Yes. Thank you for offering the affordable kit. Soon as I got the extra cash I plan to order one of the P-reverbs and doing a build series here and on TikTok.
I've been hand building tube amps since the 80s and I can tell you, a Deluxe Reverb is not a beginners amp build, even with excellent instructions in all the kits from StewMac. You are brave soul! Congrats!
As an amp builder, this was a bit difficult to watch, but I commend your dedication. A few thoughts: I always recommend a simple build for your first amp project, like a champ or a 5e3. While Fender used all the same colored wires, I recommend color coding your connections. I use blue for cathodes, white or yellow for grids and red for plate and high voltage. All wires should always be as short as possible, wires if they have to cross should make a neat “+” sign and grid wires especially should be kept far away from heaters and high voltage wires. A chassis stand will make assembly easier, and keeping a roll of painter’s tape around is handy to hold things down while soldering, it acts as a 2nd pair of hands. Fanning soldering fumes away from you is a good idea for health reasons, and when doing a power up you should use a variac and a dim bulb current limiter.
If it wasn't a vintage amp when you started, it is now 😉 But seriously, congrats on the build. It's fun watching people build stuff, and just as much fun watching them figure out where it went wrong.
+1 on the violin build! Great job on the amp! 1st time build on one of these is kinda like jumping straight into a master class build. Lots of moving parts (metaphorically speaking) happening and lots of stuff to learn all at the same time. Glad you got it finished!
Hey Matt! I'm glad you got it done brother. In Montgomery we call David "Boy Wonder". His custom build amps are smokin' and his tech work is spot on. He and I have spent many hours tweaking and tone testing. I feel very blessed to have him nearby. Hope to get down to see you guys again soon and check out the amp! Dan
I’m happy to have been the last prod in getting this finished. I have a million tips to give on amp building, but the biggest ones are keep the leads short and keep capacitors away from heat. Twisting caps and resistors together make for a nightmare in serviceability, for future work. Great job on tackling one of the more difficult circuits in today’s amp kits.
Just finished the same amp for my first build and what a learning curve it was. But when she rang out it was some kind of joyus confident builder. Glad ya finished it!
Good for you! I’ve done my share of minor mods on tube amps, all with proper guidance, and I know that you’re dealing with the kind of voltage that can be life-changing in not necessarily a good way. Taking the long route in this kind of project is the way to go. Having a knowledgeable friend like Dave is a priceless commodity. I hope you have a tone of fun with that amp! It sounds terrific!
Had some electrical kits as a kid, but never considered building an amp. Great vid bro, and love the collaborative effort with your buddy. Life is better with buddies.
Great work Matt! And boy have I been there! My last amp build (a conversion from an old Hi-Fi amp) drove me nuts, until I realized that I had missed clipping a ground wire from the original amp. Took a small resister fire to find that one! But super great job getting it done. Enjoy!!
A new amp should always be plugged into a current limiter. It prevents shorts that can destroy components and kill you. Uncle doug has a good video on it. Also, rob robinette has a good web page outlining how to start up a new build.
Bout time! I kid, I kid. I built the same kit actually and I started about the time you stoped with this video series so I’ve really been waiting for this. It was my first amp build but it took me several months to finish so don’t feel bad man. It totally is a desert island amp so it’s worth the wait. Cheers fellas!
Cool. Since you started this series, I built a Mojotone TMB amp. I also built the head and 2x12 speaker cabinet. Fun project. I'm thinking about doing a Deluxe Reverb next.
Definitely build a violin. Or two! I'm starting my second attempt soon! TBH it's probably easier than that amplifier. I received the Stewmac Two Kings pedal kit for Christmas and spent eight hours straight, cross-eyed soldering components. What a rush plugging it in for the first time and cranking the knobs to ten!
This was well worth the wait, such a great video. The violin build idea would be killer, especially coming from you guys. Thanks again for the great content.
The amp sounds great... congrats on getting it done!!! Maybe MORE important, did you hear the sustain in that Tidalcaster?? what an axe!!! Thanks for bringing us on "what a trip".
