1940s Arkham Sound Mod RCA MI-12155 35w Tube Amp Head

Arkham Sound builds fancy preamp/DI pedals these days but is also known well for work on amplifiers. In this case, it's a modded, late-'40s, RCA tube amp that would have likely been used as a PA-style amp.

After modding, this is a ~35w amp with plenty of power but not screaming volume. It breaks-up beautifully starting at about 6 or 7. It's a two-channel setup, too! The first channel is "volume" where it reads "microphone 1" and "tone" where it reads "microphone 2." The second channel is "volume" where it reads "phonograph" and the bass and treble controls are just that -- but using a "James tonestack" which gives you mid-cut/mid-boost when you turn the knobs to their extremes. The top input is "channel 1" and the bottom input is "channel 2."

I tried this out through various speakers but it sounded best for guitar through a Fender-like, Jensen-like speaker, so that's what I used to record it with for the video. There's a big, 15" Jensen in a tweed cab behind it and, oh my gosh, if it didn't sound glorious for low-volume bass through that -- really round and full.

Anyhow, it works 100% and is ready to go with a nice gigbag to boot. I will note that the handle sometimes rattles on top of the cage if you're planning to put this head directly in top of a speaker enclosure. It happens with other '40s and '50s amps with this handle design, too. I just stuck a little foam under the handle to keep it from doing that when I was trying it out the first time.