ABOUT RD AMPLIFICATION

ABOUT

founded on over 30 years experience

RD Amplification is founded on over 30 years experience building bespoke vintage tube amplifiers. Rob Dix is a fully qualified Electronics Engineer as well as being an Electric Guitar player, he has spent the past years building custom vintage style amplifiers for musicians around the UK. Over the past few years Rob has been developing designs and undertaking bespoke custom amps.

R D Amplification is an evolving business founded on the belief that the musicians’ needs are of the utmost importance. Our focus is being committed to meeting those needs and making the experience as rewarding and enjoyable as possible. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals. Rob would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you some of the best service in the industry.

THE BIRTH OF THE DUALIST

Back in 2014…

Following a number of years repairing and maintaining high brand amps for World Guitars, the late great Jeff Pumfrett said to me “Rob!… let’s build an amp, exclusively for sale through the World Guitars. A core design with customisable options”

Well, it went something like that anyways peppered with a string of tasty expletives familiar to those who knew Jeff. And so we embarked on the journey to create something a bit special. After much research and listening we came up with a core design which we felt had broad appeal to a spectrum of players and playing styles.

Starting off with a classic 1970’s preamp circuit, we listened, fine-tuned and tweaked and modified, until we were happy with the flagship tonal palette. We then married this with a tactile and responsive Cathode Biased Class-A output stage which in combination with the preamp provides a unique tonal response and feel to the amp.

We then added a tube buffered FX loop and lush reverb, and the ‘DUALIST’ was born.

Following the production of the initial build DUALIST amplifiers, we were set to launch it to the wider world, and excitedly we prepped for photography, video work and queued up WGs contacts in the guitar industry for the anticipated reviews.

Sadly just a few months later, Jeff suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, a shock felt throughout the UK music industry. As far as our new amp project went, the future looked uncertain, and it was some time before we made the final decision to forge ahead with our new ‘DUALIST Custom’ amplifier design. Thus RD Amplification formally adopted the ‘DUALIST’ amplifier as our flagship amplifier design employing a variety of possible output stages, speakers and cosmetic finishes. Holding true to the initial concept of a truly bespoke product and allowing the musician an unparalleled engagement in the final result, unlike so many off-the-shelf products or so-called ‘custom build’ pick-lists.

Expanding the range we subsequently introduced the ‘Custom 8-Ball’ a straight-ahead reverb amp based on the ‘Single’ or normal/clean mode only of the DUALIST.

Then to cater for the harder rock fraternity, we re-worked the core DUALIST preamp circuit, moving the operational tone control stack to the end of the preamp chain, allowing for a more aggressive and extreme overdrive response in the DUALIST XL variation. These two additional amp models again allow for the musician to specify output stages, speaker options and finish styles.

THE LINEUP

DUALIST CUSTOM

The concept behind the DUALIST Custom was to provide something just a little bit different whilst embracing the best of a great tradition of classic guitar amplification.

DUALIST XL

To facilitate the more extreme Heavy Metal and Hard Rock players we have taken our classic DUALIST Custom dual-gain preamp circuit and re-worked it into a hardwired none-switching single-channel version destined to melt your face!

8-BALL CUSTOM

The '8-Ball Custom Reverb' is a straight ahead reverb amp based on the 'Single' mode of our classic DUALIST circuit. Essentially pitched as a straight ahead 'clean' amp for those players who do not require the overdrive from the preamp.

BASS 100

A pure all-valve circuit with some suitable component tweaks for bass EQ in the preamp, and typically employing an output stage utilising either pairs of KT88, 6550 or quad 6L6.

“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.

Spike Stockdale
Totally Blondie

"WHAT A SOUND"

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