Peters Amplification 3CP1 Head

Later Model 3cp1 head, only owned it for a few months before passing it on, but had some great times with it! SOrt of a marshall JCM800 shoehorned into a Fender Champ, GOod rock sounds, and surprisingly loud! It is a bare bones bedroom rocker and as such I feel it hits the nail right on the head.... although nothing ever has all the options you could want (switchable rectifier) so I'll give it a well deserved 8. It doesn't have a TONNE of features, but it has what you need.

Mine was pretty crunchy, with some killer sounds as you cranked it up. I usually play PRS McCartys, and it was a god match, tended to lean towards the 6l6 power tube, as it had more bottom end.

Not much to break! a pretty simple amp design, and it looks like it could take a kicking!

Never had to deal with James, but have heard nothing bt great things about the guy.

Overall, if you are looking for a small wattage Marshall type of head, the 3cp1 does it in spades, I ended up sending mine away for a bigger combo, only to then sell my house and have to find something that was more apartment friendly.... DOH!

My 3cp1 is featured on Peters' web page. One of the first in 04 produced. You can rely on the sample downloads, but with more range than I ever expected. Without too hard of a hand as to drown-out the overtones, one could very easily get into some "Humble Pie" I run-it through a Mesa Rectoverb 2x12 cabinet(Celestion Vintage 30S). Good balance at all levels. I can only say that my amp and cabinet combination is a good, tight fit.

If you like Mark Farner of GFR fame playing the power chords to "Are You Ready" than you will appreciate this amp. Think AC/DC intros minus 90 watts. Think of the dude jumping around the house with an air guitar and that's me. Touch sensitive, full-bodied, and fun to play. I use a 1960 Fender Custom Shop and a Guild Bluesbird and to my ears, its more dynamic with the humbuckers.

Other amps: Fender(s) 64 Vibroverb; 66' Deluxe; and 68' Vibrolux: Kendrick Black Gold 35 (2x10) and Victoria 518T.

No problems....at all.

I think that James Peters is motivated by perfection.

A best value. Probabliy the best kept secret around. Please contact me if you know of a better deal.

(sorry for my poor English, I'm an Italian guy!)
2002 made, # 20, I'm the proud owner of the first made for Europe (230V).
Single-channel all tubes class A head, totally hand made (absolutely no PCB) with excellent components. Two preamp tubes (2 x 12AX7 but you can put other tubes, i.e. an 12AT7 in the 2nd stage), one power tube (EL34, 6L6, 6V6).
Output power from ab. 2 watts (with 6V6 in triode mode) to ab. 10 watts (with 6L6 in pentode mode).
Front panel, l to r: bulb lamp, power, standby, bass, mid, high, effect s/r, vol, gain, boost switch (normal, boost 1, boost 2), input.
Back: pentode/triode mode, two ouputs (for use with several tubes and 4-8-16 ohms), ht fuse, main fuse. All the components are oversized for the use and built to last long long time.
You can choose from several colours of the tolex covering: mine is green (very good looking!), and the appaerance of the head is similar to the new JP-10 (see www.petersamps.com)
The solid "10" of the rating is not for the "tons of features" but for "yeah, right features!"

About the sound from the amp, my opinion is that an amp must be simple, with a great basic sound an not with four channels, twenty knobs (with push and pull too!), ten imputs, thirty switchs, hot and cold water (custom option for coffee and cappuccino). You can't have a good all-season amp like above. Lot of the sound depending from the tubes used and the cabinet you use (open or closed, with 1-2-4 cones, with a type or another of cone, etc.).
With 3CP1 you can configure the basic sound of the amp changing tubes and/or pentode/triode mode (other than the others controls).
I have two classic guitars: an ash tele and an alder strato, both beautiful, both made by Warmoth and I play most classic blues-rock. The sound of the amp is really great: you don't have the trasparent clean but a variety from a soft crunch to a great but never noisy distortion. In this type of amp, you don't have any need of a reverb.
Never heard any buzz or hum from the amp (little noisy from my single-coil equipped guitars, but it's normal and I like the sound of these pickups). As in all the very well built amps, you can hear a little "chorus" when play thin and clean.
Another thing: 10 "class A" watts in my 4x10 Marshall 1960V with Celestion vintage are sufficient to cover a medium-large club and cover a 30 W class AB tubes amp or a 50 W transistors amp. At home, you can have a fully saturated sound without problems with your wife or your neighbourhood! (about the saturation, my opinion is that the good saturated sound comes from the final tubes when pushed hard an not from the preamp tubes, that's why the 100 watts Marshalls are frequentlu changed for a 50 watts).

