Blind Dog Valve Amplification

20/03/2026

For your delectation, here are some pics of the all new Mad Dog 30. Sound clips in the next week or so;

19/03/2026

One or two new amps have come off the Blind Dog production line.

The first is another hand-wired 5F1 Champ clone, Blind Dog's 'The Champion'. Well, not quite a clone as it has a solid-state rectifier, but otherwise follows faithfully the late 1950's tweed circuit. This comprises a 12AX7 preamp stage and a single -ended 6V6 output stage, with just one control k**b for volume.

A special feature of this build is the Jupiter 8" Alnico speaker. The Jupiter 8SA 8-inch alnico speaker is explicitly voiced as a vintage American replacement for the Jensen P8R, the kind of speaker historically associated with Champ circuits. It is specifically designed as an upgrade for the Champ.

The combo cab for the amp is another of Blind Dog's signature Art Deco styled cabs finished in Faded Denim blue. Some pics below.

To fully appreciate the qualities of the Tweed-era Champs, Google the many famous guitarists who used the 5F1 on their recordings, including Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Joe Walsh and Neill Young.

Sticking with the vintage vibe, the next one features a hand-wired Blind Dog Pro-Junior clone , customised to fit inside an original 1960s-era Bell & Howell projector extension cab, to give a classy retro look. One of the best features giving this small combo amp real character is the use of the original 12" speaker, which is a 1960s Jensen alnico. This gives the amp beautiful clarity and musical chime.

And now for the latest Blind Dog design. Inspired by the Orange Marcus King signature amp but with a more British flavour, the Blind Dog Bad Dog 30 is a 30 watt head with cathode-biased EL34 output stage. Still going through it's final build stage but sounding awesome already, watch this space for further details.

For further information and to arrange try-outs for any of my amps in Hythe, Southampton, please PM me!

21/07/2025

A rare opportunity to acquire a Super Reverb-style amp in head-only format. Note, no speakers are included in this sale.

This amp is hand-built by Dr Andy Turnpenny of Blind Dog Amplification in the New Forest, England. It is the Blind Dog take on the classic Blackface AA763 Fender Super Reverb 45 watt valve amplifier. It differs from the Fender circuit in having only a single input jack on each channel and in using a more reliable Valve Wizard sag circuit in place of the valve rectifier. It features a full-length valve-driven spring reverb tank, a complement of 7 valves (ECC81, ECC83, 6L6GC), Demeter custom output transformer and heavy -duty NOS mains transformer.

Channel 1 gives powerful Fender-style cleans with Volume, Bass and Treble controls and Bright switch.Channel 2 gives lush tones with foot-switchable spring Reverb and valve-driven Tremelo. Controls are Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, Reverb, Tremelo Speed and Intensity. Rear panel has Speaker Out - 8 or 16 ohm, Power and Standby switches, Mains inlet and Fuse. There is also an external Bias Adjust control.

The main circuit is constructed on the excellent UK-made AA Electronics Fender Reverb circuit board. This is a heavy-duty board, far superior to the industry-standard boards used in Fender amps.

The head cab is of strong birch-ply construction, laser engraved in Blind Dog's unique Art-Deco diamond pattern with metal corners and two strong handles on top. The control fascia has a brushed gold-coloured finish.

Collection only from Hythe, SO45

21/07/2025

08/06/2025

Just finished this cute little hand-wired 5 watt Blind Dog "The Champion" for a customer. Basically a Fender 5F1 clone with an 8" speaker and solid-state rectification. Sounds great - see short video of Mike Steele running a tune through it! Taking orders now, expect to pay around £400, depending on speaker and finish.

17/12/2024

17/12/2024

The latest off the bench: a cute little hand-wired blonde 5F1 Champ, all 5 watts of it. One of the classic tweed-style amps favoured my many of the greats for recording guitar. This I have paired with a 10" Celestion speaker. Just tweaking the tone a bit now to get the best out of the speaker.

Anyone interested in this or a hand-wired build of another classic valve amp , finish to your taste, my prices are surprisingly reasonable. Get in touch!

21/10/2024

Thinning out my modest bunch of guitars and thinking of letting go of my Loic le Pape Custom LP '57 Goldie.

Loic is a brilliant French luthier who specialises in hand- built steel- bodied guitars, based in many cases on classic Gibson and Fender designs. He follows in the footsteps of French/American builder James Trussart. If you haven't come across Loic le Pape, Google website loiclepapesteelguitars.com to see the many fabulous guitars he has created. Worth a look! There's also one or two on auction platforms and with Macari's who are UK agents.

I have attached pictures of my Goldie below. As you will see it's a heavily reliced '57 with rounded C '59 neck and hand wound SP Origin humbuckers. Sounds absolutely fantastic!

I am looking for ,£1850 to sell ( not much wiggle room I'm afraid. New price would be around £3,000 today!). Message me to arrange a try-out in Hythe (SO45). Alternatively, I shall be visiting The London Guitar Show at Kennington Park Race Course this Sunday 27th October if you're planning to come along (highly recommended!). I'm not exhibiting this year though.

Let me know if interested!

26/08/2023

I'm selling off some of my stock amps to make space for more. These are mainly Matchless Lightning clones, Vox AC10 style and 18W Plexi-style amps all hand-wired. If you are looking for a bargain, PM me for more info or to come and try at SO45!