DIY Guitar Amp P1 project completed. - GoFuckYourself.com

iwantchixx · 06-07-2005, 09:05 PM

I just finished building this beauty. Took me 2 nights in total. Not bad at all.

here are the pics.

That blue stuff on the chassis was a sticky plastic there to protect while drilling and cutting the chassis. I need to remove the rest.

I just love how this thing sounds. The clean tones are very articulate and vibrant. You can even hear the sound of the metal in the strings. Not just a dull twang like most commercial amplifiers are.

Turn it up to 5 and you get a really nice classic crunch going on. Very plexi-ish. Turn it up even further and this thing is a fire breather! Very clear, no mud and you can hear every little nuance of the notes being played through it. It's not overdriven into oblivion either.. It just reproduces the sound of the guitar much much better than most amps I have played through. Very thick tone. The midrange is perfect on it, very adjustable and I have yet to find a "bad" tone setting on this thing.

And guess what? It's only 7 watts! Gotta love Class "A" tube amps. It's pretty damn loud. Loud enough to play with a drummer if you crank it full tilt. This would be the perfect recording amp or bedroom practice amp. Even better yet, I got the parts here to set it up for 1watt at max volume. Just need to drop another tube and socket and a few resistors in.

LBBV · 06-07-2005, 09:13 PM

Good job on the amp dude...

Are you going to cover the chassis?

In my book, nothing beats a tube amp. I have an old Peavey Classic tube head on a half stack cabinet, and with my Strat, it always sounds good.

iwantchixx · 06-07-2005, 09:14 PM

Yes. I'm going to make a cabinet for it. I'm debating between dropping it in a 2x12 combo configuration or just making a head out of it.

tony286 · 06-07-2005, 09:17 PM

very cool where did you get the plans to build it ?

iwantchixx · 06-07-2005, 09:24 PM

I got the plans from http://ax84.com and the parts from http://dobermanamps.com

Top notch guys. Excelent seervice. Adult biz could really learn a thing or two about service from these guys.

Ice · 06-07-2005, 09:52 PM

That looks sweet man...... great job... record something so we can hear how it sounds

basschick · 06-07-2005, 10:34 PM

sweet!

how about some mp3's so we can hear it in action?

iwantchixx · 06-07-2005, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceicebaby

That looks sweet man...... great job... record something so we can hear how it sounds

I don't have a very good mic to play with. I will figure something out. This thing sounds amazing. In all honnesty. it's quieter and more detailed sounding than ANY production amplifier out there I have ever played.

Ice · 06-07-2005, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iwantchixx

I don't have a very good mic to play with. I will figure something out. This thing sounds amazing. In all honnesty. it's quieter and more detailed sounding than ANY production amplifier out there I have ever played.

Nice... I play through a Marshall JCM2000 DSL but it lacks the clean sound you are describing with that amp

V_RocKs · 06-07-2005, 10:50 PM

fudpuck · 06-07-2005, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iwantchixx

I just finished building this beauty. Took me 2 nights in total. Not bad at all.

here are the pics.

That blue stuff on the chassis was a sticky plastic there to protect while drilling and cutting the chassis. I need to remove the rest.

I just love how this thing sounds. The clean tones are very articulate and vibrant. You can even hear the sound of the metal in the strings. Not just a dull twang like most commercial amplifiers are.

Turn it up to 5 and you get a really nice classic crunch going on. Very plexi-ish. Turn it up even further and this thing is a fire breather! Very clear, no mud and you can hear every little nuance of the notes being played through it. It's not overdriven into oblivion either.. It just reproduces the sound of the guitar much much better than most amps I have played through. Very thick tone. The midrange is perfect on it, very adjustable and I have yet to find a "bad" tone setting on this thing.

And guess what? It's only 7 watts! Gotta love Class "A" tube amps. It's pretty damn loud. Loud enough to play with a drummer if you crank it full tilt. This would be the perfect recording amp or bedroom practice amp. Even better yet, I got the parts here to set it up for 1watt at max volume. Just need to drop another tube and socket and a few resistors in.

