Ziggy Posted March 5, 2002 Share Posted March 5, 2002 I've been considering purchasing an amp kit but would like to get some opinions before I do. It seems that a small 5 to 10 watt amp with a 10" speaker runs around $500 to $600. In particular I am referring to a kit from Allen (www.allenamps.com). Of course the reason I want to assemble one is not only for the amp, but also the fun and satisfaction of putting it together. However, for this kind of money, you can purchase a pretty nice amp already assembled. Does anyone have any idea why these amp kits cost so much. Also, does the point-to-point hand wiring really add that much to the quality? Zig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted March 5, 2002 Share Posted March 5, 2002 Point to point hand wiring does ad a lot to the price. It's pretty labor intensive. As for quality, it depends. There are a lot of pcb amps that sound great. However point to point amps are generally more rugged, MUCH easier to service/modify and have a certain sonic purity about them. Check out www.aikenamps.com for more info. Keep in mind that when you buy a whole tube amp for $500, it is being mass-produced in an automated plant and/or being built overseas by poorly paid indentured labor. Additionally, Peavey or Fender or whoever buy components in mass-volumes and therefore the cost of the materials are extremely low. They have a very low profit margin and make their money through volume sales. When you buy a kit from a small company, you may be saving on the labor but there is still the cost of the components (Allen uses top-notch parts) which they have been unable to buy in large quantities and then there's the skilled labor that went into putting together any pre-assembled parts of the kit. It's still a deal - if you paid for the whole Allen amp pre-assembled, it would probably cost at least double. "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
signal1000 Posted March 6, 2002 Share Posted March 6, 2002 If you want to buy a kit that includes the chassis, transformers etc. but no enclosure, the ax84 site has them for sale. http://www.ax84.com/ A buddy of mine built a Hi-Octane and a P1 and they sound really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrmac Posted March 6, 2002 Share Posted March 6, 2002 I just finished a kit from Clark Amplification amd I'm very happy with it. It sounds great and it looks fantastic. It's a Tweed Deluxe replica. I really enjoyed putting it together but I think that Clark's kits are not for a beginner since they only come with a schematic and a layout diagram, no detailed instructions. I am an electronics technician by trade so this was not a problem to me but it would surely be a drag for a novice. You might also look at Dan Torres' kits. I think this one is very interesting personally: http://www.torresengineering.com/britinkit3cl.html These kits come with detailed instructions and seem to be well planned out for an intermediate level kit. A modified Vox AC-15 style amp is a nice project too. As far as the prices Gabriel E. summed it up pretty well and also keep in mind that when you assemble one of these kits properly it is more like a Matchless or Victoria amp than a mass produced product like Fender or Marshall. The prices of the "Boutique" amps are much higher than the factory made amps due to the old style hand wiring. Mac Bowne G-Clef Acoustics Ltd. Osaka, Japan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted March 7, 2002 Author Share Posted March 7, 2002 Thanks to all for your replies. Let me ask another question. I have found some pretty good information on-line discussing how amplifiers work. I have absolutely no experience working with electronics, but I am really interested in putting an amp together. Are there any good books out there that you all know of that a motivated novice could learn both about amps and the necessary electronics at the same time? I have a semi-technical background (mathematics) so I'm not afraid of technical language or formulas. Thanks in advance, Zig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickerman Posted March 7, 2002 Share Posted March 7, 2002 Ziggy? I made a preamp (basic input amplifier brought the signal up to around 300 milivolts with 3-band EQ) which was pretty simple. My father, an electrical eng showed me what to do and I just built it from his design paper. It wasn't real hard and is quieter than some other small cheap amps (Squire, Ibanez, Epiphone) when put with my little 50 watt power amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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