Fatdog's been going through the pile of old tube and solid-state amps, speaker cabinets and effects and now he's ready to offer up these blasts from the past to you local Bay Area folks.
High shipping costs and damage risks are the two reasons we don't want to sell these amps around the country. This part of the web site is only viewable to local people -- so come in, try the stuff out and take it home.
Land-fill Amps
Things have certainly changed in the world of amplifiers. Today, amps are made far, far away under conditions that are at best "questionable" and at worst -- they're produced under downright slave conditions.
Nowadays, new imported amps are manufactured under the typical philosophy of most manufacturing: disposable consumer commodities. There are alot of fancy doo-dads, sparkling design and looks that are attractive, but these items end up in a land-fill because their life expectancy is short and the repair costs, prohibitive.
Our philosophy is to repair and restore these classic work horses that will be rocking for years into the future. They're ready to go and easy to adjust -- they'll be rocking and wailing for another 50 years!
Our repair technicians check out each amp carefully before they're sent out the door with you. That means: the amp is guaranteed to perform in your home -- and on stage -- just as it performs for you at the shop.
And as far as high-tech effects and modelling capabilities are concerned, musicians can buy cigarette packet-sized doo-dads that are disposable, but can make all, and have all, the sounds you want: just plug it into your solid workhorse amp!
For over 35 years we have squirrelled away hundreds of old amps -- including vintage hi-fi, speakers, and effects. I will be offering these up for sale just as fast as we can dig them out.
And don't forget: We can obtain new speakers at exceptional prices for you AND we also have a huge variety of discounted amp tubes available. Subway has a small Smithsonian-style display of guitar amps from the 30s, 40s, and 50s -- eye candy for you. Local cottage industry effects designers will be offering their products here; you'll soon find links to their web sites.
for guitar and hi-fi.
So come in and check out Fatdog's amp room. Sit down and play
awhile; see how the different ones sound and feel to you. And think of
richer days gone by....
Dave Hodwalker, vintage tube amp specialist and electrical engineer, has been around Subway for 30 years. More recently he's focused on repairs. Dave's also a great blues musician and has played in a number of local bands.
Dick Billups specializes in solid state, tube, instrument and high-fi amps. You can depend on his fast and reasonable repairs. Here's what he says for himself:
Dick Billups
I can still remember my first battery, switch, light bulb experiment. It worked and no one told me how to do it. They said I was born with a plastic screwdriver in my mouth. I had no idea what that meant.
By ten or so I was working on the family assembly line manufacturing Kaar citizens band radios. Like the old Tiesco guitar I lost as a teen, my interest in electronics and guitars returned with a vengance in the early 1980s.
Soon I was working in a stereo/tv repair shop. Then came 15 years as an electronic/electrical technician in an industrial power supply company, stuffing and testing circuit boards, building and testing multi-megawatt DC power systems.
World travel for startup and service calls became the norm. All the while, no friend or family member ever went with a broken piece of gear as I fixed everything from sewing machines to cd players.
In 1991 I opened a shop with friends as a part-time venture. Those days I was working full-time, plus overtime, and the guitar shop in the evening. Single at the time, it all worked out for a while. My day job took priority then and the shop didn't get the priority it deserved, so we closed in 1996.
Now married, with children, cats and dogs, and everything that comes with it, priorities change: I get to do what I like best for a living. Industry has let me down and laid me off with the masses, so I'm back with electronics, specializing in reviving that dusty old gear no one knows sounds so good! Solid state, tube, hi-fi, guitar, bass, PA -- you name it, I fix it.
Musical instrument and related electronic repair at its best!
| A401 | Music Man 112: Tube Classic |
 | A402 | Sunn Stage 410: 4-10" speakers |
| A403 | Univox: tube amp with 2-12" speakers, reverb and tremelo |
| A404 | Cub 30: Custom Sound tube amp, a little like English bass amp |
| A405 | Peavey KB100: 3-channel keyboard amp with a 15" speaker |
| A406 | Gibson Falcon: from the 60s, tubes, reverb, tremelo and 1-12" speaker, foot switch |
| A407 | Ampeg SS 150H: reverb, LOUD, formerly owned by rocker Johnny Beane |
| A408 | Peavey Classic 212: tubes, reverb, phase with master volume |
| A409 | Peavey Twin: Deuce. 4-power tubes, 2-12" speakers, effects: phase and reverb. Master volume |
 | A410 | Peavey Twin: Deuce, 4-power tubes, 2-12" speakers, effects: tremelo and reverb |
 | A411 A412 | Danelectro 60s Silvertone Twin: 12 heads. As used by Red Strips. Amp heads with 2 6L6 power tubes, tremelo with overkill on the reverb (but not if you service them) |
| A413 | Lab Series L5: Gibson's 100-watt 2-12" speaker amp. A favorite of Duke Robilard and B.B. King, effects: compressor, reverb, multi-filter and sweepable frequency |
 | A414 | Peavey Classic Chorus 212: with stereo chorus reverb, lots of EQ and master volume |
 | A415 | Peavey Stereo Chorus 212: digital reverb, lots of EQ, crunch knob, heavey-duty 2-12" speakers |
| A416 | Early (c. 1970) Bassman 410: good tube amp, good for guitar, sealed back |
| A417 | Custom 250: the real "surf" machine with vibrato, tremelo and reverb, fuzz and some type of EQ |
More Amps
1800 Cedar Street
Berkeley, California 94703
(510) 841-4106
noon til six, Monday thru Saturday
Pacific Time
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