Building a boutique tube amp...
Jack A. Zucker
big profit margin on $3000 boutique amplifiers. I apologized out of
ignorance.
I did some thinking,investigating and some calculating...
These are list prices. I'm sure a builder can get discounts...
[*]Axiom JTM-45 OT: $120
[*]Axiom JTM-45 PT: $120
[*]Chassis: $50
[*]front/rear plates: $50
[*]Board, pots, caps, resistors, wire,etc: $100
[*]Head Cabinet: $225
Note that some values may be higher, some may be lower. For example I could
get Hammond transformers for 1/2 the cost of the Axiom. (My Winfield Thomas
amp has Hammond transformers and it sounds wonderful...) A fancy chassis and
front plate may be more than the $100 allowance I've made but it might be
less too...
OK, that comes to $665 if I've done my math correctly.
Taking that off the $3000 amp comes to $2335. I'm estimating about 30 hours
worth of labor based on the amp restoration and repair I've done. It can
probably be assembled and wired in 1/2 that time but I figured the other 1/2
for testing...
$2335 Divided by about 30 hours of labor, that's about $78 per hour. That's
quite a bit higher than the $10/hour the amp builder quoted...
Now believe me, as an engineer for a company who manufactures industrial
hardware, I know there's more to building an amp than just assembling the
raw parts.
You can't sell products for what it costs to build them. There is R&D
involved and there may be patents and intellectual property that we have to
pay for out of each unit sold. There's overhead for the shop, there are
employees to pay, yada-yada... There's also the fact that you are paying for
the expertise and experience of the person who is building the amp in the
first place, i.e. his knowledge of what particular brand of capacitor and
transformer creates the mojo that folks are clamoring for. And of course,
the designer/builder deserves a profit for his efforts, and deservedly so...
I'm considering building my own amp (for personal use only) so I'd
appreciate any thoughts from you guys. I'm not planning on selling these.
Jaz
Steve Modica
He's only making that when he sells an amp. Now figure out how many he
has to sell to make a decent living.
Steve
Jack A. Zucker
overhead is the huge item in all this. I'm not saying anyone's ripping
people off.
"Steve Modica" <svmo...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:3F194690...@comcast.net...
Nobody
Jack A. Zucker <j...@jackzucker.com> wrote in article <wUaSa.456$gi.5...@news2.news.adelphia.net>...
Cool post, Jack.
--
Jason
mbabyak...@duke.edu
: Just bear in mind that the guy isn't making $78 an hour 8 hours a day.
: has to sell to make a decent living.
: Steve
Not only that, at least part of what you're paying for is the expertise in
design and manufacture. Of course, what that's worth is always
subjective--I'm hard pressed to imagine that Dumbles are really worth
$10-15k. But, as a surgeon friend of mine likes to say something
like, "cost of cutting into you, $30. Cost of knowing WHERE to cut,
priceless."
Mike Babyak
Rick Ross
businesses take on an unpredictable reality of their own which transcends
the sum of the parts...albeit important, quantitative analysis by itself
rarely amounts to adequate preparation for a successful commercial
enterprise..
in the same way as technical and theoretical mastery of the guitar will
assure one's success in the music biz...
"the opinions above are underwritten by much painful experience :)"
"Jack A. Zucker" <j...@jackzucker.com> wrote in message
news:wUaSa.456$gi.5...@news2.news.adelphia.net...
Rick Ross
"Rick Ross" <userri...@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:24dSa.5194$KZ.20...@news1.news.adelphia.net...
matt u
I'd say your post supports the idea that the boutique dealers are not
ripping anyone off. As you said - the amps sold have to pay for the
amps not sold, the staff to built both, the garbage pickup, electricity,
tools, rent, etc for the shop, health insurance for the family of the
folks who build the amps...
It's expensive, that's why Fender doesn't do it like that anymore.
m
Jack A. Zucker wrote:
>>>You can't sell products for what it costs to build them. ...
matt u
amps - that'll generally cost something as well...
m
Steve Modica
assumed you were saying "how can it cost so much".
Have you tried a cybertwin or a boogie mark IV? I'd really love a
cybertwin, but my boogie sounds good and I can't justify it. Plus I'm a
little spooked because I see a lot of cybertwins for sale on ebay.
