From 2006 to 2011, JCA Circuits served as a factory authorized service center for Mesa-Boogie, KORG, Marshall, Park, Vox, Roland, Fender, Kurzweil, and Peavey products. I was also offering my own proprietary Purpleheart Amplifiers, Golden Ratio Amps, Custom Audio Amplifiers & One-Off Projects as well as performing Electric Guitar/Instrument Custom Mods & Repairs. I was also offering these services for several local music stores including George’s Music, Zeswitz Music, Guitar Villa, and West Chester Music. Sounds pretty good, right? Stay tuned for more about “Factory Authorized Service”.
In 2011, it became necessary to close the shop doors and take an extended hiatus from doing JCA Circuits. If I recall correctly, I had one, maybe two good quarters where I earned a respectable profit. The remainder were pretty bleak and consisted mostly of break-even or lossy quarters. I always kept a day job for this very reason. Shuttering JCA wasn’t because I fucked up or had a bad reputation. Quite the contrary. I perform high quality work and maintain a good reputation. The issues relate to the business aspects of offering truly high end, guitar-related electronic products is so nearly impossible to be profitable that it borders on a science fiction fantasy script.
The service & repairs are what kept things afloat the entire time. Along with the proceeds of my day job. There is a natural tendency for service & repairs to accompany and follow the custom electronics aspect. Along with this also came the reality of allowing hundreds of people into and out of my house to pick up/drop off work. All while shuttling several heavy amplifier jobs per week between music stores. One of them (Zeswitz) was kind enough to perform the pickups and dropoffs at my home instead, saving me the drive. I really appreciated them in fact! This all introduced a whole set of challenges which I was completely unprepared for.
The dream since I was pretty young always centered on owning a small shop overlooking a beautiful creek or river while building & playing my ass off and designing the best electronic audio gear I am capable. I value Nature, a nice view, privacy, peace, and quiet. I always wanted a drawbridge. Or a moat!
In 2010, it became necessary to accept a gig “building pyramids” within the City of Dis on the 5th Plane of Hell. See the NOT QUALIFIED key chit at the beginning. That was a gift presented to me from several tradesmen as well as several of our more well-regarded “clients” on my last day of work. Apparently, I was one of only a few “Management” types to receive one. They are usually reserved for tradesmen. It’s honestly one of my prized possessions. I have a lot of respect and admiration for those who presented it as well. However, the rest of the place could and should have been ushered into the Great Galactic Toilet Swirl of the Laniakea Supercluster, never to appear again within this Universe.
Following the conclusion of that particular nightmare somewhere around 2014, I began working part time for an engineering firm and a landscaper a few off days per week. I was actively pursuing my own personal health & physical well-being due to a recent diagnosis. I really enjoyed the landscaping for the exercise. The engineering work is fine too. I was working with a personal trainer, started yoga, calisthenics, and really got into bicycle riding. I still do the calisthenics and ride bicycles. Sadly, Yoga requires a lot of dexterity which I seem to lack. I happily traded the yoga mat for a motorcycle mat. And no more landscaping in my 50’s…I’m only taking care of my own (beautiful) yard these days.
During this time, I avoided most aspects of JCA Circuits. I would occasionally perform a few jobs for good clients who managed to stay in touch over the years. By 2016, I was becoming much more active in the Art and Photography scene. I began entering work in several local and regional galleries and shows throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. I was also becoming more heavily influenced and inspired by a mutual friend of mine who was involved with our local scene. Although I had no intention of opening up old wounds at the time, it happened that they came across the articles & reviews written about my electronics work and mentioned that they were impressed. The thought sat dormant with me for a couple of years until my friend passed away in 2020 from cancer. That was when I decided that maybe I should consider building the last few GR1.6 chassis I had sitting in my In-Laws basement.
