Clark Amplification Beaufort Special

All tube, 15watt, 5e3 circut with 12" Jensen Alnico & Reverb.
AMP: Bright and normal channels each with normal and high gain inputs. Independant volume for each channel and a master tone control. The volume on the unused channel becomes sort of a master vol./presence/fat control. Very useful in shaping you tone. No effects loop or channel switching. It does not need pedals but they sure are fun through this amp!
Reverb: External 12ax7 tube reverb unit mounted in the cab. Controls include dwell, tone and mix. If you want "lots-o-knobs" this aint' the amp for you!

I have had the Beaufort for several months and have used it with over a dozen guitars including Strats, Teles, LPs and Gibson and Guild archtops. Guitars have Fralins, Duncans and stock pups and this amp sounds great with every guitar I've tried. Different but great. I play Blues, Classic Rock and Jazz and the Beaufort excells at all of these styles. It does not have huge headroom or metal type distortion. The reverb is lush and seems to add another gain stage. The pure tube distortion could best be described as raunchy-and I mean in the gutter raunchy. Sophisticated blues (ala T-Bone)can be easily dialed in but if you want a real treat, tune a LesPaul to "E" get you slide out, and play 'till the law shows up. With a 5y3 rectifier tube there is plenty of sag-great for blues, not so great for shred freaks. The Beaufort, for my taste, is the best sounding amp i have ever played.

This is a very simple amp, built with the very best parts so I can't see any problems with reliability. I do not use a back-up and have not had a single issue.

I bought the Beaufort used and emailed the company with a couple questions. Michael Clark responded quickly and I have no doubt he will be there if needed. He is obviously committed to building great tone!

I am now 50 and have been playing since I was a kid. I've had or played just about everything out there and I think this amp will be with me until the end. I would certainly buy this little tone monster again if something happened. There is not much negative about the Beaufort-great tone, easy to operate, lush reverb and it only weighs 28lbs. to boot! Nit-pickin' but the reverb controls are akward to use in the back. It should be said that this review, to this point, is without consideration to price. That said, this amp is a bargan in today's amp world.

This an update to my recent prior review after playing this amp "out" for the last 6 weeks, and, after buying a Gibson ES-345 blues guitar with Varitone control to use with this amp.

The Gibson Varitone along with the '57 PAF humbuckers is so loud in #1 position (bypass mode) that one would need to use an attenuator at any venue except very large, even with guitar volume knobs on 1. However, in Varitone position #2 (supposedly BB's favorite), the Beaufort Special works best in bright channel with amp tone knob dimed, and using both pickups position on the guitar. I am talking Chicago/Memphis blues tones ala BB, or most any of the other King boys, Otis Rush, today's Larry Garner, and many others who favor the old Fender amp circuit with 6V6 tubes. I'm just talking my sweet spot, as there are also many others, but this amp has smooth, melodic tones with character. Of course one can obtain that sound with a new Fender Deluxe 57 reissue, or a Victoria, and be close with a Dr. Z Z-28 or a few Mesas and Riveras with the 6V6's, but for substantially more money and carry weight. It's a 10 for what it does.

2007 eBay edition :: $875 plus the Celestion upgrade
It all Clark, except for the mojo cabinet.
I opted for a Celestion blue pup to go in mine, very nice!
It's as real as a tweed deluxe gets unless your playing one built in the 50's.

I use it for recording and small gigs.
I play an G&L ASAT Classic, a G&L S500 and a Gibson, LP 58RI.
They all sound great with this amp.

Sound...hmm,.. oh yea... KILLER!
I've played the new Fender RI, I've played a Marsh, this blows them away.

Straight in, crank it and your in Rock Heaven.

It loves pedals, for jamming and lower volumes (some what) I put a Keeley moded Boss Blues Driver and an Analogman analog delay in front of it... wow! ZZ Top, Eric Johnson... you name it. I didn't expect it to love pedals so much, but it's so cool.

The ASAT straight in the normal channel at about 50% volume and it's country picking with an attitude.

It played pretty quiet, or course runing wide open ther is a bit of noice, but you only hear it until you play! This is a loud little amp.

