Well, so much for a short hiatus! Life got in the way, and I had a few health issues to deal with that took longer than anticipated. That, in addition to the parts cost increases that I’m seeing for main components of the Spud had me doubting whether or not to continue. I’m planning a run of 5 kits or finished amps in January with the new pricing (it’s unavoidable). Thanks for your patience!

I am temporarily suspending sales and shipment of the Spud Kit to to restock. I anticipate turning the cart back on sometime in the summer of 2025.

The heart of the Spud is the US made iron. This consists of custom wound output tranformers and a stock power transformer made by Edcor. Since the intro of the Spud in 2007, the iron price has more than doubled. Additionally, the passive component prices have all skyrocketed as well. For example, the current Alps potentiometer is 5x more expensive than the former potentiometer used in the kit. Instead of sourcing cheaper parts, I decided to continue to source very high quality components, but that means I am forced to grudgingly pass on a small increase to buyers. With a bill of materials that includes Edcor, Alps, Nichicon, Vishay, Dale, Belton and other high quality parts, the upgrades are already built in.

I have about 5 basic kits available in the current run, and there is a short delay on kits that include side panels. I have two amplifiers in the build queue that I’d like to finish before adding more.

I have full kits back in stock. I’ve contacted most, if not all, potential buyers who were on my contact list, so I’m opening sales up for everybody. I have about a dozen kits available at this time.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but due to supply chain issues, I am temporarily out of stock. Please contact me directly if you would like to pre-order to secure a kit in the next batch or be notified when kits are back in stock. Thanks!

Low powered amplifiers have very specific requirements when selecting the appropriately matching speakers. What if… What if there were a popularly available and relatively inexpensive speaker that just worked? Recently, I purchased a pair of long lusted after Polk Audio RTA-11t monitors. I always wanted a pair of these since way back in the day (late 80’s, early 90’s). Fast forward a few decades, and a mint condition pair fell into my hands for $90. Would they work with a Spud. Fuckin’-A-Right they do! Deep bass, full sound, great definition in the highs. Amazing! So what am I saying here. In fact, some mass marketed Polk speakers kick ass with the Spud. Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

I have a limited number of kits back in stock, but I’ll be updating pricing to reflect a very modest price increase. I’ve chipped away at very tight margins historically, but I do need to add a little buffer in order to keep this project going. Thanks much for your understanding.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but due to supply chain issues, I am temporarily out of stock. My primary supplier anticipates that I’ll receive parts no later than February. Please contact me directly if you would like to pre-order to secure a kit in the next batch or be notified when kits are back in stock. Thanks!