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Sound City Amplification originated in England and began selling amps in 1967. After the company went into administration in 2006, Sound City was reborn in the United States in 2018 under Neal Ostberg and Steven Fryette.
Sound City's history dates back to approximately 1875 when John E. Dallas and Sons, Ltd. (JED), a parent company, was first formed in England. As technology advanced over time, JED became involved in the consumer electronics market and as a result Dallas Musical, Ltd. was formed in the early 60s. Shortly after in approximately 1965, JED acquired Arbiter Electronics from J. and I. (Ivor) Arbiter and a few years later the Dallas Music subsidiary was merged with Arbiter Electronics in 1967 forming Dallas Arbiter, Ltd. [1]
Prior to 1966/1967, Arbiter Electronics owned three music shops in London's West End, one of these being called Sound City. Since Arbiter Electronics was also into manufacturing and distribution, an extension of this brand was to create a line of sound-reinforcement equipment, which was named Sound City. Therefore, from approximately 1967 on, all of the Sound City amplifiers and cabinets were relabeled from Arbiter Electronics, Ltd. to either Arbiter Sound City or Dallas Arbiter, Ltd. [1]
In the early days of Arbiter Electronics and Dallas Arbiter, Dave Reeves worked as Sound City's design engineer, designing the Model "One Hundred” also known as the Mark 1 amplifier and plausibly the L100 Mark 2 in addition. During this time, Dennis Cornell aided Reeves and eventually went on to design the L/B100 and L/B200 Mark 3 amplifiers. Shortly after, Reeves and Dallas Arbiter parted ways with Reeves starting Hiwatt. [1]
The original business plan for Dallas Arbiter's Sound City line was motivated by the goal of becoming the single product source for music shops everywhere. In order to make this business model successful, all Sound City products sold had to be marketed at price points that made them attractive to buyers who often had little more than return bus fare when they walked into a music store. The essential idea was that a band could walk into any music store selling the complete Dallas Arbiter line and equip everyone in the band with Hayman drums (a subsidiary of Dallas Arbiter and then of DMI) and Hayman guitars and basses, Sound City guitar and bass amps, and a Sound City PA system, complete with Sound City microphones, stands, etc. [2]
As a result, Dave Reeves felt that the limited production values associated with this plan caused the products to suffer. The materials used in the amp model he designed as well as the workmanship were less than they could have been given a more focused business model. This ultimately led to a lack of quality control. Dave aspired to build and design the best possible amps he could, regardless of cost, and felt that he was unable to do this using Sound City's business and manufacturing model. [3]
Consequently, with the inability to influence or change the direction Sound City was headed, Dave Reeves chose to pursue Hiwatt (and Hylight Electronics) company full time, using the model "One Hundred" as a foundational design for his company's products. Ultimately, Sound City would end up copying many of Dave Reeves's Hiwatt design elements in their subsequent lines of guitar and bass amplifiers. Based on the profile of Hiwatt amps and Dave Reeves’ craftsmanship, early Sound City amps can be described as producing a big, bold, unique, and loud sound. [2]
After Reeves’ departure, Sound City amps went through some changes and were gone from the scene by the mid 70s. [4] Later, Andrew Landesberg the last owner of Arbiter and Arbiter Entertainment including Sound City went into administration in 2006.
Sound City was reborn by Neal Ostberg and Steven Fryette in 2018. The products they produce represent an evolution of the 1967 design. This revival began with the intention of continuing onward from the distinct point in history where Reeves was working at the bench. Meaning anything from the post Reeves era is disregarded, and the new Sound City amps revive the quality, tone, and craftsmanship that Reeves honed while at Sound City. [3]
Sound City fans today fall into two categories: those who prefer the pure, yet robust tones of the Reeves era, and those who prefer the latter, where they want amps to be dirty and harsh. The SC100 amps straddle the line between both types of players, resulting in an increased harmonic range and broader tonal palette. The revamped Sound City line recreates the original character, but with the use of more modern technology to achieve amp-and-cab connection. [3]
In 1967–1969, Pete Townshend, Guitarist, and John Entwistle, Bassist from The Who used Sound City customized L100 amps designed by Dave Reeves. When speaking about these amps Townshend stated in a 1994 Guitarist interview that “Jimi Hendrix and his manager Chas Chandler had previously come to see me to ask about buying amps. I said that I’d just stopped using Marshall amps at that time and was using a new rig called Sound City, which became Hiwatt, and I said I thought Sound City were better. Chas, being a canny Geordie, turns to Jimi and says, One of each, I think.” [5] Jimi Hendrix then went on to use these Sound City amps during his iconic 1968 North American tour. [6]
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