Customer Reviews &
Testimonials
See
Harmony
Central Reviews
|
March 9, 2018
Chuck,
I got to break in the Rio last night
at a gig, sounded oh so sweet. I
switched between both channels but
couldn’t figure out which one I liked
the most. They both sound great and
the tremolo really sweetened it up.
Thanks again for doing what you do.
We’re all lucky because of it!
Doug Black |
"Hey Chuck Dean, this
post with me and your amp is
worldwide. This was on LYNYRD
SKYNYRD page and a bunch of other
places. GUITAR
WORLD."
`Terry Johnson'(facebook post)
Y'all GOT To See This!
We love Harleys and we love guitars,
so you can imagine how excited we
were when we stumbled across a
gentleman who actually combined the
two to make a guitar made from
Harley parts! Called the
“Hog-O-Caster,” custom guitar maker
Terry Johnson’s labor of love is
named with both Harleys and Fender
Stratocasters in mind .......
CLICK HERE to see complete
article and video of Terry and the
Hog-O-Caster in action.
from Society Of Rock website.
|
Retro King
Amps, Owner Chuck
Dean at (315)
673-3435... Hi, This
is Terry Mojo
Johnson of the Swamp
Drivers band. I own
over 7 different
amps from old
Fenders to Marshalls
and a few in
between. This Retro
King amp blew me
away with the tone
and volume, and the
look... That's just
badass.
|
|
|
|
November 3, 2016
Hi, Chuck:
I recently picked up a used Plexi 100
on Reverb. I love the way it sounds -
it has the perfect amount of bite to
balance with the punch from my Germino
Headroom 100 Lead. I run both of them
with a Lone Wolf Audio Outsider to
boost them into full distortion.
I mostly play sludge and death metal,
which I'm guessing is not the style
you had in mind when you designed the
circuit, but I have a fairly unique
view on guitar tone, which is more or
less that amp design peaked with the
Super Lead.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know
that I'm really enjoying your amp and
it's being used way outside the bounds
of blues and classic rock, which is a
testament to its versatility. Thanks a
lot for your time!
...sam
|
Hey Chuck,
Hope all is well, I wanted
to share a few things I've
been doing with my
RetroKing.
The demo videos are on
Sweetwater.com and the
Gibson video went out
through their social
media.
http://youtu.be/2_sGI8aRIz8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FqFrinE5tU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJH5_oiBWc0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv8De8pVqAg
I write for 17 tv shows
and use my RetroKing on
90% of the tracks I do.
I'm currently in an ad for
Premier Guitar magazine
and I'm in the new April
issue of Guitar Player
Magazine. I have an
instrumental EP coming out
at the end of the month
and of course my RK is on
most of it. Please
checkout my updated
website and facebook, cuz
I'm always posting videos
of live shows and you'll
see the RK on a bunch of
them.
Thank you for listing me
as an artist on your site
and I hope we can do some
official demo videos for
more of your great amps,
so please let me know your
thoughts.
Cheers,
Tony Pasko |
Tue, 21 Apr
2015
Hello Charles!
These last days i had a
lot of fortune!
I always thought that it
would be impossible, but
yes! I found a
RETRO-KING "Forty five"
Combo for sale in
France!
I asked some
informations to Sylvain
who was ex RETRO-KING
dealer in France, and he
told me your amps are
awesome (sound and
construction quality),
much better than
Marshall reissue.
This amp looked as new,
so i purchased it.
I wanted to send you
this message to tell you
some words about this
amp.
I think you are a great
builder! This amp is the
best one i ever played
with. All the
external construction is
perfect, inside is very
good, and the sound is
really INCREDIBLE!
My guitars never sound
like this. The clean
sound is awesome, really
like old Marshall amps.
I played a1969 100W
Plexi two years ago
which was great, and
impressed me. But
your "Forty five" Combo
much impress me.
Last night, i was
playing with my band and
the second guitar player
plugged his Telecaster.
