Beginner Help!!!!!

[aryasridhar]

WELCOME to the Metro Forum!
I'm ams1aw from Austin Tx. I just wanted to add 2 cents to help you with your purchase decision.
After 21 years of Aircraft maintenance/QA/micro-mini, I decided to take a crack at building some of these wonderful amps.
I started with a 2061, then a JTM45, then 1987, then decided to just BUY a few 12000s. So far I've owned 2 Blockheads, 2 of George's builds, and now a 12000 w/MOD 5 that was built by Skip Sims at British Audio, Nashville. Look at the new postings for British Audio 12000 w/mod5 on this forum. I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT HELL WITH THIS SKIP SIMS / BRITISH AUDIO AMP!!

Anyway, I have found it is a LOT EASIER to just buy a brand new build from a builder who will offer a great return policy/warranty period.

The reason I say that is because of the HELL I HAVE HAD trying to figure out why the amp I am building will not fire up and "fly right". Even after following the instructions to the letter, I have had SO MANY PROBLEMS with amp builds! Mostly because of incomplete instructions or brand new parts (like brand new but defective rectifiers and Mercury Mag transformer wiring) that are not covered in the instructions. Believe me, after 21 years of fixing Naval Aircraft, do you think I might how to follow written instructions?

Then, when you post questions here, you get mostly smart asses or grammar police who only answer your pleas for help by implying you are stupid or too lazy to look through the THOUSANDS of post to find a little help! The search feature sux too, by the way, but you probably already figured that out, right? You have also figured out that no one wants to help you here. I saw your plea for help and felt sorry for you because I have been there.

Most of these guys have the "I have the knowledge. Good luck getting yours" mentality. You will also find most of the posters are extremely brave hiding behind their firewalls. They will be totally beligerrant (sp?) to you. But, what can you do if you need the info?

One good thing though! The more headaches/problems you have, the more you LEARN right?

If you want to learn, buy a 2204 kit. If you want NO PROBLEMS/HEADACHES just buy a brand new amp.

I am here for you bro! I GOT YOU. I am a senior member but I am a junior builder, hehehe!

I will help you the best I can. Just pm me or reply okay?

By the way, I am VERY SORRY I have never had the opportunity to travel to India. I have been around the world numerous times on Navy Aircraft Carriers and Naval Air Stations but the closest I've ever been stationed to India is the Indian Ocean patrolling the Straight of Hormuz (sp?) mostly. Also been to Diego Garcia and Pattaya Beach, Thailand.

Anything I can do don't hesitate okay bro? -JD, USN(RET), Austin Tx.

Hey ams1aw,

Thank You so much for the offer to help, I will certainly pm you with any queries i might have for the build...

It has been a slow process of responses here, but then i was able to get information from "demonufo" I really thank him for the details.

Now I guess i can surely be able to complete the build successfully with the help, and yes i do agree the instructions in some places are not very clear or incorrect.....which makes things difficult in an already difficult situation.....I have to import almost every thing here in India, there are hardly any quality components/parts locally available...which is sad for someone like me who wants to own and play a Marshall but can't as the prices here are sky high, Thanks to our Govt and their Customs Duties......Shipping takes another toll on the overall price....

In short a $500 amp costs just double by the time it reaches my hands or anyones for that matter...Hence ordering smaller parts saves me on the customs duty....which is what i have been doing when ordering parts for the pedals i make.

And I believe you should or should i say everyone should visit India once in their lifetime, I have been to the west and I can tell there is a lot of difference from what you see in the western countries and what you will see in India for sure.

Maybe would help break some myths that many have about India too

[neikeel]

