Flametopper Logo

A pic of the current rig.  Eight amplifiers, with three sharing speakers from the other amps, or the Mesa 2×12 Cabinet.  This rig has the ’60s, and ’70s tone covered.

A Marshall 1974x and a Mesa cabinet.  The Marshall is an 18 watt gem.  It doesn’t have too much headroom, so it begins to growl on 4, and creamy at 7!.  Powered by 2 EL84 powertubes, it makes for a great recording amp that gets that ’60s Marshall tone. All amp heads are complemented the Mesa Boogie 2×12 cabinet with a Celestion Vintage 30 and a Celestion Greenback.

A Magnatone Varsity and a ‘65 Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue.  The Magnatone is a dual EL84 offering that just knocks your head off!  It sounds more like 20+ watts rather than the 15 to 18 watt rating.  It’s a bit of a blend of American clean and British grit.  The Fender DR sounds just like a real mid 60s version.  I replaced the Power and Output Transformers, the choke, and the Reverb transformer also with Mercury Magnetics upgrades.  As a final upgrade, I replaced the standard Jensen C12K with a 1964 Jensen C12N that I found on on eBay.  The amp sounds nothing like it did when I bought it.  The trannys just open it up, and the speaker is brighter and more sparkly. Gretsch and the Fenders really shine through it!

A  ‘Vox AC15 and a Vox AC30. Sooo ’60s British   The AC15 was the first amp produced by Vox in 1958, and this Hardwired addition sounds almost identical. Definitely has the Vox Chime with Celestion Blue Speaker, but turned up and it grinds beautifully.  The AC 30 Power and Output Transform along with the choke, have been upgraded with Mercury Magnetics versions.  The AC30 is a very clean amp, but turning it up using a Hot Plate and you get this incredibly creamy, belltone like overdrive, thanks to their Celestion G-12 Alnico Vox Blue speakers!!  This one was from the last year they made them in the UK.

Here we have an array of Marshall Studio 20 watt reissue of the iconic amps of the ’60s and ’70s. Marshall ST20H, a Marshall SV20H (Red), a Marshall SC20H (White), along with a G-Force rack system, along with 2 Furman power racks on the bottom.  On top is the ST20H, which is a replication of the JTM 45; the first amp produced by Marshall, powered with a pair of 5881s. The Red SV20H is a 20 watt studio version of a late 60s Plexi, and the White SC20H is the same for the mid 70s 2203, both powered with 2 EL34s!  The tone is quite amazing and symbolic of those respective eras.  Seems that Marshall limited the output voltages, which basically dumbs it down to 20 watts rather than the 50 watts you’d normally see with these power tubes.  The TC Electronics G-Force rack system used through the effects loop in the amps that provide one.  It adds distinctively clean digital effects, such as reverb, delay, and chorus capturing that early 80s feel.

A few of the THD Hotplates that I use in conjuction with the amps, which allows you to turn up the volume, and not have the police at your door.  They dissipate volume by way of heat, but let the tone of driven power tubes come throughc and provide the legendary crunch and creamy tone, so identifiable with Rock and Roll.  The top unit is custom built by my Amp Tech Todd Marquart, which allows me to switch up to 10 different amp heads to use through the Mesa Boogie cabinet equiped with a Celestion Vintage 30 and a Celestion Greenback.  The setup is so freaking convenient!!

The things that come to those that wait may be the things left by those that got there first.

Steven Tyler