That's awesome man. Tubes rule. How much did it cost to put together?

iwantchixx · 06-07-2005, 11:06 PM

Well, the kit form DobermanAmps.com costs $175. Shipping is reasonable. Add another $24 for the 1watt mod. You just turn off the amp, pull the EL84 and drop the 6n1p in the other socket then power up and you are in 1watt territory for late night jammin.

It's worth the money. Trust me. Then go to webervst.com and buy a ceramic silver bell. Get the 12watt version. You'll be in tone heaven.

fudpuck · 06-08-2005, 06:21 AM

That sounds like an excellent investment.

iwantchixx · 06-08-2005, 08:18 PM

Uhg. Failure has set it. I fired it up again this afternoon and I got nothing but hum. I think the EL84 tube is bad. My cat has been jumping of and onto that table all last night and all day today. I think she might have hit the tube and fucked it. $20 down the drain...

iwantchixx · 06-08-2005, 09:21 PM

well sir. It works again. Looks like a mixed bag of bad pot soldering, forgetting to solder the treble and midrange caps into the terminal strip eyes and a few hot leads from soldering that melted through nearby insulation on wires were all contributing to the problem.

Works fine now.

iwantchixx · 06-08-2005, 09:33 PM

Oh, for those who are into building amps, guitars, stompboxes etc. Come check out http://tubegeeks.com

If you have a project, post it there! I'd be glad to host it.

I currently have just one project up there but it will be finished over the summer. I hope to gain many guest projects to build the site up.

smack · 06-08-2005, 09:34 PM

very nice chixx.

iwantchixx · 06-09-2005, 12:45 AM

Thanks smack. I'm hoping that when I power this bitch up tomorrow I don't get any hum and have to spend the entire day troubleshooting. I really didn't have a chance to really give it a good full test. The night I finished it my baby was sleeping. Tonight when I fixed it, baby was sleeping.

You guys should check out some of the mods and builds these guys did over at ax84 for this project. http://ax84.com/dynpage.php?pg=projects&project=p1

Check out Chris Hurley's P1 Rev 11 audio demo 1
and
Eli's P1 (Nov 2003)

pretty nice tones. Though Eli's is not as articulate as mine for clean tone. I'm guessing the delay is at fault.

My next project is to add a 1watt output tube in this so I can switch between bedroom volume and jam volume then mount it in a cabinet then build an external power amp for it to drive for even more volume. I'm thinking of building the power amp section of a JTM-45.

06-07-2005, 09:05 PM	#1
iwantchixx Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Boonies Posts: 12,860	DIY Guitar Amp P1 project completed. I just finished building this beauty. Took me 2 nights in total. Not bad at all. here are the pics. That blue stuff on the chassis was a sticky plastic there to protect while drilling and cutting the chassis. I need to remove the rest. I just love how this thing sounds. The clean tones are very articulate and vibrant. You can even hear the sound of the metal in the strings. Not just a dull twang like most commercial amplifiers are. Turn it up to 5 and you get a really nice classic crunch going on. Very plexi-ish. Turn it up even further and this thing is a fire breather! Very clear, no mud and you can hear every little nuance of the notes being played through it. It's not overdriven into oblivion either.. It just reproduces the sound of the guitar much much better than most amps I have played through. Very thick tone. The midrange is perfect on it, very adjustable and I have yet to find a "bad" tone setting on this thing. And guess what? It's only 7 watts! Gotta love Class "A" tube amps. It's pretty damn loud. Loud enough to play with a drummer if you crank it full tilt. This would be the perfect recording amp or bedroom practice amp. Even better yet, I got the parts here to set it up for 1watt at max volume. Just need to drop another tube and socket and a few resistors in.

06-07-2005, 09:13 PM	#2
LBBV Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta Posts: 936	Good job on the amp dude... Are you going to cover the chassis? In my book, nothing beats a tube amp. I have an old Peavey Classic tube head on a half stack cabinet, and with my Strat, it always sounds good. __________________ National Net Hosting. Handled. See our new line of inexpensive Dedicated Servers \| Cabinets starting at $795 \| CDN [email protected] \| 888-4-NATNET \| www.nationalnet.com

06-07-2005, 09:52 PM	#6
Ice Confirmed User Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sunny California Posts: 26,053	That looks sweet man...... great job... record something so we can hear how it sounds __________________ icq 1904905

06-07-2005, 10:34 PM	#7
basschick Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: el lay, ca usa Posts: 2,540	sweet! how about some mp3's so we can hear it in action? __________________ Got Gay and For Women Traffic?

