Amp building experiences? I think I'm gonna build one.

ledvedder

ledvedder

Well-known member
I've been going crazy trying to decide on a low wattage (20 watts or lower) plexi like amp to get the great classic rock tones. After watching what seems like a million videos and starting a few recommendation threads, I'm seriously thinking about building one. I've never built an amp, but have worked inside amps, changing components, etc. I've also built a few pedals, and wired up many guitars. I'm curious to hear other's experiences.

I like the mkii version of this Trinity kit, https://www.trinityamps.com/product/trinity-18-kit/. They have a good builders forum, as well as great instructions specific to the build. What do you guys think? Is it worth the time, or should I just shell out the money for an amp?
 
Building an amplifier is a pretty involved process not because of the build, but you're going to need a light bulb current limiter, bench use variac, a resistive 8 ohm load or a small speaker that isn't a 4x12 rated to 16 ohms for bench troubleshooting, quite a few voltmeters, etc. to do the work successfully. Are you willing to stick it through to the very end if there is a problem and troubleshoot it?

Taking pride in your own work and taking it slow is half the fun. If that isn't what you're truly after, and you're more after the finish line, I'd suggest taking a step back first.

I underestimated how much bench equipment I lacked to complete my build correctly and had to spend a lot of time building my own bench equipment along the way.

This isn't even discussing the troubleshooting you may or may not have to go through, and the learning curve if you're unfamiliar with troubleshooting circuits.

My advice: Preparation is the key to success. The actual build itself is only a small fraction of what it takes to get an amplifier up and running.
 
ledvedder":14d9uqkr said:
I've been going crazy trying to decide on a low wattage (20 watts or lower) plexi like amp to get the great classic rock tones. After watching what seems like a million videos and starting a few recommendation threads, I'm seriously thinking about building one. I've never built an amp, but have worked inside amps, changing components, etc. I've also built a few pedals, and wired up many guitars. I'm curious to hear other's experiences.

I like the mkii version of this Trinity kit, https://www.trinityamps.com/product/trinity-18-kit/. They have a good builders forum, as well as great instructions specific to the build. What do you guys think? Is it worth the time, or should I just shell out the money for an amp?
Click to expand...


Im just getting started learning. My advice is to take your time and dont bite off more than you can chew(which I've done a few times). Since you have built pedals I say go for it. I just finished building a 50 watt plexi last week and god it felt so good to hear how loud and awesome it was. I installed a PPIMV on Monday which worked like a charm. It's addictive man. Im working on my second 2204 now and will be building a jose with a populated PCB I'm getting from Burger afterwards.

I think everyone should build at least one amp and one pedal just to have an appreciation and a little bit deeper knowledge of their gear. I don't bitch about prices as much after seeing how much thought and work goes into a build.
 
glpg80 said:
Building an amplifier is a pretty involved process not because of the build, but you're going to need a light bulb current limiter, bench use variac, a resistive 8 ohm load or a small speaker that isn't a 4x12 rated to 16 ohms for bench troubleshooting, quite a few voltmeters, etc. to do the work successfully. Are you willing to stick it through to the very end if there is a problem and troubleshoot it?

Taking pride in your own work and taking it slow is half the fun. If that isn't what you're truly after, and you're more after the finish line, I'd suggest taking a step back first.

I underestimated how much bench equipment I lacked to complete my build correctly and had to spend a lot of time building my own bench equipment along the way.

This isn't even discussing the troubleshooting you may or may not have to go through, and the learning curve if you're unfamiliar with troubleshooting circuits.

My advice: Preparation is the key to success. The actual build itself is only a small fraction of what it takes to get an amplifier up and running.
Click to expand...

lol I don't have any of that shit and all my builds have turned out fine. A good soldering iron, a good DMM, and some basic hand tools and you're good to go.
 
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