Guitar amp design book

We are always adding more as we find them so check back often. This presentation style helps a reader understand how overdriven tube circuits produce that magic tubeamp tone. Since opening in 2005, thousands of students have enrolled in csgm classes. If you want to know the math behind the circuit design, this book. Basic theory explains the design of guitar amplifier preamps, power amps, and power supplies using 2020 technology. If you have not been trained to work with high voltage then have an amp technician service your amp.

You must not power up the amp until you have safety ground continuity between the power cord ground prong, guitar cable sleeve, speaker cable sleeve and chassis because the amp is a deadly shock hazard without it. Building and designing speaker cabinets for guitar and bass. Books about guitar amplifier electronics usually focus on individual circuits. 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. Another good one that is fenderfocused is dave funks tube amp workbook. It is relatively easy to find introductory information on how to design simple amplifier stages.

How the ruby solid state guitar amplifier works rob robinette. I would also recommend kuehnels pre amp book, and bassman book. If you need a guitar amp schematic for your amp repair that is not listed here, contact us and well try to locate it. Understanding tube amplifiers and getting great sounds, updated edition brings fresh information to the table to help guitarists understand everything about what makes their amps tick and how to use them to sound better than ever. The book explains the principles of vacuum tube electronics and the design of preamp voltage amplification stages, cathode followers, tone stacks, power amps. Overall, the book has some great guitar maintenance and diagrams to give you some basic starting points. Because there is no inherent right or wrong amp, the suitability of the end gadget will depend on your personal taste and the tuning of the ear. 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. 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. The guitar amplifier design course was developed for the designers, builders and suppliers of vacuum tube guitar amplifiers. In fact, he thought that improvisation was the engineers most valuable tool in building a good amp.

The science of electric guitars and guitar electronics. 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. The main section of the book which goes in excellent detail about the workings and design of each part of a guitar amp, just blew me away. With electric guitars its not just about looks, its about what else youll need to really make your sound stand out. The intention of this book is to show the world in as simple manner as possible how tubes work and. Quality guitar amplifiers are designed to precisely reproduce sound while maintaining a clean and accurate tone. The amplifier or amp for short is the unit that boosts the electronic signal of your bass guitar and sends it to the speaker, which takes the signal and converts it into sound. New listing fender super champ x2 15w 1x10 tube guitar combo amp.

Product gallienkrueger 3030810a 25watt ultralight bass guitar combo amplifier. The one guitar amp design the book discusses is an odd one that mixes the clean signal with the distorted signal in parallel rather than running the input through all the tubes in series. Line 6 122954 micro spider 6w batterypowered guitar amplifier. Book description this book is a stepbystep tutorial for simulating vacuum tube guitar amplifiers using ltspice, a free spicebased electronic circuit simulator for windows and macos. 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. Use this site for a pricing guide and source of information on all guitars. 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. Find the current blue book value and worth of your new and used guitars, both acoustic, electric and amplifier. Never touch the amplifier chassis with one hand while probing with the other hand because a lethal shock can run between your arms. The original ruby amp design called for a now obsolete mpf102 transistor. This is also the only school in chicago teaching tube amplifier electronics, tube amp building and amp repair. Oct 10, 2017 in this video, ill go a bit into how i design effects using a breadboard, i touch on my process and i also explain how you can set up your own breadboard for fun and nerdy circuit pleasure. It contained too many mistakes and typos, and it didnt match the style of my preamp books.

Tube amp design wikibooks, open books for an open world. See all instructions tool demo videos trade secrets. How guitar amps work and what you can do to start tweaking. When youre deciding on an amp, one of the most important things to figure out is whether youll go for a solidstate or vacuum tube design. Jan 17, 2017 half the book is a bio of nearly every amp company in history. In some short circuit conditions this might lead to lethal accidents. If you really want to understand guitar amplifier power amps, this is the book to get. Fundamentals of guitar amplifier system design amp books. In this video, ill go a bit into how i design effects using a breadboard, i touch on my process and i also explain how you can set up your own breadboard for.

How i set up my breadboard to design guitar pedals youtube. It is intended as a companion to design and construction of guitar and bass speaker systems, also available here. Michael soldano, dave friedman, joe morgan and peter arends. This uk book is one of a series on the technique of sound reproduction.

There is so much garbage information on the internet about guitar amp circuits, this is refreshingly correct. A guitar amplifier may be a standalone wood or metal cabinet. From the input to the phase inverter this book discusses in detail the inner workings and practical design of every part of a conventional guitar preamp, including the use of. Every serious guitar player should definitely have at least one amp head in his or her collection. The book walks you through the basics of developing a schematic, setting up a simulation, integrating vacuum tube models, and interpreting the results. This book, in print from 2008 until 2020, has been updated, expanded, reorganized, and replaced by guitar amplifier electronics. Harnessing the raw power of their guitars through their respective amps, these packs give you exactly what you need to get started. The chicago school of guitar making specimen products.

Feb 26, 2020 in this episode of everything music i discuss modern amp design with 4 world class amp builders. A guitar amplifier may be a standalone wood or metal cabinet that contains only the power amplifier. Designing tube preamps for guitar and bass merlin blencowe. The design, modification and repair manual for vacuum tube guitar. He has authored or coauthored dozens of books on guitar topics, columns in guitar player and vintage guitar magazines, and is considered a top authority on amps and effects. Rich red bevel warlock electric guitar and amp pack. Ive been getting a lot of mail about my power supplies book. Design and construction of tube guitar amplifiers by robert megantz this is a great book. Without testing it, you cant fully evaluate the sound that it creates. How to design valve guitar amplifiers, from the power supply to output.

