Valvotronics Custom Made for and Used by Tom Verlaine Model Tube Head Amplifier (1990s), made in USA, maroon 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, unsurprisingly Tom was also quite a vacuum tube afficionado; a hobby and passion bordering on obsession. Tom spent decades experimenting with amplifier designs, many based around early Hi-Fi tubes and 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 were designed and built seemingly in pursuit of better understanding the inherent sonic characteristics of various vacuum tube types; these creations are truly a tube-roller's (wet) dream!
This particular amplifier, clad in a textured maroon enamel finish, is a dual-EL-84 based head featuring switchable preamp tubes (12AX7 and 6SN7), variable bias and a 6x4 rectifier, yielding around ~15 watts of output power. Although lacking discrete labeling, the control scheme is nearly identical to another amp from the same builder we have listed; featuring controls for volume, treble, middle, bass, 'saturate', a preamp tube switch and a variable bias control (with an additional switch for variable or fixed bias). The amp also has a very cool analog V.U. meter displaying the output level of the amp.
Height is 10 in. (25.4 cm.), 15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm.) width, and 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, this little maroon head is in excellent shape and is showing only minimal wear, part of it from being a somewhat home-made piece to begin with. The enamel finish only shows a couple dings and scuffs and the hardware is overall free from any corrosive staining. The metal embossed 'Valvotronics' logo is intact in the bottom rear of the cabinet.
Electrically, this little amp is unmodified since leaving Tom's hands. It was recently looked over by the maker, Rob Derby and has been given any routine servicing as well as thorough tested by our amp department. 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. That said, they 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 completely unique sonic creations, a part of his lifetime search for that "perfect" sound. Excellent - Condition.
