Star Sirius Reverb 30 Mark Sampson Made

Hand-built Class A tube combo by Mark Sampson — co-founder of Matchless, later Bad Cat — from his STAR Amplifiers workshop in Los Angeles. Star amps were built by hand in small numbers over a short run in the mid-2000s, and they very rarely come up for sale.

Serial number 10449 (pictured).

I bought this one new and have played it out exactly once. It has otherwise sat in a climate-controlled, smoke-free room in my home and has barely been touched. Condition is close to as-new.

FEATURES

• 30 watts, Class A, all-tube, hand-wired

• Two footswitchable channels

• Channel 1: Volume 1, Treble 1, Bass 1

• Channel 2: Gain 2, Trim 2, Treble 2, Bass 2, Master 2

• Shared Brilliance control

• Genuine spring reverb — R'Verb (Ch. 1)

• Effects loop with independent FX Send Level and FX Return Level

• Speaker output with selectable 4 / 8 / 16 ohm impedance

• Original STAR-branded 12" speaker, with the gold "Class A Tube Amplifiers — STAR by Mark Sampson, Los Angeles, CA" label fully intact (pictured)

• Cream/white leather tolex, silver-and-black pinstripe grille cloth, black corners, black strap handle

CONDITION

Cosmetically excellent. Tolex is clean throughout with no tears, rips or fading — a couple of tiny specks show up in the close-up photos, nothing you would notice in the room. Grille cloth is unmarked. Corners, handle and hardware are all original and undamaged.

Electronically perfect and fully functional. Serviced by Blackie in Los Angeles, a well-known amp tech, who did some work on the reverb circuit. No other modifications, and the original STAR speaker is still in place.

Tubes: the power tubes are JJ EL34L (pictured) — a replacement set, not the factory tubes.

INCLUDED

Amp, original STAR single-button footswitch with cable, owner's manual, and a padded cover (aftermarket).

WHY I'M SELLING

I'm consolidating down to a couple of amps. This one deserves someone who will actually play it.

Local pickup preferred — Seal Beach / Orange County, California. Serious offers considered.