Fargen Amplification was started by musician Ben Fargen in 1998. When his own amps were in need of fixing and he couldn't find anyone to do the work, he solved the problem by learning how to do it himself. He learned how to build them from scratch and started using his own creations while playing live. Word spread, and other musicians started hiring him to make them custom tube amps. As a natural progression Fargen built a few stock models, and the rest is history. For over 8 years Fargen Amplification has been making some of the best handcrafted guitar amps in the world. Gearwire's Patrck Ogle recently spoke with Fargen.

What inspired you to start your own "boutique" amplifier company?

Well, about 8 years ago I started off by trying to gather the knowledge I needed to attempt repairing my own vintage amps as they were in serious need of maintenance and repair after years of hard gigging around town. As I was acquiring some of the knowledge via books and the internet I started to see schematics of many classic designs that I had forgotten about or never considered. I soon started to dream about attempting to build some classic amps that were either too expensive to purