Blues Pearl Texas Tornado

Price: free I do not know when this amp was made but it is one of Bob's early ones. It is the head only and looks like an old FENDER BASSMAN. It has only one channel but a low and high input. It has volume, bass ,
treble, reverb, intensity, and speed knobs. I got this amp and loaned it to our bass player who used his own cabinet. It worked great.
He bought his own amp and I brought it home. A few years latter and I have started a second band. I have dicided to let our second guitar player use this amp. I have an ampeg v3 and an ampeg vt22 I am well covered. So far I have pluged it into an HEARTKE 4 ten cabinet.

The more I play through it the more I like it. I didn't like it at first. At first I couldn't get much tone change but I had forgot my rule. Always move the knobs as slightly as possible and listen. D O T H I S M A N Y M A N Y T I M E S . I am starting to really like this thing. I play a strat plus and a new strat American standered through it ( I had my old 63 strat I got ih 1967 but got lucky and was able to trade it for these 2 strats that are far better guitars.

So far I had it setting on the floor and one day bumbed it and broke a tube. I'm an old guy and I have a lot of junk so I found a tube that looked like the other tubes put it in and it worked good.

I know BOB and have worked with him before but I don't know where he is.

8 pretty good amp. I am going to make a speaker stack for this amp.After that I will report back

Standard Blackfaced Fender Features. 2 Inputs. Vol, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb. 2 x 6L6 Pwer tubes = 40 watts. 4 x 12ax7 pre-amp tubes. 1 Pre 2 for reverb. 1 for Phase inverter. Has 3 spring accutronics Reverb Tank.
Quality Pine cabinet, and Baffle board with Black Tolex. 2 Blues pearl Label Speakers. Ceramic magnet emminence MFG.

I am now selling my Blackfaced Vibrolux! It is worth a load of cash and this amp sounds better. A bit more Headroom with all the Fender Twang, Tone, and Bite. No Joke! -This amp sounds Increible!!! I could not be Happier!

Blues Pearl is long Gone. Robert Hudson is in Jail and most likely even when he gets out will not be in the Amp Business. No Real Problem for us Blues pearl Owners though. Because these amps are easy to service. No strange parts, Just well bilt using easy to find amp parts.

If you can find one. You should buy it! These amps are going to go way up in Value! If you already have one. Consider yourself lucky!

Any one out there with a similar story, please contact me via email..

This is a Caution for all those considering a Blues Pearl amp... Call the dealers and ask about John Hudson's "current " business practices..

Ask if Blues Pearl will repair what you buy or will a Store affiliated Tech will work the warrantee/// Mr Hudson was pain by $1,000 He cashed the checks and no amp.. No relpies to email.. No replies to phone calls .. phone now disconnected .. check the Web Site ... learn the names of those affiliated with him so that they don't get yo under another name.. do your homework before sending any money! I didn't.. I got burned ..!

Can't hear what you didn't receive

Please do not send John Hudson any money.. I did and recieved nothing..

Can't get a warrantee repair if the company.. after being paid in full won't ship. I wish there were two sides to the story.. but I can't even find John Hudson, no less communicate with him..

Protect yourself from the scams on the web... do your home work..

I wanted a ptp Fender BFDR, so I ordered a Blues Pearl "Texas Tornado" amp spec'd with NOS tubes from Robert Hudson at Blues Pearl in May 2001. I sent my 50% down, deposit in and am still waiting for the amp. I have spoken to a Blues Pearl dealer who told me I would probably never see my amp, as Robert Hudson is in financial trouble and his chassis supplier has cut him off. No chassis equals no amps. Oh, but Robert Hudson has kept my DEPOSIT.

Unable to comment.

Unable to comment.

At this time Robert Hudson of Blues Pearl is offering NO Customer Support. My several e-mails and phone calls have gone unanswered. Robert Hudson has to quote one of his dealers "Gone into Mole Mode". Robert Hudson has caller id on his phone so he can screen his calls.
The Blues Pearl dealer I spoke with is also being mistreated by Robert Hudson. His attempts to contact Robert have also been unsuccessful. This dealer is also owed product from Blues Pearl. The dealer told me he will be taking legal action against Robert Hudson and Blues Pearl. I am basically screwed and am writing this review as a warning to potential Blues Pearl customers.

I am very disappointed in the Blues Pearl company and specifically its owner Mr. Robert Hudson. His business practices have cheated me out of my sizable deposit and soured me on him and his companys products.

Should I ever hear from Robert Hudson I will update everyone with the news. Thank you.

This is the standard deluxe clone with no instructions on how to use the three nob reverb.

Possibly great tone and great reverb. See below for reason I gave this a 2 instead of a 10.

Too new to tell but I don't have much hope.

