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Small Businesses for Building Amplifiers?

Ngen52

Ngen52

New Member
Howdy guys,

I have heard some truly excellent amplifiers from individuals who have created their own designs and they’re not huge businesses by any means.

I personally have no interest in designing a tube power amp by myself (or assembling one) but I would be interested in trying something designed by a smaller business/up and coming amplifier builder.

Is there anybody on the forum that you guys would recommend reaching out to about a “home built” amplifier to try?

I don’t necessarily want boutique as much as I’d love something unique and well made.
 
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There are numerous solid and proven designs floating around this forum, but as far as I know they are in the category of "build them yourself" following the specified schematic. A bit closer to what you're asking for would be someone who has fabricated a printed circuit board that you populate and install into your own chassis. Several people over at DIY Audio offer this.

On this forum, there are several members I'm aware of who have it in their grasp to build you a bespoke unit. I would prefer to have them speak up for themselves or reach out to you privately if they are looking for project work. You also might look on Barter Town (must be a subscriber) as there are forum members from time to time that are looking to sell their one-off projects or their older commercial gear they have refurbished.
 
kward said:
There are numerous solid and proven designs floating around this forum, but as far as I know they are in the category of "build them yourself" following the specified schematic. A bit closer to what you're asking for would be someone who has fabricated a printed circuit board that you populate and install into your own chassis. Several people over at DIY Audio offer this.

On this forum, there are several members I'm aware of who have it in their grasp to build you a bespoke unit. I would prefer to have them speak up for themselves or reach out to you privately if they are looking for project work. You also might look on Barter Town (must be a subscriber) as there are forum members from time to time that are looking to sell their one-off projects or their older commercial gear they have refurbished.
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Thank you so much !
 
Ngen52, please share what you find. I, too, am an aficionado and while I love music and the simple (and cheap) equipment I have, finding sources from DIY’s is great. Also, if you have a source for cabinetry, I would like to order my design from a custom builder. Isn’t this rabbit hole deep? Love it!
 
Beemerchap said:
Ngen52, please share what you find. I, too, am an aficionado and while I love music and the simple (and cheap) equipment I have, finding sources from DIY’s is great. Also, if you have a source for cabinetry, I would like to order my design from a custom builder. Isn’t this rabbit hole deep? Love it!
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So I’m actually hoping to start a small business! The goal is to help get awesome builders and designers’ products be seen online in a cool way.

Think very high quality staged photos, videos, write ups, etc. Things that are often overlooked initially by smaller businesses due to lack of funding.

I’d basically be helping in all the ways I can in efforts to get people using great gear made by great people

I’m a marketing director by trade so I do everything from web/graphic design to SEO optimization.

I’m at a phase in my career where if I want to get into audio as part of my job that this would be the easiest way.

This isn’t fully fleshed out yet but this is the direction I’m trying to go in
 
This was done by an AK member. Please don’t ask who. He did this for me several years ago. I know he is very active on AK and will most likely see this. If it is something he would be willing to do, I know he will reach out to you.
This is one of the two mono blocks he did.
I also own a Pass Labs amp. These give nothing up compared to the Pass Labs amp.
 

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trinhsman said:
This was done by an AK member. Please don’t ask who. He did this for me several years ago. I know he is very active on AK and will most likely see this. If it is something he would be willing to do, I know he will reach out to you.
This is one of the two mono blocks he did.
I also own a Pass Labs amp. These give nothing up compared to the Pass Labs amp.
Click to expand...

Those are cute! I bet they sound terrific. I've built similar small PP amps for friends, and occasionally offered some for sale here and elsewhere. A few years ago I got excited about the idea of starting a custom amp business. But I still work pretty much full-time. Then the realities of building an inventory of transformers, chassis, favored components and tubes, etc. etc., then slogging through assembly day after day, well you get the idea. ;-) Nothing takes the fun out of a hobby like turning it into a business.

There are actually quite a few boutique amp builders if you google "custom tube amps." Several in Canada. Paul Birkendale of Bottlehead builds custom (SE only) amps on the side. The big problems of course come after market, with service, reliability, etc. I admire anyone who can make a business of it, though I suspect a lot of them have other sources of income. And there are plenty of tales of disaster out there, like Welborne Labs. The Laurel was a wonderful amp, but the business end went awry not too long after it started.

I may (or may not) have thrown out the idea, some time ago, of a "collective" comprised of talented amateur builders who offer their one-offs/restorations in a bespoke marketplace something like what the OP is pondering. Or I guess that would be sort of like...AK? ;-) But it could be more focused and marketed as a source for unique audio components.
 
