Fundamentals of amplification this chapter deals with the design and analysis of the basic triode gain stage, which is the main building block of a valve preamp. We maintain an extensive list of amplfiers and their required components browse to your amp manufacturer below and select your amplifier to see a listing of the components which you can replace. This is another excellent book, a companion to the preamp book listed above. From reichs theory and applications of electron tubes 1940s ee text book, to hifi books published by elektor to richard kuehnels diatribes on the classic tube guitar amps. The cathode resistor in a typical triode preamp is bypassed with a large capacitor to eliminate a form of negative. Computerbased visualization replaces the traditional litany of mathematical formulas. Vacuum tube circuit design guitar amplifier power amps. Some of them are long out of print, and can only be obtained from used book sellers, although they are occasionally seen for sale on the internet.
In some short circuit conditions this might lead to lethal accidents. It deals with guitar amplifier power amp designs from an engineering standpoint, and contains derivations of formulas for all phases of power amplifier design. Along with guitar amplifier handbook by dave hunter it will help making a decision twords choosing an amplifier for sure but it may make you want to break the bank and buy a collectors item. My first dumble ods clone was number 124 and i have been playing it on stage for about 7 years now. Good reference book for explaining tubes, and how tube amps work, plus it covers lots of tubes amps that are available. There are many things to consider when choosing among amp styles for electric guitar. If your amp doesnt make guitar sounds at startup check those first. If your amp has problems see the tube amp troubleshooting guide. The following guidelines should be taken into account. How to design valve guitar amplifiers the valve wizard.
A bibliography of must have tube electronics books. This book is a stepbystep tutorial for simulating vacuum tube guitar amplifiers using ltspice, a free spicebased electronic circuit simulator for windows and. The quickest way to get acquainted with the parts and standard layout techniques used in tube amp building is to build an amp kit. This book, in print from 2008 until 2020, has been updated, expanded, reorganized, and replaced by guitar amplifier electronics. Tube sets by amplifier brand antique electronic supply.
In this video, well do a complete general service and overview of a. Basic theory a 21stcentury approach to understanding preamp, power amp, and power supply design. Examining different types of electric guitar amps dummies. Sep 01, 2009 written for musicians, amp builders, and tube audio enthusiasts, design and construction of tube guitar amplifiers provides a complete yet easytounderstand explanation of how to design, modify, construct, and test tube amps. Basic theory by richard kuehnel this book presents vacuum tube amplifier theory using modern, webbased design tools and computer visualizations to eliminate the usual litany of mathematical formulas. Tube combo guitar amplifiers 220 tube guitar amplifier cabinets 4 tube guitar amplifier heads 2 tube guitar amplifier stacks 27 tube guitar power amplifiers 3 tube guitar power attenuators 1 tube guitar preamps tube mini guitar amplifiers 2 search refinement options. Basic theory using 21stcentury technology to design vacuum tube preamps, power amps, and power supplies. Youll find those guitar amplifiers and more here at musicians friend. The internet continues to make it easier to find books and parts to help you build your own boutique quality guitar amp. Highlevel technical information on vacuum tube circuit design. Our new book applies 21stcentury technology to the design of guitar amplifier preamps, power amps, and power supplies. System design a professional methodology for crafting a complete guitar amplifier. So heres a basic overview of how amps work and what you can do to start tweaking your own.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading inside tube amps. The design, modification and repair manual for vacuum tube guitar amplifiers. If you need a guitar amp schematic for your amp repair that is not listed here, contact us and well try to locate it. Guitar signal shown in pink enters the tube on the left at ac signal in. Extremely highspeed, widebandwidth amplification that really packs a sonic punch. I read all of gerald webers books, and while those certainly have some great information, they are very hit and miss and not very well organized. Following is a list of must have books for the serious tube amplifier designer.
Cliff jacks are isolated from the chassis and must be grounded via a ground wire. Complete guide to vintage tube amplifiers volume 1 fender. The book begins with the fundamentals of electronics and vacuum tubes. Being a guitarist who shares that opinion, i chose to design a tube amp of my own.
Most boutique amp builders at one time started out as electronics hobbyists who thought it would be fun to modify or build their own tube amp. Under the bridge of the guitar there often is a grounding cable, which makes you part of the electric circuit when touching the strings. Diy otl tube headphone amp kit pcb, case, extras aikido wcf 6sn7, 6bx7. Elements affecting this sound include the cleverly designed tone stacks, the specially developed loudspeaker, and the softedged distortion. The most common tube type in audio amplifiers regardless if it is in power stages or in pre amplifiers is the socalled triode svwp. In summary, if you have a good background in electronics and related mathematics, and youre interested in tube guitar amps, this book is pure gold. The science of electric guitars and guitar electronics. And as far as connecting the new stage to the others, you could just start off with the generic coupling circuits in this article, or from the schematics in any of the new tube guitar amp books. Already known as the bible of tubes and tube amps, the tube amp book is now even better.
