Built my first amp!

So, if anyone is interested in building an amp, the BYOC Champlifier kit was an awesome starting place. The step by step instructions make it incredibly easy to build, as long as you have soldering experience. Standard disclaimer: tube amps have lethal voltage, etc., etc. so don't build it unless you understand what you're doing.

Seriously though, the kit was a very enjoyable experience. The instructions were top notch, and everything fired up on the first try. I was also surprised at how dead quiet it is, and it's also louder than I expected. It sounds freaking great though! I can't really let it rip in my apartment, but it sounds great even at low volumes. I opted to go with a 10" Alnico Jensen speaker though, and I'm incredibly happy.

All that being said, amp porn!

 

Thanks! The speaker and cab were not included. I bought the speaker from Guitar Center, and I got the cab from Weber Speakers.

Very, very good advice. I built this with my dad, so if I pass it down one day, it'll already have gone through three generations. Haha.

I had never built an amp before, but I build pedals for my job, so I have quite a bit of experience soldering, just never on anything this high powered! Haha. It probably took about 3 days to completely populate the turret board though, and get everything all wired up. I did it in short sessions though, just to make sure I wasn't tired so I could follow the directions as close as possible. I was so happy it fired up the first time, because I was afraid I'd have to go back in to fix something and shock myself.

As for the cab, I left that part up to Weber Speakers. I was always awful at working with wood and stuff, so I decided to leave the aesthetics up to the professionals! Haha.

Thanks a lot, guys!

 

Haha. The one knob is surprisingly liberating! I kept trying to use my OD pedals, and I had way more fun when I was just going straight in. My Vox Virage DC straight into the Champ was some of the most fun I've ever had playing guitar. I just turned the amp up to 9, and got all of my tonal changes by switching pickups and using the volume knob on my guitar. Seriously liberating feeling from someone who used to have gigantic pedalboards. Haha.

Thanks! And how right you are. I've already been looking into other amp schematics.

I was thinking either a Tweed Princeton, a Hiwatt 504, or a Matchless Lightening right now. Apparently the Tweed Princeton is the same as the Champ, but with an added tone knob. I looked, and it would be insanely easy to add a tone knob to my current Champ, but it might also be fun to build a Tweed Princeton, so I could run the two in stereo. Mmm. Haha.

Thanks! I don't have a treble booster though. Any recommendations? Treble boosters are one effect I haven't really messed around much with.

Thanks a lot!

Yeah. I learned how addictive building gear is when I started building pedals. It just made sense to go to another addictive hobby that's even more expensive though!

Nice! What all did you build? And I figured the Champ was definitely a good starting point. I didn't wanna overwhelm myself on a first build. Now it's time to go crazy though! Hahaha.