Hello, New guy looking for a mentor

[Comanche]

Hello. I just retired and I started playing guitar again.
I'm new here, and I have no electronics background but I would like to try to build a tube guitar amp.
I was going to try a fender deluxe kit. 5e3 kit?
Some kits have printed boards and some come with a turret board.
Is there anyone in the Phoenix, Az area that could give some pointers?
I also bought an old 1966 Gibson GA-5 amp and it needs a rebuild so I was hoping to lean how to do this from someone.
Thank you

[Bob S]

Welcome aboard Comanche.
You've found the right place.
Read and digest as much as possible.
Safety First!
Have fun,
Bob

[Comanche]

Since I have no electronics background whatsoever I figure I should start with learning some basic electronics theory .

I found an online class free to study and I will start with that.


http://electronicstheory.com/COURSES/EL ... e101-1.htm

[Gibsonman63]

Welcome, Comanche.

The Fender Schematics are a good place to start once you get a little theory under you belt.

http://www.webphix.com/schematic%20heav ... ender.html

Most of the vintage Fenders have a schematic and a layout for each model. The Tweed Champ is a nice easy one to start with to learn the signal flow. Troubleshooting your build is half the battle, so it is important to be able to read the schematic as well as follow the layout. There is a sticky here at TAG entitled "reading material on steroids".

https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.php?t=9023

There are a lot of good threads there as well.

http://www.webphix.com/schematic%20heav ... _schem.pdf

Take you time, read, ask questions, rinse and repeat.

[xtian]

Make: Electronics is a fun intro by the editors of Make Magazine.

Dave Hunter's Guitar Amplifier Handbook - Understanding Tube Amplifiers and Getting Great Sounds is an excellent intro to our world.

[Colossal]

After you get your feet wet with ELEC 101, read this:
http://www.valvewizard.co.uk/Common_Gain_Stage.pdf

Read everything here:
http://www.valvewizard.co.uk

If you choose to invest, Merlin's books are excellent and accessible to those with some general background.

You've come to the right place if you want to learn! The guys here are second to none. Just plan on sacrificing sleep each night for the next year if you start down this path. You've been warned

[Zippy]

Hello. I just retired and I started playing guitar again.
I'm new here, and I have no electronics background but I would like to try to build a tube guitar amp.
I was going to try a fender deluxe kit. 5e3 kit?

If you are going to build it to keep and play, this has solid components all 'round:

http://missionamps.com/5E3kit.shtml

Enjoy!