Soultone
Encyclopedia
Soultone is an American guitar amplifier
manufacturing company, based in Chandler, Arizona
, and known for making hand wired instrument amplifiers using vintage and modern techniques, components, and features.
Soultone is exemplary of boutique
musical instrument manufacturers.
amplifiers are susceptible to (and sources of) noise
, and usually produce sound pressure levels only suitable for larger performance venues. Nonetheless, many purists believe that Digital Signal Processing
will never be able to produce the dynamics (music)
, warmth, and complex harmonic distortion of vacuum tubes. Soultone advocated improved manufacturing techniques and materials, as well as carefully selected new old stock
(NOS) and modern manufactured components, would produce modern variants of vintage classic amplifiers with greater reliability and significantly less noise.
With their modern power controls, Soultone amplifiers can reproduce stadium sized tube distortion sounds all the way down to recording studio, or even bedroom levels. Power Scaling is a power controlling technology, licensed from London Power / Power Press, that lowers the power tube voltages, including proportionately scaled bias voltages, in order to reduce the audible volume; the power amplifier itself is changed from larger to smaller with the turn of a knob.
By carefully crafting each instrument by hand, boutique builders like Soultone are able to retain a vintage character and flavor not found in other mass produced products, even when using high-tech innovations.
, Fender, Gibson
, and Vox
all currently offer entirely hand wired re-creations of their vintage products, often at costs lower than boutique competition. These products hold an even greater appeal to consumers, as they join the coveted hand-wired hype with household names and corporate longevity. While builders like Soultone have managed to survive this onslaught by combining modern and vintage processes, techniques, and materials, much of this cottage industry is quickly vanishing. Only time will tell if any of these new companies will remain viable, as the big four manufacturers become more responsive to potential buyer's actual desires, thanks largely to the internet. These larger companies have deeper products to dedicate to extensive market research, which could revitalize the musical instrument market with newer products that utilize the "modern vintage" approach. Boutique builders may in the end be relying upon their early reputation and momentum to sustain business growth.
Guitar amplifier
A guitar amplifier is an electronic amplifier designed to make the signal of an electric or acoustic guitar louder so that it will produce sound through a loudspeaker...
manufacturing company, based in Chandler, Arizona
Chandler, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%...
, and known for making hand wired instrument amplifiers using vintage and modern techniques, components, and features.
Soultone is exemplary of boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
musical instrument manufacturers.
Design Philosophy
While original examples of classic vintage amplifiers can be purchased for large sums of money, they are also reputed to exhibit unreliable performance. Vacuum tubeVacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
amplifiers are susceptible to (and sources of) noise
Noise
In common use, the word noise means any unwanted sound. In both analog and digital electronics, noise is random unwanted perturbation to a wanted signal; it is called noise as a generalisation of the acoustic noise heard when listening to a weak radio transmission with significant electrical noise...
, and usually produce sound pressure levels only suitable for larger performance venues. Nonetheless, many purists believe that Digital Signal Processing
Digital signal processing
Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...
will never be able to produce the dynamics (music)
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
, warmth, and complex harmonic distortion of vacuum tubes. Soultone advocated improved manufacturing techniques and materials, as well as carefully selected new old stock
New old stock
New old stock refers to obsolete equipment, or original parts for obsolete equipment, that have never been sold at retail.The term refers to merchandise being offered for sale which was manufactured long ago but that has never been used...
(NOS) and modern manufactured components, would produce modern variants of vintage classic amplifiers with greater reliability and significantly less noise.
With their modern power controls, Soultone amplifiers can reproduce stadium sized tube distortion sounds all the way down to recording studio, or even bedroom levels. Power Scaling is a power controlling technology, licensed from London Power / Power Press, that lowers the power tube voltages, including proportionately scaled bias voltages, in order to reduce the audible volume; the power amplifier itself is changed from larger to smaller with the turn of a knob.
By carefully crafting each instrument by hand, boutique builders like Soultone are able to retain a vintage character and flavor not found in other mass produced products, even when using high-tech innovations.
Mainstream Competition
With the success of this booming cottage industry in high dollar musical instrument amplification, the big four manufacturers jumped head long into the boutique manufacturing market. MarshallMarshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
, Fender, Gibson
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
, and Vox
Vox (musical equipment)
Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
all currently offer entirely hand wired re-creations of their vintage products, often at costs lower than boutique competition. These products hold an even greater appeal to consumers, as they join the coveted hand-wired hype with household names and corporate longevity. While builders like Soultone have managed to survive this onslaught by combining modern and vintage processes, techniques, and materials, much of this cottage industry is quickly vanishing. Only time will tell if any of these new companies will remain viable, as the big four manufacturers become more responsive to potential buyer's actual desires, thanks largely to the internet. These larger companies have deeper products to dedicate to extensive market research, which could revitalize the musical instrument market with newer products that utilize the "modern vintage" approach. Boutique builders may in the end be relying upon their early reputation and momentum to sustain business growth.
See also
- List of guitar amp brands
- Guitar speakerGuitar speakerA guitar speaker is a loudspeaker – specifically the driver part – designed for use in or with the guitar amplifier of an electric guitar...
- Power attenuator (guitar)Power attenuator (guitar)In conjunction with an electric guitar amplifier, a power attenuator is used to divert and dissipate some or all of the amplifier's excess or unneeded power in order to reduce the volume of sound produced by the speaker.- Explanation :...
- Distortion (guitar)Distortion (guitar)Distortion effects create "warm", "dirty" and "fuzzy" sounds by compressing the peaks of a musical instrument's sound wave and adding overtones. The three principal types of distortion effects are overdrive, distortion and fuzz. Distortion effects are sometimes called “gain” effects, as distorted...
- Instrument amplifierInstrument amplifierAn instrument amplifier is an electronic amplifier that converts the often barely audible or purely electronic signal from musical instruments such as an electric guitar, an electric bass, or an electric keyboard into an electronic signal capable of driving a loudspeaker that can be heard by the...
- Bass instrument amplificationBass instrument amplificationBass instrument amplification, used for the bass guitar, double bass and similar instruments, is distinct from other types of amplification systems due to the particular challenges associated with low-frequency sound reproduction. This distinction affects the design of the loudspeakers, the speaker...
- Electronic amplifierElectronic amplifierAn electronic amplifier is a device for increasing the power of a signal.It does this by taking energy from a power supply and controlling the output to match the input signal shape but with a larger amplitude...
- Valve sound
- Guitar effects
- Guitar speaker cabinet
- Re-ampRe-ampReamping is a process often used in multitrack recording in which a recorded signal is routed back out of the editing environment and run through external processing or reverb chamber...
External links
- Soultone's amplifier pages — Manufacturer's web pages.
- London Power - Kevin O'Connor web pages.