A good Blues /Jazz amp kit

[ocguy106]

well my dad's birthday is coming up again and this year I want to build him an amp. He currently plays a hot rod delux and pretty much loves it. Does anyone have suggestions for a kit I can build that would be sutible for a nice warm blues tone. maybe some sort of Dumble clone or somthing along those lines. I put his current tone simular to Robben Ford and just want somthing that might be able to enhance that. Open to suggestions.

Ken

 

[Mor Paul]

http://ceriatone.com/productSubPages/Overtone/CTOvertone.htm
That, maybe

 

[tfarny]

Got to be the Overtone Special from Ceriatone or the low power tweed twin 5e8a from the same. Though the OTC looks hellaciously complex to wire up. Would NOT want that for a first project, but maybe you've got experience or are much braver than !.

 

[vtpcnk]

this is hardly a reply to your actual question, but if you want to buy him a nice portable tube amp i would suggest the gibson ga-5 (reissue) which is going for ridiculously low prices on ebay. it is a great amp for blues/jazz and is a steal for the price it is going for.

 

[weldfish]

Go to Mojotone and get him an 18 watt Marshall clone. Gritty blues tones and terrific cleans. You can get the kit and a cabinet from them.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Unless you have built an amp before, I'd hold off on the Mojotone kit.  They give you a layout, a schematic, all the bits and pieces, and turn you loose.  Most kits are a little light on the instructions.  Thank goodness for the interweb.  But, all of the suggestions above are good ones.  Still there is a lot that is sort of "experience learned" stuff to building an amp.  There are a couple of groups online that are very good with helping out on problems.  This place is one of them.  AX84.com is a good spot, and 18watt.org is another place for quite a bit of info.  Ceriatone is a very good place to get a kit because Nik will email you back with help/suggestions if you ask. 

Most of all, this is another incurable condition that will cause you to research and build your own amps from here on out.  Be very careful, but have a good time.
Patrick

 

[jimh]

+1 on the Ceriatone.  Nik is great.

The Overtone Special is high on my next project list, but it is a complex kit to put together.......

Bear in mind that if you get a kit, you'll need speakers and a cab to go with it.

 

[ocguy106]

+1 on the Ceriatone.  Nik is great.

The Overtone Special is high on my next project list, but it is a complex kit to put together.......

Bear in mind that if you get a kit, you'll need speakers and a cab to go with it.

was planning on getting the kit that has everything.

As for putting one together I think I should be able to do it. I owned a stereo shop for many years so I know my way around 12v and very proficiant with solder and schematics. I just think it would be more fun to build one then just buy one and give it to him. I think I am going to check into the overtone special.

 

[mayfly]

12v?

I assume that's a typo.  You need to be happy around 0.5kV.  Slightly different experience.

 

[ocguy106]

12v?

I assume that's a typo.  You need to be happy around 0.5kV.  Slightly different experience.

car stereo's so I was referring to 12v car audio. I know amps can be a little different and alot more deadly, but I think if I take it slow I will be able to pull it off.

 

[Nando Vallart]

500v or 600v, I think you shall be VERY confident... not "little"

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The Power Transformer has a wind that can be 300-550V after the rectifier.  The Filament leads are at 5-6 volts but have a bit of current through them.  The problems start when the noise from these lines get to close to the audio paths.  Then you hear the transformer whine in the audio signal.  To fix it you get out a pair of wooden chopsticks and move wires 'til the noise goes away.  It seems odd but you get used to it.  There is a lot that comes with building this style (guitar) of amplifier.  Other amps, like car amps, don't deal with some of the interesting issues.  Still, I just read a lot and with practice got better.  It is good that you are comfortable with the schematics, that will help a lot.  Well, have fun and ask questions and you will get one going in no time.  Oh and yes you are correct, building them is a heck of a lot more fun.
Patrick

 

[MN_JDTele]

I recently built the 1.5 watt firefly referenced on the AX84 site.  It was a blast to build.  I am going to get a reverb kit built for it next.  I decided to get the PCB that someone had started manufacturing for it, and it went together very easily.  Next up, will be a more powerful amp using a turret board!

Here are some pictures of my completed firefly amp.  Working on designing the head and speaker cabs now. 

Eventually I may order a replacement chassis for it.  The bit I was using with my hole saw broke and scarred up the chassis while drilling holes for the tube sockets  =(  But depending on my cab design, you may not really notice that.

the internals:

1.5 watt is surprisingly loud, but may not be totally what you are looking for.  Just in case though, here is where I bought the PCB and components:

http://web.me.com/calhoun/Site/Firefly_PCB.html

 

[jimh]

PCB??

Thats cheating  :icon_tongue:

I've had a look at the AX84 stuff (it was actually AX84 forum that I found out Ceriatone) and they do some great stuff.  Very informative.  Tons of info.  Nice people.  A lot like here, but for amp nuts.....

 

[MN_JDTele]

:laughing7:  My amp knowledge was limited to fixing my DeVilles when resistors blew.  Had to start somewheres  LOL.  I know a PCB is cheating, but I learned a lot about how the different components work together and still ended up with an amp that worked in the end...and didn't blow up or burn anything down.  The ceriatone kits appear to come with a pre wired turret board.  Where is the fun in that?

 

[jimh]

Dont panic..... I'm only messing    :icon_jokercolor:

Any start is a good start.  I've no problem with PCBs at all, I'm just a fan of real point-to-point wiring.

The ceriatone boards are pre-loaded with the components, but I figure it's still real wiring.

I built a 1.5W Torres kit some time ago, a based on a tweed Princeton, so no real mega overdrive sounds, but it does get chunky (and surprisingly loud) when you crank it. 
I love it.  Great for at home.

I wouldnt buy another Torres though. They are expensive.  You can get a lot more for your money elsewhere.....

 

[MN_JDTele]

Definately going to do the point to point thing next.  Easier to swap components in and out and allows for use of many different types, instead of just the ones your PCB was designed to use.  How ever you build it, the smile is just as big the first time you crank it up

 

[Patrick from Davis]

This is my AX84 High Octane

It was a lot of fun.  Then the mods came and I learned a bit more about value changes and sound changes.
Patrick