no manual before purchase?

[Steve K]

I want to make sure I'm not missing something, but I just read the Manual Downloads thread and it seems like there is no way look at the assembly intstructions before a purchase? Or any user manuals?

This is a deal killer for me.

[Rocketman248]

You can check out the manual for the Bottlehead Power Cord kit to get an idea of the detail available in the manuals. 

[faskenite]

I think it is important that Bottlehead takes some reasonable steps to protect their intellectual property.  If it helps at all I have built two kits (#2 about to be voltage checked) as an absolute rookie and the manuals have been absolutely first rate, very clear and thoroughly illustrated.

[Steve K]

Thanks for the info. I can see bottle head would want to protect their IP.

My concern is my skill level.

[ALL212]

Which kit are you considering?  I'm not going to get you a manual but if you let us know which kit we can certainly help with determining skill level requirements.

[Doc B.]

While some kits have more parts, all of our kits require more or less the same skill level. You just need to be able to carefully follow instructions and acquire basic soldering skills. The soldering skills can be developed in the process of building the kit. We assume that the builder is not familiar with electronics and you can build the kit without knowing what capacitor or resistor does. If you do have knowledge of electronics and want to know how the circuit works there is a brief description of the circuit and a detailed schematic in the manual.

[rockdrummer]

Steve, I felt the same way you do. The manual is very thorough. Extremely easy to read and follow, and starts out in the first few pages building good habits. I built a quickie, then an original stereomour. I would suggest reading up on basic soldering skills and possibly even practice with extra parts you can get your hands on.

And don't downplay the forum. Asking questions and reading up on the other builds/questions.
Ben

[jjvornov]

While some kits have more parts, all of our kits require more or less the same skill level. You just need to be able to carefully follow instructions and acquire basic soldering skills. The soldering skills can be developed in the process of building the kit. We assume that the builder is not familiar with electronics and you can build the kit without knowing what capacitor or resistor does. If you do have knowledge of electronics and want to know how the circuit works there is a brief description of the circuit and a detailed schematic in the manual.

Having now built 7 kits over the years, I can endorse Doc's statement that it's just following directions and learning the basic skills of striping wire and soldering. Having said that, it's nice to start with one of the simpler kits just because it's easier to troubleshoot a simple circuit compared to one of the highly regulated, complex kits. There's also more room which is nice because every once in a while, getting parts in place and soldered can be a bit challenging.

But for sound, you might want to go right for the best kits. Having just finished building a Mainline this morning, I can tell you that you can't beat the sonic quality of these amps.