Two Amp Questions

[nate_dennis]

Ok two questions for you all . . .

1. Does anyone know the approximate price I could/should get for selling a good condition Peavey Studio Chorus 70? I know Peavey gets a bad rep sometimes, but the little bit of research I've done on this amp says it's actually a pretty nice amp. I like it, just not what I'm looking for. So yeah, thanks.

2. Has anyone built their own tube amp? What kind of budget did you have/need? How difficult was it? Did you build it into a combo or into just a head? Thanks guys.


-Nate

 

[Light]

1) I've no idea.


2) Yeah, I have. Actually, I've built two, and I'm starting to think of a third. For your first one, get a kit. I made the GDS 18 Watt clone for my first one (though I've modified it a LOT since then, and it doesn't really resemble an 18 watt much any more). The soldering was more challenging than I expected, because the solder points are much larger than in a guitar, so they take more heat. I had problems with cold solder joints, which I NEVER have anymore in guitars. On the other hand, learning how to do those joints taught me a lot about soldering.

Honestly, I think it is really important to have a friend who understands tube amps the first time you make one. I had a lot of help from a guy who I recommend to my customers for amps, which was a huge help. You are almost certain to have issues when you first fire it up, and tracing problems in an amp is a giant pain in the ass.

I bought the combo version, without the cabinet or the speaker (because I have a world class wood shop at my disposal, and I can buy speakers at wholesale). I love my amp, but I'm still pretty much constantly tweaking it. This shit is addictive - you're not getting out of it cheap. After you've made your first, you'll want to make a second. And a third. Etc.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[nate_dennis]

I very much appreciate the help.

 

[dogonjon]

Unless you like the blisters from burning yourself repeatedly you will probably spend an equal amount of money to buying a new amp on raw components and trouble shooting before you have a working amp.