Fryette Amplification
Encyclopedia
Fryette Amplification of Burbank, California
is a manufacturer of high-quality hand built electric guitar
amplifiers & speaker cabinets. The company was originally founded as VHT Amplification in Studio City, Los Angeles, California
by Steven Fryette in January 1989 and was the first to produce a true three-channel vacuum tube
amplifier
.
A few years after moving from Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles
, California
in 1976, Steven Fryette landed a job as a repair technician at Valley Arts Guitar. Fryette honed his skills doing custom work, repairs and modifications for the likes of Eddie Van Halen
, Steve Lukather
, Larry Carlton
, Tommy Tedesco
, Ry Cooder
, Buzz Feiten
, Carlos Rios, Duane Eddy
, and many other legendary players.
After several years of building experimental prototypes for a new all tube stereo power amplifier and the first of a long line of multi-channel, multi-featured amplifiers under the PITTBULL moniker, Fryette decided to go live. VHT Amplification officially began in January 1989 on the dining room table of a small Studio City, California apartment just two blocks away from Valley Arts.
Advance orders for the 2150 Power Amplifier were immediate and overwhelming, prompting a move to a larger two-bedroom apartment. In 1991, Fryette then moved to North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
into a converted store front next door to Bob Bradshaw’s Custom Audio Electronics’. Although the company’s time here was short, the Classic Power Amp and the first Pittbull Classic Head and Combo amplifiers were launched here.
Newbury Park
In 1992 the company moved to its first commercial building in Newbury Park, California
. Many of the current flagship models were launched from this facility including the Pittbull Ultra Lead, Pittbull CL Series Pittbull Fifty Series, Pittbull Forty Five Series, and the popular Two/Ninety/Two and Two/Fifty/Two Power Amplifiers. This period also marks the beginning of Fryette’s association with Eminence Speakers resulting in the development of the P100E, P50E and P75E 12 inch guitar speakers.
Sylmar
In 2001 VHT moved its operation into the SWR Sound Corporation facility where the company released the Valvulator GP3 guitar pre-amplifier to accompany its power amplifiers. In conjunction with the development of the GP3, the company applied for their first patent for its Dynamic Sensing circuit. Dynamic Sensing solved the problem of making a stand-alone pre-amp behave more like a tube guitar amplifier head.
Burbank
In 2002 VHT Amplification relocated to Burbank, California. After moving to Burbank, the company designed & produced the Super 30 combo. The Deliverance Series followed, consisting of single-channel amplifier heads & speaker cabinets. The award winning (1) Sig: X three-channel amplifier came next incorporating the patented Dynamic Sensing Technology.
Fryette Amplification
On January 1, 2009 the company name changed to Steven Fryette Design, Inc. Under the brand, Fryette Amplification, the company continues to manufacture all of the products that were current under the VHT name. The Memphis Thirty combo, incorporating its specially designed AR75 speaker, is the first new Fryette Amplification product release to come out of Burbank.
Rack mountable power amplifiers were the genesis of the company. Early customers such as Metallica
, Steve Lukather
, Alice In Chains
, Anthrax (band)
and Megadeth
, helped solidify the company as one of the pioneers of the rack revolution. Fryette power amps constantly evolve and their success continues with two current models, the EL34 powered Two/Fifty/Two & the KT88 powered Two/Ninety/Two.
Pittbull Series
The Pittbulls were the second amplifier series created by Fryette, which includes the flagship KT88 powered 120 Watt Pittbull Ultra-Lead three-channel head, the Master Built EL34 powered 100 Watt Pittbull Hundred/CLX three-channel head, the award winning (2) dual-channel EL34 powered Pittbull Hundred/CL head & its counterpart the Fifty/CL head. The series also included the EL84 based Pittbull Fifty series, the Pittbull Forty-Five series as well as the EL34 based Pittbull Fifty series heads and combos.
Valvulator I
The Valvulator I is a Vacuum Tube Buffer-Line Driver and a Multiple Output Regulated DC Power Supply. It was designed to solve the problems of diminished high frequency response caused by cable capacitance, decreased signal level and high frequency response from impedance effects, and signal degradation caused by the design of circuitries in effects devices. The Valvulator I solved these problems using a vacuum tube based Buffer circuit to transform the guitar signal from high impedance to low impedance.
Deliverance Series
In January 2005 Fryette unveiled the single-channel KT88 powered Deliverance series amplifiers and cabinets. The Deliverance amplifier concept was simply to demonstrate that the versatility and unique sonic quality of Fryette products is a quality of itself and not simply a byproduct of a feature intensive amplifier. This series includes the Deliverance One Twenty, the Deliverance Sixty and the Deliverance speaker cabinets.
