New Guy here, first post - just a hello

[rocksmoot]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and thought I'd stop my lurking for a bit to introduce myself. I'm in my fifties and have recently (five years ago) returned to music and to guitar and am having the time of my life. Recently I acquired a POD HD500 and have a really nice tube amp that sounds great with my guitar in, but which sounds kind of awful with the POD so I've been looking at alternative forms of amplification. I love DIY projects (I built a sailboat last time I got the bug) so I ultimately wound up here.

I had some electronics training in the 80's when I was in the Navy, but I never actually used that training to any great extent since I was mostly involved with digital systems. Analog circuits are pretty new to me. I've been re-educating myself on the basics but it's going to be a long haul. I don't have a problem with that and I hope to be a long-time and ultimately contributing member of this excellent forum.

I've downloaded Teemuk's book and I've also got a digital copy of Jack Darr's "Electric Guitar Amplifier Handbook". I'd appreciate any other pointers for resources, especially ones that make the math comprehensible. It's been thirty years.

Anyway, hello everyone!

Kevin

[J M Fahey]

You started well.
I´d use Jack Darr´s book as a general purpose base, and Teemu´s as a more advanced book, focusing into specific SS technologies and "tricks" to make amps better.
For everybody who asks me for an "Electronics" book to start, I suggest the no nonsense, start with the basics approach: get the book which is used at High School to teach *Physics*, specifically the one which deals with Electricity (often comes with the Magnetism section too).
The one they teach you when you are around 17 years old, may change according to the Country.
It teaches, from the very beginning, with approppriate Math: Current, Voltage, Resistance, Battery (power supply), Capacitor, Galvanometer (meters), Inductor (transformers), Ohm´s Law, Frequency, Power, etc.
As you see, 90% of Electronics stuff.
You´ll later learn about the other 10%: tubes, transistors and Op Amps , but you´ll understand and be able to calculate most actual circuit parts values.
I am dismayed when I see posts everywhere which say say: "I have built 3 tube amps, 5 pedals, but need to get 9 volts from my 24V supply to power a built-in distortion pedal, can´t calculate said resistor", or "*why* can´t 2 9V batteries power my 15W amp", and many other basic questions as that.

I guess "going slow and steady" is, in fact, the "fast" way here.
Good luck and welcome to a wonderful hobby.
As of your POD, I guess, since it gives you the "fully cooked" sound, ready to go (record or amplify) you will be well served by a flat, clean, loud Chipamp (20 to 50W easily available) driving a standard guitar speaker .
Good , inexpensive options include Jensen MOD, many Eminences, or perfectly working speakers pulled from commercial amps (Peavey/Fender/Laney/Crate/etc.) because users want to "upgrade" to an expensive one.
They can often be had by $10/20 , no more.
Or you can get for free a burnt/failing Guitar amp, which supplies you with cabinet, chassis, Power supply and speaker, and build your chipamp inside it.
And you´ll see one less amp in the dumpster.
Good luck.

[rocksmoot]

Thanks, I appreciate the pointers.

Funny you should mention the idea of refurbing an existing amp. I actually have an old Epiphone Blues Custom 30 tube amp that I ultimately plan to house whatever results from this. I've always hated the sound of this amp and its speakers but it has a beautiful cabinet. Epi's always seem to look way better than they sound. I probably won't use the speakers, a pair of Eminence Lady Luck drivers that were developed for this amp.