Guytronix amp kits

[misplacedsanity]

Hi, has anyone tried one of this guys kits?
http://www.guytronix.com/home.html
The sound files are superb, they're ridiculously cheap and from what I've read elsewhere, seem to be easy enough for a complette novice to build.
Anyone here ever heard of this guy? Kinda sounds too good to be true, for me at least, as this is exacly the kind of thing I have been looking for.
Any input would be appriciated.

 

[Shmoopie]

Me thinks me likes, this would make a great present for my dad.  :sign13:

 

[misplacedsanity]

I've been reading some off site reviews on this guy that seem to imply he's the most helpful friendly guy in the whole world with second to none customer service that goes above and beyond the call of duty, selling an amp that going by the MP3s sounds absolutely astounding at bedroom volumes and because of the strenght of the £ against the $ will cost about the same if not less than a stock epiphone valve.
My question is..............whats the catch? there's got to be a catch right?
I can't help but feel that even if I get someone else to put this together, at some point this amp is going to kill me, it's the only possible explanation. Either that or it's somehow possessed by the Devil. One or t'other, either way I'm getting one. Pray for me people.

 

[jackthehack]

I looked at the site, there's no schematics or much info on the circuits. You can get similar kits cheaper from ax84.com; check that site out; they've got schematics; user forums, etc. On the flip site; the chassis on that site look well made, and if he's including Mercury Magnetics transformers they might be worth the extra $$$

 

[Stage Fright]

Ditto with Jack.  I would not buy a kit from someone who won't publish the schematic.

Also, after you build a few (it took only one for me) I stopped using kits because I didn't like the components provided.  For example, there are some killer designs on the AX84 site but Doberman only offered point-to-point parts rather than circuit boards and the caps were under-rated for the mods I made to the amp later.  Chris is definitely a good guy trying to make an honest living but go over what you are getting otherwise you may purchase some of the parts twice.

One other point, the speaker which is often not provided in the kit makes a huge difference in the tone.  By the best kit and the crappiest speaker and the sound will be dictated by the worst component.

  ---Russ