He is a good guitar
player. He was without
voice hearing the
sound!!! We didn't
can't stop playing...
I dreamed about having a
good JTM45 that would be
built as the old ones,
without PCB, etc and
overall with the
authentic tone.
Now i think my search is
over. This one will play
with me forever!
I'm telling at all my
friends that if they
want a really good amp,
they must contact you.
;)
I know that i don't
purchase directly to
you, but i think it is
important to tell you
this few words because
you are a King of amps
builder! The
americans are fortunates
having RETRO-KING in
their country, and you
can be proud of your
work.
Thank you very much for
this fantastic amp.
All the best Charles
Christophe
|
Mon, 15 Dec
2014
Hi. Been about 2 years and
have been meaning to let
thank you for building me
my first custom amp. You
totally [and patiently]
took time with me,
answering tough, weird
questions, and built me an
awesome 18 watt. Very
reliable and tone that was
so sought after. I think
you actually built a
perfect amplifier. Thanks
again.
Doug Fetterly |
October 25
2014
Chuck,
I received my 18 watt
combo on Friday and I
couldn't be happier with
my purchase. Before even
plugging in, I was amazed
at the flawless
construction of the
cabinet. Every detail was
executed perfectly and the
green tolex really makes
the amp stand out as
something special. When I
plugged in my guitar, I
heard the tone that I've
been looking for since I
started playing guitar.
Every sound out of this
amp is clean, tight, and
sweet. As the sound breaks
up (and I love the large
amount of clean headroom!)
the guitar's tone comes
through nice and clear and
this amp maintains superb
note separation. I'm very
please with the speaker
combo (AlNiCo
Blue/G12H30),it fills the
room with a nice full
stereo sound. The tremolo
sounds fantastic, the
tube/diode rectifier
switch is handy, and the
impedance switch makes
potential speaker changes
a breeze. But most of all,
the post-PI master volume
is what sets this amp
apart. I never thought I'd
find an all tube amp that
I could crank up to 9 to
drive the tubes hard
enough to get that Angus
Young distortion while not
waking the baby (and
maintaining a clear,
natural guitar tone), but
you've done it. The
craftsmanship, beauty, and
tonal quality of this amp
is unmatched and I payed
less that I would have for
the "assembly line"
boutique amps. I applaud
your work, Sir!
Thanks,
Terence |
February
2014
Hi Chuck,
Just wanted to send you
a note on how much I am
enjoying gigging with
the 18watt 2x12 you made
for me. I am getting so
many compliments on my
tone. The amp is great
for all the different
size venues we have been
playing and even on the
larger festival stages
the stage volume is
perfect, just mic it and
go, I also used the line
out circuit you
installed and blended
with the mic for stage
and recording, Sounded
great! The amp takes all
my pedals so well and
that gives me so many
great textures for live
playing. I cannot thank
you enough….I am
thinking I am going to
have to order a 50 watt
combo in the future, not
that I need it with the
18 but I know it will
sound Sooooo Good.
All the best, Mike
“Mitch” Mitchell
|
October 2013
Hi Chuck. After
buying many amps,
including an original
'59 tweed Deluxe
(from David @
ToneQuest), I am finally
hearing the sound that's
been in my head
all these years with
your 18 Watt Combo. It's
much more versatile than
I imagined
as well. I put a NOS RCA
12AY7 in the cleaner
channel, and the tone is
ideal for
the R&B band I'm in,
and no surprise, the hot
channel is perfect for
my classic rock
project.
Now my question. A
friend of mine has a
Marshall 4x12 16 ohm
cabinet. If I
wanted to plug my 18
Watt Combo into it,
should I unplug the
speaker in the combo,
as well as switching to
16 ohms on the selector?
Thank you for your time,
and thank your for your
tone.
Roy Atkinson
|
June 2013
18 watt combo 2 x 12
arrived 10 days ago. I
am amazed!! It
overwhelmed me. I have
heard a lot and tested a
lot of different amps
-with much higher price
than the Retro King.
