ARK Amps Model A-28: The Sound of a Deflowering Yes, I was indeed the first person to play through the A-28: a 2 6v6 monster of an amp with a refreshingly unique functionality. This amp is so new that its head box only exists on paper, though the sketches do look fantastic. For those of you who’ve never laid eyes on an Ark amp, they are works of art. Multiple exotic hardwoods in a variety of vibrant and subdued hues and grains. Patterns, shapes, inlays and cutouts, some soft and round, some hard and angular, others a remarkable blend of both. It’s a vibe that at once echos 30s art deco and 50s/60s sci fi atomic and presents an aesthetic all its own. And the workmanship is flawless—the artistry in the knobs alone will blow you away. So, with a naked chassis sitting before me, looking quite out of place among its stunning brothers, I went to work. Matt and Bill are two delightful individuals. The amp features some unique tone sculpting controls, and they were kind enough to work the knobs for me and walk me through what each did and how they interacted with one another. When I first plugged in, the amp was set for clean, and it was gorgeous. It’s an extremely warm and organic tone, with a full and buttery bottom end, ample mids, and super-smooth highs—made for a broad and even sound that filled the room beautifully. Much like the Red Iron Bronx, notes bloomed and decayed with spectral overtones and a natural reverb. When I had my fill of open chords and fluid melodies, Bill took the amp in a very interesting, and rather wicked, direction. I don’t quite understand how Bill has accomplished this, but there is a knob on the amp that purely overdrives the power tubes. From 1 to 10, it has zero effect on the preamp. Maybe this has been done before, maybe it hasn’t—it doesn’t matter. All I know is that hearing 2 6V6s grinding all on their own is a thing to behold. Gobs of fat, creamy goodness gushed from the speakers, with chunky lows, big broad growling mids, and high end so syrupy sweet it’ll give you a cavity. The clarity and punch were spectacular, and an appropriate measure of compression smoothed it all out without impacting definition and responsiveness. Bill then slowly dialed the preamp into the mix, and that’s where things really got crazy. Harmonic content and overtones swelled into action, bringing the upper mids to life. The top end started to sizzle and sing. More gain and girth and compression came into the mix, smoothing things out further, giving solos a wonderful vocal and violin-like quality with a bit of squishiness under the fingers—it did the sag and surge thing in spades. Even with the preamp and power section working hard, and delivering a sick amount of gain and grind, the amp held together extremely well, preserving dynamics and allowing the subtleties (though I’m hardly a subtle player) of my playing to come through. And at 28 watts, the volume was perfect. Matt and Bill, aside from being stellar guys, are a gifted couple of artisans for the eyes and ears, and this particular offering from them is a masterpiece in both sensory realms. In fact, the amps even feel great to the touch—their incredibly well-conceived side handles, while aesthetically attractive, are an ergonomic joy, allowing for easy transportation with one or both hands (trust me, your wrists will be very happy). I don’t know the exact price point (I’m not sure they do at this point either) but I remember their saying it will probably be in the low 2s. You’d be hard pressed to find another amp that does all this can do at any price. If only every first time were as rewarding…and humility-free. This amp is a Hefeweizen—lush, creamy, lively and distinct, misty in the glass, and sweet sweet sweet on the palate. Recommendation: Ayinger’s Brau Weisse.

