Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum
Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: ToneJunkie on October 09, 2025, 09:48:16 am
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Hey folks,
I used to spend countless hours on this forum back in the day, digging through threads for information, schematics, and general amp-building fun. I learned a ton here, and now I’m back doing a little shop cleanup and could use some advice.
I’ve got a mix of extra amplifier parts and some components from a few prototype builds that didn’t make it into final versions. Curious what others usually do with this kind of stuff.
Do you sell your parts (transformers, chassis, boards, etc.) on eBay, Reverb, or somewhere else? Or do you prefer to keep them for future experiments or trade with other builders?
I’m debating whether to list some things individually or maybe bundle parts by project type. I’d love to hear how you all handle surplus or unused gear and what’s worked best for you.
Thanks!
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All of my projects are made from old radio and hifi parts, so I try to recycle as much as possible from the donors: transformers, tubes, chassis, pots, even grill cloth and plywood when I can. Not a bad haul for $30 a console. Most people are trying to give them away. That said, I still have to buy the odd choke, tube socket, or other hardware occasionally, and I have boxes of "useless" parts like heptodes, remote-cutoff radio pentodes, and tiny SE output transformers. I'm not super space-constrained, so I haven't had to sell off anything yet. Who knows, maybe I'll design the first all-heptode guitar amp one of these days. I did once trade a box-full of 12AU7s from a Baldwin organ for a Filmosound 385 w/ tubes.
My latest, I made this little Spitfire stack from an old Knight-kit mini monoblock and some Home Depot birdseye pine. The grill cloth was pulled from an old GE record console. My fiancee named the amp "The Brave Little Toaster".
Anyways, my answer to your question is "keep it". You never know when that stuff will come in handy.
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I've sold a few transformers, chassis, and tubes on eB**. I've had good results. Transformers, especially vintage trannies, can sell pretty well. Especially if you can put in your ad some like 'I've tested this, and here are the numerical results I recorded.' Buyers love to read that. :icon_biggrin:
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Looks like parting out what I got may be the way! Or just keep it :-)
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In my case, I came to this tube amp lifestyle fairly little late in life so now I'm trimming down my stash so I don't leave a lot of crap for my wife to deal with. Also don't have unlimited storage for spare parts that 'just maybe' might be of use someday. That said, if I had more room and more years ahead of me, I'm sure I'd be accumulating more
junk highly valuable vintage parts. :laugh:
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This is a rather fraught question. I've been putting together/fixing up old guitars for a dozen years or more and building amps for 3 or 4. It's in my upbringing to save everything just in case it might come in handy, and every now and then, one of the thousand or more things actually does come in handy. But I've also had to dealing with clearing out all my dad's stuff that got stashed away in case it would come in handy. It's an ongoing conflict in my head.
My ideal approach would be to decide what projects you imagine doing in the foreseeable future and save the things that would be used for them. Then work on selling the rest on eBay. I've sold a ton of guitar parts on eBay and had few problems. I like Reverb, but I don't sell anything there because these days they require sellers to provide bank account login and password - I am not doing that.
And if you've got a lot of little odds and ends, you might sell those as lots. It's not worth your time to sell one cupcake knob, but if you've got a dozen random knobs, somebody's likely to buy that as a lot.
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Hey mate, Great question..
I'm at that stage of having way toooo much stuff and no where to put it.
I probable had up to 20 vintage Aussie amps that been restored or waiting to be when out of the blue a guy bought six of them and coughed up some good dollars for them.
I'm now in the process of culling the junk or recycling it.
Either way I guess I'm stuck in a time warp cause I've now got the cash to buy more stuff :help:
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Its fun to revisit them sometimes. The first build I "attempted" has been rebuilt into something different 3 times and is now a pretty descent little amp. I never sell my stuff because I never know what I will need later on. I have moved away from scratch build stuff though since it takes so much time. I stick to premade chassis now, so I have a lot of iron that I wish I could use but never fits the build. I have reorganized 3 times this year, so I feel your pain. Way too much stuff I don't want to part with. I think there is a name for that!
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Many of my projects are based on leftovers to begin with (Scrounged transformers etc)
Leftover leftovers become ingredients for the next project.