A Princeton Reverb was my first 'proper' amp and I like it enough that I've never really wanted another tube amp; my head is far more often turned by some guitar than by an amp.
Recently, though, I tried a number of others courtesy of a friend with a well kitted-out music room, and realised that I don't have a very good understanding of how the different components work together to produce a particular sort of sound.
Can anybody recommend a book (or a website), please, that explores amp building in a scientific but vaguely readable way?
Comments
"Tube pre amps for Guitar and Bass" Merlin Blencowe.
Lot of other stuff is unsubstantiated bollocks.
Dave.
Generally considered as the Bible for amp designers, it’s a fascinating read.
His website is a great source of info, knowledge, and explains everything correctly without any of that ‘internet amp guru bollocks’ that you tend to find online.
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
If you just want to make some simple mods to a pre-existing circuit, I'd suggest the Dan Torres book. I'll get flamed for suggesting it, but it taught me the simple things like how to alter the tone stack, add an fx loop, add a reverb tank circuit, etc.
Some believe you have to understand an amp completely from first electrical principles. Its rather like those who think the amateur building a telecaster should start with instructions on how to chop the tree down! But if you get the Aspen Pitman book recommended above and study all the Fender schematics, you will soon see they are dozens of minor variations on a very few themes. Leo was essentially a man who much preferred building good simplicity rather than ambitious complexity.
found these very easy reading and stuff gets explained so even people like me come away with a better understanding of stuff.
The Guitar Amp Handbook by Dave Hunter is useful background reading but doesn’t get too technical.
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
Use your own guitar as the familiar control, also try alternate guitars too so you get single coils and humbuckers.
So you have the Princeton and it's classic fender clean
Try A deluxe reverb
Get a Hiwatt DR103 or similar
Try a marshall super lead 100
A marshall JTM45
A Marshall JCM800
A Vox AC15 & a real AC30
An early orange if you can find one.
An HH ic100 combo
An early musicman combo
A sessionette 75
A Mesa Boogie Mk IV
There are many other amps from the early era that sound good like Sound city, Roost, Impact etc. so if they present themselves give them a whirle.
These are/were the foundations on which reputations were made.
Experiencing these types of amplifier will give you an idea of the benefits and pitfalls that the successful makers have gone through over the decades and what the modern small makers are trying to provide in better packaging and without the flaws, all the time trying to add value and features.
Spending time with these early sounds (and the feel) will enable you to decide which particularly lend themselves to your playing style(s). You can then make a properly informed choice as to what modern small combo or massive stack you need to compliment the Princeton.
Or you could sit in your room and read a book.