Do I Make Amps? | Yes, Yes I Do | Muah Ha Ha Ha... 

I know it's been a while since this video went up but I would personally be very interested in a psionic audio amplifier. I love tube amps but I'm not particularly fond of the regular service that comes with them for things that can easily be avoided if initial build quality was higher. Any updates with this please share! Your work is phenomenal.

Watching from Canada and those snow pants were packed away 2 months ago 🤣 Great channel sir

More of this please!!!

Beautiful amps! Hey, you could call your new 15 and 30 the LAC-Studio and LAC- Stage. Just an idea.

Once my pockets on my snow pants fill up with money I’ll have to place an order!

I forgot to show the actual F&Ts where I mentioned them about 10:27. Sorry about that. They are visible in other photos throughout the video though.

What an Honor for someone to have you build his dream amp !!

I see a lot of snow pants in your future sir!

Snow pants. More of this knowledge please. Awesome work.

Lyle, as you see we are all very hungry for more of these videos on this new project...snow pants :) We all admire your honesty and perfectionistic approach on building amps that are worth spending money on. Really looking forward to these PS-AC-onic 15 Amps. Thanks again.

Your amps are world class stuff, mate. Push them with the confidence of the hack companies out there and you'll kick their ass. You'll kick their ass right in the snowpants.

Hahaha Snow Pants ! I'm sure with your attention to detail , these will be the best amps in the world . I've seen several boutique amps with aspects that I don't like . One for example that lacquers the entire populated board , making it a mission to measure anything . Crazy ay !!!!

I like Mojotone and I love their Quiet Coil P90 pickups as well as their Firebird pickups. They have always treated me well and the very few times I have had a problem with an order they made it right very quickly.

You are doing Gods work, Sir. I say this as a guitarist though haha I will absolutely buy one of your amps. You get just get it. 🤘

If you have certain number of viewer ready to buy. You can build a limited number run . Where your viewers get the expectional craftmanship amps and keep the cost down as much as possible. I am in for sure, 100 percent.

I've been a VOX user for many years, and I would definitely buy a couple AC-15 type heads from you, before I buy another VOX production amp.

Longevity is the exact reason to go with a traditional amp over a SMD laden class D amp. I'm enjoying your videos, I've repaired amps in the past and amp building is something I'd like to try at some point! I'd definitely like a video on grounding. Could I ask, which layout software do you use? As far as I know, the industry standard snowpants software is more PCB oriented, I've had to use 1/10" graph paper for my layout and it's very difficult to move component clusters around.

So interesting. I know nothing about how tube amps actually work but I’m very interested in reliability and good design (both in amps and in cars). I think anyone who gets their hands on one of your amps will be a lucky boy.

Lyle - you amps are beautifully designed and put together with such skill! BTW - with the state of pedal today - I think it’s a brilliant idea to avoid the vibrato channel which clutters up so many of the mass produced amps now.

Would you be able to make a custom amplifier that would resemble the tone of a mesa or 5150 but without the under volt rated capacitors etc. im talking a 1 CH high gain monster reminiscent of the iconic "blue" channel that one could use their volume knob to either leave wide open or slowly attenuate will roll off to clean up. FX loop would be nice, solid state using op amp to save on cost perhaps. Let me know if you have anything like this ❤

I would find a separate video about grounding to be very very helpful/informative. That and lead dress when laying out boards/components are two topics that I find are hard to get reliable info on. great video!

I wonder what you think about the BADCAT cub lll ? About it's build. I have one i bought it second hand but already had to dump 300 Canadian dollars into it. Sold my 70's hiwat head & cab only do to the loudness & weight. But the only problem i ever had with the hiwat was it burned a fuse once in 8 years. & had a 70's fender bassman which got stolen that never had any issues at all. 1971 i think. Love your work. Thank you for chering. Snow pants are stored away

Thank you for answering my question the other day and making a video about it! I. Am. Interested! Snow Pants or Blizzard Britches? 🤷‍♂️

Snowpants! New to the channel and have been binging your videos for the last few days. Thanks for such great content! Have you made or considered making videos on how amps work and how different circuit designs and layouts affect the feel and sound?

Your amps look to be very well-built, and the board layouts look to be very well thought-out too, Mesa/Boogie could take some lessons from you.

Please tell me what you think of a Naylor SuperDrive 60? It has the best of Fender and Marshall under one amp and is my all time favorite amp. Very rare and hard to find. Would love one or an amp that is built by someone who knows that amp.

Snowpants! Love this, and if I had a bunch of money I'd much rather have an amp built by you rather than just about anyone else!

