Amp build for Los Angeles Studio Store

[Chuck]

Hello I am new to both forums and electronics so forgive my ignorance. The only time I tried to figure out tubes is playing at the supermarket back when they had the tube replacement display tester.  If your under 50 forget trying to figure that out. Iam one more guitar playing tube amp lover trying to figure out how it works  I own (studio 637) Studio-637.com an A /V studio and boutique guitar store in Hermosa Beach. We sell new amps like 3Monkey. And great guitars. One of my goals is to work with one of you black magic amp guys and recreate vintage low fi tube amps. By low fi I mean that great tube sound on early jazz blues recordings. So instead of pedals you just plug in and have a great vintage tone ? From clean to over drive How crazy is that.  I hope  to develop and sell through my store. Ideas ? Takers ? Have I broke ten rules ??  We are starting our own vintage guitar line and want to match amps

[TIMBO]

Sounds like a great plan, the internet is very useful for video clips of the older type amps (fender,marshall.......) and schematics are easily found.

Find something that you like and tweak it to taste as designing from scratch is an involved process that requires a lot of technical knowledge and experience. Good luck 

[Jack1962]

Building custom amps can be very difficult or it can be easy and fun as well , there are many people here that can be of great help to you , don't forget us when you become rich amd famous 

[punkykatt]

There are amp kits of vintage amps available. You will need skills and knowledge to assemble them. Some come with instructions some don`t.   To build a amp from scratch part by part is much more costly than to buy a kit or a mass produced amp. 

[eleventeen]

I would think you would be better off acting as a dealer for existing amp builders and perhaps they would consign amps to you for display/tryout. To build amps, you'd have to stockpile parts, devote some amount of space, have a reasonably skilled person and theoretically a test bench and build bench with gear---which need not be very expensive and can be used for other things, but still. For you to build amps you'd also have to market/advertise the things, as well. It also might change your classification for worker's comp (from sales to mfg) which is very punitive in CA. Over and above that, philosophically, it's quite a different business than running a store. Of course, if you could morph into an amp repair biz, perhaps that could be a positive...but the two are two rather different businesses.

When it comes to the current level of boutique amps....I think most people underestimate the amount of time it takes to produce a really nice looking build and that is probably what you are imagining. The cabinetry is a PITA, but I suppose you could outsource that.

You're in an affluent area (I used to live in Playa del Rey) and people have money and you're not trying to be a Guitar Center. I don't know how big your store is, but rent is probably not cheap where you are, so the overhead of the req'd space is not going to be cheap.

My attitude about operating a retail store is kind of negative, I acknowledge. Been there, done that, would never do it again. There is a giant fundamental difference between reselling things that are supplied to you pretty much or exactly how you intend to offer them, and crafting something all the way from punched metal and tube sockets and lockwashers and 6-32 screws and amp corners and handles and writing and producing the documentation/manual all the way to a finished product.