At the behest of @brandtkronholm I wanted to post the amps I have been using for several years now.
First, a bit of history: These are custom built amps, usually one at a time, by Dom Mancini, who was the engineer behind an effects company called Celestial Effects. That company unfortunately, despite building excellent pedals at affordable prices (due to their association with a parent electronics company which builds super high quality circuits for several industries, and selling direct to public) stopped selling their original desgins. They were all musicians and music lovers so having a company to provide great tools for musicians was something really cool. They have since moved to building pedals for other popular brands. Dom had also been building, modding, and repairing amps for his closest friends and musicians in the greater Boston area for a loooooong time! Through the common love of Firebird Trans AM, music, guitars, and amps, Dom started building his own line of amps called Firebird Musical Amplifiers or FMA. At first, highly inspired by the work of Ken Fisher of Trainwreck amps. Express-inspired and Liverpool-inspired designs with his own twists were the first run of FMA amps. Note I say inspired by and not clones or exact copies. Dom is a genius engineer and has a great ear, so simply copying things is not his deal. Dom then started creating his own designs. At first amps were handwired on turret boards, a couple were on over-engineered printed boards, and now seems like he is back to doing things on a handwired basis (the signature amp that he built for me just a month ago is all handwired on turret boards). Anyhow, Firebird Musical Amplifiers can be found on Facebook, he does not have a website as he prefers to do things word of mouth. On the Facebook page you will be able to see stepwise build pics from all of his amps, including circuits and cases. Here is a summary of my 4 amps:
1) The first is named Francine (yes after the ZZ Top song). This is a Trainwreck Express-inspired build from 2010, and called the Formula. It was my number one amp for many years. Loud, proud, dynamic and awesome. Specs are 2x EL34, 3 x 12 AX7, can accept all types of power tubes to change character and power. Currently I am using EHX 6CA7s, in cathode bias mode (fixed also available) probably getting close to 40-45W. It did have a matching 2 x 12, which unfortunately died during a Houston flood of my studio.
2) The second amp is Cleo (this named after Chris Duarte's Song Cleo): This is a nod to Mark Sampson and Matchless. It is however an original circuit called the Bandit 15. A bit fancier in terms of controls and options, and an original design by Dom which includes and effects loop, external bias points with adjust. Can be run in cathode or fixed bias and it is highly tweakable. The tone stack is Baxandall, non master volume. 2 x EL84, 3 x 12 AX7s. Unlike a lot of EL84 amps, even at what one would suspect is a meager 15-22W, it thumps, it is LOUD and lovely articulate. Takes pedals extremely well! The matching 2x12 cab has seen many different speakers but I finally settled on a pair of Eminence EV12N, basically a EV12L but with Neodynmium speakers.
3) The third amp is Melissa: this amp was actually built for the singer in my old band. It is a very flexible Fender style amp with "two channels" and master volumes for each. You can switch between SS or tube rectifier, any Fender type power tubes pair (or EL34), and 3 x 12AX7s. The second "channel" is a higher gain section. I bought it off my singer, who decided after many years to go fully digital. His mistake/loss my gain! It had a matching 1x12, but you know singers... he trashed it. The concept of the amp is that by switching rectifier and power amp types, you could achieve tones very close (sometimes better) to the normal channels of non-reverb non-trem Fender amps with two power tubes.
4) The fourth, newest, and also my signature amp is Delilah. This is all of my asks in one amp to serve multiple purposes. It is tube rectified 4 x EL84 and 4 x 12AX7, with big iron to achieve plenty of headroom and dynamics. It has a MV that works amazingly, and it goes from clean to mean, at all volumes. It is pushing 45W out of those EL84s! It is a Baxandall tone stack and I asked for a tone stack bypass switch. In the back nothing fancy. Speaker outs and impedance selector only. Delilah sits atop a custom made cab by Dom which is a 1x15 loaded with an Eminence Big Ben. I love 1x15 for guitars! This is the Bandit GT50!
