Mistakes I Made Building My First Guitar Amp

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[@zipcheckcheck]

What impressed my most about this video was how honest you were critiquing yourself. It showed a lot of maturity to say what you did wrong and why. I'm used to watching videos where people edit to boost their ego and you did the opposite by humbly exposing your mistakes.

[@RJRonquillo]

Just got done with mine, what a great experience!

[@MusicTherapyLaz]

Definitely one of my bucket list things to do! Just got to get a group of gear nerds like me together who want to join me...possibly around Summer NAMM one year!

[@jjembleton]

R.J. Ronquillo where is it offered???

[@bobpickwoad8968]

Great vid, Phil. It brings back memories of a NAVY class where we given a schematic and a bare chassis to build this super-het receiver. We had to request any part required to build and complete the project and had to identify why this part and it's spec's were required in the particular circuit I was working on. Final test was a hook up to antenna and show that it received over the complete AM band (this was 1964) ! I passed.

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: 1969 my high school electronics teacher was ex Navy. He had us build those bare chassis tube radios. A few of us that finished them and we listened to the radio during class. I had already built a couple of Heath Kit and Knight kit amplifiers and radios so it was fun. I wish we were allowed to keep them. We had to strip them back down and turn in the parts for the next semester class.

[@jimcatanzaro7808]

No wonder my dad is a nut with electronics navy trained

[@wesleymorris1]

I check all my solder joints as I do them, then I paint them with a red marker for the hot wires, and green for the grounds, and check continuity after each joints are solder and use shrink wrap on every exposed wire. My first build was a Marshall 2204 and it's a hard one to start with, but I learned every part of a amp from the input through the coupling caps and the tonestack, through the phase inverter, to the power supply, cathode biased or negative bias, I can build without a schematic if I had to. I have built 2 Marshall clones, a Tweed fender clone, and repaired many amps, and in less then a year. If I'm going to play through tubes amps I wanted to know how to fix them. So I studied them then built them. I like old tube radios also, I got a cool shortwave from the 40s I recapped and i can get stations from all over the world.

[@wesleymorris1]

@Thomas Pelley thanks I love gear, any gear, guitars, pedals and amps, I chased a certain tone for so long now I build everything till I found it, I wind my own pickups, build guitars and amps, I build a tele recently and fabricated everything but the tuners.

[@jeffbenson6102]

It was great meeting you at the class, I enjoyed hanging out afterwards as well. I loved the class, A.J. and Steve were great!!

[@Khaine66]

I know absolutely nothing about electronics but amp building is something I've become very interested in and I'd like to try it at some point.

[@alanpettibone]

I love that they had practice boards, so dopes like me don’t mess up the expensive stuff.

[@curlydogusa]

Took the workshop this weekend - Andy and Steve from MOJO are awesome - Zach from Carter's is great - the amp sounds awesome!!

[@davidmcknight7321]

Did you fly or drive to get there? Wonder if they'll ship your finished amp back to you...would hate to have to check it on a plane coming home.

[@curlydogusa]

David McKnight I live only 20 miles from the location, so I drove of course

[@benmorris118]

Sounds like hank hill moved on to amp building. Love it, makes me wanna do it more

[@johnwalker4105]

I took this class, I highly recommend it. I had a great time and ended up with a great amp.

[@johnwalker4105]

@J A I do like the amp. I can't say for 100% sure but the kits look exactly the same.

[@guit57strat]

AJ and Steve are the Tweed masters, know exactly what needs to happen and when. They really command the class and have much respect for the attendees and want to really respect vintage amps as "American history and we do it better than anyone anywhere".

[@JulianA-tr6pt]

Building amps is almost as fun as playing them. This year I built a brownface-ish amp for under $150 utilizing the chassis and transformers from an old PA amp from 1960. True point to point circuitry (no turret boards), dead silent, and it sounds just as good as any high dollar amp with similar circuitry. A handful of years ago when I was 15 or 16, I was in need of a good amp after my Mustang died, but was pretty broke, so I bought a PA amp from 59, the same model I was lucky to find another of this year. Basically learned everything on that amp, tuned it and worked on it more than I played it, but damn if it didn't sound good. Ended up being a pretty custom circuit, but my grandfather who has played since the 60s claimed it is one of the best amps he's ever heard. Had previous experience in electronics though, which helps. I had built pedals for the same reason: I wanted a big muff for $25!

