Building Custom Guitar Amplifiers

The marketing potential of the Internet has made a wide variety of guitar amplifier kits available to the home hobbyist that were unavailable only a few short years ago. As more and more people embrace this hobby, the amount of customizable options, tools, plans and kits that are available continues to increase. The following resources will help you determine whether building custom guitar amplifiers is right for you.

Why Try Building Custom Guitar Amplifiers?

The benefits of embarking on a project like this vary from person to person. Those who have a background in electronics and a penchant for working with their hands might just be looking to try something new.

Others might love the idea of having a truly one of a kind guitar amplifier. When you assemble a guitar amplifier from scratch, you know that it is unique from all the amps that are available in the music store. The sound and the look of the amp can truly reflect who you are as a musician, as an artist, and as a person. There is no better way to establish complete control of your sound and your image than to build a custom amp.

Still others might be attracted to the fact that building a guitar amp from a kit can save a tremendous amount of money. Many custom guitar amplifiers are very high quality and feature only the best components. These amps are often out of the price range of the average player if they buy them in a retail store, but building your own amp can significantly reduce the cost. Be forewarned, however. If this is your only motivation for building custom guitar amplifiers, you may be in for a rude awakening. These projects aren’t for the inexperienced. Someone without the proper perspective on the project could quickly get in over his or her head.

Online Custom Amplifier Resources

The following online resources provide kits, tools and a community of people just like you who are dedicated to building their own amplifiers. Take your time and explore many of these links before you jump in. It’s a larger pool than it initially seems, and you don’t want to jump into the wrong end!

• Amp Tone: Sifting through the information contained in this website could take you a lifetime. Information on guitar kits, schematics, speaker cabinets, parts suppliers, amp companies and much more are provided at this holy grail directory of custom guitar information.
• Duncan's Amps: Duncan's Amps is a fantastic site for the custom builder. The site has a section on homebrew amps, schematics, tube data sheets and much more.
• Torres Engineering : Torres Engineering is another powerhouse site in the world of custom amp building. This site has mods for amps, effects, schematics, complete kits, parts, books and more. Definitely make sure you visit this site before you make any serious decisions on your project.
• Mojo: Mojo Vintage Guitar and Amplifier Parts is yet another indispensable resource for the custom builder. This is the online hardware store you'll likely make several trips to before you finish your project.
• Mission Amps: This site sells three complete guitar amp kits of varying sizes and complexity as well as some other very interesting guitar modifications.

Don't Forget

A guitar amplifier-building project can be a rewarding and exciting endeavor that ends up in the creation of a beautifully functional one-of-a-kind amp. However, you could easily become overwhelmed, and the project could quickly go from a positive experience to a negative one. Do your homework, and realistically assess your abilities before you begin; this will help ensure that your do-it-yourself project is a success.