My first DIY guitar amp came when I inherited my parents Magnavox mono HiFi because they upgraded to stereo. Google puts the date on the Silvertone console stereo they bought around 1960, so I would have been 7 or 8 years old. My big foray into electronics was to cut a guitar cable in half and twist and tape the wires to the wires in the tone arm where the ceramic pickup was. I didn't have a soldering gun yet. This worked surprisingly well, but portability was nonexistent.
I started fixing radios at about the same age, mostly by swapping tubes. True DIY from scratch guitar amps started somewhere around 10 years old. They were seriously dangerous contraptions made by nailing or screwing terminal strips and tube sockets to a pine board. Some were powered by non discussible means, some had transformers. All were made from parts salvaged from TV's, radios, and HiFi sets. There was a county trash dump not too far from our house. The "store" was a dirty mess, but the prices couldn't be beat.
I joined a garage band in 7th grade (age 12 or 13 ) and had a DIY combo amp that I had made. It was rather ugly on the outside (brush painted plywood), and even worse on the inside (wood and screw chassis), but it sounded good and outpowered my bandmate's Fender Deluxe.
I remember the time frame because the school music teacher asked me about my amp when we played for an after school gathering in the cafeteria. I had music class in 7th grade.
I had acquired an old Wen soldering gun by trading something, don't remember what. We didn't have a Radio Shack. We got a Lafayette Radio Electronics store around 1965. They let me play the guitars and talk on the CB radio. A slot car track opened next door. Those two stores became my hangout for 3 or 4 years. I upgraded to a Weller Gun around 1966 in order to build better slot cars.......I still have it!
In an odd twist, my randomly assigned Novice ham radio call sign in the early 80's was KB4LRE (Lafayette Radio Electronics), even though my second job (1971 - 1972) was running the service department at the rival Olson Electronics store. I still keep the same call sign even though my license is now an Extra.
I started fixing radios at about the same age, mostly by swapping tubes. True DIY from scratch guitar amps started somewhere around 10 years old. They were seriously dangerous contraptions made by nailing or screwing terminal strips and tube sockets to a pine board. Some were powered by non discussible means, some had transformers. All were made from parts salvaged from TV's, radios, and HiFi sets. There was a county trash dump not too far from our house. The "store" was a dirty mess, but the prices couldn't be beat.
I joined a garage band in 7th grade (age 12 or 13 ) and had a DIY combo amp that I had made. It was rather ugly on the outside (brush painted plywood), and even worse on the inside (wood and screw chassis), but it sounded good and outpowered my bandmate's Fender Deluxe.
I remember the time frame because the school music teacher asked me about my amp when we played for an after school gathering in the cafeteria. I had music class in 7th grade.
I had acquired an old Wen soldering gun by trading something, don't remember what. We didn't have a Radio Shack. We got a Lafayette Radio Electronics store around 1965. They let me play the guitars and talk on the CB radio. A slot car track opened next door. Those two stores became my hangout for 3 or 4 years. I upgraded to a Weller Gun around 1966 in order to build better slot cars.......I still have it!
In an odd twist, my randomly assigned Novice ham radio call sign in the early 80's was KB4LRE (Lafayette Radio Electronics), even though my second job (1971 - 1972) was running the service department at the rival Olson Electronics store. I still keep the same call sign even though my license is now an Extra.
Man, my favorite thing in the world was riding the bus downtown on Saturdays with my buddies to run slot cars on the big track in the attic of the local hobby shop. My favorite car was my 1/32 scale Strombecker James Bond Aston Martin. It wasn't very fast, but it looked cool as hell. 
Sorry for the thread creep, but thanks for the memories, heh.
Sorry for the thread creep, but thanks for the memories, heh.
My introduction to electronics was probably when I was about 10. It was one of those electronics kits with the springs and wires and a book of projects. I used o love it.
I think I probably got my first soldering iron and a radio kit when I was about 12. I made my first amplifier (matrix board) when I was 17. It was a 10W / channel one from schematic in a magazine. I blew up so many output transistors because I didn't realise I needed insulators on the heat sinks Once I got some mica washers it finally worked as intended and was my main amplifier for a few years.