[@jonmccoy2234]

That would be so much fun. Made me think about when my dad built a heathkit stereo back in the early 80s

[@Jonathan-L]

The printed instructions look really good for the DIY guys who can't attend a class.

[@savethedandelions]

this is a great idea and i hope their business prospers! i'd rather have a personal connection to my gear than buy it off the shelf, given the chance.

[@nikkihendrix1234]

Even though I have built a Marshall JTM 45 clone from mojotone, fixed complex tube circuitry for years like tube color televisions, high gain modern amps and tons of test equipment I would still take this class because I’m self taught and it would be cool to see somebody critique my work aswell as see how other people operate. I might learn some things who knows. I’m able to track down problems very well but I always feel like there’s more to learn in this field.

[@JeffRatliffhome]

I built a 5F1 Champ clone kit from Tube Depot. I also made a few minor mistakes but figured it out and got it working. Lots of fun and it's amazing how great these simple early circuits sound. Sometimes simpler is better.

[@cuinoz3569]

Absolutely independently and taking my time to have the best clean build possible.

[@joomnaj42]

It could be cool to learn some "mods" for that mojo amp. Would you do a video regarding such topic?

[@unfcknblvbl]

The class was a blast, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[@bctoner]

Built one of these about 8 years ago. Love the amp use it more than any other amp

[@kaiying74]

Looks really interesting. The class itself isn't an option for me since I don't live in the US. The thing stopping me from trying one of these types of kits is that I know nothing about electronics and when I did inevitably make a mistake I'd be left with 750 bucks worth of amp pieces and no way to troubleshoot my mistakes. Instruction manuals are fine until something goes wrong and you rely on an expert to fix it (as happened in the video to Phil). Email support might fix it but it just as easily might not. So for me as much as I'd like to try this I can't justify the cost for something that in all probability is going to sit broken and unfinished.

[@teleguy2650]

You dont need a class, just do it. Mojotone instructions are super easy. If anything goes wrong, google "tube amp repair" in your area. There's always a guy. I built a Mojotone Champ and Trinity TMB.

[@edwardanaya4811]

Truly inspiring. Can't wait to get a chance to watch your amp building video. Would to build a British sounding single channel chimy sounding head.

[@nickvictor7398]

The one thing your teacher failed to tell you is that the orange drop capacitors should go in a certain way. They have a line on the side that should be connected to ground, this line indicates which lead is connected to the outer shielding to cut down on noise. Research this yourself.

[@Mike_S_Swift]

Thinking about doing this amp. I have done smaller projects in electronics class in HS and my field was telecomm switching. Have done miles of soldering but next to nothing with tubes. We had a class on them but that was circa 63-64’. Caps were one of the danger zones, I do remember that lol. Thanks for posting and issues you had. My sir name is Swift and the crest motto is Festina Lente. Make haste slowly or with caution take your pick. Seems to apply here.

[@beegeewhy]

I’m about to start my build of the Mojo Tone NC 3015. Thanks for the boost I got from hearing you say I can do it😂….I may be over-confident, but….here goes.

[@angrycitizn]

Doing one of these next year. The biggest benefit I have gotten from going to the classes even if I know about the subject is that I will learn something knew or learn how I was doing something wrong.

[@shadowscott9910]

I recently went to this class at Sweetwater based on this video The guys from Mojotone were awesome, helpful, and patient. The amp sounds great. I learned a lot.

[@magnushedqvist2245]

I have built a few amps and the testing part is really important. Check grounding at all points. Pay attention to whiskers when you strip wires. It is very easy to get these when soldering the preamp tubesockets. There are many videos on building amps, so look at a few and I bet you will have no problems building your own amp.

