Double Six 1/6/12W amplifier

2021 Shipping info: The Double Six amp kit will be available to purchase in 2022. 

The Double Six is designed for a wide range of clean tones. Many amps are voiced for maximum gain, and have a narrow range of clean tones, but the Double Six is voiced the other way around. So you get fully independent Treble, Middle and Bass controls that sacrifice gain and distortion for a wider range of tone control (FYI, it’s a James tone stack combined with a mid-notch).

As a result, the Double Six has a very wide clean repertoire – moreso than any other Amp Maker kit. It also takes pedals very well – from distortion stomp-boxes to reverb/echo/chorus multi-FX. If that’s not enough, the power amp’s flexibility adds even more tonal range: it’s designed for two 6V6 valves, but it will also run with one or two 6L6s; or one 5881/EL34/KT66/KT77/KT88. Like all Amp Maker kits, it’s packed with top-quality components – including British-made transformers, chassis, turrets and turret board.

Controls are; Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass and Watts. The Watts knob (above) lets you select 1W, 6W or 12W output. The 1W and 6W settings run the valves at lower voltages for more compression and overdrive at lower room volume. Another benefit is that your valves last a lot longer, too. There’s also a Fat switch to compensate for single coil pickups, and a Boost switch to take the Treble and Bass controls out of circuit for a raunchy overdrive tone.

Easy to build

The advanced options and extra wiring of the Double Six make it a little more involved to build than most Amp Maker kits. On a complexity scale of 1-5, it rates as a ‘2’ (whereas the WF-55 is a ‘1’ and the N5X a ‘3’). I’d hesitate before recommending it to a first-time builder. To see for yourself, read through the online construction manual which takes you step-by-step through the whole process.

Availability

It hasn’t been possible to get the Double Six ready during this year, after all. It will be available again in Spring 2021.

Double Six specifications

• 1W/6W/12W switchable power output
• 6V6/6L6/EL34/KT77/KT88 output valve(s)
• Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass controls
• All tone controls are fully independent
• Fat switch (for thickening up single coils)
• Boost switch for maximum gain
• 4, 8 and 16 ohm speaker outputs
• 220V/230V/240V mains (Europe)
• 120V mains option (for USA)