Sig: X
In January 2007 Fryette unveiled the award winning (1) three-channel 100 Watt Sig: X amplifier, a completely new design from the ground up offering a feature set designed to allow guitar players the capability & flexibility to dial in their own unique or signature sound. The model name Sig: X was in response to the market’s saturation of artist signature model products.
Speaker Cabinets
Fryette manufactures the FatBottom Series & the Deliverance Series guitar speaker cabinets. Both are CNC (Numerical control
) milled, constructed with Baltic Birch
& front mounted with the Fryette P50E speaker. The FatBottom cabinets have a strong outward projection with a tight & focused sound. The Deliverance cabinets utilize the Fryette V-BRACE technology producing a looser feel than the FatBottom cabinets.
Memphis
The Memphis Thirty is the first new product release under the Fryette name. The Memphis also marks the return of combo amplifiers to the Fryette line. The Class A, 2 channel Memphis Thirty 1x12 is the first amp in the new Memphis Series and features EL84 power tubes, 30 Watt & 18 Watt power modes & a unique removable hatch on the front panel allowing users to easily access and change pre-amp tubes.
, Page Hamilton
, Steve Lukather
, The All-American Rejects
, Anthrax (band)
, Blue Öyster Cult
, Pete Anderson
, Rascal Flatts
, Children of Bodom
, and Aaron Turner
.
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
is a manufacturer of high-quality hand built electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
amplifiers & speaker cabinets. The company was originally founded as VHT Amplification in Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City is an affluent residential neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California in the San Fernando Valley. Studio City expands over four ZIP code areas: 91604 and sections of 91602, 91607 and 90210....
by Steven Fryette in January 1989 and was the first to produce a true three-channel vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
.
History
OriginsA few years after moving from Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1976, Steven Fryette landed a job as a repair technician at Valley Arts Guitar. Fryette honed his skills doing custom work, repairs and modifications for the likes of Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
, Steve Lukather
Steve Lukather
Steve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
, Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
, Tommy Tedesco
Tommy Tedesco
Thomas J. Tedesco was an American master session musician and renowned jazz and bebop guitarist.Tedesco's credits include the iconic brand-burning accompaniment theme from television's Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Vic Mizzy's iconic theme from Green Acres, M*A*S*H, Batman, and Elvis Presley's '68...
, Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
, Buzz Feiten
Buzz Feiten
Howard "Buzz" Feiten is a North American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and session musician.He is best known as a lead and rhythm electric guitarist, and for having patented a unique, scientifically designed tuning system which re-configures its stringboard / neck for more accurate tonality...
, Carlos Rios, Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
, and many other legendary players.
After several years of building experimental prototypes for a new all tube stereo power amplifier and the first of a long line of multi-channel, multi-featured amplifiers under the PITTBULL moniker, Fryette decided to go live. VHT Amplification officially began in January 1989 on the dining room table of a small Studio City, California apartment just two blocks away from Valley Arts.
The First Amplifiers
North HollywoodAdvance orders for the 2150 Power Amplifier were immediate and overwhelming, prompting a move to a larger two-bedroom apartment. In 1991, Fryette then moved to North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, along the Tujunga Wash. It is bounded on the south by Moorpark Street and the Ventura Freeway, on the southwest by Burbank Blvd...
into a converted store front next door to Bob Bradshaw’s Custom Audio Electronics’. Although the company’s time here was short, the Classic Power Amp and the first Pittbull Classic Head and Combo amplifiers were launched here.
Newbury Park
In 1992 the company moved to its first commercial building in Newbury Park, California
Newbury Park, California
The community of Newbury Park, California is located in the western portion of the city of Thousand Oaks and Casa Conejo, an unincorporated area of southeastern Ventura County's Conejo Valley, which is also in the northwestern Greater Los Angeles Area...
. Many of the current flagship models were launched from this facility including the Pittbull Ultra Lead, Pittbull CL Series Pittbull Fifty Series, Pittbull Forty Five Series, and the popular Two/Ninety/Two and Two/Fifty/Two Power Amplifiers. This period also marks the beginning of Fryette’s association with Eminence Speakers resulting in the development of the P100E, P50E and P75E 12 inch guitar speakers.
Sylmar
In 2001 VHT moved its operation into the SWR Sound Corporation facility where the company released the Valvulator GP3 guitar pre-amplifier to accompany its power amplifiers. In conjunction with the development of the GP3, the company applied for their first patent for its Dynamic Sensing circuit. Dynamic Sensing solved the problem of making a stand-alone pre-amp behave more like a tube guitar amplifier head.
