Valvotronics Custom Made for and Used by Tom Verlaine Model Tube Head Preamp Amplifier (1995), made in USA, grey 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 a 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 90s, 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 seemingly in the pursuit of better understanding the inherent sonic characteristics of various vacuum tube types.
This particular preamp was designed around the concept of switching between or combining 11 (that's right, 11!) different tubes; specifically a 5749/6BA6, 6136/6AU6, a 6AV6, an ECC40, a 6267/EF86 in pentode, a 6267/EF86 in triode, a ECC85/6AQ8, a ECL86/6GW8, a 6N7/VT96, a 6J5 and last but not least, a 6SJ7/5693. The preamp features individual switches for each tube, bringing them in or out of the signal path. The tubes are in parallel and summed by a 12AU7. The front panel features input and output jacks, as well as controls for a normal/pad/hi-cut filter, preamp tube vol/gain, a three-position 'tone' rotary for normal/+6dB/+9dB at ~10kHz and a master output volume control.
A quite unusual and one-of-a-kind design, this preamp allows for auditioning the sonic characteristics of these various tube designs, many of them quite esoteric for guitar application -- a tube-roller's (wet) dream! Not to mention, the preamp comes loaded with some very desirable (and valuable) NOS tubes by the likes of RCA, Mullard, Tung-Sol and Telefunken.
Height is 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.), 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm.) width, and 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, this little studio preamp head is in excellent shape showing VERY minimal wear; the grey enamel-clad chassis is free of any notable scuffing or worn areas, as is the perforated cover. The handle is thoughtfully offset to balance the weight of the rather substantial toroidal transformer. The hardware is overall free from any corrosive staining. The top cover bears a metal badge that reads 'Valvotronics'.
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 necessary routine servicing and thorough tested by our amp department as well. The 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. That said, they are all wonderful sounding one-of-a-kind pieces, all brainchildren of Verlaine's tireless pursuit of tone and this is a rare opportunity for any fan of Tom's to own one of his sonic creations. Excellent Condition.
