Tone Lizard 20 Watt Head/2X12 cabinet

My amp was the fourth amp made by a small Winnipeg Boutique outfit named Tone Lizard. I bought it direct in 1999 from Randy, who is the guy who builds and designs Tone Lizard amps. I don't want to say how much I paid because he cut me a phenomenal deal, but these amps are the best priced point to point wired amp I've found.
Not everyone could use this amp; it's not for anyone who thinks four knobs isn't enough, or that an amp NEEDS a drive channel. Don't get me wrong, I think this amp is full featured, but not in the knobs and switches way. It is similar to a deluxe, but ran in class AB. It's single channel has Volume, Treble, Bass and Tremolo controls. It's tubes include 2 6v6's (mine had what looked like GE's - no name though) and 2 12ax7's (a Westinghouse and a Mullard ECC83) The resistors are all carbon comp and the caps are Sprague orange drops. Cloth insulated wire and a Hammond transformer round out the cool goodies inside. The Cabinet has 2X12 NOS Celestion/Rola Greybacks which I've figured out to be from the late fifties. Sweet!

I play Blues and Funk and mostly on a Les Paul and a Nighthawk (with a dobro nut) It is a very smooth, fat amp. It sounds great and is perfect gig volume a little past half up. The low end is smooth and just a little mooshy at high volumes and the more you crank it the better the highs sound - bright and sweet with absolutely not a hint of shrill. When you really make the speakers work they start to exhibit some classic british 'chime' while still sounding fat and Fendery. This is the kind of amp that makes you forget about all your other gear and just enjoy the interaction of a good guitar and amp - just what I wanted!

My amp has never had any problems (okay, broken tube but that was my fault) and seems well built - if not Matchless tough, at least Fender. It might be little difficult to find someone outside of Winnipeg who's seen one of these, but I guess they aren't so unusual inside that a good tech couldn't fix it. I've gigged without a backup, but with any tube amp I suppose that's not a great idea - no matter how well built. I think I'll get another, smaller amp from them for practice and quiet gigs.

I've emailed them quite a few times and been to the house where they are built when I needed work on some of my other gear. Randy is a great repair guy and has encyclopedic knowledge of tube amps, parts and amp tweaking. I've always found him great to deal with and genuinely determined to make guitar amps sound better and last longer. I don't really think there is a formal warranty, but as long as Randy is alive, I'm sure this will never be a problem.

I've been playing 10 years and have basically found the amp(s) that I'll use forever. It took me a long time to find an amp I like so much that wasn't 40 years old and 40% overpriced. I will hold on to this amp for a long time and plan to by others as I get more space to put all my gear. (6 guitars, amp, and a big pile of pedals in a studio appartment doesn't leave too much room for furniture) It sounds as good as the tweed bassmans I've played, without being too loud or bright. I like it so much more than the 4-10 Blues Deville I had prior that I will never buy Fender again. If you can find one of these amps give them a try - I like em!