So I found this make-yer-own-amp project in Make magazine and thought it was a good excuse to learn how to solder electronics and such-like.
Plus, it was my friend’s 40th birthday and since I didn’t want to bequeath him another backgammon set I figured an amp-in-a-box might be a good gift.
Many thanks to Cairn Idris for the fantastic schematic, without which I wouldn’t be making much noise at all.
For the first project I used a Soda Cracker box, but I found the cardboard to be a bit flimsy. I wanted a box that could not only stand up to some moving-and-shaking, but that would also be substantial enough to act as a good amplifying material. The handy and very sturdy 6-pack from a local brewery (Steamwhistle) was the perfect solution for Mark II. Plus, I got to drink the tasty beer inside. Yum.
For the third amp I decided to use a slightly different size and re-used the box for an anvil I had recently acquired. It, too, is built of decent, sturdy cardboard that not only provides a solid housing while giving a good amplification of the signal. I also noticed that with the sturdier container the gain pot doesn’t cause as much messy distortion — it`s still solid and aggressive, but not muddy and confused. The smaller size for the Mark III wasn’t a problem at all and it is actually quite loud for a little practice amp. I can certainly yell louder than it, but it`s still nice and beefy. My wife even told me to turn it down or I might wake the kids. Not that it`s a Marshall stack or anything, but not bad for a DIY project in my basement that I can plug in and play on.
All-in-all, a good project with which to learn how to solder, and a fine little practice amp that runs on a 9volt battery as the result.