However it seems to me, fender is offering the best of both worlds. A
lot of circuit flexibility and a DSP.
Steve
miker
> businesses take on an unpredictable reality of their own which transcends
> the sum of the parts...albeit important, quantitative analysis by itself
> rarely amounts to adequate preparation for a successful commercial
> enterprise..
You got that right. Plus the guy still has to eat the week he isn't
designing/building amps, and yet irritatingly still insists on doing so. :)
> "Jack A. Zucker" <j...@jackzucker.com> wrote in message
> > I'm considering building my own amp (for personal use only) so I'd
> > appreciate any thoughts from you guys. I'm not planning on selling
these.
Do it! It's great fun if you're interested, and there's so much info on
simple tube amps available on the net that a beginner can make a pretty good
choice of what to build and a good chance of having something worthwhile
when he's done.
1. Can't stress the safety aspect enough. Tube amps use high voltages; by
definition you cannot be too paranoid around these. Learn, think, be
careful, one hand in the pocket, etc. Never assume its bled off and safe to
work on. Never work on it while plugged in. Never shortcut.
2. Plan a lot beforehand, not to "make it perfect" but to be sure you can
build to a high standard of quality knowing you won't have to just rip it
apart to fix some beginner mistake. Be careful and take your time up front.
3. Use quality metal that's strong enough to handle being used. Aluminum bud
boxes should never leave the house.
4. #2 and 3 can be ignored if you are building a messy prototype first, and
only then building a final unit. But you still have to do #2 and 3 when
building the final unit.
5. Don't try to build something 'mini' as a first project. Leave enough room
to add an extra tube, controls, or choke - you may need to.
6. Do use people on the net to jaw with over what you're doing. I don't mean
bothering pro's (unless they want to be), there's plenty of talented
amatuers who love to talk amp building. Most of them will have done
something like you want to do and have made the mistakes.
7. Buy and have in hand transformers first. That's the only way you really
know how much room you need. Buy tube sockets and have in hand before
punching chassis holes, obviously! :) Use a method of construction for the
circuit board that lets you modify neatly.
8. Back to safety. BE CAREFUL IN THERE!!!
And have fun.
Gary Gerhart
<j...@jackzucker.com> wrote:
>
>I did some thinking,investigating and some calculating...
>
>These are list prices. I'm sure a builder can get discounts...
>
>[*]Axiom JTM-45 OT: $120
>[*]Axiom JTM-45 PT: $120
>[*]Chassis: $50
>[*]front/rear plates: $50
>[*]Board, pots, caps, resistors, wire,etc: $100
>[*]Head Cabinet: $225
>
>Note that some values may be higher, some may be lower. For example I could
>get Hammond transformers for 1/2 the cost of the Axiom. (My Winfield Thomas
>amp has Hammond transformers and it sounds wonderful...) A fancy chassis and
>front plate may be more than the $100 allowance I've made but it might be
>less too...
>
>OK, that comes to $665 if I've done my math correctly.
Yes, you've done your math correctly, but there may be a couple of
omissions. The transformer prices are right column numbers, if
you were to build the amp for yourself, add $160. And you forgot
to include tubes. Since you spec'd JTM45 transformers, I assume
3 12AX7s, 2 KT66s, and 1 GZ34. With shipping, those will beat the
hell out of a C note.
>
>I'm considering building my own amp (for personal use only) so I'd
>appreciate any thoughts from you guys. I'm not planning on selling these.
As long as you're comfortable with the high voltages and associated
dangers, go for it. You'll find it an invaluable learning experience,
on many, many levels.
Advice:
Don't go cheap on the transformers.
I use Mercuries, and highly recommend them. I hear good reports
about the OEI units as well, but have no personal experience with
them.
Spend more time planning your build than building it. Have everything
at hand before you begin.
Don't get discouraged. If you begin to feel frustrated, walk away and
come back to it later.
Have fun and share your experiences with others.