A guide to basic tube amp maintenance guitar world. The velocity 300 also incorporates rocktrons unique speaker reactance simulation circuitry a design that takes a solidstate amp and tweaks it to yield the sound of a tube amplifier with none of the added maintenance or cost. A bibliography of must have tube electronics books aiken amps. It then proceeds through each stage of a modern guitar amplifier, including preamp voltage amplification.
Some of the top guitar amp brands are fender, bogner, marshall, vox, orange, and many more. Profusely illustrated, the book uses graphic aides and basic algebra and scientific principles to teach you everything you need to know to fully understand tube guitar amp technology from both technical and musical perspectives. Designing tube preamps for guitar and bass, 2nd edition. How to layout and build a guitar amplifier chassis.
Most guitarists are fairly fanatical about the tube amp. I started out with the previously mentioned dave hunter bookthe guitar amp handbookas well as tom mitchells how to service your own tube amp. This is the second guitar amp ive built in the style of a dumble amp. The type of amp is defined by the soundproducing technology it uses, and the technology used affects the way your music sounds. Building a dumble overdrive special 102 style guitar amp. This uk book is one of a series on the technique of sound reproduction. Design and build your own tube guitar amp guitarsite.
The ultimate tone series, tonnes of tone, ready set go. The design, modification and repair manual for vacuum tube guitar amplifiers kindle edition by torres, dan, torres, dan, strong, robert w download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Great book for a reasonably short introduction to tube amp design for the nonengineer. Chapter 1 introduces basic audio engineering concepts used in tube amps, which are used throughout the book. Then we will study the nature of the guitar input signal, and apply this signal to the. Many musicians prefer tubes in amplifiers because of their tone and response, but getting the right type and brand of a tubes is vital the sound of your amp. With a few essential tools and proper procedures, youll find that building a vacuum tube guitar. Building your own guitar amp is a rewarding pastime, but learning how to do it can be time consuming and frustrating sometimes. Designing valve preamps for guitar and bass, second. It is relatively easy to find introductory information on how to design simple amplifier stages. The two most common assembly mistakes are miswired input and speaker jacks. More than you ever thought you wanted to know about the blackface and silverface fender deluxe reverb amp. How to build a tube amplifier rob robinettes car and tube.
Part 1 of a 2part video series in which the circuitry of tube amplifiers is explained by breaking down the circuit of a fender champ amplifier into subunits and explaining the design and. Jan 22, 2008 has the right amount of theory and hints on how changing given operating parameter affects amp behavior. Then there are hours of circuit experimentation to get it to sound the way you like. It thus has three electrodes where two of them called anode and cathode reflects the diode function of the tube according to svwp. Another good one that is fenderfocused is dave funks tube amp workbook. Its a good practical guide to the design of amplifiers, with many example schematics using the gec and mullard valves of the time.
Power amps of guitar tube amplifiers have not been subject to detailed analysis and while they are tube power amps, the design perspective is rather different from what you would find in the numerous tube audio books from the fifties. Its alltube design relies on a pair of el84 power tubes to give it classic british crunch. Some of this material is general and applies as much to hifi circuits as to guitar amps, but some of it is very. This deluxe revised edition contains 40% new material, with a comprehensive az section covering all the great tube amp manufacturers, with histories, photos and information.
This book is a stepbystep tutorial for simulating vacuum tube guitar amplifiers using ltspice, a free spicebased electronic circuit simulator for windows and macos. Here weve listed our collection of guitar amplifier schematics. Despite their best replication efforts, the consensus among performing and studio musicians remains that there is no substitute for a welldesigned tube amp. Features online access to 800 available schematic and layout diagrams, from. This book presents vacuum tube amplifier theory using modern, webbased design tools and computer visualizations to eliminate the usual litany of mathematical formulas. It is intended as a companion to design and construction of guitar and bass speaker systems. The design, modification and repair manual for vacuum tube guitar amplifiers kindle edition by torres, dan, torres, dan, strong, robert w. Sweetwater carries a huge array of guitar amp tubes for various purposes and styles. Jan 17, 2017 plus, working on your amp when something is wrong can be both fun and rewarding, not to mention possibly essential if youre on the road and in need of a quick fix. Tube amp design wikibooks, open books for an open world. Books, calculators, and tutorials for guitar amplifier circuit design. How guitar amps work and what you can do to start tweaking. The vacuum tube guitar amplifier still sets the performance standard for the desirable sound of this music production instrument.
Lets start by looking at the simple standard tube amplification circuit that you will see again and again as you study tube amp schematics. The book walks you through the basics of developing a schematic, setting up a simulation, integrating vacuum tube models, and interpreting the results. Circuit simulation a deep dive into spice tube amp modeling. Hifi 300b vacuum tube power amplifier board diy kit class a stereo audio amp 16w. The guitar signal flows through the grid stopper resistor to the tube s grid, then out the tube. If youre here then youre probably thinking about tinkering inside one. While this article is intended primarily for the homebrew builder, it will also be useful background for the kit builder.
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