Amplifiers

Barry Andrews has seen it all. Barry helped take a fledgling amp company, Quilter Sound Things, from a small shop to one of the most successful companies in the music industry, QSC. Along the way Barry’s focus on quality has helped found the basis for the company. Starting in the shop building amps with Pat Quilter, Barry took on the role of CEO while driving sales, first through their own retail shop, then moving onto the wholesale side as the business grew. Directing the company through its exponential growth, Barry helped create a company culture that thrives on innovation whil

John Andrews, along with his brother Barry and co-found Pat Quilter, formed the core that grew QSC into an incredibly successful company. Barry brought John into the business in the early days where he first began running the front office. Moving quickly into the role of Operations and finance, John’s leadership in scaling up the company’s manufacturing capabilities was crucial to the success of the business. John then transitioned into the co-CEO role with Barry as the company grew. Recently, John has stepped away from the day-to-day management of the company, but still actively

 Sammy Ash was named after his grandfather, the founder of the Sam Ash Music Company in New York City. Like his grandfather, Sammy had a deep passion and understanding of the music business and although both men faced different challenges in different eras, they both felt customer service was the highest priority. Sammy played a vital role in the company’s expansion, overseeing the purchase of several new store locations as well as the construction of others throughout the United States. He was just 65 years old when he lost his battle with melanoma.  

Clay Barclay was associated with Crown International in Elkhart, Indiana for more than 40 years. As a kid, he took radios apart to see how they worked and has been fascinated with audio his entire life. He is a brain surgeon by trade but always worked in the field of electronics with the goal of improving audio equipment. Among the many products Clay was involved with at Crown were the DC300 and DC300A amplifiers, which were originally designed by Gerald Stanley, as an ultra-quality power supply for General Electric.

Andrew Barta was born in Hungary and came to the United States with a dream of working in the music industry. Having been in rock bands in Europe, Andrew formed a band in America and worked as a technician repairing instruments in New York music stores. Along the way, he began designing a project based on his own ideas as a player. Andrew formed Tech 21 and introduced a line of innovative products including the SansAmp, and the Trademark series and the Power Engine series of guitar amps. 

Jim Beattie went to his local audio dealer in Columbus, Ohio in 1971 seeking high-end gear. The dealer invited Jim to tour the Crown International factory with him following week in Elkhart. Jim was approached to fill a job position while there and joined the company that year, 1971, and retired in 1998! Along the way, Jim worked on many special products for the company including the Distinction Series. He was able to meet Frank Zappa and worked with customers around the world as General Sales Manager. Like so many who stayed with the company for years, Jim felt a true since of be

Mark Bell is the founder of Belcat, a global manufacturer of guitar electronics and accessories known for delivering quality products at accessible price points. Since establishing the company in 1988, Mark has led Belcat’s growth into an internationally recognized brand, with manufacturing operations in China and Indonesia and a product line that spans amplifiers, effect pedals, tuners, preamps, pickups, and a wide range of components for musicians and builders. Under his leadership, Belcat has focused on combining innovative design with practical functionality, supporting musici

Herschel Blankenship’s love for music all began when he saw Buddy Holly on the Ed Sullivan show as a kid. It sparked his interest and led him down a path filled with performing and touring. After working for many years in the music industry, he became a founder of Schecter Guitar Research – a company focused on the hot-rodding of guitars. 

Thomas Blug was just 17 years old when he began working as a studio musician in his native Germany. He developed his own unique tone, which was based on modifications of his amplifier and his Fender Stratocaster. His band Tic Tac Toe opened for Michael Jackson and he performed with a long list of performers from Tommy Emmanuel to Stewart Copeland. The Thomas Blug Band released three albums, beginning in 2005 with Guitar From the Heart. His interest in electronics led to a 27-year position as a product engineer for Hughes & Kettner, after which he decided to establish his own c

David Boonshoft, former president of Aguilar Amplification, boasts a multifaceted career deeply rooted in the music industry. From his early days as a jazz bassist to his collaborations with iconic labels like Def Jam and Naked Music, David's journey is a testament to his diverse talents and unwavering passion for music. As the co-founder of Aguilar Amplification in 1995 and Naked Music Recordings in 1998, he has seamlessly balanced roles as a bassist, MI product developer, record label owner and businessman since 1975.

