Bedrock Amps

[Bluesbreaker59]

I was at the Blues on Grand the other night and saw a guy playing one of these beasts. It looked a lot like a Vox AC-30 or even a Bluesbreaker reissue, and it sounded killer. The thing had great low end and a very nice "fat" quality to it. Does anyone know anything about these? The guy said that it was a friend's amplifier, and he didn't know a lot about it. So if anyone has some info or could point me to some I'd really appreciate it.

 

[Kiwi]

The good news: You've found out about Bedrock amps.

The bad news: they went out of business several years ago. No web site, no user's forum, and I'm told even the schematics are nearly impossible to find.

You can ask over at the Weber VST Amp Forum; some people there are familiar with Bedrocks.

They were handmade boo-teek amps from the mid-90s but didn't last long enough to build up a rep or a buzz. It didn't help that they are not well labeled or marked, and that some later models reportedly went the cheap route.

I scored a clean used Bedrock 1202 this summer. 50w, 2xEL34, Accutronics reverb, single-channel with pull boost. The circuit is hand-wired, point-to-point, and I was told it's a generic Marshall circuit any capable tech should be able to fix or mod. The speakers are Fane Medusa (yes, THAT Fane). It sounds like heaven.

The capper: Nobody knows what these are. It sat unused and dusty at Guitar Center for months. I plugged into it and was floored at its beautiful clean sound. I traded a Trace Elliot Velocette + $100 for it. Total value, $325.

Kiwi

 

[humbucking]

bedrocks were made over here in the NH/MA area. they kind of had a small burst of popularity for a short while in the 1980's. they seemed to suffer from a bunch of problems! many said they sounded great, but they were not very reliable! i have read that they are trying to get back on their feet in the amp business & heard a couple of good reviews over at the vintage guitar magazine website. as for their older stuff, i have seen a few at some local shops & on the web. price-wise i have seen them all accross the spectrum, used from $250-$799. but i do not know too much about them. the $799 one i saw was a custom job, & was being sold by a guy who was friends with the people at bedrock? i trust him, but who knows?

 

[Davepaf]

Yeah, they where made in Nashua NH.
Ive been up close and personal with a few Bedrock stacks. The ones I heard were incredible.:wow
This was a long time ago, and a lot of chemicals have been consumed since.:lol1
They were real popular around here during the late 80's. I havent seen one for a while.

 

[Dave Paetow]

I have one in the basement someone tried to mod or do some funky shit with, I got it for next to nothing. I used to have a 1200 combo many years ago and I thought it sounded really good.

 

[drspencer1]

Aerosmith briefly used Bedrock amps in the late 80's. I think the backline in the 'Dude looks like a lady' video is all Bedrock.

 

[Bluejazz]

Bedrock? Fred Flinstone rocks!

 

[I Like Les]

Bedrock got beat up very badly in Guitar Player shoot outs.

The complaint was the construction was sloppy and the wiring was messy. I think an amp broke down during testing

Letters where published written by the owner of Bedrock and he came off very pissed and bitter regarding the reviews.



The GP reviews should'nt count for everything but that had to hurt Bedrock.

 

[Paulbearer]

I had a Bedrock 1600 head for a while...sounded great, a little noisy on channel switching, but I sold it last year. I agree, it sounded great, but I stuck with the Silver Jubilee and offed it. Regularly available and usually really reasonable...the combo can be had for the same $500 or below because they just don't have the demand...

 

[Dave Paetow]

I could be wrong, but I think the early Bedrocks were made by different owners/people than the later ones that got slammed by GP. I had a later 1600 series that sounded great when it worked, but it broke all the time. I loved the tone of it, but it wasn't worth the hassle. I have a real early PTP wired 1200 that someone hosed around with by changing stuff inside and a different output tranny and it is a mess. Someday I'd like to get it fixed and use it.

 

[I Like Les]

Perhaps Bedrocks are the MG's of the amp world!

 

[stormy]

Bedrock did have recieve some negative press in Guitar Player shootouts:
GP March 1992- Review of Bedrock 1600 complained that it sounded so strange they called the company and were informed of "difficulties with a circuit board production run - cold solder traces that were screened too thin." Apparently, cold and vibration could cause tiny stress cracks along the trace which would result in half of the output section failing, according to Bedrock's Jay Abend.
Gee, I wonder if being shipped from east coast to west coast for review in the dead of winter and mis-handled by UooPS/FedFux had anything to do with it?

GP Dec 1992 reviewed the BC-75 which "died" after 10 minutes of playing. A new chassis was shipped which was successfully tested. GP reviewers said that it was "not your best choice if you were looking for a lot of headroom like a classic Hiwatt or Dual Showman." WTF?
Abend was quoted in the same article as saying that the BC-75 was designed as a cross between Vox AC30 and Marshall SuperLead." I sometimes wondered back then if some of the GP reviewers were spandexed covered poodle heads dissapointed when any amp they tried didn't sound like the latest Megadeath record. (Not that there is anything wrong with being a Metal Head you understand).
I have played a BC75 and it ROCKED; LOUDLY!

