October 2011 \ Features \ Field Report \ GALLERY: L.A. Amp Show 2011

GALLERY: L.A. Amp Show 2011

Chris Kies

The latest boutique amps, guitars, and pedals on display at the annual Van Nuys gear gathering.
Premier Guitar October 2011

     

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Comments

 (14 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Jose
on 03/10/2013 		Sorry, but made in China still is and will be for years to come,.. crap,.. simply because quality control over there sucks,...
wd
on 12/14/2012 		I'm in Hong Kong right now and Yes there is no Comparison when you talk about USA Made. China Stuff is just that, "Cheap" till this day.
SixStringJed i 48
on 02/09/2012 		Dickiebyrd's right... 'Chinaphobia' is still rampant, almost seems like a form of prejudice or discrimination. It probably is. Years ago, it was "Made in Japan = crap", today it's China. China making some very high-quality instruments these days, something a lot of guitar players would notice if they got their heads unstuck from their nether regions. We're in a global economy now, people. We've got to start thinking that way. I own several USA-made instruments, several Japanese-made ones and some Chinese-made ones as well and they're ALL good. Interesting to note that all those excellent quality Japanese electrics that were labeled as garbage many years ago are now praised by the same people as 'high-quality' instruments. I wonder how those guitars managed to 'improve' in quality over all that time? Anyway, a lot of USA-made instruments use overseas parts and even tonewoods, some of it from China. Some American-made parts even use raw materials from - you guessed it - China, and other countries, too.
jerry
on 10/11/2011 		Surreal Classic Modern 100 $2,000 As my original model (CM 50) Classic Modern 50 evolved and started getting some attention and after a few were sold, I started a few 100 watt chassis. The 100 watter started off exactly like my original model, but as I tried new things, I realized I could get more versatility overall by using the plate driven tone stack approach. The original 50’s being cathode driven 3 gain stage primarily with one extra gain stage for the lead boost. The 100 watters follow a different power section scheme as well. Years of experiments have finally paid off with a power amp that has the perfect blend of both worlds; sag and aggressiveness. The new circuit has more gain and a slightly different, more open feel. The Classic Modern will be one that leans towards Modern. In a nut shell, the Classic Modern 100 is a big, aggressive sounding amp but still very musical. Not jumping over into that industrial sound. The tone is classic rock but tons more gain. All the clarity is there and then some. The term “glassy” becomes perfectly understood when you crank this amp up. This is a very addictive, very fluid and articulate lead guitar tone. I include a killer clean channel that stands on its own. The controls for the clean are on the back. It’s a classic rock preamp that distorts just like your favorite non master volume amp. Plexi spec 1959. The crunch channel starts out with a minimum preamp gain that’s already into ACDC territory. There are several gain and voicing mods on the front and back of the amp to customize it to your needs. The standard controls are there along with a control I’ve labeled “Slope”. This lets you control the resistor value going into the tone network. The effect is a thickening or thinning sound. It’s a great feature to have right there in a pinch. With the gain at 1 o’clock the Classic Modern easily enters the realm of Sykes and Aldrich. The Lead Master Volume. This solo boost feature can also be tied into whichever g
Voodoo Amps
on 10/11/2011 		Visit our website (www.voodooamps.com) and you will see all of our products are 100% made in the USA! NOT CHINA - We do not manufacture in China in any way, shape or form & I honestly have no idea where some one would get that from? We go to great lengths to offer a very high quality, hand built & hand wired amplifier that made in the USA. It is with a great sense of pride that manufacture exclusively in the USA so I apologize for the spelling errors in my previous post but the very last thing I want people to believe that we manufacture in China.
Voodoo Amps
on 10/11/2011 		JC & Woody - We do **NOT** manufacture in China, never have & never will. Our facility is located in Lansing, New York where each & and every amplifier is hand wires/built from the ground up (no PCB's in the Texas Heat). IE: we use Custom Mercury Magnetics transformers, The Texas Heat used an Eminence speaker, 100% NY labor, etc. Not sure where you got the idea we manufactured in China but this is 100% false -- Trace Davis, Founder/President of Voodoo Amps (www.voodooamps.com)
dickiebyrd
on 10/09/2011 		You guys need to get over your Chinophobia - It's reality and the build quality still rests with the builder... the majority of the hand made amps are chock-full of Asian parts; Xicon, Illinois, and Mallory caps, Alpha pots, virtually all terminal strips, tube sockets, jacks, and plugs and wire; Accutronics reverb tanks moved to Korea well over a year ago, and all but a handful of Celestions have been coming from China for years... I for one draw the line at PCBs... but to me "boutique" usually means the guy who's name is on the front builds it from start to finish with his bare hands, and then stands behind it. Smart, efficient parts sourcing is just part of good business or staying in business...
Nick
on 10/07/2011 		where do you guys get the "made in china" info from? metro amps have always been made in the USA.
ted
on 10/07/2011 		nice to see proto types. lot of new guys it seems. plus a surprising number of guitars. guess you need something to plug into all those amps!
jerry
on 10/07/2011 		wheres the rest of the show



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