New Member Checking In

[Mattallica]

Hi Everybody,

I felt I should introduce myself before jumping in and asking for help.

My name is Matt. I hail from West Midlands, England originally and immigrated to New Zealand with my family as a wee tween.

My interest in guitar and music started with my mates wanting to form a band and needing a bass player. As youth waned I've shifted to guitar for self enjoyment. I find myself habitually delving into the technical aspects of instruments, rather than furthering my playing. My music taste is predominantly rock and metal.

I started tinkering with guitar hardware and electronics and have now shifted to amps. I have a technical background but not as an electrical engineer. The stuff I remember from my mechanical undergrad is fleeting at best.

I can solder and make basic use of my multimeter. I have a fundamental understanding of the various components that make up a guitar amplifier and can read schematics. I've had some success modifying MTS modules to replicate various circuits.

I am now interested in scratch building my own preamps and power amps. This will allow my curiosity to go beyond the constraints of the MTS system. Which in fairness, is not really that constraining, it covers a lot of ground. This is where I am coming unstuck. Beyond preamp copying I am struggling with understanding technicalities and calculations. Fx loops, power supplies, phase inverters, drivers, output sections etc. A kind member of the NZ guitar forum clued me in on the use of SS substitutes for particular functions within a tube circuit. That alone has been a small revelation for me.

To make it harder for myself, i want to build my first amps into 1U rack enclosures. I like the form factor. It allows for mixing and matching. It also narrows down component selection (Antek transformers and a lot of 9mm pots).

I also hope to give back to the forum in what ways I can. I can probably chip in with basic preamp questions and draw up schematics in CAD.

The more I've read online, the more found myself on here, EL34world and diyaudio. The wealth of knowledge and information here is exciting.
I look forward to getting to know you all directly and vicariously through the forum.

Best,

Matt

[pompeiisneaks]

Welcome Welcome!

I look forward to seeing what you're up to!

~Phil

[Mattallica]

Welcome Welcome!

I look forward to seeing what you're up to!

~Phil

Thank you Phil and thanks for your help with the admin earlier. I'll get to posting shortly. For now I am reading back through the forum. I regret not signing up sooner. So much more info available for users!