(I'm not an electronic engineer so take it with a grain of salt) diode limits the current to go one direction depends on the orientation you put it in the circuit. If you put it incorrectly, the incorrect half of the current will be put through the capacitor next to it. Since that capacitor is electrolytic (I guess), it would blow up. Personally I don't really like the yellow spaghetti cables everywhere in the chassis. Maybe it can be color coded to make it more difficult to wire it wrong, but that won't be vintage correct I guess. I still do love spaghetti though. Congratulations on you first amp build! That's not an easy feat. Good jobs man.
It would've been a good idea to start with a Champ or 5e3..something smaller. A Deluxe Reverb is pretty complex for a first timer. Really hope you go back through and clean up that wiring a little bit though, It's looking a little like spaghetti in there! Lol
Honestly we all need a David in our lives. Sheez! These projects we tend to get ourselves into. The David's of the world can save someone like me hours of aggravation and made up languages.
Surprised the kit came with all yellow wires. Must have been a pain to trace all the wires from the diagram, system board and various pots/jacks, etc. would make life much easier during the build and troubleshooting after the build. Either way looks like a fun project and job well done.
I was wondering, how long ago was an earlier episode? Isn't this taking a long time? Then I go in about 3 to 4 minutes, and "OH! It's all point-to-point wiring! And all the wires are YELLOW!!!" I have nothing against yellow, but I was just thinking it could have different colored wires for different sections or different functions or something. Many decades ago I built Heathkits with printed circuit boards, even their guitar amplifiers (yes, they were transistor ...). I forget that "real" amplifiers are traditionally point-to-point wiring for "quality."
Nice build. May try it myself if time allows. But even the kits are pretty expensive for many so the cost of a failed build may be too much for many. We don't all have a talented friend to help with the failures and to pay a tech to trouble shoot could make the cost more than buying a new amp maybe. I am using a pretty decent modeler amp now but would love to have a Twin Reverb type tube amp. I really liked the guitar you played in the final segment. I am a P90 guy. It sounded really nice with the amp and they are a LOT nicer in appearance than many others. Same league as Fano and Paoletti. Unfortunately a Driftwood Guitar is above my pay grade at the moment. ps: Went to StewMac (I am a member) and kit is out of stock with no backorder available. $1369 is the listed price. My local shop has a Twin Reverb new for $2100. If you have the time, patience and skill you can make the equivalent of $700 for your work. Not too bad a deal overall. But it looks like supply chain issues are affecting availability. Tubes maybe?
I do not understand why StewMac did not have the builder solder the leads to tube sockets and pots BEFORE installation? Access to parts making better joints at the expense of some wire length. Also, color-coding wires to tubes’ pins would give the circuitry some layout cues. Just sayin.
71% They are jj6v6s so each tube is rated at 14 watts about 10 watts each tube. Colder bias is safer, especially if its a amp that will be on different wall voltages.
👍Nice job! As you found out snapping and sizzling are never good sounds to hear from electronic circuits... Building a violin - you should watch maestro-Kimon's channel as he has a wonderful series on making a violin (from scratch - is there any other way? LOL)
I like hands on stuff but for the price, is it really worth it?? $1,369.13 for this. $1,599.99 ($1,279.99 open box) for Fender Vintage Reissue '65 Deluxe Reverb. $230 to have them put it together and warranty it?
The kit is a hand wired amp. The reissue is a PCB amp with cheap components. I’d take the hand wired amp I built and know how to work on. It will sound better and last a lifetime. But for me half the joy is building it.
Uhh,, the big challenge is getting the reverb and trek working. If I built it I,d replace all those orange drops for Mallory 150,s! I think those are the best for any fender style amp! The orange drops are clunky and the Mallory,s are just better and cheaper!!
I’m a new subscriber and I’m impressed with all your knowledge. Your work is amazing. However I think it’s only far that you do the guitar rating test on your own guitars minus the sawing it in half down the middle because that would be to great if a sacrifice since we know how well the internals are made by you. That would be the ultimate cringe factor for you on the drop off the guitar stand test/ It could be entertaining😬
Man, we’re a guitar company with a UA-cam channel second, and until we hire more guitar makers, we have to keep the lights on in the shop. 😂 no complaints here, it’s a great problem to have. Thanks for watching! Chris and I have plans to finish the 3000 yo soon.
that happens when you create all these different series but can't really deliver/keep up. an easy problem to create. Maybe back to the roots and get that 5000year old guitar out of the way :D
We understand the business first aspect of your channel. I think what he's trying to say is that the fans of your channel are dying for new content. We would love to see the 3000 yo guitar, the Woodstock guitar and anything else you can offer. Anything would be greatly appreciated.