This is where everything breaks down. Great and fast correspondence from Robert when I was shopping for the amp. Once I received it the correspondence stopped. My amp has a noticeable humm. I have e-mailed Blues Pearl several times from their website over several months and have received NO response. I can only assume that unlike their website promises, there is no customer service and apparently no warranty.

I own two vintage Fenders and a Mesa MK III. I wanted a "new" ptp with the Fender sound. Too many other good amps out there in the same price range. I won't buy another Blues Pearl because of the lack of response after the sale. It's a shame too because I think Robert probably builds a pretty good amp. (I say probably because I haven't taken mine in to my tech yet to find out if the humm is a repairable problem or a design flaw)But why pay the same price as some other boutique amp when Blues Pearl doesn't stand behind their product? If I had been able to solve the humm problem with the company I could have easily given this amp a 10 but without customer support it just isn't worth much more than a 1.

This amp was made in March 2000. I bought it from Scott Kelce in St. Louis in July, 2000,I think. Features have been covered. This one has the pull "fat" switch which I use with my brighter sounding guitar. It also has the blue diamond tolex and off-white grillcloth which is a beautiful combo. The amp has plenty of power for my home use, recording and 1-2 times/month gigging. I mic it outdoors, though.
It is not channel switching and has no effects loop which is fine with me. I use a pedalboard setup with all true bypass effects so that I can have all that pure, point to point, no-nonsense, finger-jointed, 3-knob reverb, 6V6 magic any time I want it. I have to give this amp a 9 for features because of the fantastic reverb and because sometimes NOT having a lot of features is a great feature.

I use primarily an ESP Hybrid II (sort of a double-cut Tele) with Bill Lawrence pickups and at times an Epiphone Riviera with Gibson P-94 single coils. The ESP through this amp is clear, punchy and just loaded with character. The pickups are Tele style but are humbucking.There is no noise and I can keep things pretty clean up to about 4 on the volume. The amp responds nicely to picking dynamics, too. I use a Blackstone 2SV2 OD/Dist. pedal which gives me a light overdrive sound and a heavier lead tone for rock. This setup is ideal for me as I play a mix of rock, blues and jazz. It's more fun, though to just turn the amp up past 5 and play with the volume knob on the guitar. The overdrive that this amp produces ought to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! It is a bit loud for me like that( OK, so I'm 40 ) but what a sound. And it really doesn't get much louder past about 6 anyway, just better. The reverb made me give up my delay pedal.
The Riviera sounds wonderful, too, with a more vintage vibe and a softer, woodier quality to the breakup. There is a bit of noise when running the single coils but not at all detracting.

I gig regularly without a backup but I always bring spare tubes. The NOS tubes it came with were not so hot. The Jan 6V6's rattled and a reverb tube went out after about three months. I'm using an old pair of RCA's for power and a mix of pre tubes that it came with and a couple Sylvania's. I've opened up the amp and beheld the beauty and care with which it was apparently built. Hand built, PTP wiring, top notch components...believe it. I had a Deluxe Reverb reissue for a time and it sounded pretty good but one look inside just killed it for me. Ditto Groove Tubes Soul-0 45. My amp tech shook his head both times I had that pcb laden beast in for service.
This amp has worked perfectly for me with the exception of the tubes at the beginning. It does prefer some rooms over others. My practice room/office just doesn't let it breathe enough but it has never failed to just floor me any time I've taken it out.

I have emailed Robert Hudson several times with questions regarding the fat switch(which I was unaware it had) and replacement tubes and such and I have always gotten a prompt, courteous response. I think the warrantee is one year. I'm not worried.

I've been playing guitar for about 20 years or so, electric only for about the last ten. I'm mostly a home recordist although I am having fun in my geezer band. In addition to the ESP and Epi, I currently own a neck-through BCRich "project" guitar, a Fender HMT acoustic/electric, Ovation 1868 Elite ac/elec and an old Squire Bullet bass. The only other amp I have right now is a Fender Acoustisonic Jr.
I played a silverface DR in a shop here before I bought the Blues pearl and it sounded great. Definately more noisy though. That amp was selling for $750. Sorry, I can't see that kind of money for an old amp that is probably goint to need some work. You are missing NOTHING by buying the Texas Tornado. I purposely waited this long to post a review so that the initial excitement of a new amp wouldn't sway me. I love this amp more every day. Pretty soon I'll be confident enough to pull all the pedals out from in front of it and just let it do the talking. That will be one sweet day.
One last thing. I bought this amp mostly by comparing reviews here on H-C and from talking to Scott Kelce. I had no way to try one out. I have to say that the reviews of this amp are definately not hype. I feel I was given an accurate overview and rating for the product as well as helpful comparisons to other amps. Thank you H-C and allyou other posters.