[@Billy_bSLAYER]

The twisting of wires/cables carrying an oscillation wave is very important.

[@gtr1952]

Mojo Tone built all my cabs and I've been a customer for years. I looked at the amp kits when they introduced them, but I don't think I have the patience to build one. So far I've had very good luck with my very old amps. 8)

[@jjulch]

Bruce Egnator does a build class for a Marshall 20watt amp head in SE Michigan a couple times a year. Pretty cool stuff!

[@lennwoodward4550]

Electronics has always excited me & I e always been enthused over it, I'd love to take the class but I'm one of those super super super low income people so probably independent but I'd love to learn. It would probably be the highlight of my year as well if not my whole last decade

[@Megarobotsquadron]

I just bought the mojotone tweed vibrolux. even though I've soldered before, I hate doing it. and since having the end product is more important than the process....I paid a friend to solder it for me

[@steveliberty]

I've built about 20 amps over the years as a hobby. The first was from a kit. The kit maker was new to providing kits, and he talked me through the build by phone. He answered lots of questions about safety, wire locations, etc. That advice is VERY important when you are new to building amps, so I would say that some sort of a class is a good thing. (I've never seen a build manual detailed enough to make the class unnecessary). And it's always good to start with a smaller simple amp like a 5E3. I've known people who tried building a Marshall as their first build, and they failed miserably (too complex, too many places to make mistakes). Even after 20 builds, I still don't know how to find and kill an oscillation efficiently. Wish I did ...

[@jonathansavell1832]

Check out StewMac kits, you can see their instruction manuals online. I built a Marshall 45W on my first try and the instructions were extremely detailed.

[@geetarguy777]

A thousand bucks for that kind of experience sounds like a steal. Build your own amp, understand, probably make a friend? Super cool.

[@Jonobueno]

Built two of these, great fun and a killer amp.

[@fiddlix]

This is a great class I have heard. Being that I use to build, repair, and modify amps the class would not be for me. But for someone who wants to learn, I can’t think of a better platform than the old narrow panel tweed deluxe. A classic amp for sure and when you are finished there is a huge element of pride and enjoyment that comes from a DIY project like this. I really enjoyed the video Phillip and look forward to the videos to follow this project. I really wish I could still get my hands dirty but do to complications due to a spinal cord injury I had to give up being an amp tech. I do not miss working on Ampeg SVT’s though. Keep up the great videos.

[@sowhat5150]

I am totally a DIY-fer and really want to try this but I’ve watched both you and Rhett Schull take this class. My concern is with airfare and hotel it’s too expensive. If I try on my own I won’t have the hands on support. How do they support someone who does on their own? Face time? Live chat?

[@PhillipMcKnight]

Phone calls, emails and pictures and in extreme cases they sometimes have to have send them the amp is What Andy said

[@joemckinney489]

That's so cool, Phil.

[@MiniShowProductions]

Only just seen this video Phil some great advice here man as I've just ordered a delux from stewmac to do on my own i don't really solder anything apart from the odd guitar pick up or jack so this will 100% be a challenge to say the least but i am looking forward to it, gonna go watch your other vid on the self build if i can find it and see if i can get some more info and also some of the uncle doug videos as i hear hes great wish me luck plz

[@jdavis.fw303]

Don't feel too bad about the extra wire thing. That amp particularly is notorious for being susceptible to that issue. Fender even had issues with in on the production line for the same reason or so the story goes. I remember seeing that story so many times when researching the 5E3 when I was going to build an amp the first time.

[@BradyBHull]

I will be building one of these as a project for my electrical engineering degree. I expect that it will be quite easy, but I'd take the class if I had the option. Thanks for the upload Phil.

[@nickcoulter973]

Awesome amp! I like the honesty about the mistakes you made. We all make them, but most of us have a difficult time admitting to them. If we don’t admit our mistakes, nobody learns from them.