Tony.
I think I probably got my first soldering iron and a radio kit when I was about 12. I made my first amplifier (matrix board) when I was 17. It was a 10W / channel one from schematic in a magazine. I blew up so many output transistors because I didn't realise I needed insulators on the heat sinks
Once I got some mica washers it finally worked as intended and was my main amplifier for a few years. Tony.
D.O.B = Dec 27, 1951 - you do the math
I guess my first DIY speaker build was a pair of reclaimed 6x9 car speakers on small corner loaded OBs in my basement bedroom circa 1965, and assembled a few hundred Hafler amp / pre-amp kits for a local dealer in the early/mid 80s', then really got into in earnest about 20yrs ago
I guess my first DIY speaker build was a pair of reclaimed 6x9 car speakers on small corner loaded OBs in my basement bedroom circa 1965, and assembled a few hundred Hafler amp / pre-amp kits for a local dealer in the early/mid 80s', then really got into in earnest about 20yrs ago
I managed to find one of those as a kid at a car boot! I demanded my parents got it me (I was around 10 too I guess) I remember building the kits on there, winding your own aerials for AM stations.
Just like this
I'm 27 now. Been messing with electronic circuits since around 12 I guess. Repairing anything I can, I hate wastage.
Built my first project off diyAudio in 2011, need to do more stuff, but such little time.
Well, I'm only 58 now I think. I've been into electronics from a very tender age, younger than 10. I remember those kits with the components and springs. I started making my own up after finishing everything in the book. I used to strip TV's to get parts. I made an amazing pile of stripped TVs that went around the house. Parents were not amused. I was being paid to fix things for customers while I was still a teenager when I worked in an electronics parts jobber. So I've been at it for more than 40 years now, professionally. I still love building things, kits, fixing half decent audio products and test equipment. I repair radios from the 1920's and up when I can find the time as a hobby.
I also really hate seeing something hit the garbage. Especially test equipment, that really gets me going because so many of us could really use it. Nice audio products also. The new trend that really makes me upset are those folks that tear apart repairable stereos and sell the parts piecemeal. I don't mind if the unit was damaged and not really repairable, but I've seen too many people just destroying things for a buck. Greed. Ebay is rife with that lot.
I think what the world needs more of is hobbies of all kinds. Makes the mind work and the skills are usually transferable to normal life. Too bad we can't support a healthy electronic kit market. I remember clearly the Heathkit IM-18 VTVM I built and still have, and several other kits. You can't be out getting in trouble if you're participating in a hobby of some kind.
-Chris
I also really hate seeing something hit the garbage. Especially test equipment, that really gets me going because so many of us could really use it. Nice audio products also. The new trend that really makes me upset are those folks that tear apart repairable stereos and sell the parts piecemeal. I don't mind if the unit was damaged and not really repairable, but I've seen too many people just destroying things for a buck. Greed. Ebay is rife with that lot.
I think what the world needs more of is hobbies of all kinds. Makes the mind work and the skills are usually transferable to normal life. Too bad we can't support a healthy electronic kit market. I remember clearly the Heathkit IM-18 VTVM I built and still have, and several other kits. You can't be out getting in trouble if you're participating in a hobby of some kind.
-Chris
Yes, I agree about throwing out old stuff. At some point back in early adulthood I began recycling at home, then shortly after at work. At some point a switch got flipped somewhere in my brain, and I now find it very difficult to not reuse/recycle.
This includes my electronic "stuff." I'm about to build a piece of gear that will be housed in a 1U rack box. For awhile, I was seduced by the great-looking DIY front-panel sites and the numerous sources for shiny, sturdy new boxes. But then I thought, Good lord man, how many pieces of obsolete gear do you have languishing in your closet in 1U rack boxes?! So I poked around a bit, and found one that will work just fine with minimal mods. It won't be as sexy as brand-new; but then, neither am I.
