We do all guitar repair, restoration, refinishing and setup work as well as pick up rewinds and amp and pedal electronics repairs. If it's broken or not playing like it should, we'll fix it.
The retail shop stocks and sells a full range of hardware, leads, strings etc and we have exclusive dealerships so check out the pricelists for the best prices around.

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July 10, 2010

Amwatts amps

Amwatts strives to build the best vintage style instrument amps and speaker cabinets, using the highest quality available materials. Mark builds his amps and speaker cabinets to bring you the vintage tones of Blues & Rock ‘N’ Roll you've wanted. I want you to get excited and WANT you to play our products from the moment you hear them. Because when you sound good, you play good. He works with customers to give them what they are looking for in the style of amps and cabinets he builds. In these days of mass production, he prides himself on hand crafting amps and cabinets for tone, quality and longevity.
Amwatts currently has in it's line

THE "JUKE" HARMONICA AMPLIFIER
Named in tribute to Little Walter, the "Juke" amplifier is designed to alleviate feedback and volume issues that have hampered harp players. It has been developed, tuned and tested with some of the finest harp players in Australia.
The "Juke" amp is matched to a harp's tonal frequencies and is compatible with a microphone's high impedance. It can compete unmiked with the onstage volumes of guitarists and drummers without annoying feedback.
The "Juke" has a big fat bluesy 'honk' without muddying the tone of the harp. Nice bottom end combined with a midrange growl. A cutting top end without ice pick squeal.
It covers a wide range of tones from the crisp clean feel of a laid back Sonny Boy Williams to the swamp house overdrive of a big Texas shuffle. Amwatts aim is to make the finest harp amp available today.

50s TWEED AMPS
The 50s TWEED range of guitar amps are based on circuits that came out of Fullerton, California. The originals had a warmth of tone that produced the sounds that helped shape Rock 'n' Roll. Clean and rounded, and when pushed they became compressed and crunchy.
The early circuits had problems. Some suffered AC hum from heater filament circuits. They were also prone to parasitic oscillations due to positioning of certain components (sounds like a mosquito is chasing the notes or a rattle in the amp). They also became flubby when the amp was driven hard (too much bottom end). This flubbiness increased when using P90 or humbucker pickups.
THE AMWATTS VERSION:
Amwatts 50s TWEED amps are based on these original circuits but remove the problems without changing the tone. AC hum is removed. A redesigned layout is used to eliminate oscillation. Values of certain components are changed to decrease the flubbiness. Not all of it is removed, as the amp would then lose it's tonal character and become sterile.
The Amwatts 50s TWEED models have the tone of the originals but are balanced to handle the pickups and effects of the modern era.

SPEAKER CABINETS
Amwatts started building speaker cabinets in early 2002. The aim was to build a compact sized 2 x 12" cabinet with a big, full and rounded sound. Most modern cabinets are built with either plywood or compressed woods. Plywood is made up from layers of thin sheets of wood and the grain of each layer is at a 90 degree angle to the next layer. Grain doesn’t flow in one direction. Using this type of material cuts top end frequencies and slightly dulls the cabinet.
Amwatts cabinets are made with hand selected pine. The wood resonates with the speakers giving a fuller, richer tone and brings out a broader frequency range from your amp. Dovetailed corners give strength and rigidity, making the cabinets durable for hard gigging. Solid 30mm hardwood bracing around the baffle board adds to the strength and resonance of the cabinet. Speakers are mounted on a high grade ply baffle board.
Mark is also in the process of developing reproduction models of early and rare 40s Fender models, based on actual original models owned by Amwatts. Amwatts products are lovingly hand built on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
These great amps can be tested at Tym guitars retail shop.

1 comment:

  1. Wow. That seems like a great place to get someone to manufacture tube amps and guitar and bass effects pedal for you. I really hope i can get the right one for my brother. I wanted to give it as gift this coming August. How much do these usually cost?

    ReplyDelete