Which amp kit?

Haych

I fancy building an amp, something like a JMP 50 MV.  I get awfully grumpy this time of year if I don't have some sort of a project to keep me occupied.

I haven't much experience with electrical engineering although I have modded a couple of valve amps before now, nothing blew up and nobody died.

However, I can solder to a high standard (having once done it for a living) and I can follow instructions.

What's a good kit to think about?  T.A.D, Vyse, MojoTone, any others?

TIA

kreggs

Modulus has marshall  kits. Great service

webrthomson

kreggs said:

Modulus has marshall  kits. Great service

^ this or the Ampmaker:

http://www.ampmaker.com/store/home.php

Gadget

I built one of the Ampmaker SE-5a kits a few years back, which was quite straightforward and enjoyable...

Modulus_Amps

I just launched the small box 2204 kit about a week ago, shipped the first two a couple weeks ago though, one is up and running with an effects loop, the other is ready for switch on, so just waiting to hear back from that customer too.
I am building one myself over the holidays which I may sell after it has been to the guitar show.... or I might just keep it.
I will do a build thread on this forum if you want to watch out for that.

I am officially shut till January now... thank goodness too many late nights building amps and cabs!

Haych

Modulus_Amps said:

I just launched the small box 2204 kit about a week ago, shipped the first two a couple weeks ago though, one is up and running with an effects loop, the other is ready for switch on, so just waiting to hear back from that customer too.
I am building one myself over the holidays which I may sell after it has been to the guitar show.... or I might just keep it.
I will do a build thread on this forum if you want to watch out for that.

I am officially shut till January now... thank goodness too many late nights building amps and cabs!

Checked out your website earlier and saw the 2204 kit, looks like just what I’m after. Might very well be in touch in the new year. Cheers

Gadget

@Modulus_Amps

Will the fx loop be a standard option?

Modulus_Amps

@Gadget said:

@Modulus_Amps

Will the fx loop be a standard option?

Yes it really should be, it is about £40 extra though for the loop kit

hywelg

Ceriatone Hot rodded Marshall. Chupacabra, Yeti or King Kong....MetroAmps zero loss loop.

DannyP

kreggs said:

Modulus has marshall  kits. Great service

Plus one. Very supportive.

John_A

hywelg said:

Ceriatone Hot rodded Marshall. Chupacabra, Yeti or King Kong....MetroAmps zero loss loop.

A few years ago I would have agreed, but exchange rate, shipping and VAT make them less attractive than they were.  Modulus kits look great, and Michael is really helpful

Rocker

Gadget said:

I built one of the Ampmaker SE-5a kits a few years back, which was quite straightforward and enjoyable...

Neat work @Gadget. ; Very impressed.

Gadget

Rocker said:

Neat work @Gadget. ; Very impressed.

Thanks

Chalky

John_A said:

hywelg said:

Ceriatone Hot rodded Marshall. Chupacabra, Yeti or King Kong....MetroAmps zero loss loop.

A few years ago I would have agreed, but exchange rate, shipping and VAT make them less attractive than they were.  Modulus kits look great, and Michael is really helpful

This ^ @Modulus_Amps is here in the UK, does superb work, knows his stuff, regularly shares his excellent knowledge on here for free, so if he supplies what you're looking for, why spend more money buying from a faceless company half way round the world?

hywelg

Chalky said:

This ^ @Modulus_Amps is here in the UK, does superb work, knows his stuff, regularly shares his excellent knowledge on here for free, so if he supplies what you're looking for, why spend more money buying from a faceless company half way round the world?

I'd agree with you if indeed that was what I was suggesting. Ceriatone are hardly a faceless company, though they are indeed half way round the world. And Nik is supremely helpful with any enquiries from self builders, so to imply otherwise is just plain wrong. What you get with a Ceriatone kit is a huge choice of circuits, including some really quite complex ones, not just your bog standard 1987/1959, JTM45 etc. At least 5 flavours of Dumble clone for example. You won't get that from a UK kit supplier.

kreggs

I suppose this is a good time to celebrate. We are in a golden age for amp kit building. There is so much choice and so many vendors. Plenty of layouts online of all types of amps even a daft git like me can follow

Gadget

The Modulus kits look good.

The Ceriatone kits look good too and there is indeed a bigger selection, but DAMN it'll be expensive to get one back here - I just took a look at one at $1800 + circa $200 shipping = £1500 + circa 25% import costs = circa £1875!!! ...and I still have to build it

I'm not sure I'm prepared to pay more than the cost of a secondhand Friedman BE-100 for the benefits of the building experience, especially as if/when I come to sell it I'd be lucky to clear half.

hywelg

There is no kit on the Ceriatone website for $1800. That's a fully built SSS. A Dumble clone kit  is $715 and a 1987 is $ 595. 

andy1839

I've always wanted to try an amp kit build, but never took the plunge.  

Interest rekindled now. 

Chalky

hywelg said:

Chalky said:

This ^ @Modulus_Amps is here in the UK, does superb work, knows his stuff, regularly shares his excellent knowledge on here for free, so if he supplies what you're looking for, why spend more money buying from a faceless company half way round the world?

I'd agree with you if indeed that was what I was suggesting. Ceriatone are hardly a faceless company, though they are indeed half way round the world. And Nik is supremely helpful with any enquiries from self builders, so to imply otherwise is just plain wrong. What you get with a Ceriatone kit is a huge choice of circuits, including some really quite complex ones, not just your bog standard 1987/1959, JTM45 etc. At least 5 flavours of Dumble clone for example. You won't get that from a UK kit supplier.

Agreed, which is why I included the condition "...if he supplies what you're looking for..."

Modulus_Amps

@hywelg said: You won't get that from a UK kit supplier yet.

FTFY

Ceriatone do offer a great selection and has always been very helpful when I have asked him for information to help his customer customize his amps.

Thanks @Chalky ;

Normally on this forum and others I recommend my kits or Ampmakers, This is a tough business to be in and I think UK businesses need local support. In fact the reason I started this 9 years ago was due to been fed up paying DHL fees for parts to come from Germany all the time, really bad when you just needed one 15p turret and you had to buy 100 and pay international shipping fees.

I am adding kits at a rate that is sustainable for a small growing business, next year I have a DR504 kit just about ready to go and a TW Express, I have actually supplied both of these already as well as a pro reverb and a bandmaster kit, in fact I do custom kits all the time.

There are other UK amp kits available too, consider them all. some are just selling Mojo kits though and there are some guys reselling Ceriatone products too, we are pretty lucky these days with the variety of pedal/amp/guitar kits available to us.

@Gadget, only warning I have is that it is an addictive hobby, like all things guitar related!