The lines between the past and present blur at the East Tennessee workshop of Deluxe Amplification. Proprietor Chris Shibley does his magic from an 1860s hand-hewn log house… that he numbered, took apart and reassembled 10 miles from its original location (he has plans to expand it in the future, too). Walking through the place, you’ll find old car parts, a Wurlitzer organ or two, an early Ampex reel-to-reel, and plenty of vintage tube amps and guitars awaiting servicing or restoration. You’ll also see old radios that have been converted to play music via Bluetooth, micro guitar amps housed in Altoids tins, a CO2 laser cutter, an industrial sewing machine, and a lot more… because Chris does a bit of everything, from new amp builds to pickup rewinds and guitar repair to (soon) pinstriping.
Of his space, Chris says,“We are a small shop nestled in the foothills of East Tennessee and specialize in custom building a wide range of amplifiers and instruments that pay tribute to the pioneers and provocateurs of the past and present. Many of our designs are directly inspired by the privately owned vintage circuits that regularly pass through our doors for maintenance and repair or those from our own collection.”
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