Okay, so I wanted to get better sound out of my bass when I’m practicing at home. I didn’t want to always have to lug out my big amp, so I started looking into headphone amplifiers. It’s a game changer. I’m going to show you how to bulid it.
Getting Started
First, I gathered all the parts. I needed a project box. Some of the parts I already had laying around, like resistors, capacitors, and a basic op-amp. For any other, I just hit up the local electronics store.
- Project Box
- Op-amp (like a TL072 or similar)
- Resistors (various values)
- Capacitors (various values)
- Potentiometer (for volume control)
- 1/4″ Input Jack
- 1/8″ Output Jack (for headphones)
- 9V Battery Clip
- 9V Battery
- SPST Switch
The Build
I started by drilling holes in the project box. One for the input jack, one for the output jack, one for the volume pot,and another for an on/off switch. It is important, So I took my time and measured everything twice (or thrice!).
Then, I followed a simple op-amp circuit diagram I found online. I’m not going into all the technical details. It’s basically using the op-amp to boost the signal from the bass.
I carefully soldered all the components together onto a small perfboard.I made sure to double-check all my connections as I went.
After soldering, I mounted the perfboard inside the project box. And I connected the jacks, potentiometer, switch, and battery clip to the board. I also added some hot glue to keep everything secure.
Testing It Out
Before I put everything in project box, I connected my bass and headphones and flipped the switch,I could hear my bass, loud and clear, through the headphones. Then, I cranked up the volume, and it was awesome. My ears could bear it, but I only tried. So I turned it down. Success!
Finally, I screwed the project box shut, slapped on some * whole thing took me a couple of hours.
It is a pretty basic build, but it made a big difference in my practice routine. Now,I am happy to practice silently, and it sound cool!