Amps, tone, and the pursuit of happiness

[Kelly Asay]

Not sure when it happened; IT being my infection with the "tone hunter" virus. I'm pretty sure it’s a virus since it doesn't respond to the "anti-biotic" of common sense thus far.

Now, I'm a bass player at the core, I love the bass and everything about it; from broom box to chapman stick (which I still can't play for love or money...), from classical to athiarchist implied (you'll have to see them). Bass tone is a pretty simple formula for me; SVT (tube only thanks), 8x10 cab, and a Fender bass, with or without active pickups will pretty well take care of it. Ok, if we're going more modern and singing, a warwick into an SWR does the trick...but I digress.

I've always enjoyed playing guitar for my kids, to work on my own material, or even at the sporadic open mike night, but I've never really taken guitar seriously; at least until the Procrastinators. Not that I take it that seriously still, but I have really become pre-occupied with the sound I get with a guitar. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Once upon a time I was very happy to play my 70's Tele through an old Seymour Duncan convertible amp. I knew from playing bass that I preferred tube amps, so that was covered by the Duncan. I had picked it up at a garage sale because a guitarist I used to know played through one, and he seemed to like it. In the process of researching the Duncan I found myself learning about single ended amps, class A/B amps, point to point wiring, and about what makes a Marshall not sound like a Vox or a Fender, etc. The further I went, the more there was to read. Then one day I found myself looking through the window of the local music store at an old Hiwatt. You know the music store, locally owned and operated, they only hired employees who had mastered the art of making you feel instantly inadequate and probably only there to waste their time...you can hear your mother saying "don't touch ANYTHING" right before you open the door...All eyes upon you as soon as you fix your eyes on a well worn instrument or amplifier...or strap...or pick...

I entered, I asked to play it. The guy sat there to make sure I was qualified to operate the single channel Hiwatt head. I began to sweat, blush, and get a little queasy. I immediately handed him the guitar and asked him to demo it for me. Funny, he didn't LOOK like Eric Clapton. He then proceeded to fiddle with the amp, showing off its considerable range, in the process adding another 2db of ringing to my ever present tinnitus. Then he mentioned the amp was one of the Reeves models; hand wired by Dan Reeves: "See the placard here on the chassis?" Who the hell was Dan Reeves? I thanked him for the aural bludgeoning and kindly declined his offer to sell it to me for somewhere north of the cost of having children. The infection was pretty new at this point and I recognized that I needed to do some more research. At the time I didn't realize that an urge to research amplifiers that was nearly as strong as my complete addiction to lightly roasted Ethiopian Harrar Horse coffee was a clear symptom of early stage ToneHunters.

I decided to start researching the guys behind the famous amplifiers: Leo, Jim, Kevin, Fred, Mark, Mike, and yes Dan. I had discovered the musicians’ pantheon; the actual titans of music: not the various promethean icarii; the guitar gods, but the actual TITANS. The ones who gave the sound, the power, the actual VOICE to the many musician heroes we know and variously love and despise today. My readings also lead me to a couple of unassuming guys by the name of Brad Jetter and Jay Abend; nope, haven’t met either one...at least not yet. Discovering them and their progeny helped me to discover the precise strain of sickness I was hosting.

Brad and Jay were the guys behind Bedrock Amplification. Never heard of them? You aren't alone. I was intrigued by what I read. The reviews, the regret expressed by nearly everyone who had ever sold one; I had to check this out. I trekked back to the local guitar shop, significantly more confident with my newly stored arsenal of information; I asked what they knew about Bedrock amps and if they ever came across any used examples in the course of their many acquisitions. I wasn't prepared for the chuckling.

"Bedrock...sounds like another sensationally named product for the deluded wannabe class."

I'm pretty sure he didn't actually say that, but I still got the point. Thing was, it was evident that I knew more about this amp than he did. I muttered "thanks" and headed back to the office, back to my T1 connection.

I decided it was time. I registered on Ebay. I selected "musical instruments". I typed in Bedrock. I hit Search. Wow, there's like 5 of them. I must have not understood what I read. How can there be this many for sale if it's such a good amp? Ooh, a 3 channel 100w 2x12 combo. That looks like as big as guitar amps get I thought. Remember, I'm a bass player; 300w is just barely enough to play a live gig with (old days, bass from stage and mains, monitors where only for voice). Hmmm, no one is bidding. $500 seems like a reasonable starting point. Think I'll put my top bid at $850, I really want this. I didn't win. Bidding went to $1100. I wasn't that sick yet. Wait, it has been re-listed? Someone didn't pay for it? Buy it now for $800. Without a second thought to the potential domestic repercussions, I hit buy it now, I confirmed, I put my credit card info into paypal.

Oh yes, it is mine. Oh sh*t, what have I done; I’m a bass player.

Seven years later: I’m still married and still playing my Bedrock 1000 series 2x12. I now know that 100w is waaaaaaaay too much in a guitar amp; there is no cure for tonehunters, and I do hope you catch it.

Turns out I did know more about Bedrocks than the local experts. Thanks for making them Brad and Jay; the wife doesn’t love you much, but I do. I now own 3 Bedrock Amps. I won't rest until our family room looks like a bedrock product line brochure, uh...

I wonder if I could make one of these myself…

[Mark the Amp Shark]

Cool story, but Fender 400PS will SMOKE an SVT; no disrespect intended. Click on this: http://www.timeelect.com/400-PS-IDX.htm
-Mark the Amp-Shark