Gary Gerhart
www.GerhartAmps.com
Peter Grey
As someone who worked with small high tech tech companies to help them bring
products and services to market, I can tell you that you have a typical
engineer's viewpoint - you forgot marketing and sales! ;) That's OK. I
suspect most folks who build boutique amps forget marketing and sales too -
I'm certain that few of them have built a business plan or thought much
about how to get the word out and bring people to their door. I'm assuming
that most of these guys would like to make their living building these amps,
but building a website and waiting for word of mouth to build demand is not
going to be enough for most of them. The majority of these guys won't last
long.
Dealers will want their percentage and marketing will cost so the $78 per
hour figure will come down. $78 an hour is pretty good money if you're
working 40 hours per week. That's five amps a month if we use your figures,
not including expenses for marketing and sales. I bet it'll take a while
for most of these boutique guys to get to that run rate. Given the hand
holding and phone time that getting one's first ten, fifty, or one hundred
customers takes (whatever the number of customers is that gives one a good
base for referrals and continued business), the first amps that go out the
door will likely be at a significant loss.
I look at how most of these guys run their business and I don't understand
how they can make any money at $3K a pop. Is the amp worth $3000? I guess
that's up to the user, but it becomes pretty clear that the point of
diminishing return for most folks comes at a price much lower than that.
Needless to say, there are folks around that are willing to pay more to get
exactly what they want, but I suspect there are not enough people to provide
a good living to more than a lucky few amp builders (or luthiers, for that
matter).
Regards,
Peter
"Jack A. Zucker" <j...@jackzucker.com> wrote in message
news:wUaSa.456$gi.5...@news2.news.adelphia.net...
Phil Farano
Phil Farano
Ampmedic
"Jack A. Zucker" <j...@jackzucker.com> wrote in message
news:wUaSa.456$gi.5...@news2.news.adelphia.net...
Jack A. Zucker
> Sorry if I came across that way Jack. I only half read your post and
> assumed you were saying "how can it cost so much".
>
> Have you tried a cybertwin or a boogie mark IV?
I've tryed the Cyber amps a number of times. Fender struck out on those.
Yamaha and Line6 are much closer. Neither comes close to the feel of a real
tube amp.
I owned a MK IV...I did not care for it. Dry, sterile and thin clean tones,
buzzy distorted tones. I like the Mk 1,2 and 3 are better.
Jack A. Zucker
"Rick Ross" <userri...@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:24dSa.5194$KZ.20...@news1.news.adelphia.net...
> businesses take on an unpredictable reality of their own which transcends
> the sum of the parts...albeit important, quantitative analysis by itself
> rarely amounts to adequate preparation for a successful commercial
> enterprise..
> in the same way as technical and theoretical mastery of the guitar will
> assure one's success in the music biz...
>
> "the opinions above are underwritten by much painful experience :)"
I wasn't saying otherwise. Just a discussion. I guess I should have re-read
it before posting because instead of discussing the merits of building a
boutique amp, everyone seems to be defending the boutique amp makes and I
wasn't passing judgement on them in the first place.
Again, I'm an engineer for a company who manufactures hardware so believe
me, I know all about sales, marketing, overhead, procurement costs, etc... I
know those guys are out on a limb and not getting rich.
Miles O'Neal
> jack
> businesses take on an unpredictable reality of their own which transcends
> the sum of the parts...albeit important, quantitative analysis by itself
> rarely amounts to adequate preparation for a successful commercial
> enterprise..
Exactly! Jack's cost breakdown is completely irrelevant,
in and of itself. You can't know how much time any
given builder put into an amp - esp. when you include
the time to design, build, test, rebuild, get feedback
from players, rebuild, etc.
Then there's taxes (both halves of the FICA in the USA,
for instance), benefits, phone bills, power bills, test
equipment, tools, research, advertising and a million
other overhead things.
To simply do a parts cost analysis and assume everything
else is profit (or straight hourly cost) is the height of
naivete. It's utterly absurd to even attempt this until
you've run a business yourself. And I mean a full time
business as your sole income. A business on the side is
not even in the same league. I've done both, and know
many, many others who have done so - I know whereof I
speak.
Navin Johnson
"Jack A. Zucker" <j...@jackzucker.com> wrote in message
news:wUaSa.456$gi.5...@news2.news.adelphia.net...
