Vacuum Tube Circuit Design: Guitar Amplifier Preamps | 
|  | | | Title: | Vacuum Tube Circuit Design: Guitar Amplifier Preamps | | Author: | Richard Kuehnel | | Publisher: | Pentode Press | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | 06 February, 2007 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0976982226 / 9780976982227 | | List Price: | $39.95 | | Amazon Price: | $39.95 | |
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Product Description
An in-depth understanding of preamp circuits is essential to creating a guitar amplifier design that stands out from the crowd. It is here that the designer gets a first crack at setting the amp's gain, frequency response, and distortion limits. Written for electronic engineers and professional amp builders, Guitar Amplifier Preamps moves beyond simplistic advice and cookbook solutions to present a complete guide to the theory and operation of triode and pentode voltage amplification. From the guitar pickup to the second stage grid, every aspect of circuit design is rigorously explained and thoroughly explored using real-world examples from Ampeg, Fender, Gibson, Laney, Marshall, Matchless, Orange, and Vox. The frequency shaping and distortion created in the first amplification stage affect the entire signal chain. Guitar Amplifier Preamps helps you get the most out of it.
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Customer Reviews:
• Disappointing 08 May, 2008
This book contains lots of detailed information, but was disappointing overall. It shows how to calculate various circuit parameters, and looks at example circuits, but it is all theoretical. Several example circuits from different brands are discussed, but only their basic technical characteristics, nothing about how that makes them sound. There are no "rule of thumb" or hands-on guidelines based on actual sound character of amps (eg: drive levels in various stages of amps, how far they go into distortion, etc). I have a background in electronics, including tube circuits, and have some ideas about doing amp customizing, but it didn't help at all in that direction.
- Reviewed by customer ID: ANKPLZ9GHN9KL
• I Found It Clear And Interesting 12 July, 2007
It's written at a range of levels to appeal from technicians to people who have at least an undergraduate engineering education. Tubes aren't going to go away until the boffins perfect that sweet low order harmonic distortion with semiconductors that makes many guitarists want a classic Marshall or Fender amp.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A33FWTO7DFJJZ8
• Objective And Engineering-based 02 June, 2008
Too many books on tube musical instrument amplifier design descend into subjectivity and waffle. Some, in attempting try to appeal too widely, lose rigor in explanation.
Kuehnel's volume manages to avoid becoming mired in theoretical detail yet remains analytically rigorous. The reader is expected to have a firm grasp of basic electronics and electronic components but explanations do not extend into the realm of system-function in frequency domain, laplace and fourier analysis. This contrasts with Kuehnel's seminal volume on the Fender Bassman 5F6-A, which is mathematically much more demanding.
The reader here is led quickly through basic triode operation and resistive divider networks. A reasonably comprehensive chapter on guitar pickup characteristics is included, this is extremely welcome as many works on similar subject neglect this topic, which is of fundamental importance. Further chapters cover topics of Miller capacitance, pentode operation, headroom, distortion, noise, cathode degeneration and parallel operation of triodes. The Ampeg B42X pre-amp is analysed, chosen because it does differ somewhat from the more familiar Fender Marshall circuits.
In keeping with the desire to use an engineering approach rather than that of a 'guru', Kuehnel includes data on real-world capacitor and resistor performance. He resists the temptation to pontificate on the vintage-component-tone-mojo debate and leaves it to the reader to assess the implications.
Tube gear is currently making a bit of a comeback in hi-fi, but it never really went away for guitar amplification.
To become a true guru on the topic one can't neglect the value of formal engineering training and recourse to the great texts of the 1950s and earlier by Frederick Terman and Langford-Smith etc. But those texts are general whilst this is specific to subject. Kuehnel doesn't include nearly as much information as contained within Kevin O'Connor's "Ultimate Tone" series but this book is better written, is more textbook like in nature, has fewer errors and in my opinion it is a far better initial investment for those serious about the subject.
So, I've just ordered Kuehnel's follow up volume on the power amp to keep the other two volumes that I've already bought company.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3V700PH1OEFYO
• To Be In Your Library 18 October, 2007
Excellent manual, which is vital to understand and help solve the various problems concerning the valve amplifiers....for amateur and electronic engeneers
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1Z9BB1WO24FIQ
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