This page documents a guitar amplifier project I completed in 2011. It works and sounds great; it has served my primary amp that I play at home for over a year now. I might cover the cabinet; I might not. I've also thought about just painting it in a glossy color.
The basic design (schematic, layout) is that of a Fender Champ 5F1. It uses a 12AX7 for the preamplifier section and a 6V6GT for the power amplifier section in a cascaded Class A configuration. I also decided to keep the original tube power supply (using a 5Y3GT rectifier).
The chassis was built for me by Curt Beam, the owner of CRB Alumi Fabrication. I was introduced to him by my friend Eric Allen from Western CNC whom I met at Palomar College. He does sheet metal work (and maybe more?) on race cars that compete in events like the Baja 1000. His shop is very impressive; he used his enormous sheet metal brakes and shears to make it.
The woodworking was done with the help of my good friend Ben Witzel; his father allowed us to use his really nice wood shop. Thanks so much for the help, Ben!
I got some help from some people (namely theBear; there were also some others) on ##electronics on irc.freenode.net. They are very helpful in that channel!
Electronics Made Simple - Henry Jacobowitz
This book is an excellent introduction to how vacuum tubes work, as well as how to design circuits that use them including audio amplifiers, power supplies, radios, and more. My father bought me this book because he liked his so much back when he was new to all of this stuff!
Clemson Vehicular Electronics Laboratory: Electromagnetic Compatibility / Electromagnetic Interference
This is one of the best websites I have found on EMI/EMC; as a matter of fact, I would rate it as one of the best pieces of technical writing I have read. A knowledge of this material is a must for high quality electronics work. Ever wonder why your amp picks up AM radio or has a lot of 60Hz hum? It comes down to bad EMC design; this site provides you with the knowledge and tools to work through issues like that.
If you are trying to do a project similar to this and want some advice, let me know and I'd be glad to help in any way I can!