The Gabster
I am building tube amps, (imagine the plural as beeing 1 amp/year ;-) ...
And here are a few things I've found:
1. The market for handwired amps has pretty hight prices.
2. These prices are the result of the components. One deals with NOS tubes,
resistors, capacitors, sockets, etc. A simple example. I am using ceramic
gold plated tube sockets for better tube electrical connection, etc. You can
buy one for 2.50 (made in china, does the job fine) or you can buy a $9.50
that has a better reputation, etc. What is the difference? Well, depends on
how 'vintage' would you go.
3. It is fun to buld these if you do it for simply a hobby.
4. Finding and ordering components can become a pain if someone want to
stick with as-close-as-it-can-be-to-the-original components as I did on my
18 Watt Marshall clone (see www.mamaliga.com/gabriel/)
5. There IS a difference between factory wired and handwired amps. I would
opt for the handwired simply because there is some degree of passion in it.
6. It DOES take a lot of time to complete it. Specially if you make the
cabinet yourself.
7. It is DANGEROUS building these tube amps. I found myself repeating this
over and over. You are dealing with LETHAL VOLTAGES...
HTH,
Gabi.
__________________________________________
www.mamaliga.com/gabriel/
www.18watt.com
"Navin Johnson" <mwp5160rem...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:CIMSa.2492$%N.25...@twister.socal.rr.com...
Walter Campbell
the costs fairly significantly:
My 2 cents worth (hope this helps):
> I did some thinking,investigating and some calculating...
>
> These are list prices. I'm sure a builder can get discounts...
I suppose if I was willing to invest thousands (literaly, not an
exaggeration) of dollars in speculative inventory I could order filter
caps, transformers, chassis, etc. in quantities sufficient to get some
discounts, but I can't afford that, so instead I build each amp,
one-at-a-time, preferably after it's been ordered and half paid for
<G>.
>
> [*]Axiom JTM-45 OT: $120
> [*]Axiom JTM-45 PT: $120
you get what you pay for, similar spec Hammonds will probably go for
$60 to $90 each
> [*]Chassis: $50
I'd love to get 'em for that....Weber VST chassis cost $110 each,
wholesale is still over $90. That cost doesn't include *any* tube
sockets ($2 each not including hardware to hold them in and tube
holders used, if any), speaker jacks ($2 each), fuse holder ($4.95),
elec. cord (around $7.50 depending on length), on/off and standby
switches (carlings for around $5 each, another $10), or any other misc.
chassis hardware (extra fuses, additional speaker impedance out's
etc.). The good news about the weber chassis is that if you're
building an exact copy of some famous amp, he included the bare circuit
board for it with the chassis (e.g. '59 bassman unpopulated board,
backing and brass ground plate). But if you're making a custom circuit
using one of his chassis then that board is pretty much useless.
> [*]front/rear plates: $50
If you can find/teach someone to make something you can use. Here in
Sacramento it's been a challenge for me....price is around $10 each
once you pay for the initial set up and computer configuration fee ($60
to $160 depending)
> [*]Board, pots, caps, resistors, wire,etc: $100
Again, close but significanty under. The boards I use I get from Doug
Hoffman at 62 cents an inch. At around 12 inches per board, two boards
if you use the same material to protect the bottom, you get $14.88 just
for the board. You'll also need a power filter cap board, around half
that size, so another $7 or so. Then you have to plan the board
layout, drill the holes, install the turrets (cost more for those too
<G>). The Sprague filter caps will be $3.75 to $7.00 depending on
size/voltage with at least three per amp, so that another $12 to $15
just for those. Pots are $3 (some $3.95) each, so vol, bass, mid,
treble, master, presence = another $20 and that doesn't include the
knobs which are another $2 to $5 each (another $12). I just did this
drill for the Fender tube Reverb clone I build and my cost for the
board for it alone (just the caps, resistors, and wire) came to over
$40 and that's a *real* simple circuit with a minimum of components and
doesn't include any pots, knobs, pilot lights, wire, or switches. A
'59 twin board + filter caps costs over $100 without pots, knobs, wire
switches, etc. I use carbon comps, mallory or Orange drop caps, and
wire wound resistors for the power circuit.. Metal film, and the more
esoteric caps could run the cost up, and some folks use teflon
insulated silver wire. Me, I can't afford that kind of stuff! <G>
> [*]Head Cabinet: $225
reasonable, but may or may not include all the hardware necessary to
finish the amp.