The setup includes the
rec swithc and the
celestion alnico blue
upgrade. Dean also gave
me the post pi master
volum for free! He
promised to deliver in
about 6 week - and right
on time I´ve got it. He
has been so friendly and
have answered all my
mails and calls - I
guess I was a pain in
the ass - excited and
waiting for it...
If you are from outside
US and are afraid of
ordering - do not
hesitate. It was
delivered 2 days before
time with Fedex. And
very well packed and
protected.
I actually had my first
gig in a church at a
funeral. Just me , my
sister on the piano and
of cource the Telecaster
and The Retroking. This
was an old church with
noe PA for my singing.
So I was really happy
that the amp had pi
master volum. It was
working fantastic at a
low volum. So many
responses from the
audiences. I just used
the Tc electronic reverb
- an analog eco from
Wampler pedals. Together
with the tremolo -
sweet, sweet.
The day after we had a
gig at a local pub. Here
had a lot of different
pedals - and it takes
pedals very well. I only
needed the pi master at
10 o clock. It has a lot
of headroom and breaks
up nice and warm when
cranked. The guitar used
is a telecaster 50´s and
a Les Paul traditional
50´goldtop. This amp is
really getting the best
out of my guitars.
I am really looking
forward to all the gigs
this summer - and thank
you so much Dean for the
amp and the service!!
Frode Martinsen - Norway
|
Jan
2013
Love my
Retro-King!!!!
It's all over my
new record and the
tracks I did for
Duck Dynasty!!!!
Check me out at:
www.tonypasko.com
I
Used my Retro-King
in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI52FDfdPkE"
Tony
Pasko
|
Jan 2012
Hi Chuck,
As you know I have
purchased two of your
product’s, first being the
45 watt bluesbreaker combo
and more recently the 18
watt plexi, let’s talk
about the bluesbreaker,
this amp is an absolute
tone monster it is so
versatile an amp I think
it would be suitable for
any kind of music you can
get anything from Eric
Johnson, Angus Young, to
Eric’s “Beano” sound and
experimenting with
different pedal’s it can
emulate a Fender Bassman
there’s no need to have a
selection of different
amp’s this amp does it
all, as for the 18 watt
plexi what can I say, I
consider it my “mini
bluesbreaker,” fantastic
amp. When I purchase an
amp one of the first
thing’s I do is to pull
the chassis and inspect
the work and component’s
inside and with my most
recent purchase the 18
watt, the attention to
detail from solder
joint’s, wiring to turrit
board layout is second to
none, absolutely great
work. I can see you have a
lot passion for your amp
building business. Thank
you Chuck. Lindsay,
1/2012.
|
April 2011
Chuck, I
just wanted to let
you know since I
picked up my 18 watt
combo from you I
haven't even plugged
any of my other amps
in. This thing is
out of this world, I
love it. I just
wanted to thank you,
I'm so glad I made
the desicion to go
with Retro-King
amps. Rich.
|
9/13/2010
chuck, just wanted
to check in from down
the road in rochester.
i finally have a
couple of
practices w/my
band playing through
my new amp you made
me. first off,the
snakeskin covering
looks amazing,&
the slightly taller 18
watt head box is
just perfect.looks
cool,takes up less
room...& it truely
is a custom made 1 of
!
soundwise...it's
everything you said
& i
wanted.teles,strats,gretsch,
p-90 pauls,my dano
slider...all never
sounded better.i
thought i'd be playing
through my closed back
avatar bluesbreaker
style cab w/ 2 30 watt
celestions,which
sounded great,but
after hearing it
through my old
faithfull peavey 1x15
classic extension
cab loaded w/a
weber chicago ceramic
15...it just blew my
mind.my drummer is
just freaking out.we
play pretty cranked
up,but even
wound up past 3/4
volume you can still
get crisp note
definition,&
controlled feedback
w/sustain for days !
