Oliver B120, designed by Jess Oliver. I’ve repaired a fair few of these amps - this one was very original, but was noisy, intermittent, and the owner wanted a line output to use with a DI. It received power tubes, dampeners, a full cap job, power supply resistors, some various coupling caps and plate resistors, rebuilt adjustable bias supply, one NOS 6EU7 preamp tube, rewired power supply, a full RESOLDERING of the PCB(s), a replacement speaker, some dampening material to stop the A 110Hz buzz, and a ton of love, testing, and wanna be Jameson bass noodling. It’s sounding strong and should be good for a long time! The output sounds lovely but it took some tinkering to get the level just right. Enjoy the amp Ben!!
A pair of Fender Twin Reverb(s) for @jbrekkie —> I’ve fixed about as many twin reverbs over the years as blues jr’s —> they’re sorta everywhere, sorta the gold standard, and have often seen decades of use on the road or as backline. I sometimes hate em, sometimes love em —> It’s hard to argue for 100 watts in this era unless you need utmost certainty that you will be loud enough, but ya know, sometimes they hit just right ——->>>>
Peter’s vintage twin has been modified by many//various hands (see modified photo), but I’ve done a decent share of work to it over the years. It’s currently running a “type-2” master volume and only two output tubes which reduces the output by 3dB & increases the damping factor for a “tighter” sound. It’s road worn in all the nice ways and is one of the nicest twins I’ve heard.
The reissue just needed some tubes and servicing and is on its way!
Thanks to @coverandspine for some 🔌 work, and @ryukisking for the 📸
I chaotically released the PHILADELPHIA PEDAL this weekend -->> thanks to all that purchased one -->> supporting my family, work, and the Germantown Community Fridge.
This pedal isn't the best distortion on the market -->> But it's something I've been shaping and making for about 14 years // something I've taught hundreds of students&Philadelphians to make on their own // something I've given to icons of mine // something I've donated or used to support various non-profits, relief funds, and support causes I believe in // and something I've used as a creative outlet>bringing me back to what got me interested in making stuff in the first place>>>being able to slow down, focus on exploring something, and trying to take it all in --->>>
I started making these pedals after spending a lot of time working in the UArts makerspace (RIP) >>> I was feeling confident with laser cutting and experimenting with different materials>>> this "epiphany" of using reverse-engraving & painting or using various materials ->>>>> It was like learning the powerchord again. Anyhoo, I was just going to write "ThANKs aLL" and add a silly quip, butttttt I guess these meant more to me than I realized. Thanks again all, Matt
p.s. at the time of this post, there were three remaining pedals in the store >>>link in biO
hi all,
a winter update >>> I closed up shop in October so that we could prepare for the arrival of a baby >>> well/well/well/well >>> about two months ago we welcomed a small human by the name of Oliver into our house & lives >>> happy to report that everyone (humans & critters alike) is/are healthy, happy, and staying warm ~ >>> with that being said…
R O O T B E E R A U D I O reopens this week for repairs, restorations, custom amps, kit builds, foot switches, cables, and so on and so on and so on >>> for more service & ordering info/procedures, take a look at the SERVICES section of the site (link in bio).
education >>> want to learn how to make a pedal or simple oscillator (bleep blip boop)? or about ohm’s Law, signal-flow, & why that microphone shocked you on stage? I’m currently accepting online & in-person lessons >>> more info in the EDU section on the site (LiNK in gOT dang BIO )))
in closing >>> due to some life changes, Rootbeer Audio is more of a full-time gig than it has been in the past >>> I had to restrict the work and projects I took on as I became busier throughout the past few years, but it’s a new dawn >>> have an idea? want me to fix all of your amps at your recording studio in the Catskills? want to host a pedal workshop at your office? want to build a 10,000 watt KT88 public address system? let’s talk.
>>> thanks for reading, Matt
A custom Philly 20+ combo with reverb, two-button footswitch (reverb & boost), and a Weber 12F150B speaker in “rootbeer aesthetic”, aka no tolex and mcm grill cloth.
