MAIN ARTICLE | FUCHS | ROBBIE CALVO | SOLOWAY | TOMASZEWICZ
The 2010 Nashville Amp Expo was an incredible experience this year. So many wonderful products and awesome builders. Unfortunately, two days doesn't give one nearly enough time to experience everything, so I had to carefully choose which rooms I dove into. Also, this year I felt it would be better if I were to elaborate a little more on each of the vendors and individuals I spent quality time with. The above sub-menu links to full blog posts based on my experiences with each of these fine builders and players.
When I read that TomasZewicZ Guitar Amplification (pronounced “tomas-evich”) was going to be at the Expo this year I was so excited. While attending Summer NAMM in 2008 I had the distinct pleasure of plugging into his TZZ-15H combo, which is a super sweet sounding 15 watt EL84 amp. I have never forgotten that tone.
It was really great to see John again and to get to plug into one of his creations for a second time. What a great sounding amp! He has created a really special line of guitar amplifiers that really aren't quite like anything else on the market. The first thing I noticed was the Sustain knob located directly above the Drive control. It turns out that John has literally built a studio-quality compression effect directly into the circuitry of the amp. Via an internal trim pot, John pre-adjusts each Sustain control for the perfect amount of compression. This takes out the guess work and provides a simple control to increase sustain and add a bit of drive to your sound. Using the Sustain knob, together with the Drive control, you can tweak the amp to various levels of overdrive -- from crunch to liquidy and singing lead tones. Very cool! The amp also has a tube-powered, buffered effects loop that John claims suffers no treble loss. In addition, all of the TomasZewicZ amp line uses top-notch components in the circuit that far exceed voltage and temp ratings for guitar amplifier application.
Not only do these amps sound great, they also look like a million bucks. My favorite fit and finish is the blue tolex option. These amps are just stunning in blue, especially the full-size half stacks. According to the TomasZewicZ website, all standard tolex colors are offered and amp covers are included. The cabinets are indestructible 13-ply Baltic Birch with 1/4" finger-joints... and I can say first hand that John's head, combo and speaker cabinets are all finished with flawless perfection.Plugging in to a red TZZ-15H combo I was greeted by that familiar, sweet EL84 chime that I experienced back in '08 at Summe
r NAMM. I just love the sustain of these amps. I found that I could play all my lead lines with ease, and the beautiful harmonics on top of the notes make this amp such a pleasure to play. Plus, I could hear everything for a change. John's amps produce such a clear, high-fidelity, articulate tone that you don't really know just how mushy and muddy your current amp is until you plug into a TomasZewicZ. I will definitely be adding one of these to my collection when the funds allow!
We had a great time visiting John and his marketing guru, Janet. They were so accommodating! John is one of the nicest guys you'll meet and he loves to talk about his amps. I had lots of questions and he was gracious and patient enough to answer them all. Before you buy another amp, you must check out a TomasZewicZ!MAIN ARTICLE | FUCHS | ROBBIE CALVO | SOLOWAY | TOMASZEWICZ
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