Newbie needs help

[starlite2991]

Great, now i got all these parts sitting here and now someone tells me i am over my head by a mile. Geez i can't win..

I know how loud a Mesa Boogie amp is. Some dead head was playing deadhead music though one behind a head shop in the late 80's.

Thanks Jana for chiming in.

You say your budget is very limited yet you want to build an amp with 4 large bottle power tubes. Let me be honest with you--you are way in over your head.

I'm trying to be as polite as possible. But, I usually wind up stepping on toes. So, here goes. Go to a pawn shop and find a 200 to 300 dollar amp. You can probably get a Peavey or similar amp that is 50 to 100 watts. That will be plenty of power--more than enough to give you permanent hearing damage. That 200 to 300 dollars is what you are going to have to spend on transformers alone if you are going to build this amp you *think* you need.

Have you ever played through a 100 watt tube amp? Do you have any idea how loud they are? Do you know what tinnitus is? I have played many gigs through 100 watt amps and I know all too well what tinnitus is.

If you don't know how to play guitar yet, you can't possibly know what you want/need in an amp.

[tribi9]

I'd feel so sorry for your neighbours if this amp were ever to materialize.

Having to listen to a neighbour in a building, learning to play guitar through a 100 Watt amp, has to be one of worse punishments any human being can endure.

[eniam rognab]

does not compute, recalculating....

that there are a number of V E R Y informed people who would love to help you here and have given sage advice already, listen to them and you will have a great sounding rawking amp

its great that you want to build something different and multipurpose and such, but knowledge of certain electronic fundamentals are involved in altering a circuit e.g. calculating current draw, matching output transformer impedances, etc. etc.

if i were you, i would find a known schematic (see above posts), research the theory of operation of vacuum tubes and acquire some decent test equipment before progressing further.

save the chassis for use in your dream project when you are more experienced after completing a simpler amp using the equipment on hand in a recycled enclosure like a cake pan

rant over

welcome to The Amp Garage! hope you enjoy your stay!

[starlite2991]

Thanks Leo for chiming in.

I'll look into a kit asap. I love nuttin n boltin!
but i never said in my original post i was trying to build a 100 watt amp? Or had the parts to do so.

Gday

As Jana said, in way way over your head. The parts you have will never add up to a 100W amp. Find a kit to build a Champ type kit amp, with cookbook directions. Like cut 4 inches of red wire, trim quarter inch insulation off each end, put one end to tube socket 1, pin 4 and other end at circuit point C, solder each end. etc etc etc. You'll have to get your soldering skills together, nuttin' & boltin', and most important following directions. That last one will be a skill which should improve your life dramatically.

And although a Champ only delivers a couple of watts, it's surprisingly good sounding for music. I listened to the radio thru my Champ test bench amp for decades. Good tone, loud enough to fill the room, no complaints.

[tribi9]

Thanks Leo for chiming in.

I'll look into a kit asap. I love nuttin n boltin!
but i never said in my original post i was trying to build a 100 watt amp? Or had the parts to do so.

Gday

As Jana said, in way way over your head. The parts you have will never add up to a 100W amp. Find a kit to build a Champ type kit amp, with cookbook directions. Like cut 4 inches of red wire, trim quarter inch insulation off each end, put one end to tube socket 1, pin 4 and other end at circuit point C, solder each end. etc etc etc. You'll have to get your soldering skills together, nuttin' & boltin', and most important following directions. That last one will be a skill which should improve your life dramatically.

And although a Champ only delivers a couple of watts, it's surprisingly good sounding for music. I listened to the radio thru my Champ test bench amp for decades. Good tone, loud enough to fill the room, no complaints.

Four 6L6's = Approximately to one 80-100 watt amp

[eniam rognab]

but i never said in my original post i was trying to build a 100 watt amp?

a quad of 6L6's is a typical output section for a 100w amp = 2 pairs in Push-Pull
2 6l6's will put out ~50w usually = 2 in Push Pull

i have seen some dual single ended amps, but quad single ended?

ha! you beat me tribi9

[starlite2991]

Thank you eniam

Gday

does not compute, recalculating....

that there are a number of V E R Y informed people who would love to help you here and have given sage advice already, listen to them and you will have a great sounding rawking amp

its great that you want to build something different and multipurpose and such, but knowledge of certain electronic fundamentals are involved in altering a circuit e.g. calculating current draw, matching output transformer impedances, etc. etc.

if i were you, i would find a known schematic (see above posts), research the theory of operation of vacuum tubes and acquire some decent test equipment before progressing further.

save the chassis for use in your dream project when you are more experienced after completing a simpler amp using the equipment on hand in a recycled enclosure like a cake pan

rant over

welcome to The Amp Garage! hope you enjoy your stay!