Ngen52 said:
So I’m actually hoping to start a small business! The goal is to help get awesome builders and designers’ products be seen online in a cool way.

Think very high quality staged photos, videos, write ups, etc. Things that are often overlooked initially by smaller businesses due to lack of funding.

I’d basically be helping in all the ways I can in efforts to get people using great gear made by great people

I’m a marketing director by trade so I do everything from web/graphic design to SEO optimization.

I’m at a phase in my career where if I want to get into audio as part of my job that this would be the easiest way.

This isn’t fully fleshed out yet but this is the direction I’m trying to go in
Click to expand...

If I'm reading your post corerectly;

Your looking to be an advertising agency for the people who themselves have small businesses building amps?

If I am correct, and your not going to be actually building anything, I don't see a high probability of success here, and here's why;

Folks who build amps as a "garage business", if they build really quality stuff, get all the business they need from word of mouth. A few customers buy the amps, love them, and then rave about how great they are on line, in a forum like our beloved AK. Soon, they have all the business they can handle without spending a dime on advertising, so why would they need an advertising bill cutting into their profits?

It's kinda like the people who are highly respected techs for vintage tube equipment, why pay to advertise when the customers are already literally beating a path to your door :dunno:
 
and then there are those of us who build just one for ourselves, or build things out of recycled parts.

Personally I have no desire to manufacture amps. The design and execution part is whats interesting, just assembling things is boring. If I were to just spend my time making copies of something I made I'd probably manage to churn out one or two and then be so bored with the whole thing that I'd be done with it.
 
BmWr75 said:
The high cost of parts these days is driving some small tube amp builders out of business, or at least has them questioning if their small business remains viable.
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That and the competition of cheap Chinese stuff can't be helping. Nevermind that it may not be as good, if its 1/4 the price, is the next-better thing really 4x better?
 
zackthedog said:
Those are cute! I bet they sound terrific. I've built similar small PP amps for friends, and occasionally offered some for sale here and elsewhere. A few years ago I got excited about the idea of starting a custom amp business. But I still work pretty much full-time. Then the realities of building an inventory of transformers, chassis, favored components and tubes, etc. etc., then slogging through assembly day after day, well you get the idea. ;-) Nothing takes the fun out of a hobby like turning it into a business.

There are actually quite a few boutique amp builders if you google "custom tube amps." Several in Canada. Paul Birkendale of Bottlehead builds custom (SE only) amps on the side. The big problems of course come after market, with service, reliability, etc. I admire anyone who can make a business of it, though I suspect a lot of them have other sources of income. And there are plenty of tales of disaster out there, like Welborne Labs. The Laurel was a wonderful amp, but the business end went awry not too long after it started.

I may (or may not) have thrown out the idea, some time ago, of a "collective" comprised of talented amateur builders who offer their one-offs/restorations in a bespoke marketplace something like what the OP is pondering. Or I guess that would be sort of like...AK? ;-) But it could be more focused and marketed as a source for unique audio components.
Click to expand...
My amps are about 5 years old. Trouble free. Replaced large tubes once, even when told the old tubes were still good.
They put out about 50 wpc.
 
Yes, but it can be 90 degrees in either plane. Line up the lam stacks and you can couple a hum field from power to output.

applies to power supply chokes too. They also can radiate a hum field that will couple into other things.
 
And I was referring to the amp in the pic above.

Is it because one is standing up and the other is on its side so in effect they are OK?
 
Or if both PT and OPT are mounted with lam stacks vertical, then one must be turned in that same plane 90 degrees from the other.

In the above pic with the PT being mounted horizontal, the OPT being mounted vertical can be oriented in any position as long as those lam stacks remain vertical.
 
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Ken Boyd said:
Technical question, should the output transformers laminates be at a 90-degree orientation to the power transformer?
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Fender mounted their transformers this way on their amps.
 
init4fun said:
If I'm reading your post corerectly;

Your looking to be an advertising agency for the people who themselves have small businesses building amps?

If I am correct, and your not going to be actually building anything, I don't see a high probability of success here, and here's why;

Folks who build amps as a "garage business", if they build really quality stuff, get all the business they need from word of mouth. A few customers buy the amps, love them, and then rave about how great they are on line, in a forum like our beloved AK. Soon, they have all the business they can handle without spending a dime on advertising, so why would they need an advertising bill cutting into their profits?

It's kinda like the people who are highly respected techs for vintage tube equipment, why pay to advertise when the customers are already literally beating a path to your door :dunno:
Click to expand...
I would be helping them for the love of the game lol in the event they wanted to expand or even create an online presence but I do see your point
 
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