Monkeymatic Black Butte #25 Reel to Reel Amp to Guitar Amp Conversion 2023 - Red

No Sales Tax For Customers Outside Of California.

Monkeymatic, the brain child of Aaron Lyon, operates here in our hometown of Chico, CA.  

Aaron is an excellent guitar player and a talented amp tech.  He offers new builds, repairs, and these amazing amps.  He's dubbed this the Black Butte model, named after the volcanic domes near Mount Shasta, a beautiful Northern California area a bit over an hour north of us.

The amps are built into chassis from vintage reel-to-reel console units.  Each amp powered one left or right speaker in the console, thus the LEFT and RIGHT markings on each faceplate.  

Original transformers and many internal components are re-purposed along with the chassis, then Aaron tweaks the tone stack to something similar to an early 50s Fender Tweed layout.  

The amps scream, and they do so at low volumes.  Output is about 2 watts, so you can imagine that you can really push the output section without killing anyone.  

There are just two controls - tone and master volume.  Gain ramps quickly as you increase the input level.  I like to get the master at about 8, then bring the input level up to find the richest saturation, then use my guitar's volume control to clean up when needed.  

The amp will run a 4, 8 or 16 ohm load.  The VU meter actually works, thought it does pretty much red line most of the time to reflect the amp's output.

More than just a novelty, this is a useable amp that is also capable of blowing your friend's minds.  It really stole the show at a recent guitar show, plowing people over with tone!

Mahar's Vintage Guitars is a brick-and-mortar and web-based retailer. We are happy to talk with you before you make a purchase.   Please reach out if you feel so inclined! We cross market our items here and on our own site, so items are subject to sale elsewhere at any time (however we will never cancel a sale if it happens here first). See our profile here, our Google reviews as well as our 100% positive Reverb feedback. Also, Reverb limits us to only 25 pictures of our items. There is a good chance we have more. Contact us if you’d like to see them.

No sales tax for direct sale customers outside California. Reverb sales are always taxed.

Shipping policy:

Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions.  If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to .  Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.   

• Case/Cover?: No
• Color: Red Tolex
• Dimensions:  13 3/4"w x 7"h x 7 1/4"d
• Weight: 13lbs 7ozs
• Watts: 2
• Date: 2023
• Where date is noted: Builders plaque
• Speaker Out: One 4-16ohms rated 
• FX Loop?: No
• Reverb or other effects?: No
• Rectifier Tube: 6x4
• Power tubes: 6BQ5 
• Preamp Tubes: 12AD7
• Pedal?: No
• Pots, codes: Original
• Tolex: Original Red
• Grille: Original
• Knobs: Original
• Handle: Original
• Power cord: 3 prong
• Notes: