DON'T mess with this stuff unless you have a decent understanding of the dangers. Double-check (with a VOM) to be sure the filter caps are drained. Always unplug the mains cord before working. Always drain the power supply filter caps before touching the circuitry. And there's plenty of current available to harm you in any tube audio amp. The volts do the "pushing," and overcome the natural resistance of your skin. If it were amps alone, then even a AA battery can supply many times what's needed to stop a human heart. Amps AND volts together dictate the danger level. The power supply in this projects kicks out 200V, which is plenty, with startup spikes near 240V or more.ĭon't believe it when they say "it's not the voltage, it's the amperage that kills you"-because it's both. OK, it's not "High Voltage," technically, but it's high enough to kill you. Here's the standard disclaimer: This is dangerous, high voltage stuff. Settings: volume 50%, tone 60%, presence 30% : It remains a studio type amp, but it is louder than all those Valve Jrs., Champs, Blackhearts, etc. However, hi-gain and high volume are not the same.this amp is loud for it's wattage, but it's not a Marshall stack. Oh, and this is a fairly hi-gain amp-i.e., it has a good amount of natural tube clipping and distortion, and a decently "dirty" sound. A small, but surprisingly LOUD amp that outputs something in the neighborhood of 8 watts (see the Power Amp Stage step for more info.) And the combination of 12AX7 and 6DG6GT tubes, though unusual, works quite well. Make something unusual (6DG6GT's in a parallel single-ended configuration qualifies as unusual.as does the tone control.)Ī whole lot of tweaking later, I've got an amp that pleases me. Reuse salvaged and vintage components whenever possible, and save good stuff from the landfill. Build an amp with that MMM-good tube sound. Check out the last steps- information's been added since this guide was first published. Maybe, like me, you'll design and build from scratch. Want to build your own tube amplifier for guitar? There are many options: build a kit, build from an existing schematic, or branch off like I did, and try something different.