The Bottle Builder

I like to buy and read about anything related to tubes, even tube tabloids! I've a soft spot for it, you can say, whether I need it or not. It's interesting to read another designer's mind (be it right or wrong) and thoughts when they design their amplifiers, and that's all I've to say about this book.

A compendium of tube amplifier designs - The Bottle Builder, Volume 1.

The Bottle Builder

I have a lot of rants on this book though. Here are the things I DO NOT (an understatement, for the price I paid for this book) like about it:

1. Wastage (sand bagging?) of pages with pages after pages of BOM, and the font is so big where as the font for schematic is like ants compared to this elephant.
2. PCB drawing of multi-layer PCB - who needs that? Or who can benefit from that? We can't fabricate from the drawing.
3. Chassis drawing - another meaningless content. Front panel 3D drawing? You must be kidding me.
4. Mounting method of solid state regulator? Duh... And it occupies a full page with size as if you need that details.
5. Speaker drawings - I thought this is an amplifier builder's handbook. Hello...???
6. Incomplete BOM and tables - what's the point of publishing the BOM if you cannot complete it and be consistent. Some BOM table are just with the component label and value where as some are full table with manufacturer numbers and types. The description are even half empty for some of the tables. Come one...

A lot of blank spaces, or small pictures occupying a full page. This is a big book! It's a lot of price to pay for all the above content, don't you think so? If you ask for my opinion on whether to buy it, you know my answer.

Share your thoughts, for those who has bought this book, or even if you have not bought it. 

J&K Audio Design
9/8/2015

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