You’re spot on. I honestly stopped watching this channel because of this. It was just happenstance that this segment showed up on my YT suggestions. Considering, I made some comments on the first amp build video about how ridiculous it seems to pay $1200 for an amp “kit,” it’s interesting to see that he actually finished it. I guess congratulations is in order.
As to a violin build, a collaboration with Mia Asano would be awesome to see. I just love her spirit. The heart of a pixie dragon. Check her out here on her YT channel if you don't know her. She is from Colorado and is just awesome, a rising star.
This is far from truth that biasing hot will make your amp sound much better - don't believe internet, listen to real (not "mojo" driven) amp techs. And who knows maybe you'll like yours to be cold - "better" is subjective after all ;) I have built a Princeton Reverb clone from scratch and did various tests - I settled for very conservative bias not being able to hear or feel any substantial difference
You are most welcome!
what a guy, all the best David
That is awesome Matt. It's always a rush to plug it in and it works (even if the road isn't always straight). Great job.
Thanks so much!! :)
Thank you all for offering a great kit at a reasonable price. Has great benefits over some of the other kits out there.
Yes. Thank you for offering the affordable kit. Soon as I got the extra cash I plan to order one of the P-reverbs and doing a build series here and on TikTok.
I've been hand building tube amps since the 80s and I can tell you, a Deluxe Reverb is not a beginners amp build, even with excellent instructions in all the kits from StewMac. You are brave soul! Congrats!
4:18 "It's like LEGOs but I get something really loud at the end." That is my favorite thing I've heard in years!!! Rock On Matt.
As an amp builder, this was a bit difficult to watch, but I commend your dedication. A few thoughts: I always recommend a simple build for your first amp project, like a champ or a 5e3. While Fender used all the same colored wires, I recommend color coding your connections. I use blue for cathodes, white or yellow for grids and red for plate and high voltage. All wires should always be as short as possible, wires if they have to cross should make a neat “+” sign and grid wires especially should be kept far away from heaters and high voltage wires. A chassis stand will make assembly easier, and keeping a roll of painter’s tape around is handy to hold things down while soldering, it acts as a 2nd pair of hands. Fanning soldering fumes away from you is a good idea for health reasons, and when doing a power up you should use a variac and a dim bulb current limiter.
THIS ^
I had honestly never considered an at home DIY amp build, but after watching these videos I can say that has not changed. 🙃😉
I saw that and my first thought was "Maybe start with a fuzz pedal".
If it wasn't a vintage amp when you started, it is now 😉
But seriously, congrats on the build. It's fun watching people build stuff, and just as much fun watching them figure out where it went wrong.
Nearly as bad as my first scratch build! I’ll be having a birthday party for it soon.. still not done!
@@paulneeds you learned from the master. The fence post build must be coming up for a birthday party soon too. 😂
Just finished the 57 Champ kit. Worked first shot. It's a mean little amp (with some tube rolling). This one is being delivered today.
Champ through a 12" speaker is a great thing.
Matt, my sayings are two. "Give it the once over twice and Quadruple, Triple, double check that." Great job!
+1 on the violin build! Great job on the amp! 1st time build on one of these is kinda like jumping straight into a master class build.
Lots of moving parts (metaphorically speaking) happening and lots of stuff to learn all at the same time. Glad you got it finished!
Hey Matt! I'm glad you got it done brother. In Montgomery we call David "Boy Wonder". His custom build amps are smokin' and his tech work is spot on. He and I have spent many hours tweaking and tone testing. I feel very blessed to have him nearby. Hope to get down to see you guys again soon and check out the amp! Dan
Seemed like a proper lad. I get why you would say it
I’m happy to have been the last prod in getting this finished. I have a million tips to give on amp building, but the biggest ones are keep the leads short and keep capacitors away from heat.