Jack Casady played electric bass for the Jefferson Airplane before forming the band Hot Tuna with his lifelong friend, Jorma Kaukonen. Jack and Jorma played together in Jefferson Airplane at the beginning of that band in 1965 and while the band continued to record, they formed Hot Tuna in 1969. Among the highlights of his Jefferson Airplane experience is playing Woodstock and writing and recording the bass line for the classic rock hit “White Rabbit.” Jack has played his signature model Epiphone for years and is proud of the redesign he worked on with the luthiers and electronic e

Clifford Cooper has always liked the color orange. So, when it was time to market his amplifiers, which he created mostly for his own use and for friends, he decided to use his favorite color. The Orange amplifier products are not only unique in looks, but are also known by musicians for the clear and consistent sound. Mr. Cooper is not often interviewed, making it a special honor to have gathered his inspirational stories for our collection.

Roger Cox began his career at Ampeg in Linden, NJ.  At Ampeg he served as Vice President of Operations responsible for Quality, Manufacturing, Service, and Research and Development.

Dolores Crooks remembers her husband working in the garage at all hours of the night on a new sound he was after.  He tooled his own guitar amplifier and took it down to country dances to show it off to the musicians.  Before long performers such as Chet Atkins and Speedy West were not only buying one of his amps, but insisting on using the amp on all of their gigs and recordings.  When her husband, Bob Crooks, outgrew the garage, they moved the company, now called Standel, into a new building.  While the company only produced amps for a few years, the name continues to excite col

Dolores Crooks remembered her husband working in the garage at all hours of the night on a new sound he was after.  He tooled his own guitar amplifier and took it down to country dances to show it off to the musicians.  Before long performers such as Chet Atkins and Speedy West were not only buying one of his amps, but insisting on using the amp on all of their gigs and recordings.  When her husband, Bob Crooks, outgrew the garage, they moved the company, now called Standel, into a new building.  While the company only produced amps for a few years, the name continues to excite co

Michel Doidic always enjoyed the technology behind electronic musical instruments. When he was younger he built his own guitar and other equipment before meeting Marcus Ryle while they both worked for Tom Oberheim. They later form a consulting company called Fast Forward Designs. The success of the company gave Michel and Marcus the idea to create their own products and so they created a new company called Line 6 to focus on guitar gear.

Brian Douglas enjoyed a career as a touring musician and songwriter both in rock and in house music, which gives him a unique perspective in understanding several facets of the needs of performers.  As president of Cream City Music outside of Milwaukee, and an owner, he is able to provide that perspective in a way that is meaningful to his customers.  As the store expands in on-line sales as well as walk in sales, Brian and his staff stand at the ready to apply their knowledge and passion to help others fulfill their musical dreams.

Michael Doyle was traveling with a band when he had an opportunity to tour the Marshall factory. It was an eye opening and fortuitous experience. Several years later he was offered a job with Korg USA, and was able to rep the Marshall line for over nine years. After working for Fender (he got to meet Leo Fender at a NAMM Show), Michael joined the Guitar Center team. At the time, the chain only had nine stores and Michael takes pride in the company’s growth. Overseeing several guitar projects at Guitar Center, Michael established the Eric Clapton signature series as well as the pri

Howard Durbin was hired by RCA following World War II and worked within the engineering department on improving the phonograph record.  He was assigned to the team that addressed unbreakable 78s and later on the team that developed the 45 record and still later the Red Seal LP.  He attended the NAMM Show during those years, which often showcased performers from top record companies, such as RCA, who were selling to the same dealers who were selling musical instruments.  The stand-alone record store was a rare thing to find in those days, so most records especially in smaller towns

Don Eger earned his degree in electric engineering and began working for Crown International in 1964. A few years later he became a draftsman in the Engineering Department and by 1977 he was the Product Development Manager helping the company create some of their innovative amplifiers and microphones. In 1981, Don started the Techron Division to market to industrial as well as OEM manufacturers. He worked for the company for 30 years, retiring in 1994.

Adrian Emsley is the Technical Director at Orange Amps in London.  The company’s founder, Cliff Cooper, hired Adrian to lead the teams that created several key products for Orange including the RockerVerb, the OR-50 and the AD series, which was introduced in 1998. Over the years, Adrian has become a regular attendee at the NAMM Show and is often sought out by gear-heads who want to talk to the man behind the products.  His perspective and knowledge is especially valuable to those who want to better understand what the future of amps might be.  Adrian might not know, but I bet he h

Bo Engberg was asked by a guitarist friend if he would please build a better amplifier. That one request from a friend change the direction of his career because Bo soon discovered he really enjoyed the inner workings of the amp and thought of a few ways he could improve on the design and functionality. Fast forward to 1979 when he created his first amp and again to 1985 by which time he had sold over 600 units.

