If you want to build your own valve based boutique amp, there are some good starting places on the net. Here is one http://www.guitarsite.com/news/features ... uitar_amp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Just search 'build your own boutique amp' and you will find a lot of stuff. BTW, a boutique amp is a really high quality tube Class A amp that is hand wired. I used to work with tube amps 35+ years ago. Got started with them when the high school still had a lot of older film projector amplifiers that had tubes. The tubes would weaken or the capacitors would dry out and get noisy and they would bring them to the electronics class. Never did much more than repair them, but the sound quality was always warm and clean. That is why most players like a valve amp. My next purchase will definitely be one of the VOX hand wired amps; probably just an AC4HW or maybe up to the AC15HW. The 4 watt model has more sound than my 60 watt VT 40+ hybrid (tube pre-amp, solid state finals). Would like to go back and build my own head to go with a cabinet, but just don't have the time I need to do it. Maybe a kit will be in the future some day.The Annoyed Man wrote:I haven't done this, but I used to know someone who has. You used to be able to get pretty stout amp kits from Ampeg and Heathkit back in the 1960s/70s.RX8er wrote:I like working with wood and electronics.
I thought about doing a summer project and building a tube amp with my 16 y/o son. Has anyone done this? Any thoughts or feelings about doing this?
One of the guests I had over for dinner Friday night has built himself several electric guitars from scratch. He works in the industry (vendor to music stores) and has access to original unfinished Fender strat bodies among other things, and his most recent efforts have been self-built strats. They sound good too. Because of his job, he has access to all the top shelf components at insider prices.
Very NICE Keith! One of the guys on our worship team has one of those Epiphone Les Pauls, and it is a sweet guitar. Where did you find yours?
TAM, I got it from Sam Ash music. It is this model http://www.samash.com/p/Epiphone_Les%20 ... se_1868171" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Guitar Center didn't carry them in store, and they were out of the black cherry model in the warehouse. Called Sam Ash and they honored the 12% coupon from GC, and offered it a little lower at $520 shipped no tax. Couldn''t beat that deal.
As for the guiitar itself, it has a slim '60's neck, actual Gibson USA '57 humbuckers, USA Switchcraft toggle, Mallory 150 tones caps and Grover locking tuners; All of the stuff used in the actual Gibson's other than the body and pots. The pots are push-pull for coil tapping to make them pseudo single-coil. Even comes with a hard case. So far I love it. The action is nice and the tone is awesome. Solid mahogany body and a carved flamed maple top. And the finish on the body is pristine. Now, I just need to practice more and get back to remembering my pentatonic scales for some lead stuff.