Year: Y2k; Versatility: It's totally versatile. As is a Fender Deluxe Reverb, which it's based on. I'm using it for a weird fusioney sort of thing. It has one channel and no switching. Very simple. It has a FAT switch which really makes it fatter without mud. I have the amp stored at a popular NYC rehearsal studio, alongside matchless, bogner, vintage fender, tone king, bruno amps. I got the amp with special blonde tolex and oxblood cloth, along with factory installed NOS tubes.

I use it with a sadowsky strat and sometimes my older (66) strat, mostly on the in between settings. I also run an SIB varidrive into it, but i'm finding more and more that i don't need the varidrive- the distortion when pushed is so great. This amp KICKS BOOTY. I have a 64 Deluxe Reverb and it's great, but this thing SMOKES it. I has all the basic aspects of the deluxe reverb sound, but it's BETTER. It keeps its composure better. It has better low end. It has sweeter highs. It has almost as much chime as a matchless. The three knob reverb is cool too.

Unfortunately (and I HATE to be critical in any way here), the amp wasn't packed well enough to handle the obnoxious abuse I've come to expect from RPS (now fedex ground). when i got it, the amp's mounting bolts were bent and the transformers were loose. it was pretty ugly. The amp worked just fine, which is a testament to its durability. it gets regular use as a house amp at my rehearsal studio, and there have been no problems. R. Hudson eventually sent me

I had some trouble communicating with them (I bought directly from the manufacturer), but they were very decent and kind. I know there were some extenuating circumstances. I'll report again WHEN i buy my next Blues Pearl amp!

I've been playing for 20 years. I have 3 matchless amps and two BF fender amps. I would buy another one in a heartbeat and will probably buy another one for stereo usage... This is the ULTIMATE deluxe reverb. There is really no point in owning a vintage deluxe reverb when you've got one of these. When i first read the reviews and heard about these, I was skeptical. I bought one without hearing it first (leap of faith) and everything that people are saying is true.

this gem was made in 97, #114, I watched this amp sit in a fender dealers store along with a 50 watt 1-15 inch spkr version that I played on, but it was struck by lightning and dropped by ups on return to Robert Hudson, never saw it again, it was a fantastic amp, I wanted to buy it, incidentally these amps all listed for about the same price and were priced inthe store for about 1100$. they had a 2-10 inch skr tweed that finally sold, and this one was the one that was left. I watched the price go down from 1100 to 650. this amp has beautiful swirly blue tolex and a nice reverb, depth, dwell, and tone. it has one 12 inch skr, and it is 25 watts. two 6v6, and 2 12ax7 and 2 12at7's. I give this a nine. this amp was a steall as far as I am concerned. funny how I waited until nobody wanted it. well they had their chance. and now I have mine. Thank you Jesus. (hey its a free country)

I have a clark beaufort amp without reverb, it is a similar sounding amp but is not as tight as this tornado. they are two different animals. I will never sell them. Now I have a mesa boogie dc2 with a weber spkr that I might sell sometime, and a fender hot rod deluxe, that I might sometime. but never these two. I play single coils, fenders, but for formal church functions I bring out the terry mcinturff polaris pro with humbuckers. I said before it is a free country. land of the fee and home of the slaves. somebody else said. anyway, it has huge sounding pickups, and I have to turn every amp way down when it is plugged in. I like a blues tone, like kenny blue ray. and also jimmie vaughns clean tone. this amp is very clean sounding. It is so far the clearest most controllable tone wise amp I have ever played. have played for over 30 years, hendrixy style, record and write gospel blues rock(yes it exists) it breaks up at about 4.5, realn nice to play at lower volume around the house. very bell like sweet tones. very defined. I only paid 375 for this amp. it wwas finally sold to someone who didnt know what it was, then he traded it back in for an acoustic guitar. I saw it for sale in the newspaper,wanting best offer over 650. then one day I went into the store and saw it sitting back in the corner. pal there said he needed 375 for it so I grabbed it. hope you get what you want someday. I did not NEED this amp, but for the price I would have been an idiot not to buy it. It would probably sell somewhere else for at least 600 bucks. It is mint. very well made

Now, this amp was made 3 years ago. in the back there is not designation for the switches. just two switches there , one is the standby and the other is the power. Now someone who does not know would probably just turn both on at once. In the manual Mr. Hudson says many times not play the amp until the tubes warm up, but who pays any attention to tha? I know I will, but marked switches would ahve been better. But hey this was #112. this tolex is beautiful by the way. I think that this amp is made with the same care as Michael Clarks' amps. they will last a long time with proper care.

he is a busy man. has only 4 dealers on the net at his new site, that I found recently from these reviews. I dont understand all this stinger, Alabama music group affilliation, it is none of my business really, but I dont understand why this product is not found more easily. It is as good or better a product as mesa boogie, different sound, but better I think. and a reasonable price. This is a well made amp. I would have payed twice as much for it if I could have afforded it.