fri. will
be my first gig w/it
& i'm a giddy mofo
just thinking about
it.my bass player
posted a photo of it
on my tweed 1x15 cab
for his myspace
page,It he tells me it
drew an awfull lot of
"oohs & aahs"
already.i'm sure fri.
night it will get the
same response tonewise
as well as
the "man,that
looks cool as hell"
comments i've been
getting.
thanks so much for
hooking me up,doing
the cash thing,the
custom head box,&
even getting it
finished early ! i'm
really thrilled w/the
tones i'm getting
& with the ease
i'm getting them with
! i'm so glad i found
out about you &
took the ride down the
thruway.one of my
better moves.
again...thanks for a
wonderful
instrument,keep up the
good work !
sincerely,
steve litvak
rochester,ny
|
Hi Chuck,
not that you need anymore
endorsements or
testimonials but after 2
months with the 18 watt
(1-12) combo you custom
built for me, I must say
it's an addictive piece of
gear! The more I play it,
the more I want to play
it!! It amazing that such
a simple design in an amp
can provide the tone it
does. At lower volumes you
get the chime and just a
little bit of grit but
with clarity,
articulation, and even
balance across all
strings. But the fun
really begins getting this
up between 5 and 6 on the
Master Volume with the
Volume dimmed. It still
retains all the
aforementioned qualities
but now it fills in with
that Marshall (Old
Marshall amp that is)
crunch, balls, and
sustain. And at first I
thought the 18 watts may
not be enough, but it is a
loud 18 watts and perfect
for my particular needs.
There is just something
about this 18w design that
sounds sweeter than any of
the amps I have had, and
that covers about 40 years
and who know's how many
amps. Keep in mind that in
the past I have had
numerous 18 watt combo's
to include the Marshall
1974x reissue, GDS,
Reinhardt, BlockHead First
Born, Bacino, Ceriatone
etc. etc. All are good
amps but the Retro-King
has the magic dust. My
gear acquisition syndrome
has reached an end
finally! That is until I
order one of your JTM45's.
Keep up the great work and
thanks for building such a
fine amp.
Best Regards,
Scott from Ohio
9/9/2010 |
Retro-King
18-watt 2x12 Combo
with Lance presented
by DAG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pgh6r6ZgB8
|
March
2010
Chuck,
Here's me playing thru
that Plexi 18 watt snake
skin 1966 head you
built for store stock.
Going thru single 12"
Budda speaker on an
Ultimate amp switcher.
Channel volume on 10
with Master on 4 and
tone
at about 10 o'clock in
the non trem channel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ldpua-z54&feature=related
I took it out for a test
drive and let it rip on
an old Sam and Dave
tune that Eric and BB
did on the Riding With
the King album. I'm
playing a Strat with a
humbucker in the bridge
for maximum Angus.
Please post it on your
testimonial page so
folks can hear what this
bomb can do. Its for
sale on our web page as
is the combo version.
Best regards,
Gary Gand
GAND MUSIC & SOUND
780 Frontage Rd.
Northfield, IL 60093
847-380-3560 cell
www.gand.com |
September
14, 2009
Chuck,
great amp. I bought
#15 off Ebay and was
kind of giving up on
boutique 18 watt amps
when this puppy
arrived. I played my
first gig with it this
Sunday afternoon (see pics) and
was laughing
remembering your
slogan saying this is
the amp "every sound
man will thank you
for". This sound guy
kept telling me to
turn down and couldn't
believe I was just
playing 18 watts. The
amp sounded too good
cranked at 8, so
luckily I had a few
Clear Sonic pads in my
car to put in front of
it. Just endless
beautiful tone, works
perfectly with my
pedalboard, and I
didn't even need the
extra 212 cab I was
rehearsing with at
home. This has to be
one of the most
efficient amps on the
planet.
Thanks again for the
great tone.
Billy Miller
|
August
7, 2009
Dear Chuck,
I just got my 18w Combo
yesterday and I must say
THANK YOU! It is a
beautiful piece of work,
in all ways! The fit and
finish is flawless, but
most importantly, the
tone is to die for!! I
am obviously still
getting to know the amp,
and the speaker is far
from broken in, but even
still, it is a tone
monster and I love it!
As I become more
familiar with the amp, I
will post a review on
Harmony Central for the
amp and cannot wait to
let all my
guitar-playing friends
hear this amp. Again, my
most sincere thanks for
building such a quality
product.
Best regards,
Jeff M |
April
24, 2009
Chuck,
I have
been enjoying the heck
out of your 18 watt
Plexi. It really is
the Marshall tone I
was looking
for. Unbelievable tone.
(see
pic)
The 18
will play nice and
clean or with a turn
the Post PI knob,
produce great gain.
Les Paul or Strat, it
sounds great. I can
really get some cool
sounds. Clean channel,
dark channel
or jumpered,
Rectifier switching
and Post PI
volume combinations.
From clean, to slight
break up, singing gain
or grease fire. This
thing has what I dig
in an amp.
I am
very pleased with
your craftsmanship and
attention to capturing
the real cool
tones. Out of the
twelve amps I own.
This Retro-King Plexi
18 is the top of the
heap. Talk to you
soon.
Thanks,
Tim
O'Connor
San
Diego, Ca
|
10/6/2008:
Hello,
Last Saturday night I
met Billy Gibbons
briefly, and I asked him
if he had any
recommendations for a 5
watt amp. He responded
that he had one for an
18 watt, and I asked
what it was. He then
suggested contacting
Charles Dean, who made
Retro King amps, and
suggested getting the
2x12. This was after a
show, and I honestly
don't think I'd be
exaggerating to say that
he seemed to become
energized when talking
about your amplifier.
I'd say he would have
talked some more too,
but the security guy was
urging me along to allow
time for the other fans.
So I figured I should
certainly check it out.
I've looked around your
website, and I think I
can tell at least some
of what his specs were
in the ones that you
built for him, but was
hoping you would be able
to provide those
specifics, and what it
would cost to have one
built.
Thank you very much in
advance for your
response.
A. P. R. |
18W
112 Combo Review
Features:
9
I'll preface my review
with the claim that,
I've never been a huge
Marshall amplifier
fan. I favor Vox, both
ancient and
re-issue, (UK made
only) and an AC30 is
my constant companion.
I was immediately
intrigued when an
associate tipped me
off on Chuck Deans'
Retro-King amp
designs.
I decided to take a
shot ! There was no
way at this price I
could go wrong ?
I ordered the 18 watt
Class AB combo for
January delivery.
Before firing up the
combo, I noticed the
ease of operating the
controls, a well
designed and simple
control layout
for quick adjustments,
and the great plexi
panel cosmetics.
Popping the back panel
off, the super
immaculate wiring,
soldering and cabinet
construction give you
an indication of
what's to come... *18
watt combo (A class AB
cathode biased amp)
Sound Quality: 10
The amp nails the
signature Marshall
gritty overdrive
distortion that you've
heard on so many
recordings... I
immediately found
musical and quite
useable sustained
feedback at moderate
volumes... Those
EL-84's in combination
with the circuit
design give a great
chiming Brit tone I
love. At 18 watts,
it's no mousey amp. I
rarely had to play as
loud as 5 (out of a
possible 10 volume
detent), and found my
comfort at 3 1/2,
using my volume
controls on the
guitars as a master.
The amp at an A
weighted response of
95 decibels sounded
fabulous. Want
meltdown Marshall
tones ? Play 7-9 if
you dare ! Those
automatic Clapton
riffs I've played for
years sounded as
authentic as one can
hear with this amp !
The Retro-King is
quite at home in a
recording environment,
from low volume clean
jazzy blues tones, to
tidal wave rock
volumes. The Weber
G12H30 produces
crystal clear and
crunchy sonics. I
recorded samples with
a stand alone Tascam
High Resolution
recorder, API preamp,
and Electro-Voice N
Dyne series mics
(front) and Sennheiser
421 (rear)... I ran
the amp at about +/-80
db for the sampling...
It's a great recording
amp that pushes
cleanly has many
useful sounds in
break-up mode. (this
of course, will be
defined with your
playing attack.) From
44.1 kHz red book CD
recording, to 192kHz,
the Retro-King sounded
pristine and both
complex when that
lovely distortion was
produced to my analog
tape machines and
digital recorder and
drives. I especially
like this amp for
older 20 bit
recording...
To test the basic
cabinet construction,
I provided dummy
s-trig loaded signal,
tuned to concert pitch
with Moog bass, set on
triangular sawtooth
waveform pattern at
16? and 32?, with
volume controls ramped
to about 50%. It
handled the entire
octave solidly. The
amp did not pitch a
fit, a testament to
its solid
construction. It
remained tight and
focused, with no
rattles or problems.
This is a great way to
test the limit of any
guitar amp, as guitar
frequencies never go
to the depths of
hell...
The Telesonic with
Keeley compressor and
with it's dual 2K
DeArmonds sounded
best... Even without
my Keeley, it's highly
recommended to plug in
and play this amp.
It's a killer
combination with your
favorite mahogany
guitar, guaranteed !
The ES-335 with its
larger body, gave me
the Creamy tone that
surely sounded rich
and textured, yet
authentic.
Reliability: 10
Had the amp since
January, and all the
auditions have been
flawless... The combo
is a solid performer.
No worries...
Call me in a couple
years ! This amp feels
like it can easily
handle the rigors of
club touring. I do
recommend a decent
padded cover at
minimum, to keep it
from getting dinged.
Customer Support:
10
Charles Dean, is the
craftsman and owner of
Retro-King. He's an
agreeable businessman
who obviously loves
and knows his craft.
Add to the mix, Dean
is an accomplished
guitarist who
understands how amps
should perform.
Charles has even met
me half-way for
delivery of my combo.
(we're about an hour
and half driving
distance from his
laboratory) He'll
promptly return phone
calls and emails. The
promised completion
date
was right on
time. As an ace
amp tech, Charles Dean
even managed to get
one of my beloved
ancient amps back to
being musical with
some much needed
maintenance, at a
favorable repair price
! It's also nice to do
business with a
quality builder in my
home state. (note:
Fender and Marshall
tube design amps are
his repair specialty.)
The amp covers a 5
year bumper-to-bumper
warranty with 90 days
on valves and 1 year
on loudspeakers.
Overall Rating: 10
Want the tried and
true Marshall tone ?
No matter your skill
level, you'll find
this amp a pleasure.
Easy to dial in the
gold... this amp will
be a friend for years
to come. Studio
owners, this is a
really great sounding
combo to add to the
arsenal. It won't
break your budget
either. $1645 as
tested. Try getting a
custom amp at this
price today... (The
Marshall Handwired
re-issue 1974X 18 watt
combo is $2300 bucks,
by the way.) If you
really know the
market, there's no
contest here. It's a
fun amp to own, and it
looks great. Mine has
the cocoa brown levant
tolex covering, with
the Marshall cane
grill cloth. It's also
an amp you can lift
without killing your
back... No gamble
here, you will be
satisfied. I'd replace
it in aheartbeat with
an identical model !
Instruments that I
play and tested for
this review were: a
Robert Keeley
Compressor, Monster
Guitar Cables, Gibson
ES-335 dot Custom Shop
model, Fender
Telesonic
and Mini Moog
Synthesizer.-
Supercat, Upstate, NY.
Submitted by
supercatamps
03/22/2006
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Plexi
50 Head Review:
Sound Quality:
10
The predominant
feature of the Plexi
50 is its great
musicality and
beautiful tone. The
high treble channel is
not as bright as those
found on some
Marshalls nor the
nornmal channel as
deep. The bass is
tight on both channels
and the frequency
response very
balanced. The tone is
of course affected by
the speaker cabinets.
