Testimonials
Thank you for visiting - If you have any reviews about your custom tube amplifier, please use the contact form in the footer below & we will post it. Many Thanks - Happy playing
My new Dualist is an amazing sound machine - Rob has the nack no doubt about it - played my second gig with it this weekend (after he tweeked the tone for me), and I can not imagine playing without it now - what a sound, from shimmering glassy crunch, to balls out overdriven valves - This is an amazing amp - if you want a great sound, get one.
Richard Dorman
Guitarist | United Kingdom
So, I used the amp 'in anger' yesterday - full day in a studio. My lord. It's good ...! Sounds fantastic - very 'there' in a live mix, and the lead tone was seriously lovely (still need to tinker, but as a first 'straight out the box' go, it was amazing ... even with a brand new 'tight' Alnico speaker ...). One thing I have to say I wasn't expecting was just how loud it is - even in a full band (with keys & horn section) the master was down at about 7 or 8 o'clock; and even that was loud ...! So overall - wow ...! I thought it would be good, but have to say mate, you've exceeded my expectations. A really, really fabulous amp ...! Thanks again - it's already a joy, and that's before I've really got to know it and live with it. Superb stuff. Chat soon.
Spike
Guitarist
After finally tracking these amps down at the North West Guitar Show I can honestly say that they are one of the most beautiful sounding and aesthetically pleasing amps out there.
I was lucky to walk away with a used Dualist that belonged to Alex Hunter (who needed funds for a car repair bill) and having recently tried Redplates, Carr, Morgan, Jackson Ampworks, Fuchs amongst others, I can honestly say that it is every bit as good and in most instances better than most of those.
RD Amps are a "best kept secret" in the amp world but it will surely only be a question of time before people catch on. A truly remarkable amp which is inspirational to play.
John Clay
Guitarist / Stunted Records
Mark Finning said it all really , I can only add some feedback on my particular RD amp Solotaire. Not immediately apparant how well conceived this single channel simple 6l6 based amp actually is and how well it is beginning to meet my brief. Like anything of value it takes some time and study to learn what it is you are looking for and how you articulate that across to the amp builder but once you do the rewards are going to be long lasting if it performs the way you want it to. In my case I needed clean high headroom and a rounding and softening of the high strings without loosing definition in the bottom strings particularly as I play single coils mostly. Exceptional value for money and if anyone is researching RD Amplification and hesitating about taking the plunge - dont - get it on order before the waiting list extends to years...
Dave Woolcock
Guitarist
A few months ago I was looking for a custom vintage amplifier. I came across Rob Dix of RD amplification, after an extensive email conversation I chose my output stage and desired finish.
Rob installed a 10inch driver into the head basically creating a combo, Rob did this without a problem and it looks & sounds out of this world. This combined with the vintage 2x12 cab just completes it. I have to say it stands out better than any other amp you will find out there. The clean tones are amazing and the crunch tones are incredible. The head has a Celestion G10 gold alnico making it a worthy opponent for the Vox AC30. I've played through many amps over the years, new and vintage, but this DUALIST is a different kind of animal, it made the hairs on my neck stand up!
Rob is very talented and has an incredible eye and ear for detail. The best thing about Rob is he's willing to try new ideas and make them work for the musician. Top man, top build.
Paul Wilson-white
Guitarist | Nottingham UK
After meeting Rob and comparing a couple of Amps and Valve choices I made the first decisions with him as to what I wanted. The twin 6V6 power Stage based on the sought after Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3 Output Stage in combination with the early 1970s Dumble Circuit on the way in is hands-down the best amp I have ever owned to play.
I’ve owned it a good few months now and it never ceases to amaze me how articulate, authentic and dynamic the sounds I can get out of it are. Other players I know have tried it and every one of them have been just as knocked out by it as I still am. So versatile and so ‘giggable’ Rob’s attention to detail in building amps is incredible and so obvious, inside and outside of the amp. Plus, his ear for what’s right and wrong, or for the minutest of tweaks which may bring improvements is something else.
Whilst I might not understand much but a loose understanding of electronics, what I do know is that having owned at least 6 Valve Amps over the last 20 years that I’ve now got something which doesn’t compromise in any of the sounds I need to get out of it. Each sound from Clean to Crunches to Saturated Lead and everything in between is a joy, in particular, the clean and just-breaking sounds I never thought would make me dismiss Fender Twins, but that’s what I think now. In short, I couldn’t be happier.
