I think point-to-point wiring is overrated for most builds

I was at a local amp meetup in Portland last month, and everyone was raving about this guy's hand-wired 5E3 clone. When I asked how it sounded compared to a good PCB build, he got defensive. I've built about 12 amps over 5 years, and my PCB-based 18-watt TMB actually has less noise floor than my last point-to-point attempt. I had to pull the whole turret board and redo it after a ground loop hum showed up on stage at a small bar gig. Has anyone else found PCBs more reliable for daily use amps?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.willow7d ago

@alexlewis is right about layout I learned that after rebuilding three amps myself.

alexlewis7d ago

Build a few more amps and you will probably stop caring so much about this. Both methods work fine if you do them right. A lot of the point to point mystique comes from old Fender and Marshall guys who learned to solder before PCBs were common. It is not some magic secret to tone. I have seen plenty of sloppy PCB builds and plenty of crisp point to point jobs. Sounds like your ground loop issue was more about layout than which method you used. Maybe try a bus wire grounding scheme next time and see if that changes your mind.