How much time would it take and how difficult would it be for a newbie to build an Express?
I've built stompboxes before as well as the usual guitar mod stuff and cap changes in amps. Never -built- an amp. I'd be looking at trying to get as much pre-built assemblies as possible (such as UR-12's perfboards and Ceriatone's drilled chasis).
On the one hand, building one seems quite appealing. On the other, it scares me a bit
I would reccomend building something a little more stable and simple as a first build. Not to say you couldnt do it, but you will have a much better chance if you've made the typical first build mistakes on an amp thats easier to diagnose.
Look into either a Fender Champ circuit or the AX84.com P1 or P1eXtreme circuits.
I know this is not what you want to hear, but it will save you a lot of grief. It will also give a couple of vendors time to finish up their kits for Express clones which will also make it easier for you...
Thanks for the suggestion; have taken a very hard look at the AX84 stuff and am this** close to ordering a P1Xtreme kit. Mind you, I'm still looking at the Express schemos and dream of building one
I have to agree w/ Doc. I started with the p1 extreme, then did a Matchless spitfire, and then did a jtm45 (which I'm still tweaking). Along the way I did a board replcement on a Marshall for someone else, and a cap job on an Ampeg for another guy. I'm starting a Wreck now, but I gained valuable experience from the previous builds, both debugging and tweaking.
The main difference between tube amp building and stomp box building is, when you screw up you may fry a much more expensive part (tubes, transformers, or yourself).
So it's better to practice your chops on a less expensive and less complicated amp, learning the safety precautions, honing your debugging skills, and learning how all the tweaks you can do actually sound.
Trust me, I don't think anyone who has taken up this hobby has ever been able to stop at one amp. I've gotten to the point where I'm tweaking one, building another, and planning the one after that.
