I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

B Bent

Vibroluxologist
I have always had the itch to build my own kit amp. Finally after years and years of talking about it I finally did something about it. Saturday I ordered a 5F1 Tweed Champ kit. This is where everyone seems to start. I just hope the bug doesnt bite me and I start building kits for fun. :eek:

The Champ I'm building has a couple of small twists and as a matter of fact it ultimately won't even be a Champ in the eyes of a purist. First, I ordered a 15 watt output transformer instead of the typical 5 watter. With a 6V6 this will sound a little more open, but I will have the option to pop in a 6L6 at will and that will produce 10-12(ish) watts instead of the 4-5 watts normally.

The cab I am having built is going to be just a touch larger than a Champ cab and will also have a 10" baffle. I am still undecided on speakers, but everything else is pretty much set in stone.

Before 2010 I would have thumbed my nose at a Champ, but I have learned after owning and playing so many small Supros and the likes that smaller amps work best for me. I hope that this amp will be my church gigging amp to stay. Also since I just spent all of my cash on a new HVAC system at home I had a very small budget. The kit ordered (from Triode Electronics) gets rave reviews and uses all the nice, high quality components you'd expect without breaking the bank. The jury will be out on the transformers I suppose, but they are US made by a company that has been making transformers for 50+ years. Again, folks seem to like them. I am not out of a whole lot of cash and I get to build my own amp! Woot! :banana:

I'll start a thread to document the build once I get to that point. Woo-Hoo!

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Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

That is awesome. To be honest, I've had that same itch but have never done anything about it ......... even though a forum bro had a good price on a Mission kit in the Trading Post for a long time.
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

Oh man... Once again extremely jealous. Someday, someday the stars will align and I'll have both the time and money to build one of these. Always wanted to.

Have fun and take good pics! I always take a pic of the fist step, the last step, and forget everything in between!
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

The ClassicTone transformers are great...I use them in my amps exclusively. They are built the old way; with layers of paper separating the layers and no nylon bobbin. I've tried to burn the power transformer in my amps down by running it at 200% of max load for 24 hours...it never even hiccuped.
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

^^^ Way cool Glass!! Really good to hear! They look to be nice and substantial!
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

Looks rad dude!

Guess that'll make helping me with the caps on my Bassman that much easier? :smokin:
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

Looks rad dude!

Guess that'll make helping me with the caps on my Bassman that much easier? :smokin:

Yeah dude. Your Bassman is a breeze. I havent forgot, but life did throw me a curve ball after we last spoke. PM me and we'll work it out.
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

cool! dare I say it looks easy the way it's laid out like that?!

I've always wanted to try the tube 10 celestions - supposed to sound nice with a tube amp.
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

Yeah dude... As soon as you finish that kit and play it, you'll start gassing for the next project... I never thought I'd say this , but building is just as fun as playing!!

Enjoy the build!!!
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

very cool, this is on my list of things to do..someday
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

Greg, you're going to love it. This probably goes without saying, but please read up on electrical safety. We'd like to keep you posting here.

Weber forums have a lot of good info for kit builders.

Another good resource... http://music-electronics-forum.com/home.php
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

I love reading about these little projects . . . they invariably end up being cool. Good luck man!
 
Re: I am finally building an amp from a kit.......

Greg, you're going to love it. This probably goes without saying, but please read up on electrical safety. We'd like to keep you posting here.

Weber forums have a lot of good info for kit builders.

Another good resource... http://music-electronics-forum.com/home.php

Thanks man. I know about the potential lethal voltages stored stored up in electrolytics, but it never hurts to be reminded again.

I have done cap jobs, 3 prongs, transformer swaps, small mods and the likes on my amps. I have built and modded dozens of pedals and fixed PCBs in electronics, but finally in the last year I feel like I finally know how to keep from dying. I am overly cautious around amps and wont touch anything unless I am 200% sure of something. So finally I am gonna build me an amp. WOOT!
 
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