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Fender
Twin Reverb '65 Reissue
I had heard
Robert's work on several amps, and was curious what he
could do in the way of upgrades to a stock Fender Twin
reverb '65 reissue, built in the early 2,000's.
I wasn't looking to
stray too far from the stock circuitry but wanted
something to augment the sound of an already very nice
performer. We discussed several options, and settled on a
matched set of output tubes, leaving the rest of the unit
original.
Robert's choice of
tubes, and biasing, gave this amp incredible bite and
presence using more aggressive picking, with increased
headroom. At the same time, it shows warm, subtle colors
when I back off. TOTAL tone and flexibility.
Thanks, Robert.
Chris Beller
JCM
800
Robert,
I am amazed at how
my amps sounds! It is no longer a "one trick pony". It
sounds equally spectacular over driven as it does clean
and with a little volume control, can transition from one
to the other seamlessly. Also, the KT66 valves have a
unique voice, so I don't sound like everyone
else.
Thanks!
Rob
Carvin
Bel Air 212
I bought a
Carvin Bel Air 212 tube amplifier from Robert. This had
been his personal "shop amp" and as such he had upgraded
all the preamp and power tubes with his own personal
favorite tubes. He also performed a full set of "Hasserl
mods" to broaden the tonal palette of the amp. WIth all
of these modifications, a good amp has become a great amp
with versatility to spare. After gigging with it a few
times I can honestly say that I never thought I'd be able
to buy an amp that could sound this good or be this fun
to play for such a reasonable price. My advice to any
owner of a tube amp, particularly those who feel that
their amps could be improved in any way, is talk to
Robert to see what he would recommend. My guess is that
you would be happy you did.
Thanks Robert!!
Hap Purcell
Acoustic
Amp
I'm not a
great guitarist, but I enjoy playing whatever I am
capable of. This little Acoustic Amp was a birthday
present from my brother and unfortunately I "burned up"
the transformer at the last session I played with his
band before I left Switzerland to move to Durango.
Therefore it means a
lot to me and I am very grateful to you that you brought
it back to life and made it sound even better than
before. I'd like to thank you for all the hours and work
you've put into it, which made me a very happy
customer!
Thanks again,
Baudi Shellnut
Allen
Guitar Amp
Wanted to get
back to you regarding the transformer upgrade and voicing
changes we did on my Allen amps. The Brown Sugar has
blossomed beautifully and now paired with a 1x12 EV cab
it has become my favorite club sized amp to date. The
re-voicing you did on the smaller amp dramatically
improved the treble response and makes the amp much
easier to dial in. I also can't tell you how much I
appreciate the amps being returned clean, tightened up
mechanically and re-biased. I greatly appreciate your
knowledge base, professionalism and excellent
ears.
Thanks Again,
John Massone
Fender
Blackface Super Reverb
After an
output tube blew on my amp, Robert suggested two output
tube pair alternatives for replacements. He then
installed the new matched pair of output tubes that
I selected and set the bias on them for the best
performance. Also he installed a necessary new phase
splitter tube. The amp was much louder with more
headroom, clarity, and punch. It is much more responsive
to my pick attack. I didn't realize the amp could sound
this good!!
Thanks Robert,
Art Collins
Top
of Page
1990
Fender Twin
After years of
performing with my Fender Twin, it was in need of repair.
I heard that Robert Evans was THE tube amp specialist and
I contacted him. After Robert diagnosed some of the amp's
issues, he gave me options as to their repair. I had
Robert overhaul the amp, involved cleaning the circuitry,
replacing speaker wire, capacitors, resistors, power
tubes and the reverb tank.
When it came to the
pre-amp tubes, Robert asked me about the specific type of
sounds and tones I was seeking when improving upon the
amp. Based on that discussion, Robert chose various tubes
that he suggested along those lines.
Then through a brief
session he had me play the guitar through the amp while
he sampled different tonal tubes. In his workshop I was
able to select the exact tubes I wanted for this
amplifier.
We dialed in the amp
through a process that I could not have done otherwise.
As a quality technician, Robert listens as closely to the
internal workings of tube circuitry as he does to the
customer's needs.
