Amp building FAQs

High voltage safety guide

All assembly and testing and tweaking of electrically powered equipment should be done with care. Mains voltages (100-240 Volts AC) themselves are dangerous and almost all valve-powered amplifiers have higher voltages (250-500V DC). The latter can be stored within capacitors insude the circuit – even when the amplifier is switched off. What this means, in …

High voltage safety guide Read More »

Can I add reverb?

“Can I add reverb?” is probably the most frequently asked question of all. The short answer: Yes, but it’s not trivial, and it’s difficult to get it sounding good. The long and detailed answer: Reverb is a time-domain effect, and is best placed AFTER compression and distortion. If you look at the typical FX chain …

Can I add reverb? Read More »

Can I add an FX loop?

“Can I add an FX loop?” is another common question. The answer is very similar to that for adding reverb. The short answer:Yes, but it’s not trivial, and it’s difficult to get it sounding good. The long and detailed answer:The main reason for having an FX loop in an amplifier is to add time-domain effects, …

Can I add an FX loop? Read More »

Do I need an oscilloscope?

No. For a few troubleshooting issues, having an oscilloscope available is useful. But you would also need the training to know how to use one (not difficult, but not trivial). If you enjoy amp building so much that you want to get into the real detail of waveforms, distortion, etc, then it might be worth …

Do I need an oscilloscope? Read More »

What tools will I need?

To build an amp kit you need a combination of electronics tools and a few hand tools: 1) Soldering iron. 20-30W is fine. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a temperature controlled model (although they are nice to have if you plan to build a lot of projects). Don’t use a …

What tools will I need? Read More »

What about speaker ratings?

I always recommend running within the rated power rating of your speakers. So, if I am using an 18W amplifier, I do not run it into a single 1x12inch cabinet with a 15W-rated Celestion Blue. I know that some people do, but the speaker is so expensive the risk is not worth it. Going the …

What about speaker ratings? Read More »

What speaker do you recommend?

This is possibly the #1 question that I get asked, and I have two answers. 1) Short answer: Celestion G12H 30W for british/overdriven tones. JBL E120 for cleaner tones. This is entirely my own subjective preference; you may hate them! 2) Longer answer: The speaker and its cabinet is a very significant factor in the …

What speaker do you recommend? Read More »