Twisting caps and resistors together make for a nightmare in serviceability, for future work.
Great job on tackling one of the more difficult circuits in today’s amp kits.
Just finished the same amp for my first build and what a learning curve it was. But when she rang out it was some kind of joyus confident builder.
Glad ya finished it!
Good for you! I’ve done my share of minor mods on tube amps, all with proper guidance, and I know that you’re dealing with the kind of voltage that can be life-changing in not necessarily a good way. Taking the long route in this kind of project is the way to go. Having a knowledgeable friend like Dave is a priceless commodity. I hope you have a tone of fun with that amp! It sounds terrific!
I am so glad to see this come to fruition.
Thanks!! I hope life is treating you well! I was hoping you’d catch the finale of this series.
@@DriftwoodMatt and likewise to you. Congratulations on your amp build.
Had some electrical kits as a kid, but never considered building an amp. Great vid bro, and love the collaborative effort with your buddy. Life is better with buddies.
I love a Fender clean sound. Well done Matt and Dave!
Great work Matt! And boy have I been there! My last amp build (a conversion from an old Hi-Fi amp) drove me nuts, until I realized that I had missed clipping a ground wire from the original amp. Took a small resister fire to find that one! But super great job getting it done. Enjoy!!
A new amp should always be plugged into a current limiter. It prevents shorts that can destroy components and kill you.
Uncle doug has a good video on it.
Also, rob robinette has a good web page outlining how to start up a new build.
Great to see a video come out, esp the amp build!
I was starting to worry that you had packed it in with the channel to focus on cranking out guitars.
Bout time! I kid, I kid. I built the same kit actually and I started about the time you stoped with this video series so I’ve really been waiting for this. It was my first amp build but it took me several months to finish so don’t feel bad man. It totally is a desert island amp so it’s worth the wait. Cheers fellas!
That retro Tidalcaster is freaking beautiful. If I had the capital I would drop it in a heartbeat.
Which one of you came up with the finish design?
That was Chris
Cool. Since you started this series, I built a Mojotone TMB amp. I also built the head and 2x12 speaker cabinet. Fun project. I'm thinking about doing a Deluxe Reverb next.
Definitely build a violin. Or two! I'm starting my second attempt soon! TBH it's probably easier than that amplifier. I received the Stewmac Two Kings pedal kit for Christmas and spent eight hours straight, cross-eyed soldering components. What a rush plugging it in for the first time and cranking the knobs to ten!
This was well worth the wait, such a great video. The violin build idea would be killer, especially coming from you guys. Thanks again for the great content.
The amp sounds great... congrats on getting it done!!! Maybe MORE important, did you hear the sustain in that Tidalcaster?? what an axe!!! Thanks for bringing us on "what a trip".
Totally stoked for you brother how exciting that must’ve been and it sounds amazing👍
I built a Princeton Reverb kit last fall. Pretty fun. Thankfully no issues. I'm trying to figure out how to add adjustable bias...
Check out Uncle Doug channel.... ua-cam.com/video/DirM9fuUhJo/v-deo.html
Nice. Think I’d have used different colours for different circuits, and printed a legend and glued it to the chassis for the future.
(I'm not an electronic engineer so take it with a grain of salt) diode limits the current to go one direction depends on the orientation you put it in the circuit. If you put it incorrectly, the incorrect half of the current will be put through the capacitor next to it. Since that capacitor is electrolytic (I guess), it would blow up.
Personally I don't really like the yellow spaghetti cables everywhere in the chassis. Maybe it can be color coded to make it more difficult to wire it wrong, but that won't be vintage correct I guess. I still do love spaghetti though.
Congratulations on you first amp build! That's not an easy feat. Good jobs man.
Matt you did it ,not really the easiest amp to start hand wiring on but it turned out nice!!!
So happy to see the amp finished. I know it is a bunch of weight off of your shoulders.
Right on! This is on my list of things to do too. Great video!
thanks for posting, congrats on pulling this off!
Fantastic Matt. We'll done. Worth the wait. :)
You guys really crack me up Scott Crompton
Nice! Worth waiting for.
Nice work dude. That looked like it was hard. Congratulations on getting it done.
Bravo!!!! And congratulations! Treasure that well earned amp,
Please!!
