Building a vacuum tube guitar amplifier by andy robb dec 10, 2000 my one and only project for physics 398emi was to build a vacuum tube guitar amplifier. A class a amplifier is used in applications requiring low harmonic distortion in the output signal. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory tino zottola on. The first computers were vacuum tube based and took up rooms while vacuum tubes are considered outdated by most of the world they are still used in several key areas. The books i have are the guitar amp handbook by dave hunter and vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino zottola. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. However, most highend amplifiers which are used in the gigs or recording studios uses tubes. The basic principles of vacuum tube device operation are presented including the functional properties of common device topologies. Some of them are long out of print, and can only be obtained from used book sellers, although they are occasionally seen for sale on the internet. The first computers were vacuum tube based and took up rooms while vacuum tubes are considered outdated by most of the world they are still used in several key areas high power, high frequency radio transmission. Written for electronic engineers and professional amp builders, guitar amplifier power amps moves beyond simplistic advice to. We are a company which in china, and the company deals with audio components, amplifier parts, guitar parts. Tube amp schematic for bass guitar all about circuits.
To many people, the thermionic valve or electron tube is history. After reading and reading i find myself stuck on things that i know are simple but i cant quite visualize. Whats the difference between tube and solidstate guitar. The design, modification, and repair manual for vacuum tube guitar amplifiers the northeast indians daily life in the 1500s, janeen r. Understanding vacuum tube amplifier schematics basics part 1. Design and construction of vacuum tubes amplifier for electric guitar. A tube amplifier chassis contains lethal high voltage even when unpluggedsometimes over 700 volts ac and 500 volts dc. The book explains the principles of vacuum tube electronics and the design of preamp voltage amplification stages, cathode followers, tone stacks, power amps, phase inverters, negative feedback, and power supplies.
Whether you are replacing the tubes in your guitar bass amp. Most of the guitar tech books ive read focus on tone and modifications and avoid the important things that went through the designers heads during the first stages of development. Low voltage vacuum tube pre amplifier for guitar from user needs to a commercialized product eric nolan sporer department of product and production development chalmers university of technology summary the vacuum tube was the first electrical signal amplification device. Guitar amplifier preamps by richard kuehnel written for experienced builders who want to design their own circuits from the ground up, this book presents a comprehensive study of triode and pentode preamp design. In this article we discuss how we can build, instead of buying, a simple singleended tube amplifier. Vacuum tube technology, on the other hand, is not that much older but has. Electron vacuum tube guitar amplifier semantic scholar. First published in 1996 vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory open library donate.
Vacuum tube guitar amplifiers practice 2 for sale ebay. In this years main structure of amplifiers was stated. The class of operation has nothing to do with whether the amplifier is griddriven or cathodedriven. Typical plate efficiency for a class a amplifier is about 30 percent. Electronics and electron tubes cdrom pdf vacuum tubes are. You need to learn the rudiments before you can begin to understand the more advanced theory. Power gain is high because of the low drive power required. Guitarists playing electric blues originally obtained an overdriven sound by turning up their vacuum tubepowered guitar amplifiers to high volumes, which caused the signal to distort. All these tube amplifiers cost much more than modern solid state amplifiers. This book is a stepbystep tutorial for simulating vacuum tube guitar amplifiers using ltspice, a free spicebased electronic circuit simulator for windows and macos. The mc275 vacuum tube amplifier has all the features to meet the needs of todays music enthusiast while preserving the qualities that have made it the most revered mcintosh tube amplifier of all time. The class of operation is only a function of the plate current conduction. A cathodedriven amplifier, for example, can be operated in any desired class. Designing valve preamps for guitar and bass 2 fig 1.
Available individually or in matched sets, ams provides a full range of preamp and power amp tubes to deliver the ultimate in amplifier performance. Guitar amp vacuum tubes dont let worn, failing, or compromised vacuum tubes valves rob your amplifier of its precious tone. Ultralinear operation, also known as distributed load operation, is a term when applied to singleended or pushpull vacuum tube audio amplifiers, that describes the particular output stage configuration whereby the screen grids grid 2 of tetrodes, pentodes or beam power tubes are fed from a tapping in the output transformer singleended. Three industry standard 12ax7 tubes drive the preamp and reverb sections, while a pair of el84 tubes deliver the punch. Building vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifiers volume 2. Each selection below will lead you to the brands and models you love for all of your equipment. Get the best deal for vacuum tube guitar amplifiers practice 2 from the largest online selection at. And i hope that youll feel more comfortable with the topic the next time you decide to build or rebuild an amplifier. Ever wanted to build your own tube amplifier from scratch but did not know how or where to start. Get the best deal for vacuum tube guitar amplifiers 1 from the largest online selection at.
Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino. For additional information, or to ask a question about vacuum tube rectifiers, see the vacuum tube rectifiers thread on the forum. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory, tino zottola. Historically, vacuum tubes have been the most popular.
Distortion is most commonly used with the electric guitar, but may also be used with other electric instruments such as bass guitar, electric piano, and hammond organ. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino zottola describes the history and operation of vacuum tubes as well as how they are used in guitarbass. This background is leveraged to casually analyze gain stages that are typically found in vacuum tube. Apreliminary design ofthe preamplifier was developed in the fall of2003 and amodified version was made in spring 2004.
Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory guytronix. Get the best deals on practice vacuum tube guitar amplifiers when you shop the largest. A bibliography of must have tube electronics books. Were also here to help you achieve your ideal sound, so if you want to know what you can expect with any of the guitar tubes we carry whether preamp, rectifier, or power just give us a call. Following is a list of must have books for the serious tube amplifier designer. Guitarists playing electric blues originally obtained an overdriven sound by turning up their vacuum tube powered guitar amplifiers to high volumes, which caused the signal to. Describes the history and operation of vacuum tubes as well as how they are used in guitar bass amplifier circuits. A thermionic valve or vacuum tube contains two or more electrodes suspended. Beginners are encouraged to study volume 1 first before attempting the projects in volume 2. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino zottola back to product product id. A guitar amplifier or amp is an electronic device or system that strengthens the weak electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which are typically housed in a wooden cabinet. My goals were to build a tube amp that sounded nice and that could be put together for a reasonable cost. Vacuum tube guitar amplifier rutgers university, electrical. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory open library.
If you have not been trained to work with high voltage then have an amp technician service your amp. Tubes, tube radios, tube theory, tube guitar amps, tube manuals, tube videos, tube basics, tube pdf s, electron tube theory, tube amplifiers, guitar amps, tube radios, tube electronics, 5 tube radios, tube rectifiers, triode tubes, tetrode tubes, pentode tubes, tube biasing, tube transmitters. The guitar amp handbook and the vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory books are among the best books on the subject i have. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory, tino. The vacuum tube guitar amplifier still sets the performance standard for the desirable sound of this music production instrument. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. Building vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifiers volume 1, by. The book walks you through the basics of developing a schematic, setting up a simulation, integrating vacuum tube models, and interpreting the results. Covers all the essential of tube electronics design, including the basics, tube theory, load lines, amplifier design, etc. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino zottola describes the history and operation of vacuum tubes as well as how they are used in guitar bass amplifier circuits. Tube manuals pdf electronic vacuum tube electronics in. Learning amp repair discussion in amps and cabs bg started by jimmym.
From the impedance characteristics of the guitar pickup, to the miller capacitance at the secondstage tube grid, the author. Biyang wangs mini 5 powerful 5 watt all tube guitar amplifier amp head. People who have used vacuum tube audio amplifiers greatly appreciate their outstanding performance, perhaps because of the sound quality still lingering in their ears. On paper and in theory these two approaches should yield identical result, but in actuality the difference is usually quite noticeable. How to build a tube amplifier rob robinettes car and tube.
Lets start by looking at the simple standard tube amplification circuit that you will see again and again as you study tube amp schematics. Jan, 20 vacuum tube tutorial guitar tube amplifiers valves. Build your own af valve amplifiers circuits for hifi and musical instruments, rainer zur linde, 1995, amplifiers, 252 pages. The first electrode is called the cathode and normally consists of nickel tube coated on the outside with a chemical paste that is. Great deals on vacuum tube guitar amplifiers 1 for bass amplifier. The best part is that most of the schematics are in a pdf format, and most of them are very sharp lines, not fuzzy and hard to read. Vacuum tube guitar amplifiers for sale in stock ebay.
