Hey, I've decided to try and build an analog tube circuit for my old Marshall amp for a college project.
I'm completely new to this and don't really know where to start! If anyone would be able to give me a few pointers in the right direction, I'm completely willing to do my homework.
From what I've discovered already, for the 45w SS amp I'd need to create a 15w analog circuit?
I'm going to be researching all day, so if anyone can help it would much appreciated.
Cheers
HC
I'm completely new to this and don't really know where to start! If anyone would be able to give me a few pointers in the right direction, I'm completely willing to do my homework.
From what I've discovered already, for the 45w SS amp I'd need to create a 15w analog circuit?
I'm going to be researching all day, so if anyone can help it would much appreciated.
Cheers
HC
If you want to build a tube amp, go ahead. But to "convert" the solid state amp to a tube one would be like converting a bowl of tomato soup into a hamburger. If you want to make a functionally equivalent amp, sure. But lose any notion it will be one to one in a conversion sense.
Just a note on terms, at least in my view, in audio when we use the term "analog", it is generally to contrast with "digital" audio circuits. Analog refers to linear circuits, and your solid state amp is already an analog circuit, just not tubes. So SS versus tube, not SS versus analog.
The MG15 series of amps are small practice amps, they put out 15 watts at 8 ohms, not 45watts. If it says 45w on the rear panel, it is next to the power cord, and the 45 watts refers to how much power it USES to make the 15 watts of output. So a 15w tube amp would be equivalent, but really a smaller amp would be in the ball park.
A fender Champ in one of its form is a classic tube practice amp. Most of them are single ended - uses only one power tube - though they put the Champ name on some more powerful designs as well. The Fender 5F1 is a classic Champ. Fender made other small amps like the Princeton 5G2A, which is similar. The king of old Fenders to build is the Deluxe 5E3. That is a push pull amp, not a single ended, but it is small enough for home use and still enough amp to use on gigs..I think it is probably the most copied amp in the world.
You can find most any Fender schematic you would likely build at this site:
Schematic Heaven. Where All Good Amp & Effect Designs Await Resurrection...
You can buy parts and make these all from scratch, but there are also complete kits commercially available for all as well.
I focused on the Fender since they are the most common clones, but you can build old 18 watt Marshall amps too. And there are amps that are not clones at all. Visit the AX84.com web site. These are all home made amps, the project is fully documented and has been built by many people. These are small amps designed around the common EL84 tube.
A simple amp is one thing. Your MG has some features. It has digital effects - DFX - which is your reverb and delay and stuff. Those are not going to happen in a tube amp. MAny tube amps have reverb, and you can build one, but you are now moving up from a novice project. You could also build an amp with an effects loop, then your own DFX could be used from an external unit of some sort. The MG also has a higher gain channel for overdrive sound. You could look into a more complex amp, or do what many do, use a distortion pedal ahead of the amp.
Just a note on terms, at least in my view, in audio when we use the term "analog", it is generally to contrast with "digital" audio circuits. Analog refers to linear circuits, and your solid state amp is already an analog circuit, just not tubes. So SS versus tube, not SS versus analog.
The MG15 series of amps are small practice amps, they put out 15 watts at 8 ohms, not 45watts. If it says 45w on the rear panel, it is next to the power cord, and the 45 watts refers to how much power it USES to make the 15 watts of output. So a 15w tube amp would be equivalent, but really a smaller amp would be in the ball park.
A fender Champ in one of its form is a classic tube practice amp. Most of them are single ended - uses only one power tube - though they put the Champ name on some more powerful designs as well. The Fender 5F1 is a classic Champ. Fender made other small amps like the Princeton 5G2A, which is similar. The king of old Fenders to build is the Deluxe 5E3. That is a push pull amp, not a single ended, but it is small enough for home use and still enough amp to use on gigs..I think it is probably the most copied amp in the world.
You can find most any Fender schematic you would likely build at this site:
Schematic Heaven. Where All Good Amp & Effect Designs Await Resurrection...
You can buy parts and make these all from scratch, but there are also complete kits commercially available for all as well.
I focused on the Fender since they are the most common clones, but you can build old 18 watt Marshall amps too. And there are amps that are not clones at all. Visit the AX84.com web site. These are all home made amps, the project is fully documented and has been built by many people. These are small amps designed around the common EL84 tube.
A simple amp is one thing. Your MG has some features. It has digital effects - DFX - which is your reverb and delay and stuff. Those are not going to happen in a tube amp. MAny tube amps have reverb, and you can build one, but you are now moving up from a novice project. You could also build an amp with an effects loop, then your own DFX could be used from an external unit of some sort. The MG also has a higher gain channel for overdrive sound. You could look into a more complex amp, or do what many do, use a distortion pedal ahead of the amp.
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