I had a chance to try Bill and Matt's Ark amplifier during his visit to Nashville last Friday and it was fantastic!   It runs two EL34’s and while it runs Class AB, it has a harmonic richness that I’ve heard in many Class A amps. It features Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Volume, and Master controls as well as a blend pot which allows the tone stack to be dialed in or out of the circuit (a very cool feature similar to the “Raw” control on Allen amps). There were also two switches (Low Boost and Hi cut I believe) as well. I was curious if the master was defeatable, but it turned out to be a moot point as the Master is honestly one of the best I’ve ever heard! It sounded full-bodied at pretty much any setting.   Many amps claim to be able to do anything from clean to scream, but this one actually delivers. We were able to dial up tones reminiscent of Vox, Fender, Marshall, etc. with a few changes of the controls, and they all sounded good to my ears. It preformed great as a pedal base as well. A lot of amps I have tried will either sound great on their own, but the front end will compress when you put a pedal in front, or they will take pedals well but sound uninspiring on their own. I currently use a Groove Tubes Soul-O 45 as my pedal amp and I felt that this amp could hang with it.   Another surprise was the 2x12 cabinet. That is seriously one of the best cabs I have ever heard. It is front ported and provides tremendous thump and low end for a 2x12, yet didn’t get boomy. It felt like the push you get from a 4x12. Interestingly enough, we hooked up an expensive semi-open back 4x12 to the amp and there was no comparison. The 4x12 sounded anemic next to the Ark cab. Very impressive!   If I had to determine a downside, it would be the materials. Bill and Matt use amazing woods for their head and speaker cabinets and its some of the most beautiful work I’ve seen. Therein lies the problem…it’s a piece of art. I would be a little worried gigging with it regularly and I think I would be heartbroken to see the cabinets damaged. Maybe I would be more comfortable lugging a model similar to Gordon Kennedy's (The GK59).   Overall, I was extremely impressed with this amp. It was one of the best I have tried. Bill and Matt are two wonderful guys and made the experience very enjoyable. Thanks, guys. It was incredible talking and playing with Phil as well. He has been an inspiration for me for a long time. He is a true artist and a gentleman. I would say I enjoyed jamming with him, but I felt like a ham playing next to him. By the way, Bill is an excellent player. He was throwing down Phil’s songs and solos and Phil would double or harmonize them…I was impressed. It was a wonderful experience and I made three new friends in the process. Not bad for a Friday afternoon. Josh www.myspace.com/bobotwt

Trucked over to Piscataway NJ yesterday to the amp show. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm. Not exactly a day one wants to try their driving luck on stressful Route 287... It was an excellent show with most of the boutiques there. Check out the list on the website: www.ampshow.com.... ....ARK Amplifiers had this unusual looking amp. It was the usual head/cab thang, but the outside of the amp was all fancy woodwork. The amp controls had no markings for Volume or Bass or Gain... just slightly different wood grains. Took a little getting used to. But, this amp was probably in the top 3 amps at the show. What a tone! Very creamy Overdrive and not forced. I just wasn't crazy about the wood; a few gigs and all that fancy designed wood would be trashed. A few misplaced beers or some bumps on the way to/from the gig and goodbye. A more conventional head/cab style (like The Ark GK59) would help to put this amp in the head of the pack.---------------------------------- ....I'd say the three top amps at the show were the ARK, the Fargen Jim Weider and the Two-Rock Jet with a lot of amps in the next seriously good category (Germino, 65 Amps, Rivera, Komet). There were about 55 vendors at this show. Mostly boutique stuff. It was a great show. I hope they do it again next year. Tone machines indeed. :)

This TGP'er(The Gear Page)loved your amp too!!!! Sensational "violin" tone!! Way to go Bill! _________________ Scott Lerner

"they are in my opinion...one of the coolest looking amps I have ever seen !" (Gear Page member)

"This amp has all the favorable qualities of Fender, Marshall and Vox; I LOVE that!" -Gordon Kennedy Nashville session guitarist and producer

-"Bill's amps REALLY impressed me. I had to keep returning to his room to play it!!!! I think there is a pic on his site of me glued to the chair..." -Scott Lerner

"Brian (Wooten) played this amp at my house a couple days ago. I must say, I'm really impressed. The amp does just about everything, killer lead tones to that spankin Tele thing. Cleans up nicely when rolling off the volume at the guitar like my wreck. Best Marshall/Fender spectrum tone wise amp I've played in a while. Reminds me of my favorite (popular amp) but with better lead tones/distortion. No pedal required. -Nashville guitarist