Build an Amp Out of an Old Suitcase and Radio?

[mjrippe]

Sounds like a very cool retro looking setup. You should go ahead and build it then worry about the acoustics, which can always be modified. Open the suitcase a little or a lot, pack it with insulation, cut holes in it (harder to undo), etc.

[Arthurelletson]

If you put the speaker in the lid, you could then install some brackets to hold the lid open, then you can choose from closes back or open backed.

[NikMuso]

How much of the radio guts are You thinking of using? Keith Richards' first amp was a 50's vacuum tube radio with one of the tubes removed, so it would overdrive... Served him and Mick well enough to cover Chuck Berry tunes at the unpaid pro level. Only caveat is shock therapy isn't as great as doctors make it out to be. Power transformers can hold some volts, so be careful.

If You're really going all out with a custom power section, check out 6L6GC's and KT66 power tubes. 12AX7 is typical for the preamp section; see ECC803S's and a 5751 as a Phase Inverter. I've never built one miself, but I have considered it. Best of luck! Post Your successes!