amps and pedals. I make my own wah inductors, too. For wah pots, one way I build them is
by swapping the internal phenolic wafer from
an old pot into a new wah pot casing. In guitars, I modify the pot’s internal carbon track for
a higher resistance, so they sound more like the
pots found in old Les Pauls. If making my own
part is not an option, I’ll source an alternative
NOS part or, if needed, a new part that reacts
and sounds as close as possible to the original.
Would you later replace that part with
an NOS part if you were able to track
one down?
Yes, but mostly on strict vintage builds.
What about the cabinets? Do you make
them yourself?
Yes. I couldn’t find Marshall cabinets or ones
on the market today that had the look or tone
of the old ones, so I started building them.
My father is a carpenter and stonemason.
Together, we started dovetailing and designing
cabinets from scratch out of Baltic birch plywood, and soon we are going to use a slab of
pine that’s a few hundred years old for builds
based on the tweed Bassman and tweed Twin.
Featuring white rolled Tolex, sleek elegant rolled edges, gold piping and trim, and handwired series Marshall
pinstripe grille cloth. Custom Shop EVH Peavey Wolfgang Moonburst guitar with detailed flame maple.
Photo-by-Andy.com
What’s the price range for your product line?
My Vox Clyde McCoy wah replicas range
from $300–$500, and my Vox Grey wah
replicas normally range from $500–$650,
depending upon what actual NOS components are used. The Grey wah replicas are
handwired on old Radiospares circuit boards,
with all NOS components, including inductors. For amps, it depends on the build and
whether cabinets are involved. To put an
average price figure, I’ve been offered $4,000
to $5,000 for the recent JTM45/100-inspired
build. But that one is my personal amp. It
means something to me and isn’t for sale.
If the price of your NOS-equipped amps is
partly influenced by the use of NOS parts,
what happens to its value after the amp is
used and the parts are either no longer NOS
or are replaced by modern components? For
instance, is the $5,000 amp worth less when
the parts, which directly influence the cost,
are no longer present or new?
No, I don’t feel using the amp makes it lose
its value. But, yes, any component replaced
with a modern part can alter the original
tone of the amp. How much of a tonal difference there is, I can’t say. It depends what
part you are talking about.
LEFT: NOS 1960s original Radiospares carbon film and carbon composition resistors. NOS 1966 Mullard
Mustard coupling capacitors. Original Marshall 1960s PVC stranded wire—green, blue, yellow, purple,
white, black and red. Original Marshall 1960s PVC Pink stranded wire, as well as original thicker diameter
1960s Marshall pink wire for pot jumpers/input jacks, per original spec of this era amplifier. NOS rare
arched-logo RS silver mica capacitor. NOS Radiospares silver mica tone stack capacitor. NOS custom
made perforated Paxolin board from the UK, with original Radiospares split turrets. PEC military-grade
stainless steel body, steel shafts, and gold contact potentiometers.
RIGHT: NOS tube sockets. NOS BY137 bullet diodes. NOS BY114 Mullard top-hate diode for bias supply. High quality Rifa brand electrolytic capacitors. 1960s original Radiospares black wire wrap. NOS
tube sockets. Cliff UK jacks. New Marshall impedance/voltage selector for reliability. Custom transformers from Merren Audio—through years of extensive testing they were the only transformers that
accurately reproduced the original sound.
I also want to say that I don’t just copy
old tones. I like to move ahead and look
forward. I often use original tones as
something to aim for. I feel there is a fine
line between someone who chases that
“brown sound” that so many do—and
who also go about it the wrong way—and
someone who uses the original tones of
the greats as a springboard. I feel that
recreating original amps and tones is only
the beginning. It’s not the end goal most
of the time. I think it would be very bor-
ing if everyone just copied someone’s play-
ing style or tone.