I figure if I don;t drop it down a flight of stairs it will get around a while. But it does come with a 10 year transferable warranty.

I enjoyed dealing with Mike Clark, very nice gentleman. His staff is very helpful.

I love the amp. It sounds like quality. It gives me the feeling of confidence I need to forget about the amp and concentrate on enjoying playing it. I had another tweed 5E3 by another builder and all I did was switch tubes and chase down noise (arg). The Clark amp came with a Sylvania NOS recto tube and an extra different one to try for various sounds. it also came with Tung-Sol RI 6V6's, very nice sound. He told me I could even run 6L6's in it if I wanted to try it out for a different sound. (I'm to busy playing it to fiddle with it right now)

Features already well explained; 2 inputs for each of two channels, bright and normal, volume for each channel and one tone control. Italian Jensen speaker, 6V6 output tubes, tweed cabinet, complimentary color speaker cover material.

Sound is so subjective with each listener. I played my Sheraton II thin hollow body and Heritage H-157 solid LP style through it, both with humbuckers, albeit LP has much stronger pups. I play strictly classical type blues and R&B, and use a Holy Grail reverb pedal on 1/4 as I purchased amp w/out reverb. I was replacing Fender Pro Jr for grab and go, as EL84 tubes sounded so brittle. The Beaufort is 25 lbs., 5 more than Pro Jr., and also has 12" speaker to pro's 10, plus 6V6 tubes.

Result: Voila! This is great amp, quiet or dimed. It can be set on full volume and controlled through guitar knobs. Bright channel is cleanest at 3 in 1st position with tone on 9. As other reviewers state, increasing volume on the other channel will increase compression. Breaks up around 6-7 on volume and sounds beautiful for delta type blues, shuffles, and stuff that harp players love.

By comparison, I have Fuchs Blackjack 21 1X8 also with Jensen and its cleans are unbeatable for B.B. King and Clapton riffs. The sounds of these two amps are completely different, and both can do things the other can't, even for blues. There are also many in-between sounding amps, so its really your own quest for tone. For what I do this amp is perfect.

I don't see anything to break, and changing tubes is expected when they wear out.

Mike Clark couldn't have been more helpful, and he sent two extra NOS 6V6 tubes to see which I liked better. Amp was packed up well. He responds timely to emails. He has great rep anyway.

Playing blues 52 years, since I was 15. I'd replace it if it were lost or stolen as it is also a bargain. The New Fender '57 Deluxe is $1800 new, and the Victoria is $2000. Beaufort is a bargain at $875, and made better than Fender or Victoria. I learned long time ago that reverb pedals work, so no sense in lugging extra weight. It takes a little tweaking to get tones dialed in, but these reviews here are very helpful. For sound, weight, looks and price (and for those who like 6V6 tubes warm sound), its a value that can't be beat.

The best feature of this amp is the interactive volume controls. They basically give you instant channel switching. Plug your guitar into the bright channel. I turn mine up to about 5-6. Now rotate the Normal channel volume and as you get around 10-11 you will notice that the Bright channel volume drops down. Use an A/B box and you have the Bright channel for clean and a jaw-dropping overdrive on the Normal channel that rivals Marshall.

Great sounding amp. Very loud for its output. Mine measures 16 watts with a 5Y3 rectifier and 18 watts with a 5V4. I actually have to use an attenuator at home. Live it's great. Just mike it and away you go. No need for pedals. I have always thought that tweed Deluxes were best suited for Les Pauls. They just sound really good with that amp. I have a 95 Les Paul Classic with Gibson 57 classics in it. I also own a Stratocaster and a Epiphone Casino. But I prefer those in my 68 Deluxe Reverb. I play mostly blues and rock. And this amp is great for those styles. It is fantastic for slide playing. Really gives you that great creamy overdrive and sustain. Overall, a very quiet amp, unless you turn it up real high and then you get some hiss. But then, all tube amps do that.