This made me smile, nice work! Love the T style guitar with the P90 btw!
Thanks for this--it will go on my project list for sure! Pretty cool.
I'm sure it's already been mentioned but wiring the tube socket filaments is easier before installing the board.
Was that a Stew-Mac fire extinguisher?
It would've been a good idea to start with a Champ or 5e3..something smaller. A Deluxe Reverb is pretty complex for a first timer.
Really hope you go back through and clean up that wiring a little bit though, It's looking a little like spaghetti in there! Lol
Where did you get the grey apron from. Looks really comfortable
Honestly we all need a David in our lives. Sheez! These projects we tend to get ourselves into. The David's of the world can save someone like me hours of aggravation and made up languages.
wahoo! Its done and awesome! And yes, violin build
please
OMG Dude Seriously.. Fun??? LMAO, That was a Great video! It was worth the wait!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
There's gotta be something very satisfying about making an amp, well done 👍👌👏😃🎵
Could you please do a review / taredown of the Yamaha LL16 ( all solid wood ) or the Yamaha LL6 ..both affordable mid range acoustics
You are the kings of clickbait.
hi driftwood should try to build basses as well :) accoustic or even electric would be nice to see as a bass player.. keep up the good work guys!
It turned out amazing!
i just got a book from stewmac about amp repair so i can learn to build from there! c:
Violin would definitely be cool to see! Great job on the amp!
Sounds great! I'd love to build one.
Surprised the kit came with all yellow wires. Must have been a pain to trace all the wires from the diagram, system board and various pots/jacks, etc. would make life much easier during the build and troubleshooting after the build. Either way looks like a fun project and job well done.
Can you mic up your fiddle for gigs with that amp? That’d be awesome! Rock on guys!
I was wondering, how long ago was an earlier episode? Isn't this taking a long time? Then I go in about 3 to 4 minutes, and "OH! It's all point-to-point wiring! And all the wires are YELLOW!!!"
I have nothing against yellow, but I was just thinking it could have different colored wires for different sections or different functions or something. Many decades ago I built Heathkits with printed circuit boards, even their guitar amplifiers (yes, they were transistor ...). I forget that "real" amplifiers are traditionally point-to-point wiring for "quality."
I saw that rainbow Tele on Instagram and it's gorgeous! Great work guys.
Nice build. May try it myself if time allows. But even the kits are pretty expensive for many so the cost of a failed build may be too much for many. We don't all have a talented friend to help with the failures and to pay a tech to trouble shoot could make the cost more than buying a new amp maybe. I am using a pretty decent modeler amp now but would love to have a Twin Reverb type tube amp.
I really liked the guitar you played in the final segment. I am a P90 guy. It sounded really nice with the amp and they are a LOT nicer in appearance than many others. Same league as Fano and Paoletti.
Unfortunately a Driftwood Guitar is above my pay grade at the moment.
ps: Went to StewMac (I am a member) and kit is out of stock with no backorder available. $1369 is the listed price. My local shop has a Twin Reverb new for $2100. If you have the time, patience and skill you can make the equivalent of $700 for your work. Not too bad a deal overall. But it looks like supply chain issues are affecting availability. Tubes maybe?
16:04 Man, your safety glasses are like, right there.
I do not understand why StewMac did not have the builder solder the leads to tube sockets and pots BEFORE installation? Access to parts making better joints at the expense of some wire length. Also, color-coding wires to tubes’ pins would give the circuitry some layout cues. Just sayin.
How do you watch for an unusual smell?
I really like the soundtrack…
what did you bias the 6v6s at
71% They are jj6v6s so each tube is rated at 14 watts about 10 watts each tube. Colder bias is safer, especially if its a amp that will be on different wall voltages.
Great tunes for the video.
With marinara?
Maybe make a smaller Fender style amp next.
I think a violin would be awesome. Stew Mac does some sort of fiddle kit… is that a possibility?
👍Nice job! As you found out snapping and sizzling are never good sounds to hear from electronic circuits... Building a violin - you should watch maestro-Kimon's channel as he has a wonderful series on making a violin (from scratch - is there any other way? LOL)
I like hands on stuff but for the price, is it really worth it?? $1,369.13 for this. $1,599.99 ($1,279.99 open box) for Fender Vintage Reissue '65 Deluxe Reverb. $230 to have them put it together and warranty it?