As above, this amp is solid built and I need only tubes and fuses as a backup.
Never had a problem and I'm sure that for any problem I'll have the support of Mr. James Peters.

Sincerely, I have the fortune to know Mr. James Peters, a man incredibly kind and helpful, who is proud for his work and with a great respect for the customer. HE emailed ME several time saying "I'm proud to build an amp for you but it isn't a little high priced considering shipping (about 100 USD) and taxes (about 25%)?" or " what kind of music do you play, because I want that the amp can satisfy you so, if not, I prefer not sell you the amp". He build an amp searchin a 230V tranformer and he send me a power tube for free when shipped the amp.
Sometimes he ask me if it's all right.
For me an attitude like this is really appreciable and made me a proud owner of an amp built from a person like this.

For all above, can I give an "11"?
Look at www.petersamps.com to read about the new amp (I would like to have one of the new JP-10 because I've read that is not too similar to the 3CP1 but it looking an sounding awesome!) and to read about the "philosophy" behind the amp. One of the best amp sites!
To the anonymous at 06/14/2003, would you like to sell me your amp?

The features have been well put in earlier reviews, this amp is no different.

I am using a 60 LP Std with it's original PAFs. I love this guitar. It plays like heaven and sounds amazing through my SLO-100 and has been my number one for thousands of shows and recording sessions.
Now, about the amp. Well, I was expecting a high quality refined sound, and I was met with a rude awakening. This amp sounds trashy, and I was hoping for a smaller amp to bring to recording sessions, instead of using my Bogner XTC 101a or Soldano SLO-100.
Fortunately, the studio my last session was at had a variety of amps available to use when this one just didn't cut the mustard for professional sounds. I ended up switching between an old Plexi, a Hi-Watt, and a Crate Blue Voodoo 50, of all things. That little Crate really stole the show, and is quite possibly the best studio amp I've ever come across in the last 35 years I've been working as a studio musician.
The Peters amp was rather dissappointing, and paled accordingly in the presence of the Crate Blue Voodoo 50. We tried, but to no avail, to get the Peters amp to work for the session. However, there wasn't a sound in it that seemed to have satisfying effect on any and all who listened. I felt the sound to be detrimental to the feel of any type of musical style I was working with. In all, we recorded 12 tracks over 120 hours, and not once were the tones considered suitable for commercial use by all invovled in the project.
The producer suggested later, because he saw my frustation with the amp, that I bring the amp next week when I would be playing on some tracks for a punk rock band. He thought the cheap sound of the amp would be a perfect match for the style. All in all, I would not say this amp sounds good enough for much of the music I play, and is absolutely worthless for my own original music, just because it doesn't have the pristine "God Tone" like the amps I am used to playing.

Damn thing looked well built. It looked like somebody did it at home in their workshop and not at a factory with automation. Everything was well layed out and appeared quite easy to get at in case it needed fixing. I didn't keep it long enough to see if I could break it.

I borrowed the amp from a friend so I don't know about the company or their business. The amp looks homemade, so I doubt the local techs would have a problem fixing it, but I doubt there is an authorized factory service deal. Probably have to look for some obscure amp maker working out of his garage in Canada to find out anything at all about it. I never heard of a Peters amp before, but my friend said that there are only like 9 of these amps in existence and that they were all hand built by some guy in Canada.

I couldn't find any use for the sound of this amp. I've been playing a good 45 years. The last 35 of them as a session player working in studios all around the world. I've used all the classic amps, including the exact amps many of the greatest albums of all time were recorded with. This amp will never be one of them.
I liked the low power output concept, but in the end it was largely overshadowed by the lack of a good useful sound. I guess it sounded like a quieter hot rodded Fender Bassman or something.
I can compare this to other amps I've owned and used, and I'd say try it and if you like it, buy it, but if you want a great studio amp, go and find a Crate Blue Voodoo 50, or even a Tech 21 Trademark 10.