As I’m wrapping up the last few jobs, I wanted to let y’all know that I won’t be accepting any more work/orders for the rest of 2024 — thank you all for the orders, repairs, & support this summer —///— see ya in 2025, matt
p.s. now that the summer’s work is winding down, keep an eye out for the Philadelphia pedal release this spooky season 🤫
summer update >>> some of y’all may have already seen this in your inbox but ))))))) Rootbeer Audio will be reopening July 1st (tODAy) for your repair and amp/pedal building needs >>> I’ll be accepting repairs & orders for the first time since last summer, so if you’ve been patiently waiting, get in touch ~~
service(s) >>> I’ve updated my site a bit, and the way I’ll handle repairs & inquiries moving forward. If you check out the SERVICE section of my site, you’ll find information/FAQs in regards to billing, deposits, drop-offs/pick-ups, what type of work I can accept, et cetera.
pedal(s) >>> sub-two-months til release > a special run of pedals > a yo-la-tengo-tinged version of the PUSHERMAN – keep an eye out in the not so distant future >>
thanks for reading /// enjoy yer day, Matt
RIP University of the Arts.
1) my office phone after someone painted the room with glitter paint
2) a still from an amp demo I was making for my “Philly 20” amp design shot in the old recording studio
3) the last big shot from the last day of operations 6/7/2024 (I apologize I don’t know who took it)
I’ve been quietly making custom footswitches for about as long as I’ve been repairing//building amps. It started with people that were fed up with their vintage Fender (or reissue) footswitches that don’t fit easily into a pedal board, slide around stage, and/or are lacking LEDs. It’s not that huge of an expense and it can be a game changer for your live setup. If yer interested, link-in-BiO or just email me —> [email protected]
#footswitch #guitaramp #reverb #tremolo #channelswitch #pedalboard
This 1965 (Valco made) Gretsch Fury 6166 stereo amp came to me a year and a half ago in need of serious repair. After opening it and testing a few things I realized that the power transformer was shorted. Upon informing the owner of this, and the necessary $900 or so repair bill, they decided to sell it to me. I rarely buy amps off of people, but since this is a stereo amp, I went for it.
So much work to list here, but I replaced… the power transformer (with a new Mercury Magnetics and used the original transformer endbells), all four power tubes, one rectifier tube, three preamp tubes, ALL electrolytic capacitors (with F&T and Sprague caps), about half of the coupling capacitors (a mixture of orange drops and Mallory), the power cord and ground, cathode resistors, grid stoppers on the power tubes, and I also removed the death cap. Prior to the work listed above, I lightly scrubbed the chassis (both) and cleaned all of the hardware (knobs, handle), and the entire cabinet. After completing all of the work, the amp works well! All functions and effects work (tremolo and verb).
The amp has this beautiful “old” sound – it kinda does the Silvertone Velvet Underground sound – crass cleans? As for the stereo aspect… while the amp is in fact stereo, it’s done in such an odd way. Both channels blend into one another, and both are sent to each power amp (each speaker has its own dedicated output transformer // power tubes and rectifier tubes). There is a stereo input which sends your signal to both channels simultaneously. Did I mention that this amp has the original Gretsch dolly from the factory?
This amp required so much work, only a devout Gretsch head, collector, or amp tech could have repaired it with a clean conscience. I estimate the repair bill to be around $900 (with about 60% being parts). These are rare birds, but there’s only one stereo amp for me (Ampeg Super Echo Twin), so I am selling this to raise money for my next run of amps. If you’re interested in purchasing it, DM me. I will be also be listing it on CL and Reverb, and at the moment I am not willing to ship it. Check the highlights for more photos of the work completed.
A dorky & sappy tale for the holiday season… in 2022, I sent Ira Kaplan / Yo La Tengo a pedal. It was “number 11” from the 2022 ten-pedal run of PUSHERMAN. —> After building the other 10, I noticed I had an old enclosure that Laura and I had painted//collaged years back. I got the idea to build another pedal into it and to send it to Ira as a form of, for lack of a better term, fan-mail —>
Ira reached out and told me he liked the pedal and used it on their tour/sessions at the time (2023), but it didn’t fit on his pedal board.
Fast forward………. On Thursday of last week we went to night one of the Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows (Philly//Germantown was represented — the Arkestra opened 😏). Right before we had to leave the show (parking complications) I decided I had to see what was plugged in next to Ira’s pedal board (fingers crossed), so I did the really annoying WATCH OUT COMING THROUGH crowd tear and snapped a photo before running out of the Bowery ballroom.
Upon checking the evidence, the weird number 11 pedal was the first thing in Ira’s chain 🥰 Guitar —> pusherman —> other cool pedals.
Anyhoo, this warmed our hearts and I wanted to share // brag.
Look out for a run of PUSHERMAN pedals next year (but probably with a whole new aesthetic 🤪)
#arkestra #pusherman #guitarpedals #distortion #yolatengo #hanukkah2023 #germantown #irakaplan #phillyamps #rockoverphiladelphia #cottageindustry
