Up for sale, a 2026 Austen Hooks Modded Bell & Howell “Space Heater” Projection Amplifier in near-mint condition and in perfect working order. Los Angeles-based electrical engineer and boutique amplifier technician Austen Hooks is perhaps best known for his unique, custom modified vintage Bell & Howell Filmosound 16mm military film projectors, which he converts into exceedingly high-quality “Projector Amps” championed by the likes of Jackson Brown, Dawes, and Blake Mills (who has also had input on the voicing of the amps).

Quickly becoming one of the most sought-after boutique amps on the market, with Hooks only able to produce a limited quantity each year, these rare so-called “Space Heaters” amps (nicknamed as such for obvious visual reasons) feature circuits that are very much in the classic Fender Tweed-style area sonically. This particular example, crafted by Hooks this year, is very Champ-esque in its response, delivering the same dynamic, three-dimensional, and touch-sensitive tones as that iconic amplifier with a slightly more pronounced upper-midrange response, big and wide-open at any Volume level, holding together even when dialed up all the way.