This was a 2002 produced Peters amp. The amp appears quite simple on the surface, but provides excellent variations in tones and gain. The amp is a single channel beast, but provides plenty of options if you merely use a volume pedal or your guitar's volume knob to alter the output. The amp has no effects loop, reverb, or other items that could alter the tone of the amp. I like this amp the way it is. It has a pentode/triode switch which is very effective as well as an edge and boost switch. The amp puts out between 2-10 watts depending on the power tubes used, but boy are these nice adn powerful watts. I know that as I play it more I'll want more power, but this is an amazing item. You can swap out an array of tubes on this amp and I've tried about 4 different combinations with wonderful results. It has some similarity to the Univalve in this regard, but I like this amp a bit better (I've owned a Univalve and used the same tube complement and this amp is just more my style...) As for rating the features....If having the same number of features as a Mesa Road King is a 10 then this amp is a 3 in that regard....I find the amp to be perfectly outfitted so I'll give it a score more reflective of how many features I think were appropriate....

I have use this amp with a PRS CU22, Fender 60's Relic Strat, Baker BJ Select (humbuckers), Gibson LP Special (P-90's), and a few Teles. This amp really can go from Classic Rock to nice compressed metal tones. When the mids are scooped (I like it this way for many of the tones...it's a little mid heavy at times through my cab) it really sounds open and airy. The amp can get a little noisy, but when you really crank an amp there is going to be some noise. I find it quieter than my Zinky Mofo and my Marshalls...Very comparable to what I'm accustomed to. The amp really has a wide array of tones and the gain stages are so varied and wonderful... The amp can only get so loud at 8 watts, but I easily drive a nicely outfitted 2x12 cab with Vintage Celestion Greenbacks in it. The sounds that my friends hear out of this cab always draws their attention....The distortion is very nice and rich with great articulation. Is it brutal like a Triple Rectifier...no...but it is fantastic...

I bought this amp used and for about an hour after the purchase I worried about reliability (used amp...small builder 2000 miles away...). Then I received an unsolicited email from Mr. Peters himself (he'd seen the classified ad and saw on another site that I'd purchased the amp...he hunted me down :)). The email offered me a warranty and an attached manual copy. He emailed me about 3 times over the first week with information about the amp and suggestions on how to get the most out of it. I now don't worry about reliability since I can access "the man" and upon opening this amp up...I see an impeccably built amp with a solid design. I would never gig without a backup in any circumstance, but this amp is rock solid....

Mr. Peters is a humble and available "gentleman." I emphasize that word since many folks in the biz could care less what the customer thinks, but Mr. Peters is truly available and considerate of the customer's needs. I never expected to be contacted by him regarding a used amp and I really didn't expect to get a warranty on the amp either. He is offering 6 months parts and labor on the amps now, but I would bet that he'll take care of the amp longer than that. I love the amp, but this part of the equation makes me feel good to have his amp in my rig....

I've been playing in some capacity for 17 years. I play rock, blues, pop, and anything else that suits my fancy (albeit pretty poorly :)). I own PRS Guitars, Fender Strats and Teles, Baker guitars, Dr Z amps, Zinky amps, and now a Peters (with a variety of 2x12, 1x12 cabs...). If this amp was stolen I'd be really bummed, but since they are so reasonably priced I'd call Mr. Peters and order another. I have in fact bought a second one since I want to have a few in hand when he updates the design since I like these so much as is. I bought this amp on a lark and am glad I did. I dabble in boutique amps all the time and at this price you are nuts not to try it out too. This amp compares very nicely with my lower wattage boutique amps and is a different animal than the Univalve...I think the amp is just fantastic as is and don't see any changes that I'd suggest at this point. If anyone wants input on these amps if they are considering a purchase feel free to contact me.

This is James Peters. I just wanted to respond on those two posts which are somewhat less than positive. A bad review is easy enough to swallow because I fully understand tone is subjective, and not everyone will like the amp or even just appreciate it for its intended use--therefore that anonymous reviewer may very well be right in his opinion. There are a few things I want to clarify though, since my business is just starting and I don't want misconceptions about what I'm doing or saying about my products.

As for it being buzzy or fizzy, having a lack of bass, not being loud enough, etc., well that depends largely on the speaker cabinet(s) and tubes being used. The cabinets and speakers I personally use are listed on my site (on the clips page) with links to the manufacturers' sites, and I always recommend them (or a couple others) to potential customers before they buy the amps.