06-08-2005, 06:21 AM	#13
fudpuck Confirmed User Join Date: May 2004 Location: the woodwork Posts: 885	That sounds like an excellent investment. __________________ AMK Hosting - 3.2Ghz, 1GB RAM, 2x300GB RAID1 + 10Mbps for $249mo. ICQ: 15898919 - Ask me about remote backups for your data.

06-07-2005, 09:14 PM	#3
iwantchixx Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Boonies Posts: 12,860	Yes. I'm going to make a cabinet for it. I'm debating between dropping it in a 2x12 combo configuration or just making a head out of it.

06-07-2005, 09:17 PM	#4
tony286 lurker Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: atlanta Posts: 57,021	very cool where did you get the plans to build it ?

06-07-2005, 09:24 PM	#5
iwantchixx Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Boonies Posts: 12,860	I got the plans from http://ax84.com and the parts from http://dobermanamps.com Top notch guys. Excelent seervice. Adult biz could really learn a thing or two about service from these guys.

06-07-2005, 10:50 PM	#10
V_RocKs Damn Right I Kiss Ass! Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Cowtown, USA Posts: 32,409

06-07-2005, 11:06 PM	#12
iwantchixx Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Boonies Posts: 12,860	Well, the kit form DobermanAmps.com costs $175. Shipping is reasonable. Add another $24 for the 1watt mod. You just turn off the amp, pull the EL84 and drop the 6n1p in the other socket then power up and you are in 1watt territory for late night jammin. It's worth the money. Trust me. Then go to webervst.com and buy a ceramic silver bell. Get the 12watt version. You'll be in tone heaven.

06-08-2005, 08:18 PM	#14
iwantchixx Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Boonies Posts: 12,860	Uhg. Failure has set it. I fired it up again this afternoon and I got nothing but hum. I think the EL84 tube is bad. My cat has been jumping of and onto that table all last night and all day today. I think she might have hit the tube and fucked it. $20 down the drain...

06-08-2005, 09:21 PM	#15
iwantchixx Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Boonies Posts: 12,860	well sir. It works again. Looks like a mixed bag of bad pot soldering, forgetting to solder the treble and midrange caps into the terminal strip eyes and a few hot leads from soldering that melted through nearby insulation on wires were all contributing to the problem. Works fine now.

06-08-2005, 09:33 PM	#16
iwantchixx Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Boonies Posts: 12,860	Oh, for those who are into building amps, guitars, stompboxes etc. Come check out http://tubegeeks.com If you have a project, post it there! I'd be glad to host it. I currently have just one project up there but it will be finished over the summer. I hope to gain many guest projects to build the site up.

06-08-2005, 09:34 PM	#17
smack Push Porn Like Weight. Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Inside .NET Posts: 10,652	very nice chixx. __________________ Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.

06-09-2005, 12:45 AM	#18
iwantchixx Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Boonies Posts: 12,860	Thanks smack. I'm hoping that when I power this bitch up tomorrow I don't get any hum and have to spend the entire day troubleshooting. I really didn't have a chance to really give it a good full test. The night I finished it my baby was sleeping. Tonight when I fixed it, baby was sleeping. You guys should check out some of the mods and builds these guys did over at ax84 for this project. http://ax84.com/dynpage.php?pg=projects&project=p1 Check out Chris Hurley's P1 Rev 11 audio demo 1 and Eli's P1 (Nov 2003) pretty nice tones. Though Eli's is not as articulate as mine for clean tone. I'm guessing the delay is at fault. My next project is to add a 1watt output tube in this so I can switch between bedroom volume and jam volume then mount it in a cabinet then build an external power amp for it to drive for even more volume. I'm thinking of building the power amp section of a JTM-45.