First build?

[tribi9]

another option is to buy "Building Vacuum Tube Guitar & Bass Amplifiers" (Volume 3) by West Islander Tino Zottola

He'll walk you through 5 builds...AC15...18 Watt...Princeton Reverb...EH150...DR103.

He got me started building tube amps...every aspect of each build is properly explained in a concise and easy to follow way.

His (Volume 1) has the Champ among others.

Wathever you do...you'll have fun...will gain confidence and will be proud and happy to play your amp...

I know my next build will be a Black Face Princeton Reverb...

Great amp!

I might buy that book and when Im done reading go for the AA1164.

[Structo]

Another good book is Dave Hunter's "The Guitar Amp Handbook".

It is a great introduction to tube amps.

It goes through the signal chain, components, circuit stages, etc.

It also has a step by step build inside.

I don't know if it is still available but there was the kit for sale that he shows how to build. It's called the Two Stroke amp and it is a tube rectified Class A cathode biased amp that can run a pair of 6V6, 6L6, or a single EL34, or a KT66.
The book has a BOM and step by step instructions.

Here is a blog of somebodies build of this amp.
http://my2strokeamp.blogspot.com/2007/0 ... lable.html

http://www.myspace.com/twostrokeampkits
It looks like it is $1000 so that is a bit of change.
But nevertheless it is a great book.