>
> Note that some values may be higher, some may be lower. For example I could
> get Hammond transformers for 1/2 the cost of the Axiom. (My Winfield Thomas
> amp has Hammond transformers and it sounds wonderful...) A fancy chassis and
> front plate may be more than the $100 allowance I've made but it might be
> less too...
>
> OK, that comes to $665 if I've done my math correctly.
see above, my total cost of parts for a '59 Tweed hi-power Twin with
Axiom txfmrs was just over $1000 not including speakers, but including
everything else. With speakers (2 C12Ns) the parts cost came to around
$1150. I sold the amp for $1800 plus shipping. Net = $650. I spent
35 hours or so on the amp (*not* including talks with the owner prior
to the build/sale or support subsequent concerning what tubes sound
like what, and what could be done to custom tailor the sound, could he
get a different color pilot light lens, etc.). So I built the thing
for less than $19/hour.
>
> Taking that off the $3000 amp comes to $2335. I'm estimating about 30 hours
> worth of labor based on the amp restoration and repair I've done. It can
> probably be assembled and wired in 1/2 that time but I figured the other 1/2
> for testing...
>
> $2335 Divided by about 30 hours of labor, that's about $78 per hour. That's
> quite a bit higher than the $10/hour the amp builder quoted...
>
> Now believe me, as an engineer for a company who manufactures industrial
> hardware, I know there's more to building an amp than just assembling the
> raw parts.
>
> You can't sell products for what it costs to build them. There is R&D
> involved and there may be patents and intellectual property that we have to
> pay for out of each unit sold. There's overhead for the shop, there are
> employees to pay, yada-yada... There's also the fact that you are paying for
> the expertise and experience of the person who is building the amp in the
> first place, i.e. his knowledge of what particular brand of capacitor and
> transformer creates the mojo that folks are clamoring for. And of course,
> the designer/builder deserves a profit for his efforts, and deservedly so...
>
True enough. Plus, the $19/hour for building the amp has to cover all
those other hours you have to eat and breath, etc. that aren't involved
in actually building that particular amp. Your comments on R&D,
including prototypes, experimentation, design and the accompanying
component "waste" are sure relevant, and add still more indirect costs
to each amp. A more realistic assessment of the labor cost should be
based on how many are sold per month to cover the total labor hours (20
days at 8 hours per day) plus a percentage of the "overhead" including
support, maintenance, tool replacement and on-going customer support.
I suspect to make it cost effective the labor rate I should be charging
for the build needs to be closer to $95 per direct hour. But then, I
sell my amps too cheap and am twice retired and don't have any
employees, so I can afford not to pay myself much <BG>.
> I'm considering building my own amp (for personal use only) so I'd
> appreciate any thoughts from you guys. I'm not planning on selling these.
>
> Jaz
>
>
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Phil Symonds
news:QZfSa.16256$ye5.3...@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net...
> How about marketing/promotion, & lest we forget - accountants fees.
>
> Phil Farano
> Ampmedic
>
much maligned until you really need us. We will keep you out of trouble
with the IRS and help you minimize your taxes. We will also help you
understand the total cost of production so you don't sell too cheap. The
problem with some accountants is that they know the cost of everything and
the value of nothing. It's a shame when you have to work with someone like
that. The vast majority of my collegues are smart folks who put their pants
on one leg at a time like everyone else.
Dare I mention the lawyers? No, not me.
BTW, Jack, good luck with your build. Tell us about it. Doing a hobby
build, you won't have to concern yourself with all the business details and
you won't be on a production deadline. Accountant advice: have a
contingency fund so you can be sure to finish the project without putting
any junk in it.
Phil Symonds, CPA
Jack A. Zucker
information. I'm hoping to start on an amp project within the next few
months.
Should be a fun and educational process...
Jaz
false
My thought is that I'd rather have the sound come from stable and accurate component values, rather than the luck of the tolerance distributions that day.