I've had Robert work
on additional amps of mine over the years. And when
asked, I have gladly passed along Robert's phone number
to musicians who use tube amplifiers.
Robert, thanks for
your great work.
Kirk James
Dean
Markley Signature Series 60 guitar amp
I have this
Dean Markley amp, that I had given up on about 15 years
ago. It had no clarity anymore and it sounded like a
chainsaw when you turned it on. I had taken it to two
other shops and it came back sounding the same. I heard
about Mr. Evans at a guitar jam and decided to give it
one more go before throwing it out the window. I could
tell from our first talk that this guy probably knows
what the hell he's talking about. I got the amp back in a
timely fashion and it sounds great. It has a clarity and
bite that seems to be better than it was born with; and
it doesn't make a sound you don't tell it to. You need an
amp fixed (correctly), this is the place to take it.
Thanks again
Mike Botts
1959
Fender Champ
Robert,
I worked on the
Champ some more this week. The speaker was attached
loosely with Bondo and three screws if you can believe
it. I took the whole thing apart and drilled new holes
and mounted it nicely. I think the low strings are much
better and it got rid of some other artifacts I was
hearing when it was played loudly.
Thanks for working
on my new ebay purchase 1959 Fender Champ. Thanks a lot
for your dedicated effort to sort out the power issues
and replace cap's and resistors. It is now just what I
thought it should be. It's great that there is someone in
Durango servicing musician's amplifiers with your
knowledge and meticulous attention to detail. I
appreciate it.
Regards,
Marc Katz
Ampeg
B15 N Flip Top Bass Amp
On the advice
of a band mate, I called Robert Evans the "amp doctor" to
get his opinion of the amp and to see if he thought it
was worth trying to restore. I took the amp to Robert's
shop where he immediately started taking cover plates off
to look at the inner workings. After a few moments, he
commented that this was his favorite variation of the
Ampeg B15 N Flip Top and thought it to be a 1961 edition.
He also noted that it was in very near original condition
and thought it was well worth some attention to get it
running again.
A few weeks later I
found myself back at his shop to give the amp a listen. I
brought my number one bass with the best vintage tone to
plug in with. Power on. Standby on. No noise. Beautiful
tone. I couldn't believe it. I don't understand how all
the little parts and wires make such a beautiful sound,
but Robert does. He turned a piece of garage sale junk
into my studio recording bass amplifier.
Robert has a very
in-depth understanding of electronics and has since
helped me with a newer tube amplifier. I also trust him
with the ideals of preserving the vintage integrity of a
classic piece of gear.
Thanks Robert.
Hal Lott, bass player
Johnson
Marquis JM 60 Amp
This is
mid-priced modeling amp that puts out 60 W. It features a
number of amp models and effects, and relies on a single
tube pre-amp. When the amp stopped working, Robert fixed
it quickly and professionally.
But the real news is
that, for about $ 20, Robert replaced the original tube
with one that transformed the sound of the amp. It now
has an immediate attack (using hotter pickup guitars),
and a warmth and depth it always lacked.
Thanks Robert.
Chris Beller
1972
Fender Super Reverb Amplifier
I'm a rock and
blues guitarist, and I asked Robert Evans (the Audio
Atelier) to do some work on my 1972 Fender Super Reverb
amp in May 2007. The amp was working, but it was fairly
noisy, it had blown a fuse recently, some of the
controls didn't seem to be working effectively, and I was
worried it might be on the edge of a breakdown.
After communicating
with me about my style of playing, tone
preferences, and what I wanted out of the amp,
Robert spent two hours with the amp and then called me in
to test it. I immediately noticed the following
improvements:
• The amp was
noticeably quieter..... the background crackling and hum
were gone.
• The amp had
more clean headroom, and was louder at comparable
volumes.
• The bass
control, which previously was effective only up to 3, and
then very muddy from 4 on up (a problem I have heard from
other vintage Super Reverb owners), was much more
effective. Settings at 4 and above had a gradually
increased bass response without being overly
muddy.
I was very pleased
with Robert's work on my amp, and with his knowledge and
expertise with tube amps and sound quality.
Thanks again,
Robert, and keep up the good work. Cheers,
Larry Carver (Durango, Colorado)
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