Not to say I haven't been around here much lately, but I just got around to reading this post!!!
I've been going through the sourcing parts episode just recently (building a 2204 based beast) & here's what I've come across.
You can get some stuff from thetubestore.com. They carry Sprague Atoms & orange drops, F&T and JJ can caps, and tube sockets (and tubes of course!!!). If you want to get somewhat more exotic for your coupling caps they also carry Mojotone metal-film-in-oil caps, but they're a little pricey. The great thing is they're in Canada so you don't have to worry about customs issues, and they ship Canada Post Expedited which I've been having excellent results with.
I've been ordering a lot of stuff from Metropoulos Amplification (
www.metroamp.com). They carry everything you'll need for most old Marshall-ish builds - as long as it's a JTM or closely related design. Most of the parts for my 2204 came from them - trannies/choke, coupling caps (Sozos), can caps (F&T), resistors (mostly carbon film), wire, jacks, pots, lamp, fuse holders, switches, etc.
One thing I like about Metroamp is they have a Marshall "board components kit" that includes everything you need to build pretty much any vintage Marshall board (JTM45, Plexi, 2203/2204, etc) with the exception of the coupling caps, a Marshall pot kit, and a wire kit that includes enough multi-colored wire to build a handful of amps. These convenience packs cost a little more but the convenience is worth the handful of extra dollars IMO.
I got my 2204 chassis & face plates from Nik Azam at Ceri@tone. Yes, the stuff comes from Malasia, but it got here in three days and I couldn't find a satisfactory source for a 2203 chassis & face plates over here. Plus Nik is a good guy. Also, his chassis is JTM45/Plexi sized and fits into a JTM45 shell - which in my opinion is a much classier look than the JCM800 full-width chassis. And as a bonus he will ship using DHL Worldwide. The stuff arrived at my door in 72 hours with only GST charged at the border. It's a bit more expensive, but I've had zero hassles with DHL with top notch service, and might I add they include the brokerage fees in their shipping quote so really it's probably no more expensive than other carriers.
Mojotone also has good stuff & slightly better prices on some items but they only ship UPS to Canada so there's no way they'll get my business. I absolutely DETEST UPS...especially since it takes them 3 weeks to get some parts to me from BC. And don't get me started on "UPS border rape".
I've picked up a few things locally, but being a smaller center (St. John's NL) it's hard to get a lot of stuff. I've managed some resistors locally (including some NOS Bradley stuff), but you can forget getting suitable pots, coupling caps & resistors here. I've ordered some stuff from RP Electronics in BC also, but again it's hit & miss for stuff you need for a guitar amp. I haven't ordered anything from Digikey because it's just plain too much trouble wading through their catalogs.
Kirb
P.S. Our pal Stephen can expect an e-mail from me soon...I need a JTM45 headshell for this puppy!
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