At that point, I managed to procure (3) amazing cabs from Armadillo Amps, (3) Allen power transformers (Dave was kind enough to supply me right before he sold the company), plus my final (3) chassis for the Golden Ratios. It took me the better part of a year+ to finalize those three amps. They are now history…
Once I was finished building them, I still had the itch to build more. I figured that the most useful and consequential amplifier rig I’ve ever owned is the stereo wet/dry 5F1 Tweed Prototype + Silverface Vibro Champ Prototype below. The SFVC is dressed in Faux BF cosmetics. It’s also affectionately referred to as “The Unabomber” since it has a red wax pencil drawing of a cherry bomb on the chassis underneath the faceplate. Back then, I also joked that it would be entertaining to build them in a “shack” modeled after the infamous Montana cabin. Sick humor. I believe I was also overly stimulated by some idiot guitar rag Writer who mentioned himself using “Unabomber Amps” in the 90’s. Yeah, us GenX’ers can be kind of perversely screwed up.
This brings us into the more recent past and onto the penultimate points of this mess…
Circa 2021, I became acquainted with a fellow who is quite connected within the music industry. In 2018, I built myself a spare parts 5E3 Deluxe style amplifier. It sounds particularly great and plays unlike any others which I am familiar. Fat, tight, loud, and clean with all the right classic characteristics and none of the undesirable ones. I love headroom. And it miraculously loves effects into the front end. It’s special. I had no intention of selling it because it does have some minor technical and construction quirks which I could easily overlook. What it does, it does exceedingly well which I wouldn’t want to undo by “fixing” it.
As soon as he heard it, his jaw almost literally hit the floor. Keep in mind that I had zero intention of selling it. I loved it and used it a lot. I’m a player above all else. No matter what you think of me, know that I consider music “as life”. I also only build things which please my senses. If they fail in that regard, I recycle them into something better.
Once he finally got to the proverbial “how much?”, I blurted out some ridiculous sum, hoping that he’d forget about it. He declined and I was relieved. Aaaaahhhhh. This spells R-E-L-I-E-F.
But not for long. A few days later, he and I were talking on the phone. He’s a pretty relentless dude and probably didn’t catch my hint of my needing some Alka Seltzer the other day. Haha. He mentioned that he “just couldn’t get the sound of it out of his head”. Uh-oh. I really wasn’t prepared for his offer. This was the first time my work officially achieved a correct sum for a hand made, custom, extreme performance vacuum tube guitar amplifier. It also happens to be among the larger sums for a used, non-Fender 5E3 Deluxe style amp built from spare parts AFAIK. It was a real Frankenstein unit with an exceptional overall character. I accepted his very kind and reasonable offer of $4,500.00 for this amplifier. Shout out if he’s paying attention these days…
Now, enter the Summer of 2023 where I was contacted by a midwest music store owner/entrepreneur who inquired about purchasing one of these final (3) GR1.6’s I had recently built. I found them to be cordial and frank at the time. I usually do my best to screen potential clients prior to engaging in new business but sometimes, it’s just not possible to make an accurate assessment.
I inquired about how they heard about JCA Circuits. They mentioned that they are avid followers of posts on The Gear Page and other Online Forums. I asked whether they have ever read any of the reviews in Tone Quest, Vintage Guitar Magazine, Etc. to which they mentioned that they hadn’t. Up to that point, I completely misunderstood precisely how hugely influential Gear Forums had become in recent years. I hadn’t participated in forums for several years at this time. Oops.
After some friendly back and forth regarding the details over the phone, they ultimately arrived at the point where it came time to make an offer. I knew that I only have a limited supply (3) of these amps without no prospects of making any more. The reasons for this are many but it mostly boils down to manufacturing, parts, and costs. I fully realize there is always a possibility of having them offshored for less. This would undermine the joy of my entire design philosophy and place me in a very disadvantageous position while forcing me to compete with the “BIG Players” alone. No thanks, I’d rather rake and shovel.
Once we got to the proverbial “how much?” question, I replied that the MSRP on this production of GR1.6’s retails for $25,000 as one of three in a limited production run. I made it clear that I was open to a number more commensurate with a hypothetical standard production run if they were inclined to make a serious offer at this time. They made a very reasonable offer of $12,500.00 which I gratefully accepted.