If you’ve never looked outside of the mainstream brands, or are considering boutique amps then speak to Rob first, you will get equal or better, I have no doubt. Plus, British made and refined to your exact tastes if you wish to spend a little time with Rob (who seems to thrive on making sure he’s going to build exactly what you want). It’s incredible quality gear, and like I started off saying, Rob not only built a great amp for me but he designed and put in the features I knew would make it a perfect fit for me. Cheers Rob
Mark Finning
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Over the years I have owned every amp there is.. Rob and I used to joke about "when was I going to get a proper amp" from him. Well that day has come, albeit in the form of a custom build 100 watt head, I have to say for a busy giging guitarist who needs a dynamic amp delivering an open massive clean and a huge transparent drive/crunch this amp is my mecca. You have to hear Robs amps to really get it.. my search is over thank you Rob.
Andy Crokey
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Your work looks outstanding! The vintage/retro style cabs are very classy ;-) Best wishes for satisfaction & success in your future projects.
John Ilsley
Guitarist | France
Your amp is really great!!!! A truly amazing amp ! Wonderfully nice, clean or crunch tones. So many possibilities according to the amp and guitar setting! These speakers work so well together. Thank you! I love it.
Frederic Sueur
Guitarist | France
Rob doesn’t make lager but if he did it would probably be the best lager in the world..... Absolutely fantastic mods on my 70’s silverface deluxe reverb. great service (though not in a horrendous american corporate way!!) Quick turn around and very honest. i must add that he is the most knowledgeable man i’ve meet regarding amps, Cheers!!
Luke Ford
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Just picked up my gorgeous new Dualist amp and cab and my OD converted Texas Boogie. Absolutely awesome. The Dualist amp and Cab look fantastic and both of them just sing with endless tone. Ive had all my guitarist buddies trying the amps allready and each one has left wondering why the hell the play their production line PCB board rubbish. Once you play through this sort quality there really isnt anyway anything else can compare. The time Rob Spends fine tuning the amp with you is priceless and only serves to reinforce the reason to invest in his products. The pride and he has in his work is rare these days and the service he gives is second to none. It actually makes you feel guilty breaking him away from his creations when you take them home. If all thats not enough he transformed my Les Paul tone in about 5 minutes and fixed my knackered 70s Celestion!! Clever Bugger.
Nigel Collins
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Just picked up my Custom 100 amp from Rob Dix. This was built to match a close specification based on the Hiwatt 50 Custom. The amp is absolutely stunning.......clarity, smooth and sensitive controls, no loss of integrity at low and high levels. Tight bottom end lovely mids and highs with plenty of bite. This is a dream and I’m very happy. I am getting closer to my sound all thanks to Rob Dix. I highly recommend Rob and this design.
Jon D’Costa
Guitarist | United Kingdom
I’ve been playing my new RD dualist now for just over a week, including for one Gig. The sounds I get from this amp are just amazing! It’s by far the most versatile amp I’ve ever had the privilege to play through, which is just what I need as I play a variety of styles in a number of contexts. The amp has a gain and volume arrangement so as to control overdrive to the pre-amp, plus an additional pair of pre-amp stages which can be switched in for high gain overdrive (the reason for the “dualist” name, I believe). When overdriving the preamp in this way, the tone is incredibly smooth - like double cream poured over the speaker! This is the classic “Dumble” tone that has been the holy grail of guitarists since the ‘70s. For more raunchy overdrive the initial gain can be turned down and the volume turned up, so the output stage is overdriven. This gives a classic class A crunch distortion synonymous with the famous early Fenders. The “Dumble” controls - RD labels them “deep” “Fat” and “Rock/Jazz” give an enormous range of control over the sound, from delicate bright to heavy Marshall-like riffing and something very close to the coveted “brown sound”. I have a number of guitars of different types, and they all sound incredible through this amp - I can tweak the sound to suit each instrument or simply use a different guitar with the same amp settings, to get different nuances of sound. I’ve only just begin to scratch the surface of this incredible amplifier and am looking forward to getting to know it over the years and years that it’ll last, thanks to the superb attention to detail by Rob in the hand-crafted construction! I’ve finally found my dream amplifier - I need to get the others up on ebay now....
