Photos by Randall Cordero
Great Machines: Guitars - Play Skillfully with a Loud Noise
June 2, 2003
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Roccaforte Amplifier (Click on image to enlarge)
What guitarist among us can deny the desire to plug a favorite guitar into an old Marshall amp, and feel the heart pound and skin tingle with goose bumps from the surge of power as the volume is turned up? The original “muscle cars” of the amplifier world, Marshalls from the 1960s are costly and rare, and costlier still when restored to original specifications with either new or NOS (new old stock) parts. Thank goodness for Doug Roccaforte, who custom-builds amplifiers ranging in output from 20 watts to a 100-watt monster at his Southern California facility. With a tip of the bowler to the coveted 1960s Plexiglas-paneled Marshall (referred to by reverential acolytes simply as “plexis”), Roccaforte adds a number of his own unique twists. It is a delight to hear this amp’s beautifully edgy sounds without the crackles and pops evident in so many of the originals. Plugging in and playing a few bars of “Sunshine of Your Love” and “Moby Dick” gave me a bigger grin than when I saw my first Russ Meyer movie. In a strange way, playing with volume has a therapeutic and resolving quality, leaving one quite peaceful—the perfect reason to pick up that Collings just one more time.
Harvey Citron, 845.679.7138, www.citron-guitars.com;
Roger Giffin, 818.348.6132, www.giffinguitars.com;
Maven Peal, 802.456.1607, www.mavenpeal.com;
Roccaforte, 949.981.6095, www.roccaforteamps.com;
Westwood Musical Instruments, 310.478.4251, www.westwoodmusic.com
