You guys who can build amps I assume had formal electronics training to know circuits like you do. What kind of training goes into that? Do you have formal degrees in electronics?
I have a long time friend who was offered a 4 year ride to MIT on some kind of Eastman Kodak scholarship program. He DECLINED and went to work delivering appliances for a local business. And he worked that job for 25 years until the business closed. His logic? "I just finished 4 years of school. I don't want to go to school anymore. And for what? So I can sit at a bench and solder circuit boards all day?" And then headed into adult life with constant financial problems. Had he gotten that degree from MIT the world would have been his oyster, and with his creative side he would likely have been designing those boards, not producing someone else's designs.
When the world hands you a gift, accept it with grace and move on.
Eddie, lots of people have degrees in electronics and many could build most anything they would like too. On the other hand if they went to school in the last twenty years they most likely have little idea how a vacuum tube works. Others have learned on their own.
Some like me just jump in with both feet knowing nothing and are lucky enough not to kill themselves.
One of the most famous amp builders had no formal education in electronics. Leo Fender studied accounting at Fullerton Collège. Here is a link worth reading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Fender While you will not find my name listed in wikipedia the people who are will likely be just as unknown to you and others. Bruce Zinky, use to work for Fender as a amp designer. Mark Sampson who started Matchless amp company. Alexander Dumble designed what many consider the world's greatest guitar amplifier – if you want one, it'll cost you $50,000.
These people are certainly not household names. I could go on listing names only because I have an serious interest in guitar amp, guitar, and music in general.
This little solid state amp I am building I would have had up and running in a couple of days if my only interest was to build a working amp. I am trying to learn some solid state electronics and digging into subjects as arcane as understand what Bypass decoupling path on pin 7 of the op-amp actually means and how the value of a 100nf capacitor was derived.
The fact of the matter is it is not necessary to know much of anything about electronics to build a tube amp or transistor amp . All you need is to be able to read and follow instructions.
There are a few skills like learning to solder you have to acquire. DIY kits are readily available on the internet for sale at various levels of complexity. A million tutorials exist on youtube.
Learning electronics is not super easy but a lot less work than becoming a really good piano player.
Go to MIT if given the opportunity but don't let the lack of formal education stop you from doing anything you set your mind to do.
Learning new stuff can always be a challenge. Many kind people here on this forum have helped me to learn BIAB. One or two have advised me in no uncertain terms to go read the damn manual...lol You sometimes have to wade through some mud before you get to cross the river...lol
Enough soap box....back to work!
Billy