It should be an interesting experience. I would recommend starting with an old tube amp and refurb / redesigning it rather than having to bend sheet metal from the start. Granted, component placement and ground current return paths may not be optimal, but it is easier to have a place to start from. Also, keep good notes. You never know what you'll discover.
For an interesting take on the Botique Amp technology, check out http://www.aikenamps.com
Interesting discussions and opinions on amp construction. The grounding issues are well covered here too.
Best of luck and keep one hand in your pocket,
-- Mike V.
David Morley
"Phil Symonds" <psym...@mica.edu> wrote:
Also, you need tools! I guess good ones too. and space.
Then knowledge don´t come cheap in the way of reference books and also,
if you want something REALLY good, then he will be taking into account
what you want, making small (but time consuming) additions or
adjustments along the way.
I think Fender Custom shop amps may have a huge margin, but the small
builder will be earning an ok living max. Many will be doing it as well
as something else.
David
Mike Coston
As a hobbyist, I recenty built a 5E3 deluxe clone and really enjoyed
it. Plus, it's a really cool sounding amp. I don't know if you want
to go the route I did for my first shot at this but I started with the
chasis kit from Bruce Collins at Mission amps
(http://www.missionamps.com/). Really it's just the equivilant of
getting the parts, a Webervst chasis and a decent schematic. Also,
Bruce was really good to work with. I had a tweed 5e3 cabinet built by
Will Dykes and Armadillo Amp works in Austin and bought a Weber p12r.
It's sounds like you have more electronics experience than I do so you
may not like the kit idea but I learned alot from this. And yeah the
amp really does kick ass!
"Jack A. Zucker" <j...@jackzucker.com> wrote in message news:<wUaSa.456$gi.5...@news2.news.adelphia.net>...
Jack A. Zucker
probably best to stick to something a bit simpler for the first amp.
How much did the cabinet cost you? Did you get tweed or tolex?
Thanks for the info. I did take a look at the mission amps site...
I was thinking along the lines of starting with an EL84 based project since
the ax84 site seems to have so much information on that...
"Mike Coston" <micha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3337ec93.03072...@posting.google.com...
Paul
Zucker <j...@jackzucker.com> writes
>That sounds cool. I'm tempted to try to build an amp with reverb but it's
>probably best to stick to something a bit simpler for the first amp.
>
>How much did the cabinet cost you? Did you get tweed or tolex?
>
>Thanks for the info. I did take a look at the mission amps site...
>
>I was thinking along the lines of starting with an EL84 based project since
>the ax84 site seems to have so much information on that...
I'm a bit late coming to this thread but...
Yes the AX84 site is a brilliant resource for amp builders, I'm always
giving it a look.
If you have a fairly good electronic junk box and plenty of tools and
you're good at scrounging :) you can build amps pretty cheap.
Here's my Champ copy that only cost me £17 ($27), mind you no labour
cost in that.
http://homepages.tesco.net/uva/champ_amp.html
I know this is a cheap shot to show my amp off but hey!!!!
I like to see what others have built as well, it's always good for
ideas. Good luck with your amp project hope it all goes well.
--
Paul
Jack A. Zucker
>
> Yes the AX84 site is a brilliant resource for amp builders, I'm always
> giving it a look.
> If you have a fairly good electronic junk box and plenty of tools and
> you're good at scrounging :) you can build amps pretty cheap.
>
> Here's my Champ copy that only cost me £17 ($27), mind you no labour
> cost in that.
>
> http://homepages.tesco.net/uva/champ_amp.html
Gorgeous. Did you build the cab too?
Paul
Zucker <j...@jackzucker.com> writes
Yes the cab was made from pine board I had to buy, it's amazing how a
belt sander can give a nice finish to some dodgy carpentry :) It's all
butt joints with square joint supports inside, but I managed to keep all
the fixing screws on the inside to help with the appearance. Then it was
waxed with some coloured wax I had left over from some other job. I
wanted to try and get it looking half OK as I wanted it as a practice
amp in the living room.
