“And the Stone just keeps on rollin….”
Of course the astute music lover would recognize the line from Robin Trower’s “Too Rollin Stoned”, but this time around there is no more bad news. Just got a message from my good friend James Schultz from up north, about a recent blurb about his new shop, The Guitar Store.
http://www.mygreenlake.com/2011/06/the-guitar-store-seattle/
My first two amps on the floor ready to be played
In it, I was mentioned (Thank You very much) along with a very interesting mis-spell of my amp name. The writer referred to them as Miller Ampwrecks, which is either a very good omen or a lawsuit in the making for trademark infringement. I don’t know if the person who wrote the blog is a guitar player himself and knows about the mythic “Train Wreck” amps or just got all dyslexic on the funny Germanic flavored AmpWerks. Either way it’s a great compliment and a good omen! It’s also a funny coincidence, as my original concept about starting this project was inspired by the Ken Fischer story.
When I was first told about the mix-up, the first thing said was, “Well you know, you might want to run with it..” As tempting as it maybe, I really want to be known form my own thing and not try and get in the slipstream of another famous builder. Aren’t your amps just like?…… No they are not like anything but themselves thank you! Actually, that’s not true as most amps are built using tried and true circuit designs that have been around for a long time. I think the difference really comes from how those elements are implemented and of course part selection does play a role. I’m not going to get into the wire is wire or all caps are the same electronically, so …put that in your pipe and smoke arguments. Because it does get taken to extremes. I remember delving into the world of Audiophillia, back in the 80’s and while I was eager to try the latest mod to eek out the last drop of performance out of my gear. I really was bemused by the lengths that some marketing folks were taking to try to describe and then sell magic ebony blocks to set ones equipment on that would not only clean the aura of your linestage, but give you good karma as well as fabulous sound. I’m not trying to throw egg in anyones face, but I think it got a little crazy there for a while. But what the hey, if someone wants to throw tens of thousands of dollars into single-strand molecularly pure silver conductor cable, who am I to stop them. as long as they aren’t endangering their family or raping the rain forest to do it, knock yourself out.
Wow, what I really meant to say was the proper part choice can make a difference, and the more simple the circuit, the more of a difference you’ll hear. I think? I do know that there are caps that I don’t think belong in a guitar amp, but then again, it depends on the desired result. If you want straight wire with gain, then maybe some of the “audiophile” approved film caps will get your panties hot. I personally like oil-in-paper (OIP) or older style polyester film. They just seem to sound more natural and smooth to my ear.
These are just a few of my current favorites, not because I think they have some inherent MOJO, but because they sound right in my amps, Period! Now, I have to say I haven’t tried some of the more expensive Paper caps like the Jensen’s or Alessandro’s, and they may be just that much better. But until I get someone who doesn’t mind spending $17-$20/ coupling cap (of which there is 6-8 of in my amps) I’m not going to experiment on my dime. That is to say unless a large bundle of C-Notes drops out of the sky and all the other bills are payed and the credit card(s) are payed off and my emergency fund is flush, I’m not probably going to spring for them.
So once again gentle reader, I’ve/ we’ve ended at a place far from the original starting point. I hope it was fairly painless, and somewhat enjoyable. I know that often I’ll lay awake pondering what to do with the stuff that I build. It’s most likely a condition for which there is no cure, because even as maddening as it gets some times (just ask my wife); I can’t imagine life that was sure and without wonder and the excitement of some discovery that wasn’t planned on, or the look on someones face when they plug in and hit a cord and just start grinning with that stupid blissed out-out Homeresqe grin and I know I’ve done something right after all.
Good Night, Pleasant Dreams…………….
MillerAmpwerks 