The design philosophy of this particular amplifier was simple; to get a nice "chimey" tone and as the volume is turned up and the power tubes start to breakup, to get that fat British sound at reasonable volume levels.
The Custom 12 was created for players seeking a small amp vibe with a touch more muscle. It embraces the low-volume virtues of its now discontinued little brother, the Custom 6, while addressing its limitations. The Custom 12 maintains true class-A characteristics of British clean chime to creamy second-harmonic distortion by configuring its two EL-84 output tubes in parallel single-ended mode. And with the added power tube and larger output transformer, the Custom 12 has a punchier tone and more clean headroom.
The Custom 12 is made in the USA and is completely hand-wired, utilizing turret board construction, Heyboer transformers and laser etched faceplates. The Custom 12 head and combo is the ultra-portable solution to getting classic Reeves tone.
Power Scaling: Power Scaling is a proprietary technology London Power developed to allow the maximum power of an amplifier to be dialed down to whatever level you need. Most Tube amplifiers have a "sweet spot." This occurs when the amplifier's power tubes are pushed into what is known as "clipping," "break-up," or "saturation." The tone and harmonics being produced by the amplifier in this state is why the majority of guitar players prefer vacuum tubes. Unfortunately, in order to get an amplifier into the "sweet spot" the associated louder volume can be very undesirable. Power scaling allows the user to keep the "sweet spot" at any volume!
Unlike power attenuators that are placed between the amplifier and the speakers - causing the amplifier to "cook itself" and seriously shorten tube life. Power Scaling allows the power output stage to be variable from full volume all the way down to bedroom levels while still achieving power tube "break up." Other advantages of Power Scaling are longer tube life at any setting less than maximum. When the Power Scale control is in the minimum position the amplifier is now in standby thus eliminating the need for a standby switch.
SPECS: - Single-ended Class A design - 12 watts - Single 12AX7 and two EL84s - High and low inputs - Heyboer transformers - Turret board construction - Volume, bass, mid and treble controls - PS models also have Drive and Power Scale controls - 4, 8, and 16 ohm speaker jacks - Power scaling included - Black w/ White Piping - 20" (width) x 8" (height) x 8" (depth) - 8ohm WGS Alnico speaker