Doug Hadfield
Guitarist | United Kingdom
I was introduced to Rob by a friend and at the time was considering all sorts of off the shelf amps. Within twenty minutes of talking to Rob and playing through his amp I was struck by this overwhelming need for one of his circuits. So after a second visit plans were put in motion for a 25-30watt Dualist head running a pair of KT-66s. During the next few months Rob was in regular contact confirming the details that would make the amp personal to me, e.g. Black western style tolex, cream chicken head knobs, etc. Then the day came when Rob emailed to say the amp was finished. What can I say? It’s immense! Build quality, sound, aesthetics, you name it, everything is of the highest standard. Further, I’d like to say what a great guy Rob is to deal with. Nothing is ever too much trouble or too much fuss. I really can’t recommend him enough. Thanks for all your hard work Rob. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon. Bo
Bo Madley
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Hi Rob. just dropped in to say many thanks for the Dualist you built for me. As you know I ordered this after reading the very in depth posting by Mark Finning and it certainly lives up to his fine description. It was a pleasure dealing with you from my first conversation with you and through the many emails discussing components, types of valves and then on to cabinet coverings etc. all exciting stuff to me. I have had it a few months now and after exploring all its very fine tonal spectrum I like to just switch on the overdrive and get noodling, the rest just comes from there, less attack from your fingers cleans it up nicely when you want and with more attack it just sings in your ears. Very inspiring! The follow up emails also showed how you cared about your customers satisfaction. Keep in touch Rob and best of luck for the future.
Graham Taylor
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Hiya Rob, just wanted to say thanks for the work you’ve done on the Java. I’ve used it on several gigs now and it’s astonishingly clear and theres tons of headroom. I’ve had so many people comment on it like you wouldnt believe. The conclusion, don’t go chasing other peoples tones with pickups and pedals just let Rob build you an amp or mod what you have already and find your own tone. Outstanding!! Many thanks Rob.
Greg Hunt
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Rob, thank you so much for the work done on my Marshall Plexi, the PPIMV you added means I can get her growling at much, much lower volumes. Perfect for home use and even better at band practice, when I’m not drowning out the other members just to get some gain. Brilliant work, quick turnaround time. Thank you!
Tom O’Dwyer
Guitarist | United Kingdom
My Se-5A has not worked for a while, I contacted Rob , took the amp to him, and within 24 hours the amp was repaired!! I think its rare to find someone who you trust to do a good job, Rob did a Phenominal job!! Perfect.
Kevin Sargent
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Rob thank you so much for my brilliant amp. Every second you spent with me to get to the sound I wanted was so worth it. It has given life, colour and texture to my guitars and improved my understanding and playing. It’s a box of pure soul. Sincere Thanks Friend.
Pete Large
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Thanks Rob for a brilliant job in building my 2 x 10 bass cabinets and a 2 x 12 lead cabinet, they look and sound fantastic. Built exactly to suit my needs, the quality and price of these cabinets knock the socks off those produced by many of the so called high end manufacturers, none of whom can sell me a 2 x 10 cabinet which matches my Fender Bassman (not even Fender). Keep up the good work!
Pete Tyler
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Well...just got an amp built by Rob....a Dumble type amp, got to say this sounds awesome...this amp has a beautiful tone to it on clean and OD... i bought this amp on recommendation so went in a bit blind ...Rob listened to what i wanted and recomended other things as well that i didnt think of....and i've come out with a amp i cant stop looking at or playing... anybody looking for a brilliant sounding amp check Rob out......you'll get a great amp at a great price...IMO to good of a price...but im not complaining...:)
Paul Barnes
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Hi Rob, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for the excellent work you’ve done rebuilding my Sound City 120. A quality build that looks as good on the inside as it does on the outside. Oh, and the sound... I’d have never thought a valve amp could be so quiet and yet so loud with tone to die for! Again, many thanks Rob.
Grahame Harvey
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Hi, Rob! Site looks good. It was a real blessing when I found out about you. Look forward to hearing and seeing more of your amps.
Lew Koprowski
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Hey Rob, you are without doubt A LEGEND! ..and don’t let anyone say otherwise. Your passion for what you do, attention to detail and desire to satisfy even the most demanding customer... like me... is a rare thing indeed these days. Notwithstanding your evident talent and skill. Best wishes and every success in the future. Regards. Jo.
Jo McCray
Guitarist | United Kingdom
It’s a shame that other certain ‘boutique’ British amp makers don’t put the same care and attention to detail into their amps that you do, let alone their customer service. Nonetheless, thanks for putting all my amp issues right during this ongoing search for tone.
Alex Hunter
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Rob; I am grateful for an opportunity to thank you for all the work you’ve done for me, not only in upgrading the Fender Blues to a handwired custom but in all the modifications and upgrades to my guitars. Your attention to detail, concern for quality and ear for tone will surely establish your reputation quickly. Every good wish for the future.
Adrian Turner
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Hi Rob, love the new website. The Guitar and Amp you made eight years ago still look and perform wonderfully, it's a shame I don't. Keep up the good work, I would not buy a guitar or amp from anywhere else.
Roger Baldwin
Guitarist | United Kingdom
Wishing you every success for the future Rob.
Steve Popejoy
Guitarist | United Kingdom