In terms of volume, this amp was not primarily intended for playing with a loud band, and I never promoted it as such. My website explains this, and I tell every potential customer about the limitations of its volume.

I won't go so far as to compare this amp to any others in terms of its tone--it wasn't meant to sound like other amps and the sound clips are a good indication of how the amp sounds.

On the issue of cost--the amp did not cost $750. At the time that amp would've been purchased, it was actually less expensive than it is now (currently $580), and shipping was only $35. Since the amp only takes 3 tubes (2 pre, one power), it very well should not cost $150 to tube it. As I tell my customers, it was designed around inexpensive current production tubes, and as far as I'm concerned it sounds just fine without having to use NOS tubes--that was part of my philosophy behind the design. Some people report the amp sounds better with some choice NOS tubes, but a lot of NOS tubes aren't that high quality either--it isn't as simple as saying something like, it's NOS therefore it's better. Since the amp was shipped without tubes, it was up to the reviewer to pick his own and mix and match. The option for me to buy tubes and sell them with the amp to the customer has always been extended. So far noone has taken me up on that offer.

All that being said, there isn't one customer of mine that I haven't either spent a great deal of time corresponding with by email, or by telephone. Whether it was detailed explanations and extra sound clips recorded by me on the spot sent by email, or whether I talked to people and played the amp through my cab with different guitars/pickups (at louder and quieter volumes)--I never misrepresented the 3CP1, certainly not knowingly. A number of times I even telephone the customers myself and foot the long distance bill if I feel they don't understand the amp's limitations. An amp like this isn't meant for everybody and I'm the first to admit it. A person doesn't even have to ask. In all honesty I've probably turned away half a dozen customers so far by under-selling the amp, which ultimately I'd prefer, rather than half a dozen reviews like the negative one here--and that's something I even specifically tell my potential customers in very similar words. (Just ask them.)

I'm at a loss as to which customer this even could be who posted this review. I had one customer not like his amp and make similar comments to me about it, but because of that I bought it back from him the next day--he did not sell it to a friend as this reviewer claims. This reviewer didn't even try to contact me with his complaints, or ask if I had recommendations for tubes or speaker cabinets. If nothing else, I try to be open about everything to do with the amps I make, and even quite publicly on Harmony Central's Amps forum.

Thanks for reading this post.

I was all set to begin building myself a simple, low-wattage amp?specifically the High-Octane version from the AX84 website. But fortunately, by accident, I bumped into James Peters? website by way of the Harmony Central Amp Discussion Forum. So I figured for the same money I would have spent on components and a cabinet, I could buy a completed 3CP1, which is a modified High-Octane design, and save myself the headache of building it.

OK?this amp was not designed to replace your 100 watt or even 50 watt Marshalls. In most band settings, you need a fair amount of power to cut through the mix, especially with the gain levels raised. The Peters 3CP1 is what it is?LOW power, high gain, at low to moderate volume. And most importantly, incredible Class A tone that you can shape with interchangeable output and preamp tubes. Just try getting this tone from any 50 or 100 watt amp at low master volume?even with a Hot Plate. Hand made, hand wired with high quality components?boutique quality at a reasonable price. The 3CP1, I find, compresses naturally (and beautifully) at higher master volume settings, making it tough to compete in a loud band situation, but it?s perfect for quieter jamming and recording.

Right now, my favorite power tubes are an Electro-Harmonix 6V6 and a JJ EL84 in a THD Yellowjacket (the one designed for a Univalve). These tubes put out about 2 watts in Triode mode?I love it! Beautiful sustain?Class A clarity even with the highest gain settings. I can?t get that with my Marshall and Tube Screamer at low volume.

I sold a THD Univalve and a Mesa Boogie Studio .22+ after getting the 3CP1. The Univalve was too synthetic at low volumes to my ears ? I tried a number of tube combinations, too, but that amp just couldn?t give me what I was looking for. And I couldn?t get the tone I wanted from the lead channel of the Studio .22+, and the gain was unmanageable. The 3CP1 has the creamy overdrive I want without all the bells and whistles ? simple and to the point.

