Thermionic Amplifiers
Ampeg
Ampeg is better known for their bass amplifiers than their guitar amplifiers. We're on the lookout for good Ampeg bass amplifiers, but we happened to run into these guitar amps and are keeping them because they're so good. Now, on the issue of the 6K11 tubes both these amps need... Ugh...
- V-2: Picked this up with matching 4x12 cabinet on consignment from Dawn of the Shred for a ridiculously good price.
- V-4: Bought on eBay "For parts or not working". This is the 100-watt big brother to the V-2.
Electro-Harmonix
While Electro Harmonix is known best for the Big Muff and their older big-enclosure effects like the Electric Mistress, we picked up these pedal-sized amplifiers made by them for two reasons: 1.) They make great, inexpensive back-up amps should something go south during a live performance, and 2.) When these are driven into Power Amp distortion, they actually sound really good! We especially like the distortion on the 22 Caliber! At any rate, it seemed sensible to have "back up amps", and these fit the bill.
- 22 Caliber (out of production): 22 watt solid state power amp - Pedal board friendly!
- 44 Magnum: 44 watt solid state power amp - pedal board friendly!
Epiphone
- Valve Jr.: We picked this up because Pat Furlan on YouTube loves it so much for modding. We're got our eyes open for another to mod, but they're actually becoming pricey and scarce!
Fender
- Champ: We lucked out and found a 1965 Blackface Fender Champ!
Gallien-Krueger
- 250ML: Not a conventional amp to get for rental. There's a lot of power in this little box. 50 watts!
Harmony
- H415: Likely not an amplifier you're familiar with. Ken Fischer who built the famous Trainwreck amplifiers said these were hidden gems and when overdriven properly could put a $6000 Marshall stack to shame.
Laney
We have a soft spot for Laney. Lyndon Laney built amplifiers after he determined he wasn't such a good musician himself. He also just so happened to know Tony Iommi just as Black Sabbath were getting their start. We're always on the lookout for a used 100-watt Supergroup, or a 100-watt Klipp (by Laney), we just haven't found the deal we're willing to say "yes" to yet. We also have a soft spot for Laney because a lot of the great sound of early Ratt came from Laney amps. And of course, how could we ever forget the 100-watt Pro-Tube Laney featured in the video for Sleep's Dragonaut?
Marshall
Massie
Mesa/Boogie
Orange
Peavey
Plush
Randall
Randall is an interesting beast of a brand. Don Randall, who started Randall Amplifiers, began working with Leo Fender prior to World War II. After the war, he became the head marketing and sales guy. He was so good at marketing and sales that Fender became the household name it is today. Randall Amplifiers is hardly the same company that Don Randall started and built in Irvine, CA., and then sold off in the early 1990s. It would not be inaccurate to currently describe it as "just another brand" under the ownership of U.S. Music in Buffalo Grove, IL.
- RG-80 PH: How could we say "no" after talking the owner down to $100.00?
- RG-100 "Original": We rescued this poor thing and gave it a new life. Check out the articles searchable on our front page.
- RG-120 ES: This was one of George Lynch's amplifiers from the Tooth and Nail tour, as confirmed by Gary Sunda, who built the amps with George. We even have the "XP-3 Block Booster" that goes in the back that Gary made for George to amplify the additional gain boost that's activated with the pull/push treble knob.
- MTS / LB-100: Randall Lynchbox 100. One of the "RM" or modular preamp series made in conjunction with Bruce Egnater.
- MTS / RM-100: Standart RM 100. Along with the Lynchbox, we have 22 modular preamps that can go into these.
- T2: Hybrid Tube preamp/Solid state power amp. 400 watts. This is a beast and these amps are hard to find today.
- T2: Hybrid Tube preamp/Solid state power amp. 400 watts. This is a beast and these amps are hard to find today. (yes, we have two)
Retro-Channel
Sears
During the days of the "Wild West", when people couldn't afford (or didn't want to pay for) toilet paper, they would take the Sears and Roebuck catalog with them to the outhouse. In its day, Sears was seen very much the way we see Amazon today.
- 400G: Crappy 1960s combo practice amp. For when you want a really crappy sound!
Sovtek
- Mig-100H: This amplifier is basically a Marshall Plexi workalike that was built in the Soviet Union for Electro Harmonix. Uses 5881 power tubes instead of EL34s or 6550s. This model is the high-gain version, versus the lower-gain Mig-100U.
Thermionic Studios
- Cthugha I: Custom-built switchable Fender Champ / Garnet Herzog. We were already entertaining the idea of a switchable Champ / Herzog when we found an amazing chassis that was both really inexpensive but that was also chock full of good compenents.
Traynor
- YBA-1: Classic Traynor YBA-1. Loud and tough. Stock amp.
Univox
- S400: 40 watt cheeseball combo amp with classic 1978 "400" lettering. Actually sounds really good in a mix.
VHT
- 36 Watt Handwired: Somehow we happened to be on eBay when a few of these unfinished VHT amps & headshell combinations went on sale. We got the highest wattage model available at the time. We think this was originally designed as a "36-watt handwired". It was clearly part of the surplus that resulted from the spillover of the less-than-friendly VHT/Fryette split. The power and output transformers that came with it look big enough so we're gonna see if we can try and turn this into a 50-watt firebreather.
Weber
- 6O100: Clone of a 1972 Orange OR-120. High headroom output transformer
- 6O100: Clone of a 1972 Orange OR-120. LOW headroom output transformer
- Halle: 50 watt 2-channel gain-banger
WEM
- Dominator MkIII: Found a good deal on this shipped from England. These have a great sound that's all their own.