WELCOME to the Metro Forum!
I'm ams1aw from Austin Tx. I just wanted to add 2 cents to help you with your purchase decision.
After 21 years of Aircraft maintenance/QA/micro-mini, I decided to take a crack at building some of these wonderful amps.
I started with a 2061, then a JTM45, then 1987, then decided to just BUY a few 12000s. So far I've owned 2 Blockheads, 2 of George's builds, and now a 12000 w/MOD 5 that was built by Skip Sims at British Audio, Nashville. Look at the new postings for British Audio 12000 w/mod5 on this forum. I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT HELL WITH THIS SKIP SIMS / BRITISH AUDIO AMP!!
Anyway, I have found it is a LOT EASIER to just buy a brand new build from a builder who will offer a great return policy/warranty period.
The reason I say that is because of the HELL I HAVE HAD trying to figure out why the amp I am building will not fire up and "fly right". Even after following the instructions to the letter, I have had SO MANY PROBLEMS with amp builds! Mostly because of incomplete instructions or brand new parts (like brand new but defective rectifiers and Mercury Mag transformer wiring) that are not covered in the instructions. Believe me, after 21 years of fixing Naval Aircraft, do you think I might how to follow written instructions?
Then, when you post questions here, you get mostly smart asses or grammar police who only answer your pleas for help by implying you are stupid or too lazy to look through the THOUSANDS of post to find a little help! The search feature sux too, by the way, but you probably already figured that out, right? You have also figured out that no one wants to help you here. I saw your plea for help and felt sorry for you because I have been there.
Most of these guys have the "I have the knowledge. Good luck getting yours" mentality. You will also find most of the posters are extremely brave hiding behind their firewalls. They will be totally beligerrant (sp?) to you. But, what can you do if you need the info?
One good thing though! The more headaches/problems you have, the more you LEARN right?
If you want to learn, buy a 2204 kit. If you want NO PROBLEMS/HEADACHES just buy a brand new amp.
I am here for you bro! I GOT YOU. I am a senior member but I am a junior builder, hehehe!
I will help you the best I can. Just pm me or reply okay?
By the way, I am VERY SORRY I have never had the opportunity to travel to India. I have been around the world numerous times on Navy Aircraft Carriers and Naval Air Stations but the closest I've ever been stationed to India is the Indian Ocean patrolling the Straight of Hormuz (sp?) mostly. Also been to Diego Garcia and Pattaya Beach, Thailand.
Anything I can do don't hesitate okay bro? -JD, USN(RET), Austin Tx.

It is funny how we have different perceptions of how useful this board is................sorry to hear that is how you feel.
There is no similar helpf for Weber, Ceriatone or TAD builders, the Marshall amps forum is not up to it. The Martsran forum is relatively quiet in comparison.
The difficulty is that many people come to the process as a paint by numbers process and expect a perfect product at the end. Then there are those that do the research, learn to read schematics, pick their way through the (yes imperfect) search function to find what they want or need.
A lot of the difficulties that people encounter are through rushed or ill thought through builds yet some of the first time builds are absolutely fantastic.
The way the forum works is that those people that have had help and developed enough experience (or made all the mistakes themselves) stick around to give others a leg up.
Main thread that has had very good and very bad aspects is the SIR AFD thread.
It is a forum for people to share and help (when they can).

As far as the OP is concerned I have most of a 2204 sitting waiting to be built (including small box cab) he can have it built or as a kit if he wants but then there are the two tensions of parts + some of my time vs parts + and potentially a lot of his time! Ultimately he will get much more out of building it himself, and yes people here will help.

[ams1aw]

I am sorry to hear how you feel about the way I feel, Nick is it?

How does it feel to feel Nick? I used to feel, but am uncomfortable talking about my feelings. Let's keep to the facts shall we?

99% percent of my problems were due to faulty brand new parts, inadequate/incomplete/incorrect kit instructions and simply waiting and waiting and waiting for someone to answer simple questions as a novice/new builder.

Some people are born Senior Member but some of us had to do it the hard way. I have found some senior builders don't want to help others. Thats why I said so Nick.

Please refer to my previous post and thanks for your kind remarks and helpful suggestions.

[demonufo]

Actually, it's Neil, hence the Neil in his signatures. What you probably can't see is all the PM's between some of us and the original poster, which have been guiding him in the right direction, and in fact have given a great deal more detail than has been offered in this thread so far.

Over the next week when I get a chance, I will be trying put together a 2204 build thread (tricky, since I haven't actually got a build going at the moment).
As for your advice about buying a 2204 kit, well, there isn't really any comprehensive kits available for 2204's, certainly none of the quality of the metroamp kits, and none with 2204 specific instructions a la metroamp style, and the OP here seems to be intent on 100% circuit authenticity too.

It's not so much the senior members don't want to help, some of them are just too busy, and alas, most of them spent very little time here anymore, but you won't get much more helpful than the likes of Neikeel, and Toner, and many others when they DO manage to find the time to help.

Back to the OP, at the end of the day, this is still possibly the nicest, most helpful forum I know of, and with a little patience (remember, nobody's here 24/7) this can be done, right here. We've got yer back.

[toner]

...Then, when you post questions here, you get mostly smart asses or grammar police who only answer your pleas for help by implying you are stupid or too lazy to look through the THOUSANDS of post to find a little help! The search feature sux too, by the way, but you probably already figured that out, right? You have also figured out that no one wants to help you here...

...Some people are born Senior Member but some of us had to do it the hard way. I have found some senior builders don't want to help others...

ams1aw,

You've only posted 59 times over a four year period. I looked through most of your posts and 90% of them have no amp-related questions so I don't understand how you can say that no one is willing to help.

I have found the search functions work as well or better than on similar sites. There is a TON of useful information here. If you search Google for amp building or modifying information, a large part of the results point right back to this forum.

Chances are that most of any beginner's questions have been answered several times already. I am NOT saying that beginners shouldn't ask questions but unfortunately, this forum isn't nearly as active as it once was. However, there are still a lot of knowledgeable people who are willing to help.