Just thinking about a grouning system. I actually bought a solib brass terminal block with 8 screw terminals on it. I was going to mount it next to the power transformer, but have all the different ground wires from the input section to the power circuit terminate in that sequence as you described, the final terminal being the ulitimate chassis ground. My nain concern is screw terminals becoming lose. I suppose a dab of nail polish or locktite could help there. I would appreciater your thoughts on that idea. Also noticed some people shoving a folded brass sheet behind the pots on the front to assist grounding performance on some Fender amps. Anyway. Love your work. Thank you.

I'm watching thru basically all of the amp design and repair videos on yt over the past like 2 weeks so if I accidentally spam you in the comments it's just because I'm watching all your videos 🤷 you mention having difficulty getting people to spread word on amps you've built that they like and while I'm not disputing that I think that part of your issue may be in the way that people buy amps right now... You've got old guys with money who are trading old fenders and Marshalls and voxes for thousands on the dollar of what they originally costs and they're buying them like handbags... The thing that matters is the name on the front and what their old rich guy friends are gonna say about it... And youve got a lot of younger folks who couldn't give a shit about tube amps let alone traditional construction because they're not listening to music that's made on any of that... The music they listen to is made entirely in the box so that's what they buy... And while there are the select few who've made enough traction playing guitars thru traditional amps to be able to do it for a living and are willing to put their faith and money into something that's a relatively small brand name, the widest part of the market is not that... I'm not trying to be disparaging at all, it's a problem I'd like to see solved, and I think that really the biggest step that's being made is education... I think if more guitar players understand why these things are preferable more well built modern tube amps will sell, and the RU-vid channel accomplishes some of that but also a lot of the guys who will watch this will essentially want to compete with you... And musicians aren't people, they don't want to know, they want to believe in magic components and voodoo rituals that give vintage amps mojo...

It’s tough, especially in America to manufacture nearly anything at a reasonable price point… If you network with some metal fabs, you might be surprised what they will work with you on when they are between jobs. Material is expensive, but some shops can work on getting you small runs if you aren’t picky about time. Getting to know your metal guy, or any supplier is important…. Goes to show why some less than optimal design choices are made by big companies, they could build things better easily, but the costs skyrocket to the point nobody will buy them… I feel you pain though, wanting to build things and having to scrap the idea because it needs a 3 million investment to even plan a line to build them…

Any updates? It’s been 3 years now. Did you abandon the project?

Can you use a old dresser from the alley as a cabinet? Evil laughter... I'll show myself out now.

At 12:13, the owner of the shop I work for bought several large batches of similar brown Nichicon electrolytic caps online a few years ago, and some of them leaked a little and developed visible corrosion where the leads exit the case. I don't know where he got them and there's always the possibility that they could be counterfeit. We've also seen counterfeit Mosfets, counterfeit CD transports and counterfeit monolithic output-IC's.....

Such craftsmanship, your work is truly a form of art. Could you post a video with a tone taste sometime in the future? Great videos ‼️

How do you spell "snowpants" anyway? Is it hyphenated or is there a space? Or is it all one word like in the parenthesis.

I build cabinets that can’t seen to be bought. Maybe I can put you amps into my cabs? :D

Snowpants!

If it sounds as good as a BRUNO Cowtipper 22, I want one!

Can you comment on Rivera amps? Are they reliable?

Snow pants Rosebud I want an amp for studio use, built by you.😎👍

Are this line of amps available. I see this was video is years old.

What if id want you to just put the labels on in sharpie to cut cost? 😊

Snow pants. Can't wait to speak about a project.

In a future video, can you explain the voltage control on this amp?

This video may have just done ... what you expected to have done. I am now intrested in your amps!

Fugly Cudges...I'm gonna use that, thanks ; )

Lol! Haven’t worn those since I was a kid 😅

Always enjoy your informational videos. Glad you are making Amps!

The kind of snow pants I like to use in my amps are the radial Panasonic EE series.

Psiconic16. Yeah, change it up a tad.

Hey! You hit 3k! Congratulations!🎉

Beautiful work Lyle, thank you very much for all these videos: I hope they bring you more building orders!

Snow pants...affirmative

What's the deal with "Snowpants"?

There's no pants like snow-pants!

I see alot of business in your future!!!

I'd buy an amp from you in a heartbeat.

Snowpants - I repeat Snowpants. LoL.

Could you do educational video on output transformers? Plastic and paper bobbins, wiring, primary impadances etc?

"Snow Pants" , Roger and out.

I would LOVE to buy an amp from you! Especially if it can nail the tones from XYZ’s “Hungry” album. Word on the internet is that a Mike Morin modded Marshall JMP-1. What I would love even more is your take on a Furman PQ3. I really want an EQ tool thats similar to a PQ3.