I have been repairing amps on the side for about 15 years, so if something needed done, I could do it myself. This amps are so simple and easy to fix. I did replace the filter caps with some Spragues and the Sozo coupling caps with Mallory 150's as these sound more like the old Astrons the originals came with. There is really not a whole lot that can go wrong with this amp.

Michael Clark is great about answering any questions or concerns. I bought my first Beaufort from him in 1999. Great company do deal with.

I have been playing for 35 years. If it were stolen, I would not be able to replace it as Michael Clark is no longer making them. I was lucky enough to get one before he stopped. I knew he wouldn't be able to keep offering them at such a low price for long. I love tweed Deluxes. The only thing I wish it had was tremolo. But I am going to install a BMT-60 tremolo unit in it.

2006 Beaufort Special, Weber 12A125 alnico speaker. Nearly as basic as they come, but that's the secret of its success. Can't give it 10 for features as there aren't alot !! Volume and tone is about it, with a choice of channels bright and normal.

Plug and play. Sounded fantastic off the bat, hard to get a bad tone. If you want clean blackface tones, look elsewhere, this gives pure tweed crunch, breaks up early, control with use of guitar volume control. I use with Fender '62 RI CIJ Strat with stock Texas special pickups, G&L ASAT and Gibson '57 Historic Custom Shop RI. Sounds great with all guitars. Very low background noise. Rated at around 18 watts RMS, you may think it isn't loud, but my neighbours assure me otherwise! The purity makes you want to put all your pedals away and just run with one cable to the amp, letting your fingers do all the work. Buying an amp like this is almost a philosophical choice (ok I exaggerate!) but it's about choosing on a "less-is-more" basis.

Too early to say, but have every confidence based on reputation and observed build quality.

Mike and Teresa have been very good at communication and ensuring I got my amp, even though I had to wait for it to be built.

Been playing 3 decades or more, yes I would buy another one in a heartbeat. There is nothing to compare to a 5E3 clone, it may be a niche product but what a product! I'd put it in the same category as a Marshall 18watt or Fender Deluxe blackface - simple amps done right. I think newbies won't really get it, it has very few features, very few watts and it does have limitations. You won't want one for your Top 40 covers band probably, but the purity of tone makes you wonder if amplifiers have really improved in 4 decades at all. Frankly who wants a modelling amp that gets 100 different sounds, all of them horribly unconvincing? This has one essential sound, but what a sound!! This is just the old circuitry built the old way, ie properly. It comes from the days of innocence, the birth of rock and roll and roots music. It's not going to be everyone's everyamp, but it makes a nice little sibling for my Fender Bassman LTD RI.

There are more "features" to old tweed-5e3 designed amps that is widely presumed. To me, quality of tonewood - yes, amps resonate through wood, too -- is a feature. The construction of Clark amps, as many have noted,not just on Harm. Central, gives an almost reverb-ish quality.
In addition, as others have noted as well, the normal and bright channels on these amps are (subtlely at least)interactive. I consider this a feature, too. As well as the choice of speakers (Weber for me, more 'vintage'), I consider a feature.
So in short, for old guys like me, "features" doesn't nec. mean "dual channel," or "built in effects."

After the ten week or so wait on arrival, the first thing I did was a usual test for me, as a pro player: i.e,, what will this thing do, and not do, for me as a player, in the situations it will be called upon. And so, most of my main guitars got a run-through. First, my '57 Goldtop reissue (this proved to be the most unexpected/pleasant surprise; before this, not a guitar that had been wildly 'ringing my bell' heretofore, although you know it's a great guitar, you want to FEEL it's a great guitar. At last, through the Beaufort, it was.
Similar responses playing G&L Bluesboy Tele; '57 reissue quack-Strat. Then, since it's a mainstay, my Guild Manhattan. No high expectations here, since it's a different animal and species, but a fab. singing-yet-jazzy feel.