GP Feb. 1997 reviewed the Bedrock Royale Reverb and wrote that "the amp sounds warm and complex in its clean and grungy modes, and its reverb's cavernous vibe and silky decay enhance the Bedrock's rich voices without sounding added-on or distant from the notes." It went on to say that it was "one hell of a bargain which delivers astonishing richness and complexity for almost half the cost of many of its boutique bretheren."
I have owned a Royale Reverb since 1997 and have never had a problem. Great medium gain amp that is perfect for club gigs.
Also seen/heard this amp on the road with Los Lobos -- I haven't heard any complaints on the tones those monsters got with this amp...

Sorry to cross post but,
I have heard something to the effect that Korg had a beef with Bedrock about one of their amp designs (BC-75 or Royale series ? ).
Also heard that Jay Abend had a great deal to do with the re-design of the Korg Reissue AC-15. Anyone know of how the Vox AC15 reissue came about ?

 

[Dave Paetow]

Come to think of it, I did have a BC75 for a short time, sounded really good when it worked! I had problems with it right from the start, so I dumped it real fast. The BC75 looked exactly like an AC30 from the outside, even the amp cover fit on an AC30.

 

[Rick]

Stormy,

I also have a Royale Reverb and have a question for you. How strong is the reverb on your amp? Mine seems fairly weak, even when cranked. By the way, I agree with your comments on its tone - mine sounds great.

 

[stormy]

Hey Rick,
I usually don't need to take it past 9:00 for a really deep sounding reverb. Kind of funny though because reverb is not what I initially was looking for in an EL34 powered amp, but it is voiced so that it really sounds great in this circuit. I don't use the effect as much in channel one, but really like the verb on channel 2 which to me, sounds more like sweating 6L6's.

 

[Rick]

Thanks for the info, Stormy. I think I might have a bad connection, probably on the "send" side.

 

[stormy]

Rick,
Have you tried a different tube other than 12AX7 ? The reason I ask is because when I bought mine [used] it had a 12AT7 in it and I thought the revreb sounded weak. I replaced it with a 12AX7 which is what is called for in this circuit, and there was an overall improvement in the general tone and reverb.

This is the only amp I own that sounds better with Sovtek preamp tubes ? I have tried Mullards, Brimar, Phillips, EI, and they all seemed to make the amp sound kind of shrill sounding with not enough "chunky low end."
What kind of tubes are in your Bedrock?

 

[EdMan57]

I purchased a Bedrock 600 Series 621 combo in excellent condition a few months back for $330.00 off eBay.It is about the size of a Mesa/Boogie MKI combo and it is quite light.Not only does it sounds great,it also can get quite loud.
The 621 has a pair of EL84's [25 watts rms],three 12AX7's,fx loop w/send & return level controls [acts as second gain stage],reverb,plywood cabinet and a single Bedrock E-100 12" speaker.My 621 has one of the "biggest" sounding clean channel's that I have heard in a lower powered EL84 powered amplifier...great chime and spank.The gain channel is voiced much like a classic Marshall...superb midrange grind and excellent sustain.
I felt that the tone of the original E-100 speaker was a bit boxy and cold,so I replaced it with a Celestion G12H-30.I feel that the G12H-30 brings out much more of the amp's true tone potential.The clean channel sounds more open and detailed with the Celestion and the higher gain tones have better harmonic detail and definition,at least to my ears.
As for the hard to find schematics,I got mine direct from Jay Abend,himself.I put a "feeler" out on the H-C classified for Bedrock info and schematics and a gentleman sent me Jay's email address [he had just done some business with Mr. Abend].Jay is now in the marketing field with Abend Design in Framington,MA.He charged me $10.00 for detailed color schematics [about five pages] and S&H.He was polite and prompt but he did not answer my specific Bedrock questions.If anyone needs his email address for schematics,drop me an email at esousa@highstream.net .Cheers.
Ed

 

[ClaptonisGood]

Actually, it is a funny story...

Aerosmith briefly used Bedrock amps in the late 80's. I think the backline in the 'Dude looks like a lady' video is all Bedrock.

Aerosmith had just agreed to endorse the amps and were in LA to shoot the video but their amps weren't ready yet so they were Fedex'ed a bunch of nameplates and taped them to the backline cabs (rented empty Marshalls for the shoot).
Brad

 

[Jeff Hitman]

Stormy,

I also have a Royale Reverb and have a question for you. How strong is the reverb on your amp? Mine seems fairly weak, even when cranked. By the way, I agree with your comments on its tone - mine sounds great.

Rick,
I own a Royale Reverb, it's an amazing sounding amp. I find the reverb sounds great, and I'm measuring it against an RI Fender Reverb tank with mods and NOS 6K6. Also, it's CRUCIAL to take out the 100W Eminence POS speakers that came stock in that amp and replace them with G12H 30's. Wow, what a difference you'll hear. The amp is literally twice as loud and has midrange complexity and chime. Pull the top boost and you can get AC30 territory as well. Does yours have stock speaks?
-J