Benny Englund was a rock and roll singer as a teen when he fell in love with the music industry!  He toured with groups as a roadie and sound engineer.  He also worked for a time for a few record companies and traveled with groups such as the Hollies with Graham Nash and the Rolling Stones.  Benny opened the first music store in Sweden to sell amplifiers and had his own management company at the same time.

John Fields grew up in Meridian and took a great interest in his mother’s job at Peavey Electronics. As a kid, John worked on electrical components and built his first guitar at the age of 12. He later studied electronics and got a degree in Electrical Engineering before working with the engineer James Brown (Mr. Brown is most noted for engineering the 5150 amplifier for Peavey). John also had the opportunity and foresight to talk with many of the older engineers from whom he learned so much. John released the Firebass 700 and has since engineered several artist model products suc

Ritchie Fliegler has come to be known throughout the music products industry as “the Amp guy.” He wrote several articles and two popular books on amplifiers. He has been in the forefront of the technology that helped advance the amp, particularly when he was working with Fender Musical Instrument Corp. in the 1990s and early 2000's. Ritchie’s passion as a musician served the company well as he sought to not only produce top selling products, but to create advances in the function of each amp to focus on the needs of the customers, both pro and first time players. Ritchie is also w

Bob Gallien has been an innovator in bass guitar amplification for some 30 years! Inspired as a young guitar player in the 1960s by bands like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, Bob loved the role the bass guitar had in rock music, although it was clear the sound needed improving. As co-founder of Gallien-Krueger, he has helped establish a niche within the industry dedicated to the improvement of amplification.

Mark Gooday is the founder/owner of Ashdown Engineering. As a young bass player in England, Mark idolized the tone and style of John Entwistle of The Who and wanted more sound from the bass amps he was using. He approached Trace Elliot and helped make their amplifiers sound bigger for less money. After he left Trace Elliot, he founded his own company, Ashdown Engineering, a family business that he started in his living room. Today, Ashdown continues to be on the cutting edge of bass amp technology and provides a personal touch to each unit purchased.

Steve Grindrod is the guitar amplifier designer who has pioneered the master-volume models for Marshall with design work on the JCM800 and Silver Jubilee lines as well as the Marshall JCM900.  While working on his own amp line, Steve moved to China and partnered with IAG to establish Albion Amplifiers.  Among the noted products offered by Albion and designed by Steve are the TCT Series, the bass amp series ABH, the GS Series and GS15 Limited Edition products.

Bob Hackett worked for Ampeg on the company’s amplifiers.  As a professional bass player, Bob was able to provide vital feedback in the design and sound of the bass amps for Ampeg.  During his time at the company he worked with several other key engineers and employees including Roger Cox.  Bob later worked for the Moog Music Company in the years just before Dr. Moog purchased back the company to regain use of his name.  Bob continues to play in several groups in and around Cincinnati including the award winning Belcastro Trio.

Gary Hanser grew up in the music industry.  His grandfather formed a small music store and distribution business in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1924.  Since that time the company has expanded, and with the guidance of Gary and his brothers, Hanser Music now includes such lines as Kustom, B. C. Rich and Spector Basses.  Gary has been active in the business as well as throughout the industry and in fact served on the NAMM Board of Directors beginning in 2006.

Richard Harrison owned and operated several music retail stores in the United Kingdom including well-known stores on Denmark Street. The street in London is often called the English Tin Pan Alley with shop after shop offering guitars, basses, drums, saxophones, sheet music and so much more. The best known of his shops were Rockers Music and Music Ground, whiuch he ran with his son Justin. Richard also once served as the president of Hiwatt Amplification in the UK.  

Willie Hatcher gives a great deal of credit to the public-school system in Mississippi when he was growing up in the 1950s for providing a variety of shop classes. Those instructional courses included woodworking, automotive, and machine shop, and they all provided Willie with the background he needed to contribute to Peavey Electronics as a product engineer. Willie joined the company in 1970 and is proud of the fact that he was employee number 36. He is also proud of the fact that the company grew in size and scope over the years to provide many jobs in his hometown of Meridian a