All of our class walked out feeling that our knowledge of the mythical valve amp had been improved exponentially, some of the myth and urban legend became facts, and just as importantly, we had been guided through valve amps in pretty much the best way possible – by actually hand building a valve guitar amp, testing it and making sure that by Sunday evening each person took home a fully gig-worthy 15 watt guitar amp!
And for the sceptics, not only was I blown away by the sheer tonal quality of this little beauty, I was so impressed by Grant’s 1 x 12” combo version that I asked for the cabinet dimensions so that I can make my own combo to gig with! That not only beats schlepping around my preposterously heavy AC30, but also means that I have my very own distinctive sounding little beauty that glows with valve warmth every time I flip the switch!
While Grant actively encourages people to scrounge components from any source available (trashed computer power supplies being obviously a personal favourite), on top of the $250 course fee, he will supply a complete kit of parts, including the legendary lamington tray chassis, for another $250 – talk about value for money!
Highly recommended for any musician with a passing (or better) interest in why they think valve amps are the boss (and has room in their life for a seriously good 15 watt valve amp)!
*I may as well also point out that I have gigged and recorded with everything from a 40 watt solid state Peavey Bandit (basically the pits) to a 200 watt, fully programmable, all valve Mesa Boogie monster rig running through two Marshall Quad Boxes… now, the latter would probably convince most people that God really does exist out there! And, yes, it’s true, valve amps really DO sound better!
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