Building a Solid State amp, any advice on which?

[LukeGilmour]

well, im building a solid state amp, combo 2x12 set.
any recommendations on which way to go? (if you also post the layout my thankfulness will be eternal)


im aiming for good cleans mainly, gonna use pedals, rock sound. pink floydish sound kinda (yeah i know you need valves for that, but as close as you can get).

i liked a princeton chorus a friend had some time ago, hated it when i tried another version in a shop lately, couldnt tell exactly why.

for example, i love the slight distortion on the beginning of this clip

http://www.proguitar.de/AudioDemo/mp3/Amp-CD/Orange/OrangeAD50PaulaClean.mp3

thanks for your help!

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Building a Solid State amp, any advice on which?

I'd..........................................................build a tube amp.

I mean if I was gonna take the time to build an amp, I'd want it to be a 200-watt tube monster with a built in attenuator.

I kind of liked the solid state Peavey Supreme heads, but I always thought they sounded really sterile and harsh. Y'know, like a solid state amp.

-X

 

[LukeGilmour]

Re: Building a Solid State amp, any advice on which?

thing is im not very experienced, id like to practice before handling tubes and "could kill you" voltages.

besides its much much much cheaper.

 

[ginormous]

Re: Building a Solid State amp, any advice on which?

Now, now... not this whole "tubes/valves rock, transistors suck" thing again. Many people, accomplished musicians among them, wouldn't be able to tell the diff between a well-designed modelling amp and a major-brand tube amp in a blind listening test.
That said, someone handy with a soldering iron may have more luck building a tube amp, since there's generally fewer parts to deal with.

As for "kill you voltage": Dude, anything that needs plugging in has the potential for harm. Trust me, this comes from someone whose older brother tried to give an afro, by convincing him to stick a bobby pin into grandma's power outlet. Having OCD when making electronic equipment is a major technical advantage.

Make sure you know what you're doing... and then make sure you're sure.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: Building a Solid State amp, any advice on which?

When building a amp. Most of the expense is in the Cabinet,Chassis and transformers. There are a loads of tube amp layouts out there, But I've yet to see a S.S. design. You would have to find a schematic and design and etch out your own PCB. I imagine it would be cheaper and easier to just buy a transistor amp. You could try google D.I.Y. transistor amp? But I would take a look at the weber kits. www.tedweber.com Good luck.

 

[greco]

Re: Building a Solid State amp, any advice on which?

When building a amp. Most of the expense is in the Cabinet,Chassis and transformers. There are a loads of tube amp layouts out there, But I've yet to see a S.S. design. You would have to find a schematic and design and etch out your own PCB. I imagine it would be cheaper and easier to just buy a transistor amp. You could try google D.I.Y. transistor amp? But I would take a look at the weber kits. www.tedweber.com Good luck.

Listen to the advice you are getting from all of these forum 'bros. They know what they are talking about.

I'd start with a tube amp kit also.

S.S. amps are not easy to build, especially from scratch.
Maybe starting with an S.S. pedal (kit or otherwise) is something to consider.

Good Luck and Enjoy

Dave

 

[LukeGilmour]

Re: Building a Solid State amp, any advice on which?

id like something into which i can play a lot of struming without it sounding all tin like....

could try with tube but then theres the costs, oh well, ill see what i can do

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Building a Solid State amp, any advice on which?

In my opinion your odds of sounding 'tinny' will be far greater if you go solid state. It's the difference between a cold, small circuit board making your sound or big, warm glass tubes full of electricity making your sound. But y'know, do whatcha want.

I found this site, just one of many cheap, low-wattage guitar amp kits out there: http://www.guytronix.com/

Plenty of stuff out there for ya, no reason to settle for anything less than awesome.

-X