Burbank
In 2002 VHT Amplification relocated to Burbank, California. After moving to Burbank, the company designed & produced the Super 30 combo. The Deliverance Series followed, consisting of single-channel amplifier heads & speaker cabinets. The award winning (1) Sig: X three-channel amplifier came next incorporating the patented Dynamic Sensing Technology.
Fryette Amplification
On January 1, 2009 the company name changed to Steven Fryette Design, Inc. Under the brand, Fryette Amplification, the company continues to manufacture all of the products that were current under the VHT name. The Memphis Thirty combo, incorporating its specially designed AR75 speaker, is the first new Fryette Amplification product release to come out of Burbank.
Current models
Power AmplifiersRack mountable power amplifiers were the genesis of the company. Early customers such as Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Steve Lukather
Steve Lukather
Steve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
, Alice In Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, Anthrax (band)
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
and Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, helped solidify the company as one of the pioneers of the rack revolution. Fryette power amps constantly evolve and their success continues with two current models, the EL34 powered Two/Fifty/Two & the KT88 powered Two/Ninety/Two.
Pittbull Series
The Pittbulls were the second amplifier series created by Fryette, which includes the flagship KT88 powered 120 Watt Pittbull Ultra-Lead three-channel head, the Master Built EL34 powered 100 Watt Pittbull Hundred/CLX three-channel head, the award winning (2) dual-channel EL34 powered Pittbull Hundred/CL head & its counterpart the Fifty/CL head. The series also included the EL84 based Pittbull Fifty series, the Pittbull Forty-Five series as well as the EL34 based Pittbull Fifty series heads and combos.
Valvulator I
The Valvulator I is a Vacuum Tube Buffer-Line Driver and a Multiple Output Regulated DC Power Supply. It was designed to solve the problems of diminished high frequency response caused by cable capacitance, decreased signal level and high frequency response from impedance effects, and signal degradation caused by the design of circuitries in effects devices. The Valvulator I solved these problems using a vacuum tube based Buffer circuit to transform the guitar signal from high impedance to low impedance.
Deliverance Series
In January 2005 Fryette unveiled the single-channel KT88 powered Deliverance series amplifiers and cabinets. The Deliverance amplifier concept was simply to demonstrate that the versatility and unique sonic quality of Fryette products is a quality of itself and not simply a byproduct of a feature intensive amplifier. This series includes the Deliverance One Twenty, the Deliverance Sixty and the Deliverance speaker cabinets.
Sig: X
In January 2007 Fryette unveiled the award winning (1) three-channel 100 Watt Sig: X amplifier, a completely new design from the ground up offering a feature set designed to allow guitar players the capability & flexibility to dial in their own unique or signature sound. The model name Sig: X was in response to the market’s saturation of artist signature model products.
Speaker Cabinets
Fryette manufactures the FatBottom Series & the Deliverance Series guitar speaker cabinets. Both are CNC (Numerical control
Numerical control
Numerical control refers to the automation of machine tools that are operated by abstractly programmed commands encoded on a storage medium, as opposed to controlled manually via handwheels or levers, or mechanically automated via cams alone...
) milled, constructed with Baltic Birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
& front mounted with the Fryette P50E speaker. The FatBottom cabinets have a strong outward projection with a tight & focused sound. The Deliverance cabinets utilize the Fryette V-BRACE technology producing a looser feel than the FatBottom cabinets.
Memphis
The Memphis Thirty is the first new product release under the Fryette name. The Memphis also marks the return of combo amplifiers to the Fryette line. The Class A, 2 channel Memphis Thirty 1x12 is the first amp in the new Memphis Series and features EL84 power tubes, 30 Watt & 18 Watt power modes & a unique removable hatch on the front panel allowing users to easily access and change pre-amp tubes.
Notable users
David TornDavid Torn
David Torn is an American composer and guitarist.He is known for the organic blending/manipulation of electronic and acoustic instruments and performance techniques that have an atmospheric or textural quality and effect, along with a particular harmonic richness...
, Page Hamilton
Page Hamilton
Page Hamilton is a guitarist, singer and record producer, mostly noted for his work with alternative metal band Helmet...
, Steve Lukather
Steve Lukather
Steve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
, The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects are an American rock band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist and bass guitarist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist, Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist, Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor....
, Anthrax (band)
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
, Pete Anderson
Pete Anderson
Pete Anderson is an American guitarist and music producer.Anderson is most known for his guitar work with, and critically acclaimed production of, country music star Dwight Yoakam from 1984 through 2002...
, Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...
, Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
, and Aaron Turner
Aaron Turner
Aaron Turner is a musician, singer, graphic artist, and founder of label Hydra Head Records. He is most widely known for his role as guitarist and vocalist for the post-metal band Isis, while also participating in several other bands and projects such as Old Man Gloom and Lotus Eaters.Though raised...
.