A note on this "headroom" tag that we all hear so much about, no matter what amp. Forgive an Old Guy, but let's use these terms with a little more precision -- I don't mean "techie" precision, either.
For example, one category of venue I play a lot lately is the "small venue": the house concert; the winery opening; the coffee shop-slash-folk house; etc. Now, what is the "headroom" factor on these stages? Nearly any tube amp from a Champ upward has plenty of "clean headroom." And on that note, how many of us actually play in basketball arenas, or opening at state fairs for Kenny Chesney?
Headroom shmedroom. This is an 18-20 watt amp, as is my TopHat Club Royale; if you need a louder 'headroomed' amp than these, maybe you're playing with Chris Duarte or Doyle Bramhall the IV or Vth -- but I'm not.
In any case, this is the Coolest Souding Tweed I've ever heard. And I've heard about 57 varieties, including of this exact circuitry. Maybe it's the transformers -- and incidentally, just ordinary EH tubes in this, unlike the regular Beaufort -- but it's astouding. REALLY punchy.
NOTE: I ordered mine with built-in attenuator, which may seem absurd, but is not. Agree or disagree with me about headroom, but this can be a loud amp.
Then again, as Hendrix once commented on Dick Cavett I believe, there is "good loud,"and crummy loud. This is good loud.

10 year transferable warranty.
Do your other amps have this?

You can read other reviews on this, including proper mentions of Bob at the Perfect Note, who is a great guy.
I also like this formula: let the amp builder build the amps, and let the guy who explains and sells things sell and explain.

The Special, at this price, is an astonishing bargain. Web site states this deal will not last.
My suspicion is that, like most builders with a great product, Mike Clark sells this at a bare profit so word will spread. Works for me, anyway.
I now "need" a Clark Tyger, so I can hear the pinnacle of the Bandmaster circuit.
This category needs a 12.

18 watt, class A, one 12" Jensen reissue speaker(made in Italy), based on the 5E3 cicuit, 2 clean channel inputs, 2 bright channel inputs, 20 volume controls(interactive), one tone control knob...tube compliment consists of one 5Y3, two 6V6, two 12AX7, not a lot of bells and whistles, but everything works and works well

used w/fender teles, am std and fat tel, and prs mcarty...this amp definately likes single coils better, definetion/clarity of notes when playing chords is fantastic...clean, jazzy sounds are easily dialed in when wanted, classic fenderesque tones just as easily achieved...i am not an experienced player, so the technical adjectives one would normally find in this section are lacking, suffice to say, this amp makes it sound as if i have bought three new guitars(was previously using a 15 watt, tube amp)...for blues, jazz, roots/classic rock, this amp deserves a look see...

built like a brick you know what...#1 southern yellow pine cabinet, handwired, point to point, in a sturdy, aluminum chassis...meticulously applied tweed covering ( $75.00 option)...fit, finish, construction all first rate...lightweight (35 lbs), i dont know if i would gig with this amp, it is just to nice to risk something happening to it, but i am sure it withstand the rigors of transporting, etc... not one problem, but i have only had the amp for two months...

this is the reason i bought this amp sight unseen, using only reviews from H-C, as a reference point...before i spent a penny, bob at the perfect note(sole distributor for clark amps), talked to me at length about what to expect from this amp, specifications, etc...he kept me informed during the building time (approx 3 months), and still keeps in touch to make sure things are okay...he even lets me pick his brain regarding my other amplifier...mike clark, the builder, is the same way...called a couple times, never annoyed, generous with his time and knowledge, a real gentleman

been playing two years (started at the tender age of 48), knew right away i will play as long as i can...this attitude has caused some GAS problems for me...wanted a second tube amp, one that would outlast me...knew i wanted the classic tweed sound and this led me to clark amplification...that said, there is nothing about this amp i do not like, and compared to other amps out there, this is a bargain...do not confuse this amp with the "Beaufort", there are substantial difference, notably the speaker and the use of NOS tubes...however, for the $400.00 difference in price, this model makes more sense for me...i would replace it in a heartbeat...my other amp is a fender vibro-lux, recent manufacture, and though rated at 40 watts, i dont think the beaufort special is any less loud...and if you deduct the $75.00 for the tweed covering, they are identical in price...believe me, reading some of the stories on these reviews about people and their GAS adventures, i am glad i bought this amp...check them out at www.clarkamplification.com, they are definately worth a look see...not cheap, but you still get what you pay for