tube amplifiers

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Divided by 13

Divided by 13 amplification is a Southern California guitar amps maker founded by Fred Taccone. Taccone's experience with amplifiers started while he was still at school in Fullerton, California when he had a part-time job with Risson Amplifiers making power amps. After high school he went to college to study business, electronics and recording engineering. During college in his spare time he worked at Fender and Music Man. After several years working in concert promotion, machine shops and as a pro-guitar player, Taccone settled down with a job repairing amps for Chris Ramano's Black Market music store & several others. Repairing amps led to tweaking amps then building amps for various West Coast players and the company grew from there.

Balthazar

Balthazar is a hand made amplifier company founded by Balthazar de Ley, a studio technician for the Smashing Pumpkins. In 2017 Balthazar started designing amplifiers based on the early 1960s British designs like those of Selmer Amps. This early work became the Film Noir 50 amp, which gained acclaim and led to him going full-time as an amp builder in 2019. He introduced 2 new models: the Film Noir 18 combo in 2019, and the Cabaret 13 in 2020.

Source: Balthazar Amps website (18 September 2023)

Yerasov

Yerasov Music Corporation was founded by Alexander Yerasov in 1988. Yerasov was born in 1953 in the Soviet Union and started out by building tube amplifiers using parts from broken sound equipment from movie theaters. When Perestroika happened in the Soviet Union, Yerasov took the opportunity to launch his own company and hired a talented group of engineers to design and make his products. Yerasov is now a well known amplifier and effects brand worldwide.

Source: Yerasov Music Corporation website (11 July 2023)

Messiah

Messiah Guitars specialize in unique relic guitars featuring tops made out of reclaimed cigar boxes. Most of them have hand-wound pickups made by Rob Timmons at Arcane, Inc. Their guitars are made to order. You decide if you want them to make design decisions or if you want to be involved in every step of the build. Messiah also make custom hand-wired tube amplifiers and guitar pedals. Some finished models are available directly from Messiah, or at Impulse Music Company in Canyon Country, CA. The company was founded by Tom Hejda.

Source: Messiah Guitars website (29 November 2023)

Fargen

Benjamin Fargen has been building boutique tube amplifiers since 1998. Fargen can make one of a kind custom designed amplifiers as well as “Better than Vintage” clones. Fargen started out by servicing his own vintage amps and was self taught via books and the internet. After mastering the basics he built prototypes for his own use but soon was getting requests for amps from other guitarists. Fargen Amplification has grown from a one man operation, into a successful boutique company shipping worldwide. Ben Fargen has also provided amp support to many well known guitarists.

Source: Exclusive Amps website. Retrieved January 2024.

Wharfedale

Wharfedale and Albion are affordable guitar tube amplifier brands made by the Chinese-owned IAG Group. The Albion & Wharfedale ranges were designed by Steve Grindrod, a renowned designer with a history of working with major amplifier companies such as Marshall and Vox. These amplifiers are notable for their true tube technology, European design, and manufacturing in China, aimed at reducing costs for consumers. They are specifically geared towards producing a vintage rock sound.

Albion

Wharfedale and Albion are affordable tube amplifier brands made by the Chinese-owned IAG Group. The Albion & Wharfedale ranges were designed by Steve Grindrod, a renowned designer with a history of working with major amplifier companies such as Marshall and Vox. These amplifiers are notable for their true tube technology, European design, and manufacturing in China, aimed at reducing costs for consumers. They are specifically geared towards producing a vintage rock sound.

Vyse

Vyse Amps are point-to-point hand wired tube amplifiers made in the UK. The company was founded by Barry Vyse, and as well as selling completed amplifiers they also supply DIY amp kits. Their designs range from 1W practice amps, through single-ended class A amps, single channel amps up to twin channel designs.

Source: Vyse Amplifiers website (22 May 2023)

Carol Ann

Carol-Ann amplifiers was a custom boutique guitar amplifier company founded by Alan Phillips in New Hampshire. Phillips moved to the USA from England in 2002, and his background was in engineering having served an engineering apprenticeship in the 1980s. Carol-Ann amplifiers were hand-built using point-to-point wiring, all assembled and tested by Phillips himself. The Carol-Ann range included single channel models, classic & modern multichannel models and a British series of amps. Carol-Ann amplifiers closed in 2019

Source: Carol Ann amplifiers website (archived 2019)

Tx-watt

Tx-watt was founded by Jack Kay in Buda, Texas. Kay had been a professional musician who founded the company to create high quality and dependable amps for the touring musician. Their amps are hand wired and based on the famous 1950s and 1960s American & British tube / analog circuits. Their Flagship series amps can be customized, with circuits tweaked and a wide range of vinyl and grill cloth options.

Source: Tx-watt website (6 February 2023)

Swart

Swart Amplifier Co. was founded by Michael Swart, a musician and recording engineer and studio owner from Wilmington, NC. Swart started building custom tube amps to satisfy his need for a small recording amp for studio and home use with great tone and distortion characteristics, but flexible and quiet enough for recording use. This led to the development of the Swart Space Tone amp, soon followed by the Atomic Space Tone model. The Swart range now includes a wide range of retro style amp heads and combos as well as guitar effects pedals.

Source: Swart Amplifier Co. website (19 June 2022)

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