[@ImNotOld_ImVintage]

I would definitely take the class if it were near me. Though I have years of commercial soldering experience I don't think I'd like to build one from a kit the first time. A little inattention to detail can be costly or dangerous so I'd like to have someone with experience teaching me the first time. But I look forward to your video on the at-home kit and may change my mind.

[@spleantrampoline]

This looks like tons of fun! Wish there was a class like this near me. I’ve build a few small 5 watt amps and modded some as well. I like doing things myself. I’m typically a metal guy but I’m really digging the tones of this amp. Nice video!

[@natfurtop]

I haven't tried to solder anything yet, but I think this would really be a fun and cool class! Thanks for the insights Phil!

[@RileyTech]

Last time I was this early Phil still had hair

[@MetallicA29]

The class seemed awesome!

[@GreenmanXIV]

Built an Ampmaker Double-6, it sounds wonderful (well I would say that). I would say build a kit it's an achievement, just take your time. I'm now looking for another kit to build, wife says it'll keep me out of trouble for a while.

[@hoboroadie]

I managed to cobble together a 5E5 from Mojotone but it totally looks like Homer Simpson did the QC. Sad but working. I really like the look of those manuals, Heathkit kind of spoiled me back in the 60s. My wires were straighter then too, no way I am building anything with big gain now, the howling would probably drown out the signal. 😑 I guess that there is a bonus for taking the class, a good manual to make up for the instructor being there to help.

[@MichaelZola]

That sounded incredible! I hope to take on a project or class like this at some time in the future. Thanks Phil that was another fun video.

[@KC9KEP]

I’ve built the 5F1 and 5E3 .. Mojotone makes it easy 😁. However, I’ve built my own 3/4” pine cabinets and I wish there were more instruction on how to apply tweed .. I.e., glueing process 😬

[@RocktCityTim]

Class here. As you said, it's the interaction and community that makes something like this fun. I'm an EE and even Pace micro miniature certified and could throw something like this together from scratch with no problems (especially with their excellent "paint by numbers" manual), but where's the fun in that ⚡️🔥

[@jodylowe3931]

One of my friends build mojo amps and loves it.

[@bluesman7119]

I would love a course like this, what a brilliant class I did electronics in school many moons ago at a Tech level but never worked in the business,

[@baronvonchickenpants6564]

Busting to do one

[@rturney]

Great video Phil! I would like to see more stuff on building amps. I built the ModKitsDIY 102+ (8W tube amp) and had several problems before I got it to work. Even though I am an experienced solderer, the cramped space caused me to burn up a capacitor and also have a bad solder joint. Diagnosing the problems was the hard part in building the kit. I would like to try the Mojo one you built. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@ericsfc1ea.16]

Excellent video, seems like a great value and a good supervised experience for anybody wanting to learn the ins/outs of amplifier repair or modifications.

[@nickwilson9210]

Do they ever do these classes in different city’s ? Like would they come to New England

[@DJFalkoHannover]

Thats a great video! Cheers from Germany. Stumbled in here because im thinkin about building my first kit ...

[@pttrent123]

Very helpful, appreciate you being transparent, I would take the class with instruction :)

[@bufferkiller]

This time last year I was a student at Roberto-Venn, and the amp class that we ended up with was the only negative thing about my time there. We all expected something like this but ended up with a 5-watt amp the guest instructor had designed, that had no enclosure or cabinet. He didn't bring spare parts for when students inevitably ended with bad components. Hell, only a few of us finished our amps in the allotted time and none of us finished it knowing more than before we started. My amp is currently sitting in a box, not once plugged in since it was tested in class to see if it worked. I would have happily paid more for a class like this one. Which I'm pretty sure is what every class before and since got. This video did make me miss Roberto-Venn and Arizona something fierce, though. Aside from the amp class me and my classmates received, my time there was absolutely amazing.

[@peterdvideos]

It would be nice if Mojotone offered a head only cabinet for the kit build.

[@PhillipMcKnight]

I believe if you call them you can request it.

[@jeffhebert9643]

Great sounding amp . ..seems very versatile .

[@Earl00001]

End result sounds great..

[@CookieRoger1]

Sound good ,Thank for sharing and have a nice evening.

[@notplaying2379]

Looks great.

[@1Rockstok]

I want to go to this class.

[@arthuralzamora7331]

Great video on Mojo build @ factory - looking for video on home build amp!

[@rezakhan8290]

That amp sounds so nice. Could you make a review/demo of the amp please,Phil.

[@PhilMoseleyMusic]

Cool video Phil! I would like to do an amp build some time. I agree, the community aspect of taking a class is always a lot of fun!

[@gonzopewpew7838]

Definitely wanna go to this class. Hopefully they do one in AZ again

[@GuitarJeff]

I would love to do the class but never seen it offered around me in Michigan. So like most thing I would probably just order a kit and give it a whirl. I solder my own stuff and have experience with circuit boards. So I am not to worried about anything just as long as the directions are clear and easy. What I would miss from not taking the class is the ability to ask why. Why is this done this way. Why this resistor. What would happen if I use a different resistor. Like I said I know a lot about electronic but don't know a lot about the inner workings of an amp.

[@FrankLafone]

I really wanted to build one of these, but I'll be dead honest - based upon this video I wouldn't dare do it without the class. I THINK I could do it, but there's just so much to go wrong and I lack the base necessary to diagnose what it could be that I'd want someone over my shoulder as much as possible. I think I'll stick to buying something with a warranty from the store :(

[@ColinStuart]

Sounds like you had fun AND an education!

[@anthonycosta2662]

How do I find out about these classes?

[@chriswallace9387]

always wanted to wire my own. I think I will!

[@julianrodolfo]

I would take that class

[@rustydodge6167]

Thank you PHIL 👍🎸👍

[@jefferybradford5936]

Damn I bet that class was awesome. I’d love to build an amp

[@robertwatkins8220]

Thank you for the video, as always an excellent job! Wish you had more information about how you fixed the problem when the class was over. Since I am disabled I can't come to a class. The cost $1000, would that be close to buying an amp like this? Are the directions good enough that a handy person could do this kit at home?

[@kirkgardner8772]

You’re strat and G&L sounds great!!

[@johnpick8336]

Congratulations Phil on not having to post an Obituary video ! Lol Thank you for sharing !

[@joeykelly5642]

Awesome video Phil, thanks for making unique content!

[@ColinStuart]

Phil, liked the opening graphics! Very nice opening AND ending graphics!

[@jdb2722]

Does anyone have a link for the course? Seems like a blast!

[@steveyankees1]

This video piques my interest in a DIY project vs. buying the amp prebuilt. I will view the other two videos.

[@seanbrooks2583]

I've been really thinking about buying one of these.

[@chrisali1628]

Can u make other styles of amp, or only the tweed circuit? Not much of a tweed guy but would love to build a simple Marshall circuit perhaps. Maybe a Friedman PT-20 clone would be awesome.

[@raybbj]

I have no issue with building an amp kit myself, but it something doesn't work at the end of the build, I would have no idea how to trouble shoot. Bad solder joint? Incorrect connection? Faulty component?

[@czgunner]

5E3 or Princeton Reverb? Can't decide which kit to build!

[@Shineysideup1]

I would love to take this class. Also would like to build by the book if I couldn't work out the class.

[@danieloday9279]

Next build a '59 Bassman! :) & to answer your question, the more I see videos like this, the greater the chances of me feeling confident enough to attempt something similar. With proper training of course. & a clean work space.

[@JJPsyc]

Sounds great!

[@littlerhodyguitar2169]

Great video 👍 I totally would love to take a class like that for sure.

[@echopark78]

Absolutely would do the class!!

[@raymondfryar1533]

I would really love to take the class. Dream come true.

[@Bobby_Digital37]

Awesome!!! So basically Fender is ripping everyone off with the price of their PC board amps :))

[@michaelfessenden8601]

I have been wanting to build one for years now I'm going to have to pull the plug and do it