Category: Guitar Amps

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Fantastic Two Watt Amp

I built this amplifier in 2024 based on a design by Petter Blix, and it quickly became a favorite in my recording studio. It gets surprisingly loud while remaining clean until it’s turned up past halfway.

Crafting a “Living Room” Aesthetic

My main goal was to make this a true “living room” amp—something handsome enough to sit out in the open without drawing the ire of a decor-conscious spouse. I built the enclosure using figured maple, resting on a stand crafted from cherry wood harvested from a felled tree in our backyard. My stand design is inspired by James Krenov, and I had a lot of fun using a spokeshave to shape the legs by hand.

The speaker cabinet features knotty cedar doors hung with custom brass pin hinges I made from brass stock. Hidden neodymium magnets hold the doors securely open or closed, allowing them to fold completely out of the way when playing. The figured maple grille is removable via a slot in the bottom of the cabinet for optimal clarity when tracking in the studio.

Speaker & Circuit Details

Inside, the cabinet houses a single 10″ speaker—one of several wonderful handmade speakers I bought from Ted Weber almost 30 years ago. It sounds remarkably clear without getting harsh, breaking up beautifully while maintaining note articulation.

The circuit runs on an old Telefunken 12AX7 preamp tube and an RCA 1644/12L8GT output tube. My only future plan is to modify the design with a more versatile tone stack—as it stands, the single tone control generally stays cranked all the way up, essentially bypassed. I’ll post some audio clips as soon as I get a chance so you can hear it in action!

testing my new custom amp against an old favorite
Testing my new custom amplifier against an old favorite

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New(ish) Amp Designs-

I’ve never much cared for the look of your average guitar amp.  I realize that a Tolex covered wooden box with grill cloth serves a purpose: it allows the amp to be carried around from gig to gig without damage to the sensitive electronics.  But what if you have no intention of moving the amp anywhere?  What if you intend to let it sit in one place in your living room or recording space?  If it doesn’t need to be moved, why make it look unattractive?

My amps are Living Room amps.  They are designed to be put in one place and will hopefully appeal to the eye like furniture or a piece of sculpture.  I made two amps in 2014, which will serve as a prototypes for more amps to come.  One amp follows a design similar to artists from the De Stijl movement of the early 20th century.  Gerrit Rietveld was famous in part for his Rietveld chair.  Piet Mondrian painted brightly colored rectangles, often bordered in black.  I borrowed from these two artists to create my Mondrian amp.

The other amp is inspired by hot rods (and possibly robots) from the late 40’s and 50’s.  It uses curving lines of steel and has few 90 degree angles.  I powder coated the metal in candy apple red.

 

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My old homemade studio amp, reamp

I made this amp in 2000-  It has a rectifier tube, an EF86 preamp tube, and an EL84 output tube.  It probably puts out about 4 watts.  It has a simple tone control, which can be bypassed.  It has a cathode bypass cap, which can also be switched out of the circuit.  Volume, power and standby round out the controls.  I used two Weber 10″ alnico speakers in the cabinet- one is open back, one closed back.  I can pick either or both speakers, and can pick series or parallel connections when using both speakers.  It is very versatile for such a small simple amp- I use it all the time!

 

Homemade reamp

homemade reamp
homemade reamp

This box  allows me to send pre-recorded tracks out to a guitar amp for processing.  I find it great for making a synth or keyboard sample sound more “lively”.  Fully passive, it has a Jensen transformer, ground lift.  I used some nice hardwoods, mortise and tenon joinery, and roofing copper.