Excellent video - and just a tremendous undertaking to build a one-off amp - just looking at your Corel Draw objects there and understanding how Digikey and Mouser work , I can get an idea of the breadth of the work. My comment to clients is "business is a funny thing - everyone wants low cost understandably, but as soon as I walk in the door and turn on the lights, money starts flying out the window" - making a profit requires a tight accounting and management.

"Snow Pants" is two code words, but I'll forgive that knowing your chassis is sturdy and your hardware is tight. I love your channel, good sir.

My initials are "LC". My dream amp is a combination of an AC30 and a Roland JC120. A stereo EL84 amp with a stereo effects loop, normal and brilliant channels and a master volume. No need for the trem for my needs. I would dub it the "LC30S". Knowing full well pretty much anything is possible, I can't imagine what it would cost to design and build. So a pair of AC15s with effects loops would probably be the way to go. (Probably do a better job anyway. Spread the cabinets out and bask in stereo glory!)

You probably need a review by a channel with a known artist to get launched these days. I wish you all the luck.

AC-100 Mk II? 😁 Owned AC-30, AC-15 and AC-4, but the AC-100 Mk II was the amp I always wanted and never owned. Now, it's overkill for my needs. But if there was a clone from a reputable builder I'm just impetuous enough to order one even though I can't justify it. For example. I have an Engl halfstack rack with a pair of 2x12 Engl cabs, powered by an Engl E850/100 Tube poweramp, which is a dual 100 Watt power amp, with each side going into one of the 2x12 cabs. Needless to say, I rarely push the power amp past warm. Cheers!

Incredible stuff! I’m working on a JTM-45 kit from stewmac currently. Would it be beneficial to shield the heater wires using foil tape like I use in pickup cavities?

What was that? Ummm... Snow Pants. Great Video. Followed it perfectly. Might have gotten the code word wrong. Hearing issues in the older player.

Snowpants snowpants Do I win a prize? Come on where's my prize? Mum said I'd win a new pair of snowpants! Lol! Hey good video mate! Love your goal - to make a jawdropper. Excellent. And I bet you'll get there too! Your chassis looks real good with the Mercury tx's! Great idea too with the little window for the serial number! So hard to pick which is the best method for you to use, whether a thicker turret board or the thinner one with the wires going through holes as strain reliefs. Both methods look perfect mate! Good to hear you're using FR4 boards so no bs board conductivity ay! Forward thinking re radial electro's, & I saw the silicon there to holdem down👍 Good component/stage spacing! You're playing with cap, resistor & pot values to get sound & control ranges right. All great stuff, & the best way to do it. With all this development & prototyping you're doing, one day players will be comparing their amps to the sound of the Psionic this & the Psionic that amps! Keep it up mate! They're gonna be awesome. I'd buy or recommend one of your amps in a heartbeat given the choice. Better still, to be able to build of your designs! Hey you reckon you'd ever sell them as kits? That'd be great fun! I could buildem as good as anyone. You seem smart enough to write an instruction manual as good or better than say a heathkit one. Throw in nice closeup colour photos of each stage of construction. You could add a 'Sorry Lyle it doesn't work' service for say 180 bucks or so. Hell you could even train & employ a fella or 2 just doin that! You'd need a certain level of sales & turnover of course to do this, so that's gonna require promotional input ie advertising. But hey, when you develop your excalibres etc to the jawdropping performance levels I know you can achieve, you could dominate the market & be like the one stop guitar shop. I'm excited for you mate. I hope & reckon you'll real well. Again, once you've found that sweet spot; that jaw dropping spot, using your holistic approach. And holistic is a GOOD word mate! Like holistic medicine! To me, holistic medicine is adult health management, whereas allopathic medicine is for the kindergarten doctors who can only concentrate on the main symptoms. You consider every part of your amps, & how every part interacts with every other part, to contribute to the overall performance. Not just separate bits, considered separately. Whether you like it or not, you approach your amps in a holistic way! Lyle's Holistic Amps! Those who don't know them may scoff & laugh perhaps, but they will become the 'thinking man's amps'!

I fellow here in San Francisco builds Amps in US Army Bullets Box , I used to hang oround Real Guitars when I was able to get around. I met that guy there. I cannot remember his name.

Is an amp the extension of the guitars voice? When I play my 58 Les Paul Jr that I have had since 1968, with no amp I try to match that tone with the amp. Does that make any sense?