The kit is a hand wired amp. The reissue is a PCB amp with cheap components.
I’d take the hand wired amp I built and know how to work on. It will sound better and last a lifetime. But for me half the joy is building it.
How about next build a Dumble ODS kit
I've built a bluesmaster, 102, skyline, and 3rd gen. Really fun to piece them together, the way I went.
Uhh,, the big challenge is getting the reverb and trek working. If I built it I,d replace all those orange drops for Mallory 150,s! I think those are the best for any fender style amp! The orange drops are clunky and the Mallory,s are just better and cheaper!!
Coolness ..
Now.
Send it to Ola Englund to feature in an episode of "WILL IT CHUG??" 👍👍🤘
Good things come to those who wait!!! Now... Isn't there a 3000 year old guitar to finish??? LOL! High fives all around Matt.
I’m a new subscriber and I’m impressed with all your knowledge. Your work is amazing. However I think it’s only far that you do the guitar rating test on your own guitars minus the sawing it in half down the middle because that would be to great if a sacrifice since we know how well the internals are made by you. That would be the ultimate cringe factor for you on the drop off the guitar stand test/ It could be entertaining😬
You guys okay? Been a minute so just checking in.
I think they've abandoned all their series tbf. The 3000 year old guitar will be 4000 years old by the time they finish it.
Man, we’re a guitar company with a UA-cam channel second, and until we hire more guitar makers, we have to keep the lights on in the shop. 😂 no complaints here, it’s a great problem to have. Thanks for watching! Chris and I have plans to finish the 3000 yo soon.
Good things take time
that happens when you create all these different series but can't really deliver/keep up. an easy problem to create. Maybe back to the roots and get that 5000year old guitar out of the way :D
We understand the business first aspect of your channel. I think what he's trying to say is that the fans of your channel are dying for new content. We would love to see the 3000 yo guitar, the Woodstock guitar and anything else you can offer. Anything would be greatly appreciated.
You’re spot on. I honestly stopped watching this channel because of this. It was just happenstance that this segment showed up on my YT suggestions. Considering, I made some comments on the first amp build video about how ridiculous it seems to pay $1200 for an amp “kit,” it’s interesting to see that he actually finished it. I guess congratulations is in order.
Omg never use all one color wire. Why?
Makes everything harder & takes much longer...
That moment when you realise that the only thing left to do is put the knobs on ... a rare moment, enjoy!
And now that I see you're asking -- next project: an archtop guitar!!!
You mean you had reversed the polarity of the cap.. You either had the - or + in the wrong direction.
Tail of the Dragon T-shirt. Dig. 386 curves in 11 miles !
Yep, final go on that road a few months ago. Definitely a bucket list item.
Build a 5 string fiddle!
Looking at the kits it's almost cheaper to buy the amp lol
I would have used color wires.
Guitar playing is not your thing? What do you play then?
And the 3000 year old guitar for when?
sounds a lot like a deluxe.
I measured once and cut twice. It was still too short.
Violin build next.
Got dukes of hazzard vibes from the music
Cool vid, you should follow up with a really good player giving a proper spank
They used this amp for the pickup demo videos, with some pretty awesome players.
As to a violin build, a collaboration with Mia Asano would be awesome to see.
I just love her spirit. The heart of a pixie dragon.
Check her out here on her YT channel if you don't know her. She is from Colorado and is just awesome, a rising star.
"insert troll comment here with hopes of it being featured in a future vid" :-)
If SM is basing their pricing on vintage amp values. The price is insane!🙄🙄🙄🙄
This is far from truth that biasing hot will make your amp sound much better - don't believe internet, listen to real (not "mojo" driven) amp techs. And who knows maybe you'll like yours to be cold - "better" is subjective after all ;)
I have built a Princeton Reverb clone from scratch and did various tests - I settled for very conservative bias not being able to hear or feel any substantial difference
i will never understand how braindead someone would have to be to just spend all day writing mean comments to creators that THEY ENJOY
Ires in the fire? You mean irons? 😂
I'm famous!