Build a hand-wired valve amp with great tone for the cost of a mass-produced PCB-based amp. This ultra-affordable 5W home/recording amp is stuffed with top-quality components - including British-made transformers, chassis, turrets and turret board. By providing the labour yourself, you save an absolute fortune, and get sound quality that's more than a match for boutique-built amps.
 
The SE-5a is a single channel amp with a full set of controls; Gain and Master volume allow you to balance preamp amd power amp distortion. A three-band tone stack (Treble, Middle and Bass) allows you to fine-tune your guitar tone. It's a typically 'British sounding' amp, with a bright tone full of harmonics when overdriven. Don't let the 5W rating fool you - when the SE-5a's cranked it's a loud amp. And thanks to the distortion available, it feels considerably louder than a cleaner amp, such as the 4W WF-55.
Easy to build The SE-5a is a quick build and very easy to get running. On a complexity scale of 1-5, it rates as a '2' (same as the PP-18, where the WF-55 is a '1', for example). To see just how easy it is, you can read through the online construction manual (see below) which takes you step-by-step through the whole process.
The SE-5a's hand-made turret board takes all of the guesswork out of how to layout the amp's components. With this proven low-noise and trouble-free layout, you can start soldering straightaway.
Pricing and versions The SE-5a is available in two versions (with or without valves):
Basic kit transformers, turret board, all electronic components, hardware for assembly, wire for connections and two JJ valves. Ideal if you're converting a 'donor amp'; just add your own chassis/control panels.
Time saver kit includes everything in the Basic kit but adds the pre-punched AC02 chassis as well as front and rear anodised aluminium control panels. It's a very quick build, and has quickly become the most popular Amp Maker kit.
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 The pre-punched chassis reduces the build time of the SE-5a Time saver kit to around one weekend
| | | | | | | | | SE-5a specifications | + All-valve signal path
+ 5W output
+ 100% Class A design
+ ECC83 and EL84 valves
+ Hand-wired turret board
+ Gain and Master volume controls
+ Treble, Middle & Bass tone controls
+ 8 and 16 ohm speaker outputs
+ 240V mains (115-120V optional)
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SE-5a customers have built their kits into all sorts of cabinets (above), but if you want a ready-made cabinet designed to fit your amp, check out Cabs by Chris
| | | | | | | | | SE-5a sound clips (MP3 format) | The SE-5a has a surprising amount of gain on tap, as well as a sweet 'British' clean tone:
Chunky (280KB): Tokai Telecaster, both pickups, amp settings: 10, 10, 10, 5, 7.
Clean (296KB): Tokai Telecaster, both pickups, amp settings: 10, 10, 10, 5, 7.
Britpoppish (180KB): Gibson LP, both pickups, amp settings: 10, 8, 10, 9, 4.
Edgy Blues Rock (233KB): Gibson LP, bridge pickup, amp settings: 10, 8, 0, 7, 8.
Semi Crunchy (213KB): Gibson ES-335, bridge pickup, amp settings: 10, 10, 7, 10, 8.
Dimed Crunch (101KB): Gibson LP, bridge pickup, amp settings: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10.
Amp settings: Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain. | | | | | | |