--
Paul
Jack A. Zucker
> Yes the cab was made from pine board I had to buy, it's amazing how a
> belt sander can give a nice finish to some dodgy carpentry :) It's all
> butt joints with square joint supports inside, but I managed to keep all
> the fixing screws on the inside to help with the appearance. Then it was
> waxed with some coloured wax I had left over from some other job. I
> wanted to try and get it looking half OK as I wanted it as a practice
> amp in the living room.
Well - That's very cool and my wife would want it to look at least as nice
as yours if I were leaving it in the living room. It's funny that before I
got married I thought nothing of buying "beater amps" and leaving them all
over the house but not anymore! :-)
tomw
j...@jackzucker.com says...
> Well - That's very cool and my wife would want it to look at least as nice
> as yours if I were leaving it in the living room. It's funny that before I
> got married I thought nothing of buying "beater amps" and leaving them all
> over the house but not anymore! :-)
>
>
>
One alternative is to have a room called "my room" which is devoted to
crappy looking gear. It works for me.
--
Tom Walls
the guy at the Temple of Zeus
http://www.arts.cornell.edu/zeus/
Michael Ellenberger
> In article <7ICVa.5810$gi.34...@news2.news.adelphia.net>,
> j...@jackzucker.com says...
>
>
>>Well - That's very cool and my wife would want it to look at least as nice
>>as yours if I were leaving it in the living room. It's funny that before I
>>got married I thought nothing of buying "beater amps" and leaving them all
>>over the house but not anymore! :-)
>>
>>
>>
>
> One alternative is to have a room called "my room" which is devoted to
> crappy looking gear. It works for me.
Just say garage or basement, the heart and soul of any house ;-)
--
Mike Ellenberger
Listen to some soundclips at
http://home.att.net/~grumpmeister/MikesJazzPage.html
http://www.soundclick.com/traveler
Jack A. Zucker
> In article <7ICVa.5810$gi.34...@news2.news.adelphia.net>,
> j...@jackzucker.com says...
>
> > Well - That's very cool and my wife would want it to look at least as nice
> > as yours if I were leaving it in the living room. It's funny that before I
> > got married I thought nothing of buying "beater amps" and leaving them all
> > over the house but not anymore! :-)
> >
> >
> >
> One alternative is to have a room called "my room" which is devoted to
> crappy looking gear. It works for me.
Yeah, I have that but it's in the basement and it's shared with my
stepson's metal band. I hate to have my good stuff sitting down there!
LOL
What I enjoyed was having a guitar and amp in other rooms so I could
casually pick up something and play along with the TV or radio...
Casey4s
> Well - That's very cool and my wife would want it to look at least as nice
> as yours if I were leaving it in the living room. It's funny that before I
> got married I thought nothing of buying "beater amps" and leaving them all
> over the house but not anymore! :-)
Jack,
I wish you all the luck in the world in whatever DIY amp project you
decide to persue. I think you will find that although building a small
tube amp is not all that difficult, it is a lot more involved than you
might think. The bigger the amp and the more features you include the
more expensive and TIME CONSUMING it becomes.
Like any knid of DIY project the more of the work you actually do
yourself (like punching and drilling your own chassis, making your own
turret/eyelet board, make your own faceplate, build your own cabinet
{head or Combo} and finishing the cab or Tolexing it) the less the
total cost will be, the more somebody else does the MORE the overall
cost will be.
I've built a number of DIY amps for my own use or for friends, but I
know if I actually wanted to sell one to some person I could never
recover my parts cost, and especially my TIME.
Some of my DIY amps are here --> http://tinyurl.com/36jq
There are some other files there with DIY info that you may (or may
not) find useful at some point during your first DIY project.
At some point I hope you realize the folley of your original post and
get a little more respect for the effort that goes into a "Botique"
amp.
Casey4s
Jack A. Zucker
I don't know why you and other folks think I don't respect amplifier makers.
I've been repairing and modding fender amps for 7 or 8 years. I've never
built one myself but I'm an engineer and I have an understanding about what
it takes to build something from the ground up. There's a lot of "voodoo" in
this industry and there's also a lot of really good guys making good stuff.
The trick is being able to ascertain the difference...
Your stuff looks great by the way and I saved the URL so I can consult it
for information and inspiration!
"Casey4s" <Cas...@Yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:7928e41b.03073...@posting.google.com...