[drphoto]

First off, I appologize if this is the wrong circle.....didn't know where to post since the musicians circle died.

Anyway...I'm looking for advice on a tube guitar amp kit. I did a web search and found several, but wondered if any members had any experience.

I'd prefer a combo amp, but could go w/ a half stack. I want something low powered. The ideal amp to copy would be a Vox AC30 or maybe one of the Fenders like the Delexe Reverb.

Why do I want a kit? Well to save money for sure, but I just think it would be fun and I'd have something that was point to point wired. (seems like all the new ones are circuit board)

For the time I'm using a Carvin SS which is pretty awful, though I love my Carvin DC127 guitar.

BTW: would anyone else like to see the musicians circle return? I also do live sound mixing and would like to discuss that.

[EMM801]

Check out Allen Amplification and Torres Engineering. There are a few others too. I'd like to check out some of the Champ replica kits (great harmonica amps).

[The Dude Abides]

Yeah I was about to say Torres, I have their Boogie Mite, and it kicks ass.  But for it to work as stated you need to be careful about speaker choice; yes it's only 1-3 watts, but as in my case, when you accidentally get a 100db 1w/1m speaker, which most 12" of this type are, It is DAMN loud.....

Chris

[jackman]

I'd prefer a combo amp, but could go w/ a half stack. I want something low powered. The ideal amp to copy would be a Vox AC30 or maybe one of the Fenders like the Delexe Reverb.

Hi Doc,

Good to see you around again.  Your question is difficult because the AC30 and the Vintage Fenders are two different sounds.  The AC30 is class A and the Fender is A/B, the old vintage Fender at least.   I like both but if I had to pick one, I'd go for the Fender.  Unlike audiophile amps, I love low powered tube designs for guitars because they sound cool when you overdrive them.  High powered designs sound cool also but your ears and your neighbors take a beating because they have to be turned up too loud to distort.  

I would try to find a copy of an old Fender design.  There is a company in Naperville, my town!, that makes exact replicas of older Fender tweed amps.  The company is the Victory Amplifier Company.  You will not find a better recreation of the 50's era tweed Fenders.  IMO, these (old Fenders) are the best amplifiers ever made, at least for rock and blues type music.  The Victoria has all of the tone of the Fender without the reliability associated with a 50 year old amp.  They even use the old transformers, carbon resistors, NOS tubes and Jensen speakers.  

They make a small 5 watt combo that sounds great and plays as loud as a trumpet.  It distorts cleanly and a used version (if you shop around) will probably cost you less than the price of a kit.  Plus, unlike a kit, you can re-sell the Victoria for about what you paid.  I had a 2010 model and it sounded amazing.  I'm still pissed I sold that amp.  

I sold mine for $800 but you can find one for around that range.   It will hold its value and will only look and sound better with time as the tweed gets battered and scratched up.  Here is one that sold on Ebay recently.  A bit pricey but, remember, you can pretty much sell it for what you paid or more 5 years from now.  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10171&item=7319187773&rd=1

[drphoto]

Hey guys.

I looked at Allen and Torres on the web. Interesting that Allen is here in my home state of KY.

Speaking of KY, Dude.....a couple of local crazy graphic design guys started the 'Lebowski Fest'. Their website is lebowskifest.com if you're interested.

Jman. First of all, congrats on starting the family. Meant to PM you about that. Give my regards to your lovely wife. You're the one that got me thinking about flea powered amps. I've looked at several of the independent 'clone' amp builders like Victoria and others such as Trinity and Valvetech.

These seems like great values. However, my teacher and the guitar player in the band I work with both feel like these types of amps aren't very versitile. Mostly 'cause you have to crank it to get some dirt. (I suppose you could run pedals in front of them) They recommend something like the Fender Hod Rod Deluxe (40w A/B 12" combo) w/ 2 channels. With gain control, you can overdrive it w/out too much volume.

 I know Fender and Vox aren't the same thing. I think I like Vox because Nell Finn plays one! Now that they're being built in China you can get a new AC30 mail order for just under $1K. I'm sure the 'real' ones are much better, but they are ridiculously priced.

I need to get better before I buy anything, so I'm not going to make a hasty decision. As my technique improves I find I'm playing much more w/ a clean sound, hence my tilt toward these types of amps rather than something like Marshall.

BTW I did get a really nice Samick acoustic last month.

[The Dude Abides]

Drphoto,

thanks for the site, hahaha.

I actually had a Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10 and it ended requiring too much volume to give the sound I wanted.  But then again, I think the smaller models might be a great value, also I was using this in a bedroom setup...  But if you go that route, I would also look into THD yellow jackets.  It converts the amp to about 40% of stock power using Class A w/ El-84s (no real modification required, just plug and play).  I did this to my fender and it sounded much better; it has been compared to the vox sound (go check harmony-central.com for reviews of anything guitar related).

Chris

[jackman]

Hey guys.

I looked at Allen and Torres on the web. Interesting that Allen is here in my home state of KY.

Speaking of KY, Dude.....a couple of local crazy graphic design guys started the 'Lebowski Fest'. Their website is lebowskifest.com if you're interested.

Jman. First of all, congrats on starting the family. Meant to PM you about that. Give my regards to your lovely wife. You're the one that got me thinking about flea powered amps. I've looked at several of the independent 'clone' amp builders l ...

Hi Doc,

Your teacher is correct about the versitility of the clone amps, but the same is true of the AC30.  I like hte flea powered amps because they break up at reasonable volume levels.  I've heard several of the modeling amps or solid state amps that replicate the sound of classic amps and while they sound good, nothing matches the real thing.  

I'm not familiar with tube kits but if there is a company in your area, that would be my first suggestion.  Tube amps aren't very complex (at least that's my opinion after looking under the hood) and soldering a kit together shouldn't give you too much grief.  You could even make a combo later if you wish.  A box with open back with flush mounted driver, some tolex, made of baltic birch is about as easy as it gets.  You don't need more than a couple watts.  If you want different sounds, you may want to try some pedals.  

Best of luck with your playing!  I'm very excited that you stuck with it.  I look forward to getting together one of these days!  Also, thanks for the kind words about the baby.  We are excited, however my loud listening and playing days will be on hold soon...at least temporarily.

Cheers,

Jack

[Tabascosauce]

Have you looked at this?

www.ax84.com

I nearly went down this route, but ended up buying a second hand Laney tube amp for a very good price.

[jackman]

Have you looked at this?

www.ax84.com

I nearly went down this route, but ended up buying a second hand Laney tube amp for a very good price.

Hey Doc,

I forgot about Laney.  Isn't Laney a close cousin of the AC30?  I believe they are class A (at least they make a class A product) and look a lot like the AC30, I believe the model is the VC30.  Never heard one but I believe they are also British.

Tabasco, how do you like your Laney?

[Tabascosauce]

Mine is the 15 watt with reverb (LC15R I think, but I could be wrong, I'm away from home).

It is an all tube class A with a great sound that I picked up second hand for less than the price of any kits I was considering.

It looks great.  However, it comes stock standard with an average speaker, and I have always been meaning to replace it with a celestion or jensen.  The only other issue is that the tube sockets are soldered directly into the pcb, and the fear is that over time, the pcb may crack due to changing tubes.

The word on these numbers is that they sound awesome acting as a head, driving a 2x12 cabinet.  I myself haven't tried this.