This is followed by explanations of components, the detailed understanding of subsystem level circuit blocks, and the overall amplifier operation. The books graphing calculators, free on the publishers website, are designed for smartphones and laptops, making them as portable as the book that puts them. Dave hunter has made a career out of explaining the relationships between guitars and amp tone, and the technology that creates it. This diy amp stand project is perfect for your practice or garage band. In electronics and audio design, many circuit methods and topologies are available for any given goal. Building your own guitar amp is a rewarding pastime, but learning how to do it can be time consuming and frustrating sometimes. Complete guide to vintage tube amplifiers volume 1 fender. Im sorry to say i permanently removed it from print. This is a new book about signals and circuits in tube guitar amplifiers.

Vacuum tube circuit design guitar amplifier power amps. 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. Designing tube preamps for guitar and bass, 2nd edition. Under the bridge of the guitar there often is a grounding cable, which makes you part of the electric circuit when touching the strings. Tips for buying amplifiers and speakers for your bass guitar. Here weve listed our collection of guitar amplifier schematics.

One of the questions i get asked frequently is how to design a speaker cab. The intention of this book is to show the world in as simple manner as possible how tubes work and how to use them. The course starts with a discussion of the basics of electronic concepts. How to design valve guitar amplifiers the valve wizard. Basic theory a 21stcentury approach to understanding preamp, power amp, and power supply design. Book description books about guitar amplifier electronics usually focus on individual circuits. Tube guitar amplifier heads 212 search refinement options. If youre here then youre probably thinking about tinkering inside one. Some of this material is general and applies as much to hifi circuits as to guitar amps, but some of it is very. Get your amp set up well so the sound is just right. The building blocks of the guitar signal chain dummies. The lm386 is a chip amp that performs the functions of the preamp, power amp and output transformer. Some of the guitar wirings diagrams are a bit confusing as they are in black and white. Following is a list of must have books for the serious tube amplifier designer.

A bibliography of must have tube electronics books. Its a good practical guide to the design of amplifiers, with many example schematics using the gec and mullard valves of the time. It builds on the popular original edition of the book, first published in 2005. Our new book applies 21stcentury technology to the design of guitar amplifier preamps, power amps, and power supplies. A guitar amplifier or amp is an electronic device or system that strengthens the weak electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which are typically housed in a wooden cabinet.

The j201 transistor functions like a tube cathode follower and does not amplify the guitar signal. The guitar diagrams vary from fender to gibson and others. It is relatively easy to find introductory information on how to design simple amplifier stages, and it is also fairly easy to find extremely advanced information on complex circuit design, and nearly all of it is. Lm386 power amp a half watt power amp to use with headphones or small speaker. This amp is small, yet powerful, and absolutely loaded with tone. It deals with guitar amplifier preamp designs from an engineering standpoint, and contains derivations of formulas for all phases of preamp design. A tube amplifier chassis contains lethal high voltage even when unpluggedsometimes over 700 volts ac and 500 volts dc. 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 book is still well worth buying dont let me put you off miles better than the other guitar amp design books as this one lets you design rather than try stuff. Books, calculators, and tutorials for guitar amplifier circuit design. How to build a tube amplifier rob robinettes car and tube. It is intended as a companion to design and construction of guitar and bass speaker systems. Pictures and descriptions create a visual tour that explains the overdrive behaviors of amplifier circuits. The design of a guitar amplifier as a complete system, however, is more than the natural consequence of putting these pieces together.

This book is a stepbystep tutorial for simulating vacuum tube guitar amplifiers using ltspice, a free spicebased electronic circuit simulator for windows and macos. Books, tutorials, and technology for guitar amplifier circuit design. Design and construction of tube guitar amplifiers by robert megantz this is a great book to get involved in the theory of amplifiers. Designing tube preamps for guitar and bass is the most comprehensive guide to the design of tubebased preamplifiers for musical instrument use, in a single volume. If your amp has speaker wires one of them should show continuity with the power cord ground prong.

Computerbased visualization replaces the traditional litany of mathematical formulas. The number one source of guitar and amplifier pricing and information so you can find the price and value of your used guitars and amplifier. Half the book is a bio of nearly every amp company in history. Design and construction of tube guitar amplifiers book ebay. The book explains the principles of vacuum tube electronics and the design of preamp voltage amplification stages, cathode followers, tone stacks, power amps, phase inverters, negative feedback. Yamaha thr10ii 20watt bluetooth modeling combo stereo amp wcubase and gig thd bivalve 30. It is important to know how to test an electric guitar amplifier before you buy one to ensure that it meets your needs. Great book for a reasonably short introduction to tube amp design for the nonengineer. When choosing an amp, you need to take several things into consideration, such as tone, distortion, features, and budget. Save tube amp repair book to get email alerts and updates on your ebay feed.

In this episode of everything music i discuss modern amp design with 4 world class amp builders. This is my favorite tube amp book, merlin blencowes, designing tube preamps for guitar and bass, 2nd edition. Chapter 1 introduces basic audio engineering concepts used in tube amps, which are used throughout the book. Circuit simulation a deep dive into spice tube amp modeling. Designing valve preamps for guitar and bass, second edition.

For the beginner this may be info overload, but you will still start to understand what each section does, and why that resister is. See more ideas about guitar building, guitar and guitar design. The books graphing calculators, free on this website, are designed for smartphones and laptops, making them as portable as the book that uses them. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading inside tube amps. Im not the best source of info in the world for this, so luckily michael sabolish has come to the rescue with an excellent write up for you all. Electra preamp electra variation combined with the big muff tone control. Get money off my book at, find todays voucher code on the. Lm383 power amp 8 watt power amp for driving a bigger speaker.