The History of Milkman Amps
Milkman guitar amps are all handmade in San Francisco by a small team headed up by Tim Marcus, who named the company as an homage to his family – they were all milkmen! Tim developed a curiosity surrounding valve technology (or ‘tubes’ as they’re known in the US) while working in a TV and Stereo repair shop after graduating college. His curiosity turned into a hobby when he was mentored by frequent visitors to the shop who shared their knowledge on valve amplification.
Combining his knowledge on repairing electronics with his new-found knowledge of the inner-workings of valve technology, he started making amps alongside his day job before ultimately taking a leap of faith in 2014; Milkman Sound was born!
Individualism formed a pivotal part of Marcus’ ethos; he knew he wanted to create something that was wholly original, while being familiar and practical. Nowadays, Milkman amps are known for producing beautifully vintage, highly responsive tone, but it all stems from personalised voicing and unique designs – nothing is copied. It’s this individuality and commitment to quality that’s helped put Milkman on the international map, lauded by the likes of John Mayer among others!
The Milkman Range
Milkman offer a vast range of stunning boutique valve amps, all handmade in San Francisco. Andertons Music Co. are thrilled to be one of their exclusive Europe dealers!
Their range covers just about everything you’d want a modern boutique amp range to cover, but each amp shares a number of common themes; they’re all valve-powered, and they all boast slick retro aesthetics. Many of the amps come in a variety of ‘finish’ options, including vanilla tolex and chocolate milk (obviously!).
You also have a huge wattage range to choose from, depending on your requirements, ranging from a 1-watt 1x10” combo to the monstrous 300W Pedal Steel Half and Half combo! Whether you’re looking for an organic home practice solution or a full-tilt gigging amplifier, you’ll find something that suits your needs in the Milkman range! Many of their amps also come in head form, so you have a little more flexibility in terms of your stage setup, with a great selection of cabinets to choose from, all of which match the old-school aesthetics!
One of the most exciting products in their vibrant range is ‘The Amp’, an aptly-named pedal that conceals 50W of 12AX7 power. This incredible unit has built-in analog tremolo and digital spring reverb, with a neat selection of tonal shaping options; this is literally a full-blown amplifier in a pedal, that can be used either as your main performing amp or a valve-driven boost!
We offer free UK delivery and 0% finance options on our entire Milkman Sound selection – check out the full range below!
FAQs
From humble beginnings in a Haight apartment in 2006, Milkman Sound's Tim Marcus has handcrafted a range of superb-sounding boutique amps – using his pedal-steel background to inform their design…
What amps did Les Paul use? ›
The 1x12 GA-40 Les Paul amp debuted in 1952 alongside the signature goldtop guitar, and remained in the catalog until late 1962 or early '63, when Les Paul terminated his deal with Gibson and the radically altered, double-cutaway guitar of the early '60s became simply the SG.
What size guitar amp for pub gigs? ›
How Many Watts Does my amp need to be for live shows and gigs? For live shows, you'll want an amplifier that is powerful enough to be heard over the drums and other instruments. A 20W to 100W tube amplifier or 60W to 120W+ solid-state amp should do the trick.
Do guitar amps have speakers? ›
At the most fundamental level, every guitar amplifier features a preamp, power amp and speaker.
What amps did Jimi Hendrix use? ›
His weapon of choice for amplifying his psychedelic signal was the vaunted Marshall Super Lead (commonly known as a Plexi) amp, paired with a couple of booming 4×12″ cabinets. It's said that Hendrix would have a couple of these stacks at most gigs, just in case one would blow!
What amplifier did Eric Clapton use? ›
Eric found his distinctive tone when joining John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, courtesy of a Gibson Les Paul plugged into a Marshall amp with some added distortion. The Les Paul was stolen in Cream's early days, to be replaced by a Gibson SG and later an ES-335, all still played through a Marshall amp.
Is 20 watts loud enough to gig? ›
For gigging guitarists that play in smaller bars and clubs, a 20- to 45-watt tube amp is a terrific choice.
How many watts is a good amplifier? ›
If you are playing light dance music, the amplifier's 4-ohm power should be 1.6 x 100 W or 160 W continuous per channel. To handle heavy metal/grunge, the amplifier's 4-ohm power should be 2.5 x 100 W or 250 W continuous per channel.
How many amps should a guitarist have? ›
What's more common is for guitarists to have a single clean amp that takes pedals extremely well (to mimic the high-gain with overdrive & distortion) or a two amp approach where one is used for cleans while the other is used for overdriven tones.
What happens if ohms don't match? ›
What happens if there is a mismatch? If the speaker cabinet impedance load is higher than the amplifier rating, e.g., an eight ohm cabinet plugged into an amplifier with a minimum impedance load of four ohms, you're cool. You're not getting the amp's maximum output, but don't panic over it.
While your guitar will be your trusty companion, you'll need an amp to help you hear the powerful sound that instrument is capable of producing. Playing while plugged into an amp can allow you to better master finger positionings of chords and hear your guitar's sustain and resonance while playing.
Do all guitar amps buzz? ›
So, a perceived sound isn't necessarily an interference: all amps have a subtle background noise – no matter what kind of amplification it is. While tube amplifiers are usually more prone to noise, modern digital amps come with a much lower noise level.
Who builds Friedman amps? ›
In 2014, Friedman signed a deal with Boutique Amps Distribution to build and distribute Friedman's products, with Dave Friedman himself continuing to sign off on all completed amplifiers.
Who is Orange amps owned by? ›
Orange was founded in 1968 by Cliff Cooper who to this day is the head of the company, but before it became the guitar amp company that it is today, it started out as a Soho music shop which sold used musical instruments and doubled as a recording studio in the basem*nt.