The payment was immediately wired and I shipped the amplifier to them the next day. About a month after taking delivery of the amp, I received a phone call. They mentioned that the amp was unlike anything they’ve ever played or heard and sounded absolutely amazing. However, they had some “rattle” issues happening with it. Thinking this could be a tube rattle, I offered to send them out a new set of vacuum tubes on the house. They mentioned rolling in some new ones with no change. I then suggested it might be a speaker issue even though I had thoroughly broken that Celestion ALNiCo in myself and that it sounded epic. Considering the magnitude of the purchase, I also offered to send them a brand new Celestion AlNiCo Blue or Gold, their choice. I finally suggested that they check the pilot light assembly bezel/jewel. I tend to place them in somewhat loose so I can easily swap them out. They tentatively declined both of my offers and said they would look into it and get back to me.
I never heard back from them. Not until I contacted them in late 2025 for the following:
I was editing the JCA Circuits website in 2025 and wound up performing a Google search at the time during my editing process. This led me to a particular product being marketed as a “guitar preamp pedal” based on the exact JCA Circuits GR1.6 which I sold to them a couple of years prior. Following the link led directly to their store’s website where they published details of both the JCA Circuits GR1.6 amplifier as well as separate details for the alleged “guitar preamp pedal” product they claimed was based on it. They also marked the “guitar preamp pedal” as “SOLD” for $2,000.00 price as well publishing an owner testimonial + in depth description of it.
It seems they learned the cheap n’ easy way that my work is difficult to replicate for obvious reasons and is extremely cost prohibitive to manufacture. Yes, I know twelve and a half grand is ridiculous money for us to fathom for any guitar amplifier, but it’s a literal splash in the bucket compared to what I’ve personally invested into JCA Circuits over the years. A fraction of an order of magnitude less in fact. It’s also a fraction of what many heirloom quality orchestral instruments can earn on the market.
I did find their offer at the time to be somewhat intriguing considering their lack of familiarity with the magazine reviews. It seems there may have been a plan which I was not included in, and looking back, I wouldn’t have relinquished the amp to them. I didn’t need the money, per se. It was surely helpful at the time, but not life-changing compared to what I have into them.
It would have been much better if the they had instead just approached me about designing a product line for them. I am sure we could have worked something out. That would have netted everybody far more than the “price” of a single guitar amp over time. Tsk, tsk.
Which brings me to the final verse in this Epic:
By Spring 2024, I received a call from a local fellow intent on buying the Vibe + 5F1 stereo wet/dry rig. He is as standup as they come and is very highly regarded here.
He began his phone introduction by mentioning that he wasn’t interested in wasting my time and had already decided to make the purchase before he got ahold of me. He was also in the process of acquiring a GR1.6 from a forum member and was intent on acquiring a Vibe + 5F1 to complete the collection.
He showed up with a great attitude, great persona, and some respectful poise. He and I hit it off immediately while we demo’ed the amplifiers. He also appeared impressed. Once it came time to make an offer, he went out to the car to retrieve his moneystack. When he came back, I recall him mentioning that he wasn’t sure he had quite enough onhand. He made the generous offer of $8,000.00 for both the Surf Green Vibe + 5F1 Champ + Split-It which I gratefully accepted.
We also proceeded to thank one another.
Now, I can’t help but recall the time when my acquaintance Eliot Jacobs mentioned that he sold his beloved Trainwreck Liverpool. I was a bit surprised, since he was the one who originally introduced me to Ken Fischer’s work. Eliot was always highly complimentary towards Ken and really loved that amplifier. I loved it too. But stuff happens in life. AFAIK, his was the actual Liverpool amp which Leslie West played in the “East Coast Amp Shootout” in Vintage Guitar Magazine back in the 1990’s. See pic.
If I am not mistaken, Eliot’s Liverpool was also among the first Trainwrecks to achieve legendary resale status in the high 4 figures to low 5 figures. This is impressively crazy, especially considering 1990’s/2000’s economics!
Once this happens in the art and music world, it can often indicate that all sorts of potentially good or potentially bad things await the original artist. It also appears to be the same thing with some musical instruments, knowing what I now know.
From where I stand, there are two cutting edges to all of this. One is related to becoming renowned in the annals of history with regard to an instrument or product line’s reputation. And the other is that it’s not often that the original builder (or artist) is the one “makes out in the end”.
I am fortunate to have lived enough to realize the former. It remains to be seen whether the future also includes the latter.
I don’t want to “sell” anything. I want to build things…
JCA
