shaunf wrote:
I hope you don't mind me asking, but what sort of costs are we talking about to build a head like that? And also, is it built from a kit and could a plonker like me, with nothing more than a bit of soldering experience do it by following a set of instructions, or is that a big no-no?
I'm all for openness. I paid 300 pounds for all the parts and 77 pounds shipping. That came out to about R5200 incl VAT and duties. That includes EVERYTHING that the head is made of (Don't ask, EVERYTHING). Now, I bought it from Valvepower, and they do not provide you with instructions or even a schematic, all the parts came in a big plastic bag, just tossed in. So I had to figure out wth was what.
My previous experience in electronics were some RC circuit experiments in a physics lab long ago and I built my own MXR Microamp clone. Thats it. I couldn't even solder that well when I started this (I sure as hell can now ?). So yes, any plonker can build an amp BUT you need to have patience and attention to detail is important. You need to be able to work methodically and check your work as you go. If you don't know much about valve amps (you don't, if you THINK you do, you only do if you KNOW you do) you'll need to read quite a bit before you start. Remember,
Valve amps are DANGEROUS and contain LETHAL voltages EVEN AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN SWITCHED OFF. Just a word of warning.
If you buy a kit from GDS, Trinity, Brown Note or Ampmaker, you will get a set of very good instructions, so then its very easy, but it comes at a monetary cost.
Building your own amp that kicks ass, is AWESOME. I highly recommend it.
