Upcycled Valve Guitar Amplifiers and Speaker Cabinets
About Us
We are a small family business based in Devon in South West England. We make valve amps and speaker cabinets from reclaimed materials aimed at guitarists that are looking for an alternative to cheap imports and expensive boutique products.
Our philosophy is to re-use vintage components which still have some life left in them without compromising tone or safety and to keep costs as low as possible, allowing guitarists to experience the joys of playing through classic valve amplifiers without breaking the bank.
For our American style amplifiers we use some of the great circuits designed by Leo Fender that were the mainstays of 1950s and 1960s recording, defining the sound of Rock'N'Roll and all popular music thereafter.
Other circuit designs by classic British amp makers Marshall, Vox, Selmer and Watkins are also used to produce our upcycled amplifiers, offering the alternative, EL84 based sound that signified the so-called British Invasion of the late 1960s.
The amplifiers are hand-wired using new resistors, capacitors and potentiometers and other components recycled from old radios and other vintage valve equipment. Transformers and valves can be either upcycled or new depending on availability and customer choice and this will be reflected in the price. Each amp is completely unique but as the circuitry replicates the original exactly it is hoped that the tone will be as close as possible to the real thing.
We make our upcycled speaker cabinets from reclaimed wood, old amplifier parts and speakers we find second hand. We re-cover them with new leatherette and use new grill cloth on the fronts. We try and source interesting vintage speakers or low-cost newer ones. We can't guarantee the speakers will last forever as they are already old and have had a lot of use but we choose them because they were well built and always sound great. Sometimes the chrome on the corners and handles of the cabinets will show signs of age so please don't expect them to be like new.
Our Products
Speaker Cabinets can be loaded or unloaded, new speaker8s or upcycled. Amps start with basic dymo control panels and upcycled valves and transformers. For added lifespan and reliability new components can be fitted at extra cost. Please contact us for a quote.
The circuits available at the moment are:
5 Watt 5f1 Tweed Champ
5 Watt 5f2a Tweed Princeton
10 Watt 5f10 Tweed Harvard
10 Watt 6G2 Brown Princeton
15 Watt 5e3 Tweed Deluxe
6 Watt Single-Ended EL84 Vox/Selmer/Watkins
18 Watt Marshall 1974 (no trem)
15 Watt Vox AC15 (no trem)
These can be combos or heads, covered in your choice of leatherette with new grill cloth.
Our Shipping Policy
At present we can only ship to the UK. We use Parcelforce 48, tracked and insured, with postage added to the asking price.
Stock items can be dispatched within 2 days and a further 2-3 days delivery time. Bespoke items take longer according to how busy we are, usually 2-3 weeks.
Safety
We really don't want to hurt anyone so read this before you buy!
Valve Amplifiers contain potentially LETHAL VOLTAGES which can linger even after the amp is turned off so please be careful if you decide to delve inside.
Also, valves get VERY hot so don't touch them or let any cables touch them while the amp is switched on.
If you want to work on the amp or need to remove it from it's cabinet in order to change the speaker, please do so when the amp has been switched off for several hours, preferably overnight.
Prices
Used parts for British EL84 based amps are easier to come by and generally cheaper so the prices for these are lower than the American 6V6 based circuits.
5 Watt 6v6 Tweed Style
Head £250 Combo £300
15 Watt 6v6 Tweed Style
Head £400 Combo £450
6 Watt EL84
Head £200 Combo £250
15/18 Watt EL84
Head £350 Combo £400
Unloaded 1x12 Speaker Cabinet £100
Loaded 1x12 Speaker Cabinet, used Speaker
£125
These are guide prices and may vary. Speakers and transformers are upcycled and won't last forever. If you require new speakers and/or transformers please get in touch for a quote.