September 2024

Deluxe Rebirth

By Riverhorse. Bryan Sours of Soursound Audio Works joins ToneQuest for a deep conversation on vintage transformer design, the sonic secrets of the Schumacher Sandwich, and why a turn-for-turn reproduction of the 1964 Deluxe Reverb output transformer is the key to restoring the amp's original voice.

DELUXE REVERB

Renewable & Incomparable Beauty

By Riverhorse. A deep dive into building a third vintage blackpanel Fender Deluxe Reverb from a stripped 1965 chassis — sourcing period-correct parts, dialing it in with Mr. Valco, and discovering that fresh Sours transformers and an Eminence Alessandro speaker can make a vintage DR sound more powerful than ever.

NEW LIFE FOR

Vintage Deluxe Reverb Amps

By Terry Dobbs a.k.a. Mr. Valco. Amp tech Terry Dobbs walks through the meticulous restoration of a 1965 Deluxe Reverb chassis built for a friend and the serendipitous acquisition of an all-original 1967 silver-panel example, with detailed notes on Soursound transformer upgrades and period-correct parts.

DANA SUTCLIFFE

Looking For The Scoop

By Pete Prown. Dana Sutcliffe, inventor of the Alvarez Dana Scoop solidbody and veteran luthier, recalls his path from wiring toy-car motors to building guitars for George Thorogood and Eddie Van Halen—and how a routing accident in 1986 became one of the most distinctive guitar designs of the era.

THICK AS A BRICK:

Ibanez In The Late '70s

By Pete Prown. Collector and writer Pete Prown traces his decades-long obsession with late-1970s Ibanez guitars—from his teenage purchase of an Iceman IC200 on Manhattan’s 48th Street to hunting down Professional, Destroyer, and triple-coil models—re-evaluating how these original Japanese designs hold up today. Along the way, Prown shares conversations with then-marketing director Jeff Hasselberger about models co-developed with Bob Weir, Randy Scruggs, and Steve Miller.