I have had soldanos and I have boogies and fenders. this amp is right up there with Michael Clark's product. dont read too many reviews of clark amps here anymore. maybe the wait for one is too long. they are fine amps. This amp should last a long long time. that is why I added it to my mesa dc2, fender deluxe, and clark beaufort. Sometimes I wish I had bought that 50 watt blues pearl with the 15 inch spkr, but this one will do fine, a fulltone or other pedal boosts the volume some if needed, but it is a very very loud amp as is with great definition. And the other one that got away, the 2-10's tweed version, would have been great too. But this is an amazing low volume bluesy amp. The new ones are only 20 watts, I am told, but this one says 25 watts inside the cabinet, signed by RH. very nice work mr hudson. this amp gets a ten. fantastic value at even 750$, but at 375 it was a steal. anyone have any recommends for good 6v6 replacement tubes , it would be nice to hear from ya. the old manual says use only audio glassic.

This gem was made in 2000,I beleive.A nice little amp that packs a great sound for the blusier type stuff in our set list.You can check out the features from the other reviews.It has what I need for some of the stuff we do.

I use my G&L through the Tornado and it has a nice chimey clean sound until I kick in the Fulltone Fulldrive2 which takes it into Stevie/Hendrix land.Its a quiet little amp and I enjoy going back and forth through the night from this to the Marshall that I also use.If your into this type of music,this is the amp for you!!!I like this amp alot better compared to my 67 Fender DR.

I would say that it is very dependable and built very well.I cant see any probs down the road but tubes and if so,its hand wired so it will be easy to repair.

Mr Hudson seems like a very nice person to deal with and was very freindly on the phone when I inquired about this amp and when it was shipped.The gentleman whom I traded an amp for this one on the other hand was not very prompt in returning my emails and in all honesty had me a little worried.I wont mention any names in fairness to his busy schedule.I did email Mr Hudson about a 2x10 baffle board. I received a reply about it and the price but have not heard back from him on how the transaction should take place.I guess he is a busy man as these amps I'm sure are selling like hotcakes.

Been playing for 20+years.My other amps are Marshalls and Fenders.This amp is exactly what everyone says it is.Just a lean mean tone machine!!I would get another in a minute but will deal with another dealer that will return my emails promptly with no excuses.I am also a businessman and know and rely on the importance of returning phone calls and emails.This is in no way a discredit to Mr Hudson and his fine products.He makes 'em to last and better yet,to sound damn good!!He knows his stuff.

This amp was constructed in late '98 by R. Hudson. It is actually a Stinger Texas Tornado, as Blues Pearl had changed their name, breifly. The features on this amp include two inputs, one volume knob, High/Mid/Low eq knobs, and three reverb controls (Dwell/Depth/Tone). Point to point wiring. 6V6GT power tubes, 20 watts, single 12 inch speaker, plus an output for an outboard speaker. The aesthetics are simaler to a blackface fender, but with white chickenhead knobs, which I find to be very attractive. This amp is designed to be a simple blues machine, I get everything I need and more from this one. I set out to buy an amp that fit this category, so I give this one a 10, I would change nothing.

I play Blues, Blues Rock and Southern Rock. My guitars are a Tele and a strat, both with many mods and hotter pickups. This amp is Ideal for both of my guitars, I've never heard a humbucker through it. This amp is not noisy at all, though my guitars are, but when I'm playing, I notice nothing negative. This is the type of amp that gets its distortion by turning it up. At only 20 watts it still gets plenty of volume. In my band I play opposite a guy with a '65 Fender Pro, and I do more than keep up volume wise. The distortion is a rich and dynamic, gritty, power tube type distortion that is ideal for down and dirty blues grooves. I was out to find this sound when I was looking for this amp, I give it a 10.

This amp is built like a tank, solid. I'd gig without a backup and not worry. It has never shown any sign of distress.

When I first saw this amp, I knew nothing about it. I posted a message on a bulliten board asking if anyone had heard of it. R. Hudson, the builder then e-mailed me with the details of the amp. To me, that speaks volumes about the commitment of the BLues Pearl team. This one I bought used, so I have no warrantee, but despite that, They were very helpful and up front about answering my questions. For that, I give them a 10.

I've been playing for 24 years. THis is my second tube amp in 5 years. I'd buy it agian if it were stolen. I researched this purchase for a long time, and had been researching my next amp purchase for a year. The reasons I chose this one are many: 1. I needed a smaller amp, so that I could push it harder to get power tube distortion. 2. I wanted a p.t.p. wired amp for sound/service/mojo reasons. 3. R. Hudson contacted Me first. 4. It was light enough to not not break my back. 5. Tone, this thing sounds fantastic. 6. Attractive, It also scores big on its appearance.
I'd change nothing, and my next amp may very well be another Blues Pearl. I'm that happy with it.