The 18 Watt Marshall 1973X is an accurate re-issue of the revered 1973 dual-channel, all-valve, 2 x 12” combo, produced between 1966 and 1968. Just like the original the 1973X is hand soldered, with valve-driven Tremolo, and no negative feedback in its cathode-biased EL84-driven output stage. Its two-channel design is straightforward and effective – just Volume and Tone controls on channel one, and Volume, Tone, Speed and Sensitivity on the Tremolo channel. Because of its lower Wattage, the 1973X’s power valves will overdrive sooner than an amp of higher power. This means that the 1973X produces harmonically rich and responsive,… Read the full article.

The Friedman Amps are a recent addition to the Duffy live sound and debuted on The Cult ‘Electric 13’ Tour in the Summer 2013. Billy explains; “Onstage behind the visible back line of my Vox AC-30 and Roland JC-120 Amps and Marshall Cabinets I’ve got a couple of amps that I bought from a boutique amp maker in Los Angeles, called Dave Friedman. They’ve replaced my historic Marshall JCM 800s which I just don’t want to road tour anymore. The Friedman has a ‘Marshall’ sound but now I’ve teamed it with the ‘AC-30’ on stage it’s like I have one giant ‘super… Read the full article.

“Whilst I was touring in the US with The Cult on ‘Electric 13’ Vox approached me to see if I’d consider trying out their AC-30 as my Combo. I said I’d give it a go and as they’re based in New York in the States they came along to the Roseland Ballroom when we were setting up and I tried it out. It sounded great to me and both my Guitar Tech, Tom Webber, and the out front Sound guy said that it sounded better than the Matchless I’d been using. They also said “we’d much prefer you to use… Read the full article.

“I’m a big fan of Matchless. Their amps were introduced to me by Bob Rock when I was recording ‘Sonic Temple’. At that time, though working with other bands, Bob had discovered this amp builder in Los Angeles who created one of the first bespoke ‘Boutique’ amps. They were no longer factory mass produced but handmade in small numbers and very expensive but very high quality. Bob turned me onto them and I used them in the studio but didn’t use them live until after the ‘Ceremony’ tour. At that point I finally went and bought one in Los Angles… Read the full article.

A big part of Billy’s sound comes from the chorus effects from his Roland Jazz Chorus twinned with a Marshall Valve Amp. Its sound quality and built-in effects have made the Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Amp the choice of pro players everywhere. It features 2 independent 60W amps, 2 input channels (Normal and Effects) with 3-band EQ for each, and a pair of 12″ speakers. Effects include reverb, distortion, adjustable vibrato, and true stereo chorus. Distortion, reverb, and chorus are footswitchable. Billy says of the JC120s “The signature sound of the first two Cult albums was the Gretsch and a… Read the full article.

If you’re lucky enough to see Billy playing live with The Cult you’d think that whilst he uses Marshall Speakers he doesn’t play through the amps but you’d be wrong as he keeps a pair of Marshall JMP MkII 100-watt heads driving the 4x12s out of sight. Billy explains how it works, “Using a floor switcher, I’ll just switch on and off between combinations of the amps”.  On Electric-era tunes Billy pairs the Matchless with the Marshalls for a straight-up rock sound without the JC-120’s solid-state shimmer. The all-valve JCM800 2203 is one of the most highly respected 100W Marshall heads in… Read the full article.

“I first bought them in ’86 and they all had that black front and I thought they looked a bit too ‘heavy metal’ for me, not particularly to my taste, and we didn’t feel as a band that they were appropriate so I had someone refinish the fronts with vintage Marshall speaker cloth to make them look more 1970s. Also on some tours like ‘Ceremony’ and possibly ‘Sonic Temple‘ I used dummy Marshall heads that were just sat on top of the amps and lit up with a little battery to look like they were on! The real amps were… Read the full article.

Like Matchless, Bad Cat are a boutique manufacturer of custom hand built amplifiers and Billy uses a 2×12 Black Cat 30 combo, explains; “Although I don’t use it live when I’m recording in the studio I also use a Bad Cat combo which was designed by Mark Samson one of the original founders of Matchless.” This is the one that started it all! The Black Cat’s pedigree is well known. The amp of choice for countless arena acts. Huge chimey 3-D cleans. A sound so delicate yet ferocious when pushed. You have never heard lows like this come from an… Read the full article.