[Dacious]

Just as an example of how we are always learning - I built my first amp, a 5E3clone, five years ago. It worked pretty well the first time I fired it up almost perfactly. it is still running, being used by a semi-pro who gets asked about it all the time. I've modded it, prodded it and it just runs like a Champ.

But the second, third, and fourth ones I built didn't, or didn't work well because I didn't learn enough the lessons on the way. Fluked the first one.

I just finished my latest project, a 1-watt, 1-tube 6BM8 amp using a back-back pair of filament tranformers as the power supply and a 100/70v line voltage transformer as the O/T. (total cost of components:$50) I've managed to relearn some lessons like being careful and being the 'one armed amp tech'. Got a couple of nasty tickles off the caps when my hand brushed the primary of the output transformer, even with the amp off and unplugged.

I also relearnt about the importance of configuring the filter caps correctly, as to where the caps connect around the dropping resistor and why; after scratching my head for an hour or two over a 50% drop in B+ and no sound. I was attempting to clean up jury-rigged wiring after attempting to rewire the filter cap array more neatly. D'oh.

So the more prep you do, the less cusssing, solder burns on fingers and charred components you will have later. Apart from anything else, you need the right tools apart from a soldering iron.

I strongly advise you to build something simpler like a 5F1 first, from a Weber or Ceriaone kit, both of who sell EU-voltage versions. It will teach you 80-90% of what you need to know. Like if you have any aptitude and patience for this.