Amp DIY
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Silver and Black: Tips for Buying Vintage Fender Amps
November 5, 2019
The literal ins and outs of getting the right amp at the right price.
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Last Call: Following Van Halen on a Quest for Power Control
October 17, 2019
Early on, Eddie discovered Variacs allowed him to adjust the electrical voltage output to his amps. Here’s a way to do it if you’re on a budget.
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Silver and Black: Simple Tube Tricks for Beginners
September 2, 2019
Need more headroom or gain? Spin the bottles.
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DIY Vibrato Shorting Plug for Blackface/Silverface Amps
July 31, 2019
If you own a vintage Fender amp with reverb and vibrato, you’ve probably had those moments where you think the vibrato has stopped working, only to realize that you forgot to plug in the footswitch. Luckily, there is an easy way to eliminate the need for a footswitch.
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Tuning Up: The Tube That’ll Save Your Amp “Marriage”
July 24, 2019
You’re missing out if you haven’t explored the tone-rich world beyond 12AX7s.
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Dial It In: Swapping Tubes
July 23, 2019
Fine-tune your tube amp’s gain structure and headroom by experimenting with preamp and phase-inverter tubes.
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Dimed and Dangerous: The Gentle Brute’s Guide to Troubleshooting
July 8, 2019
Don’t be afraid to use some carefully applied force to get results—on vintage Teles or funky tubes.
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Dimed & Dangerous: That’s My Sound, Man!
June 20, 2019
In a new band? Here’s how to fit in sonically—and do it in style.
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Signal to Noise: Current Affairs
May 22, 2019
Discover how a critical difference between a self-contained guitar amp and a component rack system affects dynamic response and feel.
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Bass Bench: Parsing Power Ratings
May 10, 2019
What do these numbers really mean and can you trust them?
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Dimed & Dangerous: The Joy and Heartbreak of DIY Amp Building, Part 2
April 26, 2019
Can your amp take the heat—literally?
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Dimed & Dangerous: The Joy and Heartbreak of DIY Amp Building
April 12, 2019
A tale of filter chokes, rectifiers, 60-cycle hum, and the perils of self-navigation.
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Dimed & Dangerous: Listen Up—With Your Ears and Your Gut
March 1, 2019
Practice the art of assessing sound—and character.
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Signal to Noise: Are Handwired Amps Superior to PCB-Based Designs?
February 8, 2019
Amps with printed circuit boards often get a bad rap, yet that’s not always justified.
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Dimed & Dangerous: Amps, Pedals, and Pizza Delivery
January 18, 2019
The internet can lead to great discoveries, but so can delivering pizza on a dark and stormy night.
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Dimed & Dangerous: Preamp Tubes—Little Bottles, Big Sounds
December 21, 2018
Obey the law—Ohm’s Law, that is—and avoid tube burnout!
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Signal to Noise: Demystifying the Tube Rectifier
December 16, 2018
Exactly how does this glowing bottle affect your tone?
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Dimed & Dangerous: So Many Tubes, So Little Time
November 23, 2018
Thinking about a tube swap? Here are four factors to consider.
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Signal to Noise: Glass Inside—Handle with Care?
November 15, 2018
Let’s debunk some myths about tube reliability.
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