Peters Amplification Silver Hawk Prototype Combo

First, let me start off by explaining the situation behind the custom work that James Peters courageously took on.

Last summer, I received a Fab Fox 1X10 combo amplifier from Fab Amps, which became a rather ugly experience. For further details, you can read the review I submitted in the database. I was at a point where Rob Franklin gave me the authorization to take the amplifier to a local service technician for repair. It was then that James Peters messaged me to offer his services on the amplifier (he learned of my Fab troubles through the HC Amp Forum, where I posted a review on my experience). His proposal was to rework the amp completely with higher quality parts and a turret board, while using the same chassis and transformer (we ended up changing the transformer because the one that came with the Fab was unsuitable). He initially offered to do the work free of charge, as long as I paid for shipping; but later on, we reached an agreement on a very low price that would cover parts and service (much lower than is deserved for the amount of work necessary to go into such a project). I was immediately taken aback by his generosity and sincerity in wanting to help me out.

It was not a hard decision to make. I could either service the Fab Amp (the Fab-ness in which would inevitably still prevail), or I could have James Peters completely rework it (de-Fab it), and transform it into a truly professional boutique amp. Needless to say, I chose the latter, and couldn?t have been more pleased with the result.

This amp is very easy to use. The knobs are your typical Master Volume, Gain, Treble, Mid, and Bass. The tone knobs work very well and it is easy to dial in the sound that you want. I do not know if James Peters? production model of the Silver Hawk will have more options or not.

Due to the poor quality of my cabinet and speaker (Fab cab with a 10? low-end Weber speaker), it is very hard for me to accurately and fairly judge the sound quality of the amplifier. With too much gain or bass, the speaker gives in to a farting sound. James Peters found the best cabinet match for the amp to be a 2 X 12 ported speaker cabinet, and I hope to be able to try one with this amp some day.

The cleans on this amp are wonderful. It has a very warm tone and responds very well to my Stratocaster at all pickup settings. The tone knobs give it amazing versatility ? more than I expected. It seems to be as well suited for soft and warm tones as it is for more shimmering, sparkling tones, bringing the best out of my vintage pickups in my Strat. It is an excellent low-wattage clean amp (at 15 Watts) that has enough headroom for practices and small gigs, and breaks up nicely at higher volumes. According to James, others that have tried it have compared the sound to anything from a Matchless to an AC30 to a Fender Tweed, and I can definitely see that.

This amp is also extremely quiet, and is perfect for recording. James Peters mentioned some concern about a hum, which had to do with the poorly drilled chassis of the original Fab amp. Personally, I haven?t noticed any problem with noise, whatsoever.

With my poor cabinet and single coil guitar, I haven?t been able to really test how much crunch I can get out of this amp. I would love to be able to try it with more cabinets and if I get a chance to in the future, I will post a followup review.

This amp seems to be extremely well-built. James Peters seems to take just as much care in the mechanical build and design of the chassis as he does with the design of the circuit. He also showed some concern as to how it would be mounted to the cabinet, making sure the final combo (which was to be assembled by myself and out of his control) would be reliable. Reliability is clearly as high a priority as any to him, and it shows in his craftsmanship.

All of the parts he used are of high quality. The potentiometers are smooth and feel great. The switches are actually quite cool-looking, and seem to be reliable enough. The boards and sockets are all very well mounted, and all of the wiring is glued or tied down to make it attractive and eliminate any possible stress from the solder joints. All of the solder joints are shiny and expertly performed.

This amp, not only being a prototype that probably required a significant amount of messing around with, was also built on a chassis that was very poorly drilled by Fab. The build quality is already excellent, but I imagine that his production model will be much better and cleaner looking, since it will actually be a fully designed amplifier, with chassis and parts and layout carefully chosen to work together.

I would have the utmost confidence in the reliability of any product or service from James Peters, especially combined with his excellent customer service.

Working with James Peters has been a wonderful experience for me. He is a very courteous, honest, and professional builder, and you simply cannot find a better person to do business with.

During the course of the build, James corresponded with me regularly to go over all the details. As mentioned before, his attention to detail is fantastic, and he truly shows the utmost concern towards every aspect of the design. This custom work was a true anomaly, and James was forced to work under significant limitations: Besides having to use a chassis that was already drilled (and poorly at that!), James had the additional sensitive issue of adopting an amp that was the result of a horrible experience with a previous amp manufacturer (Fab Amps). James proved to be very kind and understanding of my situation. Being a truly intuitive person, he was always one step ahead of me, carefully considering all facets of the situation in the way he approached the design. James took on the burden of making up for the immense value lost (in my having gone to Fab Amps in the first place) with grace.

He also was happy to discuss all technical aspects of the design with me, sharing all his thoughts, ideas, and suggestions about the design candidly and honestly. I never felt pressured, and I always felt like I had the full inside scoop on what was going on. He gave me many options on how he can design the amp, but was never afraid to give his personal opinion, which I valued very much. He has a great deal of knowledge and amp-building experience to share, and you will undoubtedly know a lot more about amps and their design philosophy after dealing with James. He has great passion for his work, and it shows.

Additionally, James was very quick to respond to all of my questions, and was always very thorough in covering all of the issues. Communication is of the highest level when you are dealing with James, and you can be sure that there will be no surprises (other than the tone of the amp exceeding your expectations) when you receive your product.

James Peters is a man who will stand behind his products and take care of his customers. He is a pleasure to deal with, has a great sense of humor, and treats his customers as friends. I am very grateful of James for transforming my sour dealings with Fab into a great experience.

It is important to examine the situation he had to deal with. Any type of custom work requires a high premium, and if you have gazed inside a Fab Amp, you will agree that de-Fabbing an amp is a dangerous and bold undertaking. James was willing to do this at a very low price. In fact, he initially asked for nothing more than the shipping charges, but I was able to talk him into accepting a still rather meager sum of money.

The result?

Before the rework, the Fab amp was practically non-functional and (after inspection) a possible fire hazard. It was built with cheap used/surplus parts, and the design was unsuitable for its applications in many aspects. The chassis was unsightly, with poorly drilled and misaligned holes, a terrible gold paintjob, and a general horrible look. Also, even at 12 Watts, the amp was still quiet enough to dime in an apartment on the weekends.

After the rework, this amp is now very powerful, easily capable of hanging with a band at practice or small gigs. It is built with high quality parts, carefully chosen for its intended applications, in terms of tone and reliability. The build quality is absolutely solid and dependable. It also has a very professional and attractive look. It is a truly great boutique amp, designed and built by a real professional.

Next time you are in the market for a new amp, or need some kind of service done on an existing amp, do yourself a favor and contact James Peters.