If you guys have any questions, let me know!
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First, a bit of history: These are custom built amps, usually one at a time, by Dom Mancini, who was the engineer behind an effects company called Celestial Effects. That company unfortunately, despite building excellent pedals at affordable prices (due to their association with a parent electronics company which builds super high quality circuits for several industries, and selling direct to public) stopped selling their original desgins. They were all musicians and music lovers so having a company to provide great tools for musicians was something really cool. They have since moved to building pedals for other popular brands. Dom had also been building, modding, and repairing amps for his closest friends and musicians in the greater Boston area for a loooooong time! Through the common love of Firebird Trans AM, music, guitars, and amps, Dom started building his own line of amps called Firebird Musical Amplifiers or FMA. At first, highly inspired by the work of Ken Fisher of Trainwreck amps. Express-inspired and Liverpool-inspired designs with his own twists were the first run of FMA amps. Note I say inspired by and not clones or exact copies. Dom is a genius engineer and has a great ear, so simply copying things is not his deal. Dom then started creating his own designs. At first amps were handwired on turret boards, a couple were on over-engineered printed boards, and now seems like he is back to doing things on a handwired basis (the signature amp that he built for me just a month ago is all handwired on turret boards). Anyhow, Firebird Musical Amplifiers can be found on Facebook, he does not have a website as he prefers to do things word of mouth. On the Facebook page you will be able to see stepwise build pics from all of his amps, including circuits and cases. Here is a summary of my 4 amps:
1) The first is named Francine (yes after the ZZ Top song). This is a Trainwreck Express-inspired build from 2010, and called the Formula. It was my number one amp for many years. Loud, proud, dynamic and awesome. Specs are 2x EL34, 3 x 12 AX7, can accept all types of power tubes to change character and power. Currently I am using EHX 6CA7s, in cathode bias mode (fixed also available) probably getting close to 40-45W. It did have a matching 2 x 12, which unfortunately died during a Houston flood of my studio.
2) The second amp is Cleo (this named after Chris Duarte's Song Cleo): This is a nod to Mark Sampson and Matchless. It is however an original circuit called the Bandit 15. A bit fancier in terms of controls and options, and an original design by Dom which includes and effects loop, external bias points with adjust. Can be run in cathode or fixed bias and it is highly tweakable. The tone stack is Baxandall, non master volume. 2 x EL84, 3 x 12 AX7s. Unlike a lot of EL84 amps, even at what one would suspect is a meager 15-22W, it thumps, it is LOUD and lovely articulate. Takes pedals extremely well! The matching 2x12 cab has seen many different speakers but I finally settled on a pair of Eminence EV12N, basically a EV12L but with Neodynmium speakers.
3) The third amp is Melissa: this amp was actually built for the singer in my old band. It is a very flexible Fender style amp with "two channels" and master volumes for each. You can switch between SS or tube rectifier, any Fender type power tubes pair (or EL34), and 3 x 12AX7s. The second "channel" is a higher gain section. I bought it off my singer, who decided after many years to go fully digital. His mistake/loss my gain! It had a matching 1x12, but you know singers... he trashed it. The concept of the amp is that by switching rectifier and power amp types, you could achieve tones very close (sometimes better) to the normal channels of non-reverb non-trem Fender amps with two power tubes.
4) The fourth, newest, and also my signature amp is Delilah. This is all of my asks in one amp to serve multiple purposes. It is tube rectified 4 x EL84 and 4 x 12AX7, with big iron to achieve plenty of headroom and dynamics. It has a MV that works amazingly, and it goes from clean to mean, at all volumes. It is pushing 45W out of those EL84s! It is a Baxandall tone stack and I asked for a tone stack bypass switch. In the back nothing fancy. Speaker outs and impedance selector only. Delilah sits atop a custom made cab by Dom which is a 1x15 loaded with an Eminence Big Ben. I love 1x15 for guitars! This is the Bandit GT50!
If you guys have any questions, let me know!
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