[starlite2991]

Thank you eniam

But the Schematic i have off the website below the guy said for 2 6l6's it would be about 17 watts of power. Shoot i even asked how i could get more power out this say 10 more watts would be great! Shucks guys this will be my second tube amp build ....

Gday

but i never said in my original post i was trying to build a 100 watt amp?

a quad of 6L6's is a typical output section for a 100w amp = 2 pairs in Push-Pull
2 6l6's will put out ~50w usually = 2 in Push Pull

i have seen some dual single ended amps, but quad single ended?

ha! you beat me tribi9

http://www.lh-electric.net/projects/17gita.html

[starlite2991]

Thank you eniam rognab

Well this guy must liying to me because his schematic said on HIS WEB page "low budget 17 watt tube guitar amp"............... And shucks mates i e-mailed the guy and he told me just about 17 watts. lol.

Thanks mates
Gday

but i never said in my original post i was trying to build a 100 watt amp?

a quad of 6L6's is a typical output section for a 100w amp = 2 pairs in Push-Pull
2 6l6's will put out ~50w usually = 2 in Push Pull

i have seen some dual single ended amps, but quad single ended?

ha! you beat me tribi9

http://www.lh-electric.net/projects/17gita.html

[eniam rognab]

yeah this is sorta fuzzy area, it completely depends on how you bias your output section

manufacturers usually claim more wattage than an amp actually delivers, my musicman rd50 is a "50 watt 2 6L6" amp, do i ever run it at 50w? maybe once....

if you want to get loud, run a 4x12 with high efficiency speakers and use any amp

[eniam rognab]

Thank you eniam rognab

Well this guy must liying to me because his schematic said on HIS WEB page "low budget 17 watt tube guitar amp"

uh oh im screwing this all up... he probably knows what he is talking about i should have said "up too 50w in PP"

i gave those figures to explain why it was thought you intended a 100w amp

those are GENERAL FIGURES amps vary quite a bit, the same output section with a higher gain pre will yield more output power

i wish martin manning was here to clean up my spill...

[starlite2991]

Thanks eniam

Not a problem mate, not a problem. i never said i was building a 100 watt amp.
Aww i see, and your right. But i am not in a big hurry to get this done. I suspect 6 mons to finish this amp. I don't work, i am on ssi and food stamps. So i have all the time in the wrld. i sleep till 12pm and this will be my second tube amp i have built in the last 3 mons. so i do have some experience but i'am not a TOTAL noob not even close mates.

Gday

Thank you eniam rognab

Well this guy must liying to me because his schematic said on HIS WEB page "low budget 17 watt tube guitar amp"

uh oh im screwing this all up... he probably knows what he is talking about i should have said "up too 50w in PP"

i gave those figures to explain why it was thought you intended a 100w amp

those are GENERAL FIGURES amps vary quite a bit, the same output section with a higher gain pre will yield more output power

i wish martin manning was here to clean up my spill...

[starlite2991]

Thank you tribi9

No my neighbors already know what i do in my apt. both of them come down for cocktails every sat night. One of them is a drum player and he knows... what i am trying to do but does not have the knowledge i have in electronics. so both neighbors are very coolio mates.

Shoot mates he said that i might make myself into a famous amp builder for Alice Cooper and Axil Rose. Who ever those people are anyways? You never know mattys Grrrr lol.

Gday

I'd feel so sorry for your neighbors if this amp were ever to materialize.

Having to listen to a neighbor in a building, learning to play guitar through a 100 Watt amp, has to be one of worse punishments any human being can endure.

[Firestorm]

305V B+ and cathode bias, I'd think you' have to choose the primary output impedance pretty carefully even to get to 17W. With the right transformers and budget it's doable. If you don't kill yourself first.

[M Fowler]

That posted schematic is capable of 30watts easily Push/Pull and I don't see that he is building it as single ended parallel power tubes.

There is no tone control or tone stack funny circuit for a guitar amp. At first I thought it was a HiFi power amp but he said guitar amp in the title page.

Mark