Weber O100

[Krallum]

So i've never built an amp before, would this be a bad place to start?


I know what most of the things do and more or less why they work, but i'm kind of worried that without instructions i may get lost. I've never dealt with high voltage circuits, and of course the things that i'm mostly unsure about are the things that would definitely kill me


Is there anything that i should know looking at the layout? Things that aren't shown maybe? For example where do the triangle grounds go? And is there a good order in which to do a project like this? How does one safely discharge the high voltage caps?


And mainly: Given these questions should i not do this? lol

[MikeH]

In short- I'd say yes.  Start with something simpler.  That doesn't mean building a fender champ, but the O100 is high watt and pretty gainy, so an unexperienced builder might end up with a noisy, or possibly lackluster, or even worse: non-working, build.

If you've never built an amp before, I'd recommend just reading a lot.  Search the weber forum and read every post on the type of amp you want to build.  Read EVERYTHING you can get your hands on regarding tube amp safety.  I can't stress that enough.  I've shocked my self with 120AC and ~350v DC and neither was fun. It sucked and was absolutely terrifying. 

[Krallum]

My membership was approved on that forum like 2 minutes after I made this thread. I've been readin the 6O100 threads, and the hardest part seems to be lead dressing.

[wavley]

I have to say that I've had nothing but great experiences with Weber over the years, right down to my recent purchase of sig12b speakers that I'm still breaking in, but sound pretty awesome.

[geertjacobs]

To get your feet wet, you could buy a second hand epiphone valve junior head or combo and start modding it.
Beware, 5 watts is loud! (really)
That way you'll learn your way around a cheap, simple amp and afterwards you can move on to bigger amps or kits.

[MikeH]

The first build I did was a Marsh kit that came with step by step instructions.  They were really helpful, because it is a little crazy when you get this ginormous box of parts and you don't know exactly where to start.  And there was an underlying order of operations that I was able to apply to the next amp I built, even though it was a completely different amp.  Weber kits are cheaper, because they come with less support,  no instructions, etc etc.  They do have a great forum with lots of knowledgeable people, but not the number you'd find here.  So getting help there can be more difficult than getting it here.

You probably want to build the O100 kit because you want to build something that you'll use for shows, etc, and actually get some use out of it.  Unlike the first amp I built, which basically just collects dust at my place, because I don't have any use for it really.  Even my 18 watt hardly gets used.

You might also look at the S100.  I've heard great things about it; big, loud, clean and takes pedals really well.  And it's a bit less complex. Also all the 45-50 Watt Marshall clones are pretty simple and still loud as balls.

[geertjacobs]

Tube amp safety
Small tube amp theory document

[Krallum]

I know the s100 kit is less complex but there are some unlabled things on the layout iirc that I couldn't figure out when I did a quick lookthrough. I wouldn't use this for shows until i had it checked over by a tech, (assuming I can't find one who would help in the building process