My set up is through
an 8 ohm 80 Watt Dr Z
2x12 closed back birch
cabinet mounted with
vintage Celsetions.
The lower the
wattacge, the more
break up.
Depending on volume
and eq settings the
Plexi 50 can achieve a
remarkable variety of
tones. Easily
accessible are AC/DC,
Led Zeppelin, Ritchie
Blackmore and Hendrix
type sounds as this
amp is very much in
the same vein as the
equipment used by
these players. Also
achievable with varied
EQ settings are Eric
Johnson, early
Mahavishnu and DiMeola
type sounds. Thus the
amp ranges into fusion
territory. While not
specifically built for
the heavily saturated
distortions of modern
rock/Metal, the amp is
versatile enough to be
used for this music
with the appropriate
pedals. In addition,
the Plexi 50 is very
"alive", touch
reponsive and
sensitive. Turn down
pickups and it cleans
up beautifully. Play
harder and it distorts
more.
My guitars include a
Les Paul Standard with
490R humbucker in the
neck position, and
burstbucker at the
bridge, and an Eric
Johnson signature
strat. Pedalboard
includes a Fulltone
70s Fuzz, Chandler
Tube Driver, Boss DS-
1, Boss DD-2,
Electro-Harmonix
Memory Man and TC
Electronics Chorus.
The amp interacts
beautifully with the
various pedals, but is
more noisy as all
pedals are in front of
signal chain- (no
effects loop here, of
course). The analog
and digital delays
come out sounding
beautiful, even with
volume at ten-(think
Eric Johnson's wet
sound on Cliffs of
Dover).
Customer
Support: 10
Charles Dean, maker
of Retro-King amps
is responsive,
understanding easy
to work with and
easily accessible.
Try getting this
kind of service from
Marshall in England
or makers of other
similar amps.
Amp was built
in the exact time
specified, delivered
as expected and
works perfectly.
Reliability: 7
I have only had the
amp for 1 month, but
its tight
construction and
simple design lead
me to believe that
it will last as long
as many Marshalls
built 40 years back.
Overall
Rating: 10
I am a guitarist of
some 20+ years
experience and
currently play in a
classic/modern rock
cover band (as a
hobby) that also
does some originals.
We cover anything
from ZZ Top, Cheap
Trick etc. to Nine
Inch Nails,
Nickelback, even Pat
Benatar. Other amps
are a Guytron GT-100
head, 74 Silverface
Vibrolux reverb,
20th anniversary
Hughes and Kettner
Combo and a Polytone
Mini Brute IV for
Jazz work.
One
essential to
remember for
guitarists looking
for that famed
Marshall sound. The
Plexi 50 are priced
at half of the new
hand-wired Marshall
equivalents and half
of the Blockhead and
Mojave amps. I have
auditioned the
latter two and like
the Retro-King
better.
by Miron
Leshem
02/05/2006
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What a find if you’re
looking for a great all
around amplifier!!! I
finally got a chance to
put my 18 Watt Head
(white tolex w/gold
piping) through its’
paces and I couldn’t be
more impressed. We tried
a variety of guitars –
’61 Relic Strat, ’57
Junior, CS Esquire w/P90
in the neck, Ibanez
“lawsuit” Flying V and a
RI Gretsch 6118T Double
Anniversary through a
’73 Marshall 1960A Cab
w/original Greybacks and
in each case the guitars
retained their
individual character.
The guitars’ volume and
tone controls have a
great effect on the
ability of the amp to
get a wide variety of
very usable tones at any
volume. Varying your
pick attack also adds
even more to the wide
spectrum of tones
available. We ran the
amp through the full
range of its’ controls
and found a different
sweet spot for each
guitar – mostly between
12 o’clock and 3 o’clock
on the volume with the
tone adjusted based on
the pickups in the
guitar. Even when the
amp was “dimed” it
retained its’ character
and string definition
was not compromised.