Snow pants ... A shame I’ll never have my valve amps serviced or repaired by you here In Melbourne Australia; certainly never be able to afford one of your custom amps. Love your work. ✌️❤️🙏🇦🇺

I want a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb amp or Princeton reverb type of combo chassis . I have the 12” speaker . Celestion Alnico Cream

If you have the dims of the ac30 chassis I can build you one. I do enclosures and have the lasers, brakes and automated welders and punches. Just need drawings.

These things will survive WWIII. And you can too, if you pack your SNOWPANTS!

Cool stuff. Why don't you make a head instead of a whole combo? You even could use 3D printed parts to lower your costs, let it be metal or not. Check out shapeways, maybe you'll find something useful there.

Question! I would love a soldano 100 watt clone. 1 or 2 channels, with a resonance knob. How much would this cost me? I’m a metal head

A Supro Thuderbolt with a much more efficient speaker would be amazing. Add a bass and treble if the public demands . But the single tone works fine too.I knew a guy with a Thunderbolt who shoehorned a JBL into the box and it was relatively light and screamed. About the same volume as a Bassman onstage. Pedals can be used for reverb trem, etc...

I'll build the cabinet

You talk of building Vox style amps ever build a custom Blues Jr. style amp?

Snow trousers

I've been watching you for a long time Lyle,,,, and would love to have one of your amps.... Your input and your knowledge that the manufacture failed and you having the knowledge an fixing all of their weakest links leads to giving us the peace of mind of your build and I Would love to have a cross between a fender and a marshall that sounds a lot like a Hendrix voicing... Would love to talk to you about getting something done

My snow pants are nice and packed away until well probably just a couple months it is Montana after all.

You can call it a fox ac-15 lol How does those fiberboard with standoffs compare to ceramic boards I was wondering what a good replacement for an old leak tl12 metal can they were special in the day don't think I'm available anymore replacement would be thinking about building a replica. any ideas

How much for a JTM45 Cassis complete?

Turret board? Nice! I'm starting to get GAS watching this.

Snow pants...

We're expecting some snow here in Newfoundland soon, it's only late May..so yes, snowpants.

I’d gladly purchase an amp from you. Might be fun to conceive one together, but I’d also consider any that you’ve already built. I don’t do Facebook, so would email be the best route to initiate the process? It would be an honor to have one of your amps. ✌️🤘🤙

Have you ever, or would you consider making a bass amp? (snowpants)

And snow pants

Your first two channel amp name options: The Bionic Psionic Amp. The Bisonic. The Bi-Psionic? Said by a rapper:"Playing pentatonics on my tube Bi-Psionic" I need to stop now. - Thanks for sharing all the info. @14:08 That amp was gorgeous inside. Everything had so much space and not a inch of wasted wire. #ampporn #snowpants

Love these design consideration videos. I'm an electrical engineer about ready to retire and want to design/build some amps, only for myself, just for the pure pleasure of it. Glad that you include the playing aspects in them to illustrate the real benefits to the player. Good design doesn't mean squat if the amp doesn't sound good. LOL From what I can tell, you justify your design choices with reliability, serviceability and/or performance. I would feel very confident purchasing one of your amps if it was at the right price point. Keep it up!! Thanks for posting these to the community at large. Couldn't agree more about there being nothing wrong with a well designed PCB. I've done PCB's for designs professionally and there is a lot that goes into them. If they are well done, the end user probably has a better chance that his 'production' amp is going to sound exactly like what the designer intended. A well done turret board is equally good, but I wouldn't necessarily say that it is inherently any better, with the possible exception of serviceability. You can probably change out components on a turret board a lot longer than you could on a PCB. But, realistically, if the amp is well designed it should last a long time before you need to change out anything except the tubes. Caps do eventually need to be replaced. And if you get a mishap using an unknown power source you could actually let the magic smoke out and need to replace it, which would necessitate some component replacement. ;-)

Keep us abreast of your progress. I would be interested in possibly buying your amp at a later time. Cash being tight at the moment for many people. I always wanted a real Vox. I have one of those Bruno Vox amps.

So when can I get one of these?

How much for a valco clone?

Hi lyle with this grounding scheme, is it necessary to put grounding to chasis from preamp node? Where should the connection be made?

Snowpants. Im a new viewer who has found all of your videos fascinating. What ive learned so far is to be very careful with where i drop that 1k plus on whatever amp i decide to purchase next. The old saying of american quality seems to have gone down the drain sadly with most large builders nowadays since bottom lines matter more. Would be interested to know what amp builders out there currently you've found to have solid designs and QC. I would like to buy from an independent like yourself who puts more love into these things, but my wallet wont allow it for the time being. Am i just screwed kinda, and should just save instead?

I’m thinking a ground dedicated terminal strip on the chassis. Multiple if required.

Snow pants are a cool rectifier, wear them well so you can live long and diode.