This includes my electronic "stuff." I'm about to build a piece of gear that will be housed in a 1U rack box. For awhile, I was seduced by the great-looking DIY front-panel sites and the numerous sources for shiny, sturdy new boxes. But then I thought, Good lord man, how many pieces of obsolete gear do you have languishing in your closet in 1U rack boxes?! So I poked around a bit, and found one that will work just fine with minimal mods. It won't be as sexy as brand-new; but then, neither am I.
Well Chris I though we were 59 now. I was born in 59 so you must be a 60s kid.
My interest goes back to the age of three or maybe early but I didn't actually start to build stuff until I was bout 10. My dad wasn't impressed because I made a crystal radio out of broken radio.
Like you I had a stash of parts collected from old radios and TVs and anything else I could get my hands on.
Once I put an add in the paper for old vintage tube radios. The ones that stood up four feet tall. People started showing up at the back door with these things.
My mother was not impressed and explained to them I was only 10 and should have never posted the ad. She let me keep a couple but sent the other people away.
My interest goes back to the age of three or maybe early but I didn't actually start to build stuff until I was bout 10. My dad wasn't impressed because I made a crystal radio out of broken radio.
Like you I had a stash of parts collected from old radios and TVs and anything else I could get my hands on.
Once I put an add in the paper for old vintage tube radios. The ones that stood up four feet tall. People started showing up at the back door with these things.
My mother was not impressed and explained to them I was only 10 and should have never posted the ad. She let me keep a couple but sent the other people away.
In "Kindergarten" at the age of 5, whne the 1.5V "D" cell went dead during "nap time" I found a power socket near my mat and proceeded to plug the wires in to see if the lamp would light. Got a bit of a shock I must say.
I told the teacher it was the "D" cell that did it.
That was in 1956.
Indeed.
Like this one -
The farm is producing 10,000 heads of lettuce per day.
Lettuce See the Future | GE Lighting Europe
General Electric
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Looks like I'm 58 this year
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65.. happily, healthy, retired and fit.
Growing up on a farm we fixed/built/tinkered with everything.
Heathkit amp in college kicked off DIYaudio.
IT executive career consumed my time until in my late 50's I got into audio as a hobby driven by urge for good gear but too cheap to pay retail prices.
Prefer tubes and point to point wiring, but lots of SMT on PCB's for digital source. Use the toaster oven for SMT with solder paste. CNC and wood working was an adjacent hobby to support audio projects.
To my ear, my DIY stuff sounds better than anything I hear at high end audio shows. Could be proud papa syndrome, but happy with results and the journey.
Growing up on a farm we fixed/built/tinkered with everything.
Heathkit amp in college kicked off DIYaudio.
IT executive career consumed my time until in my late 50's I got into audio as a hobby driven by urge for good gear but too cheap to pay retail prices.
Prefer tubes and point to point wiring, but lots of SMT on PCB's for digital source. Use the toaster oven for SMT with solder paste. CNC and wood working was an adjacent hobby to support audio projects.
To my ear, my DIY stuff sounds better than anything I hear at high end audio shows. Could be proud papa syndrome, but happy with results and the journey.
ditto, I'll be 66 in exactly one month.
And at what age did you try to recharge said "D" cell by plugging it into the wall outlet?
I don't remember the exact age, but it was around 6 or 8.
Note......DON'T try this at home. The old carbon zinc cells of the late 50's just spewed smoke and stink, the low ESR of a modern alkaline cell would surely cause it to rapidly decompose if it didn't trip the breaker.
Stunts like that got my wall outlet privileges suspended for a while. That's when I learned about battery tubes, glow plug cells, B batteries, and 6 volt lantern batteries. I had a DIY tube guitar amp that ran on batteries. It might have made half a watt at full crank.
Spring chicken!! Its funny when I first started reading these forums I'd pegged you as an older grump! (meant in the best possible way). But then I figured some of the music you indicated preferences for would date you about 5 yrs older than myself, so low 50s would be about right - cheers to your Happy Birthday coming up next month.
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