Next we tried the head
through several
different Cabinets and
speaker combinations –
’71 10982A w/original
G12H 30’s, Celestion
Blue 2 X12” Cab and
three Marshall 4 X 10’s.
Each of the Marshall’s
had a different set of
speakers - one with a
mix of Weber Silver 10’s
and Blue Pup’s, the
second with four Weber
Thames and the third
with original ’69
Marshall 9384
Greenbacks. Each of the
five cabinets sounded
great and offered their
own character to the
Retro King. Based on
what we heard from this
amp it’ll work with most
any cabinet or speaker
combination. To me it
seemed to find its’
comfort zone with the
original Celestion
9384’s or the mix of
Weber Silver & Blue
10’s. The other two guys
didn’t think the pairing
with the ’73 Marshall
could be improved on!!!
The Retro King 18 Watt
Head would be a great
amp for any small or mid
sized club. It will also
get a ton of use in
either a home or
recording studio with
its’ wide variety of
tones and the way it
compliments any guitar
you plug into it. A cool
feature that Chuck
offers on the tremolo
channel is the way the
two button footswitch
offers on/off and the
ability to toggle
between two different
speeds when engaged!!!
The component choices
and workmanship are both
top notch and add to the
overall character of
this amplifier. The
stock tube compliment
that came with the amp
sounds great but I
imagine that swapping
different preamp and
power tubes to tailor
your sound would be a
very rewarding
experience.
Give this amp a try and
you’ll find a bunch
reasons to make it your
amp of choice.
Noel Ebner
nebner1@twcny.rr.com
Posted 12/26/05
P.S. I had Chuck go
through my JTM45 RI with
a PTP upgrade and he
reviewed the components
and workmanship for any
errors. He then offered
some suggestions to
tweak the circuit to
improve its’ overall
sound which gives me an
ideal amp for any larger
venue. I get many
compliments on how great
my “Marshall” sounds and
that it really stands
out in the mix.
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If
you have ever purchased
a new mass produced
Marshall amp and kicked
yourself because it did
not give the sound that
you heard on your
favorite records, then
run out and purchase a
Retro King 45 or Retro
King 50. Charles Dean
hand makes these amps
and signs every one and
the sound is the real
deal; which I have never
been able to obtain with
a stock Marshall. Why
would anyone purchase a
mass produced amp when a
hand built boutique amp
can be had for nearly
the same price? I
purchased a Retro King
45 and a Retro King 50
and I love them both.
Posted
10/23/05
Thomas Dean Eubanks
ThomasDean@midsouth.rr.com
http://www.progressiveworld.net/rockcity.html
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Wow ! This light ( I
think about 40lbs.) 18
watter is amazing.
delivers just the
perfect single coil
grind i was looking for
with my strat & with
the Les Paul loaded W/
Dimarzios think
Clapton...
Bluesbreakers...1965...Mayall
! I thought it might be
a little underpowered
for gigging , but it's a
lot louder w/ far more
bark than my 22 watt
blackface Deluxe Reverb.
It also cleans up very
nicely when you roll-off
the guitar volume knob.
The tremelo effect is
very big & warm.
I ordered mine in red
tolex w/ a weber 1230
12" speaker (weber's
reissue of the famous
Celestion G12H30). Chuck
has been very responsive
with a couple of
technical questions that
I had. If the amp were
ever stolen, I would
definitely replace it.
Posted
10/18/05
Robert P. Dwyer,
Attorney
rdwyer@sugarmanlaw.com
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I recently purchased a
Retro-King 18W. I have
owned Marshall 18W
amplifiers. I have to
admit that the
Retro-King is as great
an amp as the Marshall
18W and at a fraction of
the price. An excellent
Rock/Blues/Jazz amp. I
use it with both
humbucker and single
coil guitars. This is a
workhorse amplifier with
major Mojo.
Posted
10/18/05
Al Martinez
alberto4949@aol.com
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