Tube amp building

[atreidesheir]

A colleague has heard my pedals and has approached me about building him a champ 5f1 amp over the summer.  He will supply the parts.
I am not an amp builder.  Ruby doesn't quite count.
Is it going to be smarter to buy a kit or use the BOM and source the parts myself?
I do not need a chassis or cabinet.  I can build the can and my dad is a retired pipefitter and will weld me a  great chassis.

[drezdn]

Personally, I like starting any new area with a kit, but if you're really comfortable with a schematic, it's worth a shot to try it without.

[alanp]

Depends on who the kit is from. Mission Amps and Mojotone have good reputations. Also, do NOT use the deathcap from the original, use a proper ground with a 3 pin plug for the mains. Run through it with a multimeter checking for shorts to ground.

Also, consider purchasing a chassis. They come all nicely chromed with white lettering from mojo

[pryde]

This guy has the best F51 and 5E3 kits. I have built a few of both for myself and others. Get in contact, Dave is a great guy and is a frequent on the TDPRI forums. He will give you full support all the way through.

http://www.boothillamps.com/

[atreidesheir]

This guy has the best F51 and 5E3 kits. I have built a few of both for myself and others. Get in contact, Dave is a great guy and is a frequent on the TDPRI forums. He will give you full support all the way through.

http://www.boothillamps.com/

That was the most impressive site yet for kits.  That may well be the way to go.  I have sourced the two transformers from MOuser. btw

[pryde]

This guy has the best F51 and 5E3 kits. I have built a few of both for myself and others. Get in contact, Dave is a great guy and is a frequent on the TDPRI forums. He will give you full support all the way through.

http://www.boothillamps.com/

That was the most impressive site yet for kits.  That may well be the way to go.  I have sourced the two transformers from MOuser. btw

You might want to hold off on the iron until you talk to Dave (if you go that route) The OT and PT are essential to a proper sounding build. ClassicTone are great in these amps for the money.

[Rockhorst]

Bought an Ampmaker.com kit last year. Very happy with it.

[Blues Healer]

I built a Mission Amps 5E3 several years ago, that turned out great.

I'd recommend getting a kit for the convenience. Most kits should actually be a cost savings as well. I'd also get the chassis -- there's more to a chassis than just bending metal. They should be properly silk-screened and chrome plated.

I'd be partial to MojoTone, since they've been around quite a while. Weber also has kits, but last time I checked, it seemed they used some cheap parts. (Don't quote me on that.)
I'd also recommend looking into an upgrade to Mercury Magnetics transformers. It may not make economic sense on a Champ build, but on any larger amp, it's worth it -- good transformers are the often unseen critical ingredient for great tone.

[alanp]

I'd recommend Heyboer or ClassicTone over Mercury Magnetics -- MM seem to automatically put their price as being 400% of anyone else, which to my mind is way past diminishing returns and straight into corksniffery audiophile. (The mojo stuff is mostly Heyboer, IIRC.)

[timbo_93631]

I use Magnetic Components iron on everything now.  Price is right, built like a tank, spec sheets on every transformer available from the manufacturer.   Mercury won't give you a spec sheet before you plunk down a heap of cash on their iron/hype.

[jighead81]

If you don't need the chassis or cab, check out the champ kits at

http://www.triodeelectronics.com/5f1kit.html

They use the classictone trannys and they're my favorite.  I built my first vibro champ from them.  They were very helpful through emails and helped me get it running.  I ended up with a handwired turret board vibro champ with zero hum that I still use years later, and it takes pedals very well.  good luck

[atreidesheir]

There are a couple of good options here.  I will let you guys know which is selected.  I am kinda getting the itch to do this now.

[gordo]

+1 on the kit idea.  I sourced my own and while it taught me how to make eyelet boards it's not really any cheaper than your average kit.  Kit does a bit of hand holding when you need it.

I've used a lot of Mercury Magnetics trannies for repairs, especially in older American-made Crates, where it was impossible to find a good match elsewhere.  Very nice iron but crazy expensive.

I'm a real big fan of the Magnetic Components stuff.  Really well made and great folks to deal with.  Plus they're local for me (they're in the Chicago area).

Check out http://store.triodestore.com/5f1kit.html and you get the best of everything.