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Vox is a British musical equipment manufacturer founded in 1957 by Thomas Walter Jennings in Dartford, Kent, England. The company is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, used by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Queen, Dire Straits, U2, and Radiohead; the Vox Continental electric organ, the Vox wah-wah pedal used by Jimi Hendrix, and a series of innovative electric guitars and bass guitars. Since 1992, Vox has been owned by the Japanese electronics firm Korg.
A guitar amplifier is an electronic device or system that strengthens the electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which are typically housed in a wooden cabinet. A guitar amplifier may be a standalone wood or metal cabinet that contains only the power amplifier circuits, requiring the use of a separate speaker cabinet–or it may be a "combo" amplifier, which contains both the amplifier and one or more speakers in a wooden cabinet. There is a wide range of sizes and power ratings for guitar amplifiers, from small, lightweight "practice amplifiers" with a single 6-inch speaker and a 10-watt amp to heavy combo amps with four 10-inch or four 12-inch speakers and a 100-watt amplifier, which are loud enough to use in a nightclub or bar performance.
Marshall Amplification is a British company that designs and manufactures music amplifiers and speaker cabinets. Founded in London by shop owner and drummer Jim Marshall, the company is based in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, England. Since March 2023, Marshall Amplification has been one of several divisions of the Swedish conglomerate, the Marshall Group.
Mesa/Boogie is an American company in Petaluma, California, that manufactures amplifiers and other accessories for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969.
Dumble was a guitar amplifier manufacturer in Los Angeles, California.
Tone King is a manufacturer of vacuum tube guitar amplifiers and stand-alone attenuators located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. Tone King was founded by Mark Bartel in 1993 in Kingston, New York, after studying vintage fender amplifiers with blues guitarist Ben Prevo. In 1994 Mark moved the company to Baltimore. Tone King is one of the boutique "vintage" amplifier companies making Fender style amps. Tone King was owned by the company Premier Builders Guild (PBG). In 2016 PBG went out of business and sold the Tone King brand to Boutique Amps Distribution (BAD), which now manufacturers these amps in Huntington Park, California.
Soldano Custom Amplification is a guitar amplifier manufacturing company, founded in 1986 by Michael Soldano in Los Angeles, California and later relocated to Seattle, Washington. It is mostly known for high gain amps such as its flagship model, the Soldano SLO-100.
Bogner Amplification is an American guitar amplifier manufacturing company founded by Reinhold Bogner in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. Bogner began by custom-building boutique amplifiers based on classic Fenders and Marshalls, and now offers different models of serially produced amplifiers.
Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a "fuzzy", "growling", or "gritty" tone. Distortion is most commonly used with the electric guitar, but may also be used with other electric instruments such as electric bass, electric piano, synthesizer and Hammond organ. Guitarists playing electric blues originally obtained an overdriven sound by turning up their vacuum tube-powered guitar amplifiers to high volumes, which caused the signal to distort. While overdriven tube amps are still used to obtain overdrive, especially in genres like blues and rockabilly, a number of other ways to produce distortion have been developed since the 1960s, such as distortion effect pedals. The growling tone of a distorted electric guitar is a key part of many genres, including blues and many rock music genres, notably hard rock, punk rock, hardcore punk, acid rock, and heavy metal music, while the use of distorted bass has been essential in a genre of hip hop music and alternative hip hop known as "SoundCloud rap".
Carr Amplifiers is a Pittsboro, North Carolina, manufacturer of high-end, hand-wired tube guitar amplifiers.
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The Fender Deluxe guitar amplifier is a range of non-reverb guitar amplifiers produced by Fender. The amplifiers were originally produced from early 1948 to 1966 and reissues are in current production. Its predecessor was the Fender Model 26 "Woodie" produced from 1946 to 1948.
THD Electronics, Ltd. is a manufacturer of amplifier accessories, and a former manufacturer of vacuum-tube guitar amplifiers. It is located in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1986 by President and CEO Andrew Marshall. At one time specializing in hand-built, vacuum tube “boutique”-style amplifiers, it continues to manufacture the “world’s best selling [guitar amplifier] power attenuator,” the THD Hot Plate. The company is well known in the boutique amplifier market, and is often credited with the creation of this market in the United States. THD's line of products stayed relatively small despite its 22-year history as a company. Of its amplifiers, THD made three: the UniValve, BiValve-30, and Flexi-50.
Jim Kelley Amplifiers is the trademark for the vacuum tube guitar amplifiers designed by Jim Kelley and manufactured by his company Active Guitar Electronics of Tustin, California between the years of 1978 and 1985. Approximately 600 of these amps were built during that time. The single-channel version of the amplifier employed modest gain in the preamp stages, Baxandall type bass and treble controls, a split load phase inverter, and four 6V6GT output tubes. The amplifiers produce 60 watts RMS at full power, and include a half power (30/60) switch.
The Marshall JTM45 amplifier is the first guitar amplifier produced by the British company Marshall. It was initially produced in 1963, and has been ranked among the most desirable of the company's amplifiers.
Trainwreck Circuits is an American company that manufactures boutique guitar amplifiers. The company was founded by Ken Fischer in 1985. Trainwreck amplifiers are made in Colonia, New Jersey.
Tremolo, in electronics, is the variation in amplitude of sound achieved through electronic means, sometimes mistakenly called vibrato, and producing a sound somewhat reminiscent of flanging, referred to as an "underwater effect". A variety of means are available to achieve the effect. For further information about the use of tremolo in music, including notation, see Tremolo.
Komet Amplification Group is an American manufacturer of boutique guitar amplifiers, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. According to Guitar Player magazine, many consider them to be "torchbearer for the late Ken Fischer of Trainwreck Circuits", since the company got its start producing the Fischer-designed Komet K60. Since then the company has begun producing models they developed themselves. The Komet Constellation was a unique, 4xEL84 based amp with two independent preamp channels that could be blended seamlessly. The Komet K19 is a 2xEL84 based amplifier with just Volume, Saturation and Tone controls. The K29 is a higher powered, 4xEL84 based version of the same circuit. The Komet Concorde model is a higher gain, more Rock oriented variation of the K60 circuit with solid state rectification. The Komet Aero 33, a single-channel 33-watt amplifier head was a Guitar Player Editors' Pick. Trainwrecks never had their electric components hidden in epoxy however, Komet's Aero 33's resistors and capacitors "are individually concealed in black shrink wrap". In 2009, Premier Guitar reviewed the Komet 19, giving it a 5 out of 5 rating, praising the sound and the "astonishing workmanship".
Gjika Amplification was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in the early 1980s, by Robert (Bob) Gjika. Gjika amplifiers are original designs, and are completely hand-wired.
Friedman Amplification is an American company that produces guitar amplifiers, electric guitars, and related accessories. Founded in 2008 by Dave Friedman, the company has become a popular boutique amp maker.
References
- ↑ Hunter, Dave (2005). "Michael Zaite of Dr. Z Amps". The Guitar Amp Handbook: Understanding Tube Amplifiers and Getting Great Sounds. Backbeat. p. 206ff. ISBN 9780879308636.
- ↑ "Tone Quest Report's - Interview With Dr. Z" Archived February 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Hunter, Dave (May 2009). "Dr Z Carmen Ghia". Vintage Guitar . p. 36.
- 1 2 Thompson, Art (June 2014). "Dr. Z Zwreck". Guitar Player . pp. 116–18.
- ↑ Blackett, Matt (August 2011). "Nashville Flood Update". Guitar Player . p. 29.