Valvotronics Custom Made for and Used by Tom Verlaine Tube Head Amplifier (1990s)
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Valvotronics Custom Made for and Used by Tom Verlaine Model Tube Head Amplifier (1990s), made in USA, blue enamel finish.
Tom Verlaine of Television is one of the musical legends we sadly lost in early 2023. Helping to pioneer the new wave and alternative rock scene in New York City in the 1970s, Tom's style of writing and the band's performances at now-legendary venues such a CBGBs quickly gained a cult following, firmly establishing their influence with the release of their debut album Marquee Moon. Verlaine's unique playing remains a sonic touchstone and required listening for several generations of electric guitarists.
Turns out, Tom was also quite the vacuum tube afficionado; a hobby and passion bordering on obsession. Tom spent decades experimenting with amplifier designs, many based around early Hi-Fi tube amplification of the 1930s. Throughout the 1990s Tom commissioned a series of custom made amplifiers from Rob Derby of Valvotronics, a handful of which we have the pleasure to feature here in our showroom. As schematics show, several of the amplifiers are iterations of an ongoing R&D pursuit of a design featuring switchable preamp and output tubes, variable bias and selectable tone-stack voicings; others are unique one-off designs exploring the concept of switchable tube types. All this was seemingly in the pursuit of better understanding the inherent sonic characteristics of various vacuum tube types.
Dressed in funky bright blue and yellow, this particular amp is a simpler design, based around an old Mullard-made EL37 pentode in single-ended operation, alongside a 12AX7 and EZ81/6CA4 rectifier. Much like the straightforward layout of a Fender Champ, this yields around 5 watts of power with a single volume control. The circuit is complimented by old (60s) power and output transformers, and the other two tubes are both older as well; Fischer (German) and RCA.
Height is 7 in. (17.8 cm.), 12 in. (30.5 cm.) width, and 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, this little studio amp head/chassis is in good shape and is showing only minor wear outside of the somewhat homebrewed appearance; the blue enamel-clad chassis shows a few scuffs and scratches, particularly on the rear panel. Please note the chassis is standalone with no enclosure, thus care should be taken around the exposed circuitry on at the bottom of the amp.
Electrically, this little amp is unmodified since leaving Tom's hands. It was recently looked over by the maker, Rob Derby and given any necessary routine servicing; it has also been thoroughly tested by our amp department as well. This amp comes with original documentation. Please note that these amplifiers are custom made to Tom's exact specs and intended for experimental studio use; in other words, they have quirks by design and may not be suited for hard touring applications. This one in particular is not currently housed in a stage-worthy enclosure, although something could be built without too much trouble. That said, these are all wonderful sounding one-of-a-kind pieces, brainchildren of Verlaine's tireless pursuit of tone. This is a rare opportunity for any fan of Tom's to own one of his unique sonic creations. Excellent - Condition.
Tom Verlaine of Television is one of the musical legends we sadly lost in early 2023. Helping to pioneer the new wave and alternative rock scene in New York City in the 1970s, Tom's style of writing and the band's performances at now-legendary venues such a CBGBs quickly gained a cult following, firmly establishing their influence with the release of their debut album Marquee Moon. Verlaine's unique playing remains a sonic touchstone and required listening for several generations of electric guitarists.
Turns out, Tom was also quite the vacuum tube afficionado; a hobby and passion bordering on obsession. Tom spent decades experimenting with amplifier designs, many based around early Hi-Fi tube amplification of the 1930s. Throughout the 1990s Tom commissioned a series of custom made amplifiers from Rob Derby of Valvotronics, a handful of which we have the pleasure to feature here in our showroom. As schematics show, several of the amplifiers are iterations of an ongoing R&D pursuit of a design featuring switchable preamp and output tubes, variable bias and selectable tone-stack voicings; others are unique one-off designs exploring the concept of switchable tube types. All this was seemingly in the pursuit of better understanding the inherent sonic characteristics of various vacuum tube types.
Dressed in funky bright blue and yellow, this particular amp is a simpler design, based around an old Mullard-made EL37 pentode in single-ended operation, alongside a 12AX7 and EZ81/6CA4 rectifier. Much like the straightforward layout of a Fender Champ, this yields around 5 watts of power with a single volume control. The circuit is complimented by old (60s) power and output transformers, and the other two tubes are both older as well; Fischer (German) and RCA.
Height is 7 in. (17.8 cm.), 12 in. (30.5 cm.) width, and 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, this little studio amp head/chassis is in good shape and is showing only minor wear outside of the somewhat homebrewed appearance; the blue enamel-clad chassis shows a few scuffs and scratches, particularly on the rear panel. Please note the chassis is standalone with no enclosure, thus care should be taken around the exposed circuitry on at the bottom of the amp.
Electrically, this little amp is unmodified since leaving Tom's hands. It was recently looked over by the maker, Rob Derby and given any necessary routine servicing; it has also been thoroughly tested by our amp department as well. This amp comes with original documentation. Please note that these amplifiers are custom made to Tom's exact specs and intended for experimental studio use; in other words, they have quirks by design and may not be suited for hard touring applications. This one in particular is not currently housed in a stage-worthy enclosure, although something could be built without too much trouble. That said, these are all wonderful sounding one-of-a-kind pieces, brainchildren of Verlaine's tireless pursuit of tone. This is a rare opportunity for any fan of Tom's to own one of his unique sonic creations. Excellent - Condition.