I have a lot of great amps?a 2002 Top Hat King Royale, a 2002 Top Hat Club Deluxe, a 1990 Mesa Boogie Mark III, a 1979 Marshall JMP 50, and a 1966 Fender Showman. The Peters 3CP1 has earned a place with my other amps?it will never compete with them in a live band setting?it was not designed for that. But it does have the tone I need at the volume I want?and it?s hand made, too. Awesome.

This amp is a keeper.

I really feel i have to say more. I left the nonglowing review below. First of all, this amp is more expensive than it seems. It is nearly $600 new, plus shipping from Canada plus it comes WITHOUT tubes. There's another 50, if you're lucky and more if you're picky. I had NOS mullard EL34 and telefunken 12ax7's in it and they cost me over $150 altogether. That meant I had $750 into it.

This amp was initially billed as high gain, low wattage. I found it to be high fizz, no ballage. Where's the bottom end? Even on the sound clips on the HC forum, you can hear that it's thin. Who's fooling whom, here? I have a real hard time believing these other reviews. Marshall tone? Half as loud as a 100 watter? In theory, maybe, but not in my living room. I have a 100 watt marshall 59 SLP and this amp did not sound similar. Not nearly. Not remotely.

I didn't own it long enough.

Anybody who can try this next to a univalve or Allen class act will see the difference immediately. Like I said in my first post, I sold mine to a friend. Maybe he'll like it. I did not.

The amp head was made for me almost 6 months ago in 2002. I've spent a long time playing the 3CP1, and am very pleased with the tones it can produce. The 3CP1 is a class A head, and is deceptively loud. It reminds me of a Marshall with a little more complexity. Additionally, I like the way it breaks up at a manageable volume. This is an excellent head for apartment living/recording, and still delivers (almost) enough punch through a 4x12" to use with a drummer. The actual output depends on the type of power tube used (1 power tube & 2 preamp tubes). I originally tried it with a 6L6, but found that the EL34 complimented my style better. The 3CP1 is single channel, and has a very useable EQ section with additional "edge" and "boost" switches. The "boost" is more noticeable than the "edge" in all but a few applications, and in fact I don't use "edge" much at all. There are two speaker outputs, each being useable only by itself with different power tube combinations, and James urges users to only run out of one output jack at a time. James made me a Y-Cable in order to run two cabs from the head using only one jack and that solved the one-cabinet problem. My style is a little all over the place, but is comparable to Kyuss/QOTSA, Black Sabbath, Hendrix, Zak Wylde and Bill Frisell. James does a great job describing the amp at his site: www.petersamps.com

I play the 3CP1 with a Gibson SG Standard, Gibson Les Paul Custom, Paul Reed Smith CE-24 and American Standard Telecaster. All guitars have stock pickups. I use .11's on all the guitars except the Les Paul which has .12's. We tune to standard A 440. The head is very quiet, even with the tele's single coils, at all but the highest gain levels. With everything maxed out, there of course is sound, but not as much as I would have expected. Without a little EQ tweaking, the amp can sound nasally and a bit sharp, but with even subtle turns of the bass and mid controls the amp thickens up. There is a very useful range on all three EQ controls, and when used in combination with the guitar tone controls I can go from slightly gritty clean to ranging crunch without a 2nd channel. I am able to get a beautiful glassy clean sound which is pure power tube push by boosting the master volume and lowering the gain. There are no wimpy sounds here with the right balance in EQ. The clean is surprisingly bold at high volumes, and I've found there is a lot of headroom even with the hot PRS bridge pickup. I found no shortage of distortion. I have never been one to max out gain anyway, so I am completely satisfied with the gain at 2 or 3 o'clock. Everything breaks up nicely without being squashed or fizzy, at least where I have the controls set.

I haven't had a problem with the head. I didn't get it with the intention of gigging with it, but would have no problem relying on it for studio work as a second or overdub track. The construction appears to be very solid.

I have had a great experience with James Peters. I am the owner of his first commercial amplifier, and it wasn't without concern that I put down the deposit. I had never met the guy (still haven't) and had only heard of him through the HC forums. James pretty much broke his back for me, and his efforts show in the quality and sound. He allowed me to customize the head with custom vinyl, amp jewel and knobs, even before he made those things standard options on his website. If I ever need the head repaired, I trust James would take care of me, although him being in Canada won't make it that easy (or inexpensive).

