Tweed Princeton-Inspired Amp with Tube Reverb

Little River Amp
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This listing is for a pre-build order - you order and I build! See more info near the bottom of this listing. Check here on Reverb for a ready-to-go Little River Amp listed by LA Vintage Gear.
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I wanted a small hand wired tube amp for home and studio.
I wanted it to sound big and balanced, but not loud.
It had to be quiet - no hum or hiss!
And I wanted spring reverb.

So, I designed and built the Little River Amp!

This amp combines two 50’s Princeton circuits, the 5F2 and the 5F2A. The Little River has the 5F2 tone circuit, which (to me) sounds more open than the later 5F2A, although not quite as loud. The power section is a combination of the two legacy amps, with some other tweaks, resulting in an extremely quiet-at-idle amp. You can barely tell it’s on without a guitar plugged in. Seriously. Play quietly in the middle of the night with the amp right by your side - you will only hear your music (and maybe your single coil pickups).

The concept for the reverb circuit is borrowed from ’60s Ampeg amps, like the Reverberocket. It uses one tube, a dozen resistors/capacitors, and a spring tank. Really simple, and it sounds great!
There are three controls for the reverb: Tone, Mix, and River.
• The tone knob works as a treble cut, so the reverb can go from dark to bright, independent of the master tone.
• Mix is how much of the reverb signal is blended in with the dry signal.
• The River knob regulates how long the reverb effect stretches out. Commonly called dwell or tail, there are several names for this control so I decided I could invent my own. It can go from subtle to splashy.

Two inputs, high and low. Volume knob and Tone knob.

Here are the components:

• Finger joint solid pine cabinet, extremely resonant, and covered in aged lacquered tweed

• Fat Jimmy 10" 8 Ohm speaker (I tried others...this is the one)

• Custom designed, fabricated, and welded aluminum chassis

• Anodized aluminum laser-engraved faceplate

• Hand wired on a G10/FR4 eyelet board (way better than the old fiber board - will never become conductive)

• F&T filter caps

• Jupiter coupling caps

• NOS Allen Bradley carbon comp resistors where it matters (Basically the whole preamp. These sound fantastic in vintage circuits.)

• Cloth covered wire, and Teflon-coated high temp wire where needed

• Heyboer power transformer

• Mercury Magnetics or Heyboer output transformer

• Switchcraft jacks and plugs

• Alpha pots

• Belton tube sockets

• Negative feedback bypass switch under the chassis (Switch forward uses stock NFB. Switch to the rear bypasses NFB, which sounds fatter and breaks up a little sooner - it's not dramatic)

• There is an RCA plug under the chassis for a reverb on/off foot switch (foot switch not included)

• 4 tubes: 5Y3, 6V6, 12AX7, 12DW7. All these tubes are in production today

• 6 watts, weighs 22 pounds

This listing is for a pre-build order - you order and I build!
Lead time is typically 8 weeks after payment is received. And I will communicate the status of your build at regular intervals, promise!

LA Vintage Gear in Burbank CA sometimes stocks the Little River Amp. Check with them if you’re in the area.

Thanks for reading this listing! I'm happy to answer questions!

Mike
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Here are a couple of recent reviews of my work, from right here on Reverb:

Jeff, Aug 2025
Amazing amp! Glorious tweed tone and very quiet when not playing. Fast shipping and very safely packed. Appreciated the instructions and overall care taken throughout. Would buy from here again!

Keegan, May 2025
County Line Guitar Amps processed my payment and shipped my purchase right away. They packaged my amp perfectly and communicated all details promptly. This 55' Tweed Deluxe sounds as good as it looks! The craftsmanship of the cabinet and attention to detail are top shelf. I cannot believe the tones I'm getting out of this thing. This is an excellent build. Overall, I love this amp, and I'm very happy with my purchase. Thank you!

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County Line Guitar Amps are hand wired in Denver, CO.

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County Line Guitar Amps warranty:

• Parts and labor for one year on the circuit.

• 30 days on speaker and tubes.

• Beyond that, we will fix our amps for the cost of parts and postage.

• Modifications or service by another tech will void the warranty.

• Repair of damage to the amp due to mishandling are not covered by warranty but gladly accepted!

And the obligatory safety warning:

• Tube amps may contain high voltages (400 Volts) inside the chassis, even when unplugged.

• County Line Guitar Amps has designed and constructed your amp to conform to safety codes.

• If your 3-prong plug is connected to a properly functioning outlet and you handle your amp like the electrical appliance that it is, you are safe from potential shock.

• Do not expose this amplifier to moisture or drive across the country with the amp rattling around in the back of your truck.

• Remove the back panel at your own risk. There are no user-serviceable parts inside.

• County Line Guitar Amps accepts no liability for damages caused by improper use of the amp.