Amp Kits

Spoto · August 29th, 2003, 01:29 PM

I'd like to build a small home amp. One watt should do it. Anyone have any recommendations or experience.
Thanks

JDO · August 29th, 2003, 01:43 PM

are you looking for a particular sound? if so that could play into it.

first things that come to mind...

- marshamps (i think in ny) has a tweed champ kit for under 3 hundred for everything.

- david allen sells a tweed champ kit. he also has a class act kit. it's like a champ with a marshall tone stack. you might want to contact him to find out if i'm leading you in the right direction as far as tone.

- there's the gilmore jr for i think a little over 200 that is maybe a watt or a 1/2 watt. i've never heard one though.

- you could go over to www.ax84.com and check out their p1 kit. it's like a tweed champ but with an el84. they also have a variation called the p2 that somehow takes you from the p1 to a high octain (kind of like david allen's amp).

those are the first ones that come to my mind. my first choice would either be the class act or the marshamps tweed champ kit, but that's me.

Lance · August 29th, 2003, 03:20 PM

A Mission 5E3 Kit. http://www.missionamps.com/

The 5E3 is an amazing small amp....loud enough for most purposes...small and light...amazing tone. This is really the place most people start with.

I did a 5E3 but had a custom cabinet made for a 15" speaker - it's great...my new #1 amp.

Mission sells everything you'd need and there's great support from his forum and Bruce at Mission.

Gord K. · August 29th, 2003, 03:42 PM

are scarce in the under 5W range. No affiliations with any of the following, just the results of my searching for THE tube amp to build....

Torres Engineering have a kit for the Tiny Tone amp that is about 1.5 W for about $295.

Doberman Music Products has a 1 W amp called the DMP-1 for $325 but it's not available as a kit.

Mission Amps has a 5 W amp kit called the Scholar, a 5E3 Tweed Deluxe kit and 5 more to be released ??? - can't remember when, see the thread elsewhere in this section.

STF Electronics has a 5 W Tweed Champ head kit.

Allen Amplification has several amp kits.

If you feel up to tackling building from scratch, check out the AX84 page (their Moonlight is around 1 W), the 18-watt forum and the 5E3 forum.

One amp I am thinking about building is called the Micro Champ. It's a 12AX7 preamp tube with a 6AQ5 power tube in a Champ configuration using Hammond transformers and supposedly around 2 W. I also found a schematic for another amp with a 12AX7 preamp using a 6S4A output tube that was around 2 W but there was some information missing off that schematic.

Sorry for the long answer, hope this helps...

Gord.

Dacious · August 29th, 2003, 06:52 PM

Go check here. This is a long running forum where you can read and learn as you build. They have lotsa projects including low-wattage amps.

http://www.ax84.com/

Dacious · August 29th, 2003, 06:53 PM

Go check here. This is a long running forum where you can read and learn as you build. They have lotsa projects including low-wattage amps.

http://www.ax84.com/

med · August 31st, 2003, 06:53 AM

I built one and highly recommend Mission for their quality and support.

The tweedy may be more than you are lookin for price and power wise.

The 5E3 Tweedy kit has confined my other amps to the closet.

I've considered a 1-2 W amp in the past (and have an old 3-4 W Alamo) butt don't think they are powerful enough even for home use.

I do run low efficency speakers though so YMMV.

Med

Tele295 · September 1st, 2003, 12:04 AM

Lance- that sounds like a great amp! The West coast Blues sound to die for. Where did you get the cabinet?

August 29th, 2003, 01:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
Spoto Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 261	Amp Kits I'd like to build a small home amp. One watt should do it. Anyone have any recommendations or experience. Thanks

August 29th, 2003, 01:43 PM	#2 (permalink)
JDO Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Pittsboro, NC Posts: 597	are you looking for a particular sound? if so that could play into it. first things that come to mind... - marshamps (i think in ny) has a tweed champ kit for under 3 hundred for everything. - david allen sells a tweed champ kit. he also has a class act kit. it's like a champ with a marshall tone stack. you might want to contact him to find out if i'm leading you in the right direction as far as tone. - there's the gilmore jr for i think a little over 200 that is maybe a watt or a 1/2 watt. i've never heard one though. - you could go over to www.ax84.com and check out their p1 kit. it's like a tweed champ but with an el84. they also have a variation called the p2 that somehow takes you from the p1 to a high octain (kind of like david allen's amp). those are the first ones that come to my mind. my first choice would either be the class act or the marshamps tweed champ kit, but that's me. __________________ clean as a whistle

August 29th, 2003, 03:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
Lance Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,154	The best way to start..... A Mission 5E3 Kit. http://www.missionamps.com/ The 5E3 is an amazing small amp....loud enough for most purposes...small and light...amazing tone. This is really the place most people start with. I did a 5E3 but had a custom cabinet made for a 15" speaker - it's great...my new #1 amp. Mission sells everything you'd need and there's great support from his forum and Bruce at Mission. __________________ Lance "not very good...but I make up for it by playing loud"

August 29th, 2003, 03:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
Gord K. Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Winnipeg, MB Posts: 154	Low wattage amp kits... are scarce in the under 5W range. No affiliations with any of the following, just the results of my searching for THE tube amp to build.... Torres Engineering have a kit for the Tiny Tone amp that is about 1.5 W for about $295. Doberman Music Products has a 1 W amp called the DMP-1 for $325 but it's not available as a kit. Mission Amps has a 5 W amp kit called the Scholar, a 5E3 Tweed Deluxe kit and 5 more to be released ??? - can't remember when, see the thread elsewhere in this section. STF Electronics has a 5 W Tweed Champ head kit. Allen Amplification has several amp kits. If you feel up to tackling building from scratch, check out the AX84 page (their Moonlight is around 1 W), the 18-watt forum and the 5E3 forum. One amp I am thinking about building is called the Micro Champ. It's a 12AX7 preamp tube with a 6AQ5 power tube in a Champ configuration using Hammond transformers and supposedly around 2 W. I also found a schematic for another amp with a 12AX7 preamp using a 6S4A output tube that was around 2 W but there was some information missing off that schematic. Sorry for the long answer, hope this helps... Gord.

August 29th, 2003, 06:52 PM	#5 (permalink)
Dacious Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Godzone Posts: 2,610 35 Photos	Go check here. This is a long running forum where you can read and learn as you build. They have lotsa projects including low-wattage amps. http://www.ax84.com/ __________________ My other Telecaster is a Thinline The Tele Bible, Ch 1, v 10 Love thy Telecaster, covet not thy neighbour's Strat!

August 29th, 2003, 06:53 PM	#6 (permalink)
Dacious Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Godzone Posts: 2,610 35 Photos	Go check here. This is a long running forum where you can read and learn as you build. They have lotsa projects including low-wattage amps. http://www.ax84.com/ __________________ My other Telecaster is a Thinline The Tele Bible, Ch 1, v 10 Love thy Telecaster, covet not thy neighbour's Strat!

August 31st, 2003, 06:53 AM	#7 (permalink)
med Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 128	5E3 may be too much for Ya? I built one and highly recommend Mission for their quality and support. The tweedy may be more than you are lookin for price and power wise. The 5E3 Tweedy kit has confined my other amps to the closet. I've considered a 1-2 W amp in the past (and have an old 3-4 W Alamo) butt don't think they are powerful enough even for home use. I do run low efficency speakers though so YMMV. Med

September 1st, 2003, 12:04 AM	#8 (permalink)
Tele295 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Tiger Town Posts: 3,230 14 Photos	5E3 with a 15" speaker Lance- that sounds like a great amp! The West coast Blues sound to die for. Where did you get the cabinet? __________________ "Turn it up and it doesn't need any reverb." - Danny Gatton www.dannygatton.info Tiger Town Aces - Music That Bites Back In Redd we trust! Free Bill Kirchen! If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?