I've been playing for about fourteen years. I play mostly through a Mesa Trem-o-verb head (Svetlana EL34's) into two Mesa Recto cabs, and occassionally through either a Marshall JCM800 2204, a stock silverface Bassman head or Line6 Flextone Plus & 1x12" extension. I run an assortment of pedals as well, though not with the Peters. If it were stolen, I would definitely have another made. Things I love about it; no need to bias when switching out power tubes; useable tube tone at any volume; lightweight for easy transport; custom appearance so I feel like it truly is one of a kind; handwired and constructed; simple panel layout with very responsive EQ section. I wish it had about 15 more watts sometimes (drunk drummer=louder drummer). Really the bottom line is; where else are you going to get an amplifier handmade especially for you by one guy for around $500 that sounds and looks terrific?

Not much to say here that hasn't been said. Single channel medium gain head with gain, master, high, low, mid and switches for bright and edge. Low on features but it's SUPPOSED to be. It does what it does VERY well. The tube switching will add more versatility. I give it a 10 for being as good as it is in what it is supposed to do.

WOW. I picked up James from his place, drove to my church where I gig weekly and pluged this in through a cab with 2 Jensens and 2 celestions (it's James cab...ask him). I wanted to see if 8 watts could fill a room made to seat over 800 and a 3000sq ft stage. Guess what...it did. I kinda thought it would but man...it was nice. Very useable at full volume...it's everything someone looking for a modern take on a classic Marshall tone could want. And it's not gonna rip your ears off or make them bleed. Keep in mind...this thing is nearly half as loud as a 100 watt marshall head.

I keep refering to marshall as this is what it reminds me of. SLIGHTLY stiffer than your average marshall but it's a nice mix of vintage and modern tones.

Handled my GT-6 very well although this did stiffen the tone a bit more (no fault of the amp). All effects were ran in front of the amp...

Again...it does what it is supposed to do and does it incredibly well. I give it a 10

As I said, James came with me, showed me the amp, had coffee and a donut and we shot the breeze for like 3 hours. A class act for sure and I am sure would be more than helpful to any owner.

This amp is perfect. I wouldnt change a thing. It does what james claims...no more and certainly no less.
I've been playing for 7 years and have owned Boogies, fenders, Peaveys, and currently use a Trace Elliot Velocette. This amp would be the perfect at home, studio or small gig (with a mic) amp. It has a clarity as low volumes that no other amp i've played has.
I'm borrowing this amp from James again in a fw weeks to gig with. Provided it cuts it i will be buying one from him.

BTW...i dont know what the other guy meant about no low end or the edge and boost switches not doing anything. They do what they are supposed to do. And the amp has tonnes of thump in the low end.

Not much on features, and that's OK. Very simple class a, self-biasing amp (sort of--the maker warns against certain preamp tubes). I prefer simple. However, i just didn't like it. Has an edge switch and a boost but neither is noticeable. There was no bottom end anywhere. I can't believe the reviews i see on the forums and here. This amp was nowhere near what i expected. If i hadn't read all the marshall meets matchless talk beforehand, i may have been more lenient, but big claims require big proof and i did not hear the tone. I sold mine to a friend right away.

I tried it with a PRS, a Les Paul, and a strat. I thought it sounded fizzy and thin. I wanted to like it, but i didn't. I like my zinky mofo, my budda sd30, my bogner xtc, orange ad15, heck even my marshall transistor lead 15 microstack better. Along these lines (self biasing, low watt, high gain), i've had allen class act and univalve and this one. Univalve is first, then the allen, then this. I tried and tried but had no luck getting any tone i could use.

It didn't break down, but i didn't have it more than a few days. It just seemed to be built sort of off-square. The rectifier looked crooked to me.

Peters is a nice enough guy, but i think he should have worked on this a bit before his release.

I sold mine and don't miss it. I wish it had been what i expected. It did not stand up to any of my other amps. I think if this builder sticks with it, he'll come up with a better one, but i just don't like this amp. I'm not leaving my name in case my friend who bought it reads this. I don't want him to know how I really feel. Also, sorry, Mr. Peters, but i would have liked to have read this sort of review before i bought mine.

