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Dave Hunter
Keith Richards’ 1977 Mesa/Boogie Mark I
Still Rollin’
As ubiquitous as the little 1×12″ Mesa/Boogie Mark Series combo has become over the past 48 years – and as large and successful as the company grew to be – there was a time when one of the world’s most-famous guitarists had to plead his case with Randy Smith to jump the months-long waiting list…
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Dave Hunter
Fender AA964 Princeton
What’s (Not) in a Name
Getting the job done – five simple knobs on the Princeton’s control panel. 1966 Fender Princeton • Preamp tubes: one 7025, one 12AX7 • Output tubes: two 6V6GT • Rectifier: GZ34 • Controls: Volume, Treble, Bass, Tremolo Speed and Intensity • Speaker: Single 10″ Jensen C10R or Oxford 10J4 (modern replacement seen in this example)…
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Dave Hunter
Vox/Thomas Organ V-14 Super Beatle
Solid Sound
After producing some of the most-iconic guitar amplifiers of the early 1960s, Vox leaned unwittingly into a failing technology – and unknowingly accelerated its own implosion. Still, some of the solid-state creations of that transitional period are classics, like this ’66 Super Beatle. As the cliché goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall…
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Dave Hunter
Orange OR80 Combo
Sunshine State
Created when amps were huge and men were men – or at least had roadies to carry the gear – this 1972 Orange OR80 2×12″ combo veritably screams bell-bottomed rock style and attitude, and wails it out with eardrum-shredding power. Range amps are known for being loud and brash, with a raw, raucous tone. It’s…
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Dave Hunter
Fender’s V-Front 5B4 Super-Amp
Wonder Wedge
Though all tweed Fender amps of the late ’40s and ’50s are lauded and lusted after, the V-front Super might be the most iconic – and elusive. So, when a golden-era combo like this was also the compatriot of a player known for his tone, it’s got to be special. Aside from their undeniably cool…
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Dave Hunter
Dumble Garage Band Ripper
Orange Crushed
Through much of his career, Alexander Dumble made amps at his discretion, building one of his hallowed tone machines only if he liked the way you played. But if he really liked you – as a guitarist and as a human being – he just might present you a priceless piece of work out of…
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Dave Hunter
Dallas Rangemaster and Scala Combos
Texas Two Step
Fascinating also-rans, C-list classics, or both, the amps manufactured by London-based Dallas Music Ltd beginning in 1959 tie directly to legendary British gear. All but unheard of stateside, they were also a springboard to bigger things. As the ’50s skiffle craze in Britain segued into rock and roll, a handful of instrument manufacturers were jockeying…
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Dave Hunter
The Vox/Thomas Organ V-8 Berkeley Super Reverb
Organ Transplant
Most fans of classic British guitar amplifiers have heard the tale of how the great all-tube Vox models of the early 1960s transmogrified into disappointing solid-state Vox-in-name-only creations from the Thomas Organ Company later in the decade. But a brief rest stop on that road included nifty all-tube builds from California, like this ’65 V-8…
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Dave Hunter
Dwight Twilley’s ’57 Fender Super
Cowboy Fringe
Plenty of vintage amps have made it into these pages on their own merits. But when a hallowed creation also has a fun artist-related history – like this road-worn 1957 Fender Super Amp formerly owned by Dwight Twilley and used by his lead guitarist, Bill Pitcock, IV – It adds a dimension to the tale.…
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Dave Hunter
Benson Model 300H
Wrecking Ball
Even with all the excellent guitar amps available by the late ’60s, nothing was quite good enough for jazz and studio great Howard Roberts – so he co-designed his own. This 1971 Benson combo spent many years with a former Roberts student, and reveals what might have been one of the world’s top combos, had…