Remember that this is a free user forum. No one is guaranteed quick and accurate answers to their questions. (It helps to ask them though... )

[neikeel]

I am sorry to hear how you feel about the way I feel, Nick is it?

How does it feel to feel Nick? I used to feel, but am uncomfortable talking about my feelings. Let's keep to the facts shall we?

99% percent of my problems were due to faulty brand new parts, inadequate/incomplete/incorrect kit instructions and simply waiting and waiting and waiting for someone to answer simple questions as a novice/new builder.

Some people are born Senior Member but some of us had to do it the hard way. I have found some senior builders don't want to help others. Thats why I said so Nick.

Please refer to my previous post and thanks for your kind remarks and helpful suggestions.

see my sig.

[aryasridhar]

Actually, it's Neil, hence the Neil in his signatures. What you probably can't see is all the PM's between some of us and the original poster, which have been guiding him in the right direction, and in fact have given a great deal more detail than has been offered in this thread so far.

Over the next week when I get a chance, I will be trying put together a 2204 build thread (tricky, since I haven't actually got a build going at the moment).
As for your advice about buying a 2204 kit, well, there isn't really any comprehensive kits available for 2204's, certainly none of the quality of the metroamp kits, and none with 2204 specific instructions a la metroamp style, and the OP here seems to be intent on 100% circuit authenticity too.

It's not so much the senior members don't want to help, some of them are just too busy, and alas, most of them spent very little time here anymore, but you won't get much more helpful than the likes of Neikeel, and Toner, and many others when they DO manage to find the time to help.

Back to the OP, at the end of the day, this is still possibly the nicest, most helpful forum I know of, and with a little patience (remember, nobody's here 24/7) this can be done, right here. We've got yer back.

Thanks a lot Demon

[cmb]

Ive been reading this and as another begginer would put my two cents in : I will start by saying that my grammar and spelling suck , especially when trying to type,my electronics knowlege is still very much at a begginer (or below ) level. I a have recently built my first amp and am still working the kinks out of it(ceriatone jtm 45 thread right below this one).Yes i have also had alot of head aches, mostly due to my own lack of experience and lack of proper research ect. Have i learned from my mistakes, yes, a grewat deal . infact i probably have learned more about electronics and amps in general than i ever thought i would know,,and im still learning. Does it take time to get an answer from someone yes sometimes.im smart enuff to know that everyone has alife outside this forum iknow i do. So it maytake time to get answers we are all looking for. I get frustrated at time too, but i dont think blaming the forum is the answer to any tthing. neil , scott and toner have been very helpfull to me and there hasnt been anything smartass about anything they have replied to me.Just want to say this to you three again THANK YOU .
Yes anyone can go out and buy an amp. but alla you have is what everyone else has .My first build probably isnt anything to write home about compared to people who have done this doezens of times .but it is still mine it has my own signature on it , and when i get all the bugs worked out and people tell me how good it sounds i can tell them the story ; of how i came across the idea, of my mistakes , of all the helpfull people here , and especially of all i have learned and all iam still learning.

thisis just my two cent take it for what you will

thanks for all the good input clint

[Janglin_Jack]

I think Toner said it best...this is a free users forum, (and a very good one). This isn't the help desk at work or some customer service line where we expect immediate feedback.

I know there were times where I posted and while I waited, read books, searched forums and the web to help educate myself on the potential solution. Many times I answered my own question by digging and reading.

Anyhow, lots of geat information here already and many experts are more than willing to help those who ask.

On another fourm, they beat up the newbies that come in and want everything spoon fed to them. Many times "angry" posters don't go to a manufacturers website to look up various specs to the product they just bought!!! They give out a Golden Spoonie Award every now and then. LOL

Mike

[ams1aw]

I think the last 2 posters have something brown and stinky on their noses! Maybe something white on their chins too? WOW!

[bobtec]

This guy is a cry baby,One moment he is all happy jack and the next he cries,because some thing HE did didn't turn out right Then come off on some of the Nice guys who do nothing but help you (even give you free vintage caps)Then jumps on you if you disagree with anything he did...Like drive 1,000,0000,000 miles for a amp Why didn't you even try it out?I am Glad you think YOU are a Seenyor Member Please do not PM me and send your goons to get me

[Janglin_Jack]

I think the last 2 posters have something brown and stinky on their noses! Maybe something white on their chins too? WOW!

Aren't you the same hostile poster that said to "Beware" about some British Audio transaction of yours and then called out some of the other posters in the thread. You also posted to "Beware" about Robert Keeley and called him a clown?? OMG

[bobtec]

Thats Him

[Jerry G]

This is a great forum and just about anyone, given time, can learn so much here like I have.

But you do run into axeman sometimes.