#15 made by james peters out of canada. 2 12ax7s and inputs in back for either 6V6,6L6,and EL34 tubes. one power tube of your choice without biasing. will also accept KT66 and 6550 tubes. ten watts max with a 6L6 down to 4 with a 6V6. lightweight head, treble bass and mid, edge and boost switch and master and gain. i am casually comparing this amp to a dr z carmen ghia which uses 2 el84s and a couple of 12ax7s and a rectifier. i think both of these amp makers could learn something from each other, and at the risk of sounding pretentious, without being arrogant, it is too bad it couldnt be done. i like both amps a lot, but they are different. the peters is in the vein of the very popular thd univalve. there are drawbacks to both of these amps,the carmen ghia:i get tired of el84s, and the ghia is just a bit limited, but a great great amp though. the peters: not a fendery amp, but it doesnt need to be, perhaps lacking a bit in the treble department, but a well thought out concept, perfect for certain kinds of music. i want to compare both of these amps, why not? i have owned 2 ghias and now am glad to own a peters.

a terry mcinturff polaris pro, 69 les paul deluxe with lindy fralin p-90s and a reverend (yes reverend) slingshot with p-90s. i can use this amp to record modern tones, fender does not apply here, this amp could shine in a p.a. situation or a recording mode, perfect for home sounds, but it is not a practice amp. the ability to use different tubes makes it very worthwhile. i have alot of nice tubes from about 5 years of buying and trading amps and buying tubes, the better the tubes the better this amp sounds. ideally , this amp really needs a pedal to switch the boost on, but that would drive up the cost. it is a really nice feature. the peters has the fine tones like the ghia in that you can set it to harmonic breakup/trailing sustain/just on the verge of feedback at a reasonable volume, it wont kill your ears. someone might say, well, why not just get a nice pedal to do that with a fender,,, it is not the same, the tube warmth is why you play a tube amp. there is something midrangy about, say the fulltone fulldrives i have played, and something just not exactly satisfying about say, a menatone.. drawbacks to the peters would be a lack of treble, but then again, i seem to want to compare to a fender treble clean ( i DO like fender clean) and that is not fair, as this peters is not made for clean sounds, although it can get them, but it is made for basically getting a real big overdriven high gain tone at a volume that is toneful and listenable. the carmen ghia has plenty of bass, and is not middy in my opinion,,, and what i love about it is the just-o-the-verge of feedback that is gives. but it is a one trick poney. and good poney though,,,, the peters offers a bit more versatility and range of tones. same nice build quality, smaller transformer, but, a different animal. both amps, the carmen ghia and the peters, are dependent on the right speaker arrangement. the carmen ghia is one of the most popular small amps available right now. 3 years ago you could get one for 599, now they are 800. the peters has the potential to be in this category, it is voiced for the modern tone that is popular now. not heavy metal, but able to fit in a lot of styles. it is not an amp for everybody. it is not a big high gain monster or a fender clean. but it is not a practice amp. it is more than that. it is a players amp, for the player who likes to use different tubes and refine his sound. not for a country picker although you can get that tone, not for blues, although you can get that tone I think fender when i think blues) but alternative rock. the amp sounds stupendous with my les paul with fralins ( i am not a tone snob here at all, i bought them on ebay and refer to them as frindy lalins), i bought them to replace some worn out p-90s that were over 30 years old and havent gotten around to having them rewound. the humbuckers come out fine with this amp ( the mcinturff), using the amp without the boost gives a nice clean, the neck pickup on this sometimes sounds too bassy on other amps, but surprisingly comes out nice and full on the peters. the carmen ghia is best with single coil pickups and not so hot with humbuckers,,, the peters needs more treble and possibly more bass that the carmen ghia has, but then you would have to have a bigger transformer etc, i think james peters has had many requests for a 20 watt amp, and he probably will get around to it. if it is in the vein of this amp, and he prices it at 7 or 800 he will do well, the amp world is a very competitive and hard place to be, you have to really love what you are doing and be resiliant. i hope he is. many might be turned off at the "10 watts max" of this amp, but you have to have good tubes, good speakers, and a good guitar. i am of the opinion that many players in this world have none of these things,,, hah,,, then again, many do.. so give me a break. it is a loud 10 watts. the overall tone that a 6L6 or a quality EL34 puts out is a lot bigger than a pair of el84s. el

i do wonder about the switches etc, but,we will see. who knows? i have had problems with several new amps i have bought. not the makers fault, but components are not perfect..