Here you will find fully documented projects utilising the vacuum tube in traditional ways, as well as more advanced approaches to vacuum state design. The stereo 6t9 building a vacuum tube amplifier pdf 559kb original article by. Apr 28, 2010 vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino zottola. Basic theory of valves a thermionic valve or vacuum tube contains two or more electrodes suspended inside a glass bulb. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory pdf download. Transistors henry pasternack who will always have my respect for being a solid engineer wrote some good posts to rec. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory pdf download by. An entire chapter is devoted to sculpting the dynamics of overdrive and harmonic distortion. This article is also available in pdf format basic tube power supplies pdf 1. The guitar signal flows through the grid stopper resistor to the tube s grid, then out the tube. In a single afternoon you can have the whole board assembled and dropped into a chassis of your choice. How to build class a 6v6 guitar amp start to finish from a rusty police radio dlab electronics duration. Hey there all, ive started getting interested in amplifier theory and have been reading design and construction of tube guitar amplifiers by robert megantz.
Basic tube theory vacuum tubes or valves, to use the more functionally descriptive british term are active devices as opposed to passive devices like resistors and capacitors which, until the advent of solidstate devices, were the only viable means for constructing virtually everything electronic. Widman, erik, electron vacuum tube guitar amplifier 2004. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino zottola. Explores all manufacturers and demystifys the inner workings of tube amps. This semester we designed a vacuum tube guitar amplifier. How guitar amps work and what you can do to start tweaking your own january 17, 2017 by peter flom 2. Elements affecting this sound include the cleverly designed tone stacks, the specially developed loudspeaker, and the softedged distortion. Practice vacuum tube guitar amplifiers for sale ebay. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Tubes were the first widespread method of controlling electrical signals without moving parts.
The p1ex amplifier is a simple threestage vacuum tube electric guitar amplifier. I chose to try to build a fender bassman amplifier aa864 a version produced in 1964. See more ideas about valve amplifier, guitar amp and diy amplifier. Vacuum tube tutorial guitar tube amplifiers valves. Nov 28, 2018 get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. It is in the power stage that the designer orchestrates the nuances of touch and tone in an environment of vacuum tubes and circuit components being pushed to their limits.
Why buy a single ended tube amplifier when you can build one. Although an entire guitar amplifier was designed and built, only the distorting preamplifier will be anylzsed inthis report. Small tube amp build step by step 5 components cont. Never touch the amplifier chassis with one hand while probing with the other hand because a lethal shock can run between your arms. Building vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifiers volume 2 by. Amplifier electrical and physical layout is then examined.
Get the best deal for vacuum tube guitar amplifiers from the largest online selection at. Any air inside the bulb is thoroughly removed during manufacture, leaving only a vacuum. Vacuum tube guitar amplifiers 1 for bass amplifier for. A class a amplifier can be operated with low intermodulation distortion in linear rf amplifier service. Guitar signal shown in pink enters the tube on the left at ac signal in. If you arent sure about which valve you need, or what tubes you can substitute, let us help you. Design and construction of tube guitar amplifiers by robert megantz this is a great book to get involved in the theory of amplifiers. It is alltube design or combined, tube preamplifier with solid state power amplifier.
Youll want to take notes as you read, but its written with musicians in mind. More electron tubes can be found in the tube store collection of new old stock nos if you are looking for a tube shop carrying the very best tubes for your amplifier, youve come to the right place. Tons of empirical data that demystify the 519 pages tube pdf file guitar amplifier power amps. Occasionally, reading vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino zottola is extremely boring as well as it will certainly. The factors affecting amplifier sound are also described. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino zottola only available at guytronix. Trying to understand tube amp theory and schematics. How guitar amps work and what you can do to start tweaking. The simple answer is that a guitar tube amp uses one or more vacuum tubes to amplify the signal, while a solidstate guitar amp uses solidstate electronics diodes, transistors, etc.
If you have a question about whether our guitar amp tubes will fit your current gear, our sales engineers can help you figure it out. Vacuum tube guitar and bass amplifier theory by tino zottola describes the history and operation of vacuum tubes as well as how they are used in guitar bass. Without going into the theory of these devices, it is adequate to state. One popular el34 power pentode, in electric guitar amplifiers. The designs can be very similar, as in the flipster. Fred nachbaurs ra100 hifi tube reference amplifier. A bass amplifier or bass amp is a musical instrument electronic device that uses electrical power to make lowerpitched instruments such as the bass guitar or double bass loud enough to be heard by the performers and audience.