Handmade, custom-designed tube amplifiers

I'm crazy about building and designing tube amps for guitar, bass and hifi. My friends agree: I might be crazy. Most people can't see how this fits in with the rest of what I do. But I've figured it out; it's about the puzzle of understanding what the hell is going on with a beautifully complex system. From there, it's just a matter of making it unique and lovely with an attention (obsession) for craft and detail. My passion for guitar has always leaned toward gear, and away from actually becoming a better player! So following the former, I can say that am proud to have built some the finest quality amps around, for some of the best players I've ever heard. What you'll see in these pages aren't clones, they are true custom builds (even if inspired by classic designs on occasion).

File under: Craft, Music, Sound

Big Blue

Built for mewithoutYou guitarist Brandon Beaver. This custom design takes cues from many classic Ampeg preamps like the B15N, Reverberocket II, and the Gemini vi. The power amp borrows a bit from the Trainwreck Rocket — but with 6AR6WA tubes, it's a whole other beast.
Onboard, we've got boost, great Ampeg reverb, and really sick tremolo copied over from the Gemini vi circuit — all on a 5 pin XLR footswitch. In addition, there's switchable and variable negative feedback, a Baxandall EQ and a bright switch.

KT-66 Amp with Reverb

This one has a KT66 power amp with preamp influenced by the Train*wreck Ro*cket circuit with an added short-spring, tube-driven reverb. Speaker cab is a 2 x 10.
Built for Severin Tucker.

2x12 Combo with Reverb

I hand built, and designed this amp with the goal of creating the most versatile guitar combo amp I could.
- 30 to 36 watts from 4 Authentic Saratov 6n14n-EB (robust, soviet el84s, with a meaty girth under characteristic chime)
- 2x12 combo with a Hellatone 30 and a Celestion Alnico blue.
- American made Edcor Transformers and choke
- 3-stage bright switch
- 17in, tube-driven spring reverb, foot-switchable
- Boost, also on the footswitch
- "larmar" post phase inverter master volume circuit
- Vol, Treble, Bass tone stack, with a Mid-Scoop switch, and a Cut Control in the power stage.
- Cryogenic GZ34 Tube rectifier
- Milspec teflon wiring throughout
- ALL Belton tube sockets -- each individually shock mounted for microphonic cancellation
- The absolute finest selection of: PRP, NOS carbon comp and Kiwame resistors, RELCAP Polystyrene Capacitors, Sprague Atom electrolytics, Sprague Premium bypass caps, and Sozo tone caps

Other projects: 
Nate Johnson

Thanks for digging this deep, but most of the good stuff is up there ^ :)