very upfront and responsive,,,

i have played for over 30 years and grew up going over note for note with hendrix and the stones and jeff beck etc. i have owned over 20 amps in the last 5 years. fenders, old and new, soldanos ( 2), blues pearls (5), mesa boogie, and ADA rocket reverb 20 ( similar to this, but PCB board) and now own a fender super reverb and a harry joyce 100 watt head and cab. the ideal situation for this amp would be, if playing live, miked through a p.a., A/B'd with a small fender. switch back and forth between the two. i love the ability to use different tubes and the overall tone of this amp. i know that doesnt say a lot, but, i really get tired of pedals, i dont need one with this amp. this amp is priced about right. there is no way this amp will do a fender hot rod deluxe sound, but there is no way the hot rod deluxe will get this sound either. i love a low volume roar in the vein of a mesa boogie DC2 ( a fine amp that is discontinued, but is not really a live amp ( limited clean)), and this gets that at a reasonable listenable volume,,, i love the amp...

This amp is a completely hand-built, point-to-point, cathode biased, non-negative feedback, single-ended Class A tone monster.

It has everything I need in an amp - Volume, Treble, Mids, Bass controls, gain, boost switch, and for extra tone shaping, an Edge switch.

I'll give it a 10 because it is a really simple, straight ahead amp that is ideal for me. The ability to swap power tubes - EL34, 6L6, 6550, 6V6, KT66 is great for tone-shaping.

I'm using a Fender American Standard Tele, Strat and a DeArmond M75. They all sound amazing and the character of each guitar shines through. I have yet to hear a guitar that didn't sound great with it.

The sound is somewhere between a classic Marshall and an overdriven Matchless. You have the classic Marshall roar with the clarity of a Vox AC 30. You really get that definition of each note in the chord you strum. It also has tons of gain to really push it beyond any standard Marshall I've played. It gets really aggressive and has that real snap like Pete Townshend used to get with his modified Hiwatts.

There is a lot of low-end thump, and a really round, glassy character to the amp. The notes really blossom when they sustain, and you can tweak the amp to get your solid body to sound like an overdriven semi or hollow body. Very cool bonus!

You can tweak the amp a lot and the controls are very interactive. It's unbelieveable how many tones you can get in the classic rock vein up to modern tones. You can nail the AC/DC tone, Page, and get a very useable early EVH tone as well. Surprisingly enough, you also get a very useable, nice clean. I can do some great chickin' pickin' with my tele.

We were playing it in a music store, and another guy was there playing through a really nice Dual Recto combo. Super nice amp. We were trading licks with the guy, and side-by-side I was able to really hear where the Peters shines. It had the gain that the recto had, but the Peters was much fuller and richer sounding. It had a real warmth and aggression that was lacking in the recto. The recto aggression seemed a lot harsher, and the tones with the Peters sound more versatile to my ears.

You can really tweak it to get a ton of sounds. Most amps to me have some great tones, but are much more plug-and-play. With the Class A rich tone with sweet power tube distortion, the glassy tones are addictive.

Built like a tank on an aluminum chassis, solid wood enclosure and a beautifully crafted board that's done in point-to-point. James stands behind his work and takes great pride in his craft.

Unbeatable. James is a perfectionist and really wants to help you get some great tone. He really loves building amps and loves to talk to people about gear and playing. Super nice guy. In my case, he accidentally put a tiny scratch on the chassis. He called me and told me that he was going to have one redone because he didn't want it to go out of his shop like that. It was a tiny scratch that you could barely see, but he takes great pride in his work and wanted to know if it was okay if the delivery date slipped so he could do a new one.

James has a good warranty, and if something were to go wrong would bend over backwards to make it right.

I've been playing for about eight years. I love this amp. It has the tone that my Marshall Jubilee has, but with better attack, much more gain and a much better clean. It has all the things I need in a good rocking head. All the tones I need from country to metal are in there.
I was looking for something to get more gain out of my Marshall when I felt the need, and was considering getting a Hiwatt for the attack, and a Soldano. Now I have the sounds and character that I like in all three plus a very Vox AC 30 character in one amp.