guitar.

is there a website or a book that would explain this method for me?

brownnote · Post by **brownnote** » Tue 08/29/06 5:10 pm

It's pretty simple...a heatsink can just be an alligator clip...something to dissipate the heat while you're soldering.
Here's a pic:
http://www.brown-note.com/images/heatsink1.JPG

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i'm a newbie! which is the best way to start?

i'm a newbie! which is the best way to start?