The very first guitar amplifiers were built in the 1930s. Over the next 30 years the guitar amp underwent some heavy modification as musicians in the 60s began over-driving their amps in order to create a distorted type of sound. Amplifiers today come with the type of hardware needed to create distorted sounds already built into them. Amplifiers come in all shapes, sizes and prices. You can build your own amplifier for a fraction of the cost of buying one from a store.
Instructions
1. Use a handsaw to cut four pieces of plywood down to 16 x 10 inch pieces. Cut two pieces to be 16 x 16 in height and width.
2. Use the 16 x 10 pieces to build the top, bottom and sides of your guitar amplifier. Use nails to fasten the wood pieces together in the shape of a square.
3. Use a router to make a hole for the speaker in one of the 16 x 16 pieces. This is your front panel. Place the speaker face down on the wood and trace the circular shape. Use the saw to cut out the shape.
4. Cut out a place in the front panel for the preamp and controls. This should be a few inches above the speaker hole. The hole should be rectangular, and just a bit bigger than the actual preamp.
5. Use a drill and screws to attach the front panel to the front of the square box you made in Step 2. Slide the wires from the speaker through the speaker hole. Fit the speaker snugly in its proper place. Put the preamp into its spot and use screws to fasten it in place.
6. Use at least 16-gauge speaker wire to connect the speaker to the preamp. The thicker the wire, the better.
7. Use screws to attach the other 16 x 16 piece to the back of your amplifier.
Tags: front panel, create distorted, hole speaker, screws attach, speaker hole