ValveTrain Amps
Vintage Reinspired – Real Tube Tone – Cool Features – American Made
Pretty much says it all doesn’t it… ??
The Vision… Build a portfolio of amps that pay homage to the TONE that got us to where we are today, and use a judicious approach to adding features and enhancements that allow the modern player to create new music.
Without the Tweed, Brown, Blonde and Black Panel Fenders where would we be?? Without the Navy Random Flair, Tan & Cream, Blue Checks and Portaflexs and Tin Logo Ampeg what would real tube tone be? Without the AC15s and AC30s, JTM45s, Plexis, Oranges and HiWatts would there have been a British Invasion? Maybe we’d all still be wondering “Where have all the flowers gone?” on our acoustic instruments….
THANK GOD THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
So here we are in the early 21st century wondering how to retain the very best of what made us smile for the last 60 years and still keep our ability to create new sounds. Enter ValveTrain amps. Vintage Reinspired. Updated, Tweaked, Enhanced, but still Vintage.
First and foremost, the amps must be Musical. If not, what’s the point? All tube tone. Let’s face it, tubes are what make the electric guitar what it is… The warmth of smooth Jazz, the cleans of soul, the bite of country and the huge palette of driven tones from blues to rock to metal. Hand selected tubes from Ruby and New Sensor help us build consistently great tone. Speakers from Eminence or Weber tune the voice of each ValveTrain so it will be the best it can be. (Using speakers that are made in America doesn’t hurt either… well, at least in our opinion)
The musician of today needs cool and innovative features to feed the creative process. To start with, they’ve gotta look good… So a retro look two-tone cabinet with our exclusive ‘Cow-Catcher” baffle shape takes care of that… Nothing is more of a creative downer than an ugly amp… (unless it’s an ugly girlfriend or boyfriend) Portability is a key factor, especially for those of us over 50… We have been building lightweight cabinets since 2008, Were we the first to embrace lighter cabinets?? No… The Marshall 18 Watt was one of the early ones, so we took our inspiration from that amp and put it back to work. A hernia will definitely impede creativity. Heads, 1×12 or 2×10 combos and extension cabs give the widest personal choice in finding your unique voice.
At this point the story continues with more cool feature of the electrical kind. Voicing options like Bright, Raw, Low Power, Tremolo and Reverb all add flexibility and control over YOUR TONE. Power ratings from 5 to 50 watts are sometimes switchable down to 1 watt and some are are managed by the Governor control. Originally introduced in the 1980’s by Dennis Kager on the Sundown amps, Dennis has granted us the right to bring the Governor control back to the marketplace.
They must be reliable. Hand built in America with top quality components is a great foundation. Hand built Classic-Tone transformers from Magnetic Components in Chicago. Wound on machines built in 1964 and 1965 on paper cores and finished by hand, these transformers are the real deal. Add into the mix Hand Selected Tubes, American Made Speakers, Custom Built in Florida aluminum chassis, Ceramic tube sockets, G10 eyelet boards or Custom PCB’s, F&T caps, UL Listed Wire, Cliff and Switchcraft Jacks, Carling and CIT switches and the list goes on. All in all there are over 50 American based companies involved in the supply chain for the parts in ValveTrain amps.
That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it… Try one… you’ll hear and see the difference… We guarantee it….