GEARHEAD
Welcome to GEARHEAD where I'll talk about my 30+ years experience with guitars, amps and pedals. I'm definitely an old skool tube amp nut! It just doesn't get any better than playing your favorite guitar through an old Fender, Vox, Marshall or one of the new boutique amps including Matchless, Bruno and Germino. I guess it started when I was around 15 yrs old and we use to hang out behind the stage of the other local bands, while they played. I loved to watch the tubes in the back of the amps glowing yellow and blue, pulsing to the rhythm of the music while they almost danced from the vibration of their speakers. It was as if they were alive....I guess they were as the electrons inside them were bouncing around! My first real amplifier was a Fender Vibrolux from the early 60's. It was a great sounding and powderful amp that I bought from Steve Woolston (a member of E.S. Grit), around 1971 for I think around $150 - side note...that amp today is worth around $2000 or more. I'll never forget the night I picked it up. E.S. Grit did a gig at the Armory in Cambridge. I literally walked up to the stage afterwards and Steve handed me the amp. I was so excited to get it. It didn't come easy, I had to sell my beloved Honda minitrail (mini bike) to raise the $150 to buy it!
Today I only own tube amps. There are some digital and solidstate amps that sound good (and are a lot cheaper) but they never satisfy me like the tube jobs. One of my favorite amps is the Germino Lead 55 & Classic 45 (might be my overall fav!). Below are pics of the Lead 55. This is Greg Germino's "take" on an old Plexi Marshall from the late 60's. It uses 2xEL34 output tubes (the big ones!) and three preamp tubes. It's a very simple circuit yet it takes a master builder like Greg to match all the right parts and produce fantastic amp that endures time. Greg hand built this one for me, the serial number is #18! He has a passion for building beautiful, great sounding guitar amps.
I'll post more pics of other amps & more discussion soon.
UPDATE!
The Fender VibroKing has proven to be one of the best sounding
Fender style amps I have ever heard. No Fender amp to date has sounded
better with both Humbucking and single coil style guitars. You can
purchase these used on EBAY typically for around $1200.00 Considering
how good these sound and that they are handwired in the Custom Shop,
they are an absolute best buy. Their only downside is they are heavy! I've now used this amp for dozens of jobs and I can say that I really dig it. It took me awhile to substitute tubes until I got the right combination for a great and consistant sound but it really delivers the goods!
In 2007 I also purchased a Germino Classic 45. This amp is based on the original
Marshall copied from the late fifties Fender Bassman. Greg is using
either 6L6GC or KT66 power tubes with these. I run it through his 4x12
Marshall style basketweave cab with 20 watt (made in England) Celestions.........sounds
just like the killer 60's guitar gods! It's probably my all time favorite set-up, shown here with a mid 60's Fender verb unit and a 61' Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul SG Custom (only 11 made in Phelum blue according to the Gibson rep). Want some Cream? How about AC/DC ? Free? It's all there and more. Personally I was disappointed with the performance / sound of the the GoldLion KT66 tubes in this. I put NOS GE6L6GC in it and to me it doesn't get any better!
ECHO Blues.........
I was in search of a better tube tape echo unit. My trusted vintage Echoplex (used at every gig) has been on the blink. I purchased a Fulltone Tube Echo and have been very satisfied with it. It performs everything I expect with honors. They are expensive but worth it if you insist on the best retro echo sounds.
Guitarist Tools of the Trade........
I've been using the Boss RC20 looper for several months now and have found it indispensible. I use it to help students practice passages, lines, riffs, and rhythms. You can lay down a rhythm part and practice leads, practice harmony guitar leads, practice bass lines over guitar parts, etc. It's fun and fast. Call me for more info or to purchase one at a great price 410-228-7199.
Also I have been using the Tascam
Guitar Trainer, which is basically a CD player that will loop segments, slow down recording, change pitch or just play CDs. I use it every day and found it to be reliable and a great tool. Call me for more info or to purchase one at a great price 410-228-7199.
Pedals I love: M.A.D. Effects (Marcus Dahl in Tennessee) O.D. Special and Cold Gin. Also Diaz Texas Square Fuzz, Keeley Compressors.
UPDATE !
I just recently aquired a mint vintage Ampeg V-4 head from the 70's! Vintage Ampegs are among the most under valued amps. Typically the V-4s can
be had for between $500-$900 on Ebay. If you tried to get an amp builder today to build a similar quality amp it would easily cost $3000-$4000. The quality of these Ampegs is unbelieveable.......everything was meant to last a lifetime or two! For quite a while you couldn't find replacement tubes for these but more recently they are being produced again. If you want to hear how these sound check out any Rolling Stones tunes from 1968-1972 (the Mick Taylor years.......and my favorite Stone's years). These amps don't produce a great overdriven sound but a really good overdrive pedal (I like my Blacklabel pedal) produces a great fat sound. This amp easily puts out in excess of 100 watts RMS and will produce some of the most detailed clean tones you ever heard. Don't waste your money buying the new Ampeg stuff made overseas.........for less money you can own the originals built by American craftsman at a time in America when quality was everthing.
UPDATE!
I have recently bought several "upper end" Fender Stratocasters and have been totally knocked out by them. One of them is an Eric Johnson model. It is a fantastic instrument and highly recommended in the $1500-$2000 range. It's light weight, resonant, plays great and has sweet pickups in it. The neck has a small V to round feel that is so right for me! The only down side on this guitar was the sticky/tacky finish Fender puts on the neck. I sanded mine down to the bare
wood on the back (this is an old skool trick that does de-value the guitar) and it now feels great.
I also purchased a 1965 Relic Strat. It is a guitar built in Fender's Custom Shop to be an exact replica of the original with a little wear and tear over 30 years of playing. At first I thought how stupid to buy a guitar which looks used but you know what I didn't realize? It's all about the experience. When you pick one of these up, it's just like picking up an original (which would cost $20K or more now). They look, sound and feel just like an original and really to a guitarist, that's all that matters! We generally don't buy guitars to collect dust.