weber clones

[deathfaces]

they've got a 100s clone that i've been eyeing up but i wanted to know if anyone has any experience with these kits, or general advice toward building high gain amplifiers.  thanks

[Ryan Phelps]

My son and I just finished a Weber 6M18 combo. In general, I'd say the Weber kits provide a lot of bang for the buck. Most all the parts appear to be sourced from China. I found the chassis, turret board and transformers to be nice and beefy. The US-made tolexed cabinet was nicely built....not perfect, but I couldn't complain given the cost. The small parts (pots, jacks, capacitors, resistors and switches) could be nicer, but you can omit them from your order and supply your own (CTS, Switchcraft, Spraque, Carling, etc.). They supply cloth-covered hookup wire and, of-course, Weber speakers. I did have to supply some small parts.....ground lugs and shielded input wire.
Some problems I found: the chassis holes for the power and standby switches were slightly too small (a quick pass through the drill press rectified this); they did not supply an output jack (they expected you to hardwire the chassis to the speakers......pretty impractical); and the biggest problem was the tube sockets (also Chinese)....the solder would not flow around the lugs properly. I even filed the plating off each lug with a jewelers file and it didn't help. All the other components solder up nicely, so it wasn't my iron or solder that was the culprit.
Be aware that Weber does not supply any assembly manual....this is not a Dynakit or Heathkit! You even have to download the chassis layout from the website. Even with that, there are things such as the heater connections that are not explained. Another thing......especially with high wattage amps.... proper lead dress is critical to avoid hum and parasitic oscillation. If you don't know what this is, read Gerald Weber's (not affiliated with Ted Weber) "Tube Guitar Amplifier Essentials" for some insight.
I've been repairing tube amps for over 25 years, so building one of Weber's kits was easy for me. But if you are not experienced with amp building or repair, no way should you try building anything other than a really simple amp...like one of Weber's small single-ended amps. For larger amps, enlist your local amp tech to build it for you. If you can talk him into it, ask to sit in while he builds it so he can explain the hows and whys of tube amp design and construction (as I did for my son...he had a blast!).

Good Luck!

Ryan Phelps

[basiklybass]

Great insight Ryan, thanks

[deathfaces]

wow, thanks for the lesson.  i was wondering if you had any advice for someone just starting out.  i'd like to build amps, i have some equipment and have access to an electrician (though i havent found an amp tech yet).  where should i start?  thanks.

right now i'm working on some pedal clones and i've built a couple guitars, so i'm not totally green.

advice?

[basiklybass]

As a licensed electrician...don't talk to an electrician. We know about distributing power, horsepower, controls, wiring houses and that sort of stuff. You want an electronic tech...or a electrician who started out in electronics and now does it as a hobby.
But maybe that is what you meant...many folks confuse the two though. I have been asked many times when working on a house: "Oh, you know about electricity, can you fix my TV?"

In any case, jump in, it is a great thing to build an amp or other device and plug it in and have it work...and even better to have it not....and then you figure out why...and then it does.

Oh for the Heathkit days....

[Soundmasterg]

Get some books and read. Ask lots of questions of knowledgeable people. Finding a local amp tech will help. You may see if any electrical engineers you or your friends might know may be into tube electronics or not. Go to the amp forums around the web and read and ask questions. Eventually, once you have the safety aspects down (VERY IMPORTANT) then get a kit or and old amp to mess around with.

For books to get:

Dave Funk Tube Amp Workbook
Gerald Weber books v1, v2, v3
Kevin O' Connor TUT series (The Ultimate Tone) Tut 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, though start with TUT 3.

You can get all of these at AES www.tubesandmore.com

For sites to visit if you haven't already:

http://www.webervst.com/vstbbs/bbs.html
http://music-electronics-forum.com/home.php
http://ax84.com/bbs/index.php?area=-1
http://www.el34world.com/Forum/yabb2/YaBB.pl

http://www.pmillett.com/ (you can download free books from here)

Hope that helps.
Greg
Lots of others out there too.

[deathfaces]

i've been looking at the classic 50's weber kits for a beginner kit.  they seem like the best entry.  i'd like something 15 watts and tiny terror-ish, but i can't tell what most of the wattages are on these.  i was wondering which one you guys would recommend, i'm more interested in overdrive and gain than clean.  suggestions?

i'll probably build a small cabinet to match it so the speaker is irrelevant.

[Soundmasterg]

It sounds like you want to build a Marshall 18 watt clone. I think Ted sells them as the 6M18 or something like that. Another good choice would be a clone of the 5E3 tweed Deluxe. Keep in mind that Weber's kits do not come with instructions and you are expected to know what you're doing already, or go to his kitbuilding forum to find out how to do things. If you need a kit with instructions, then the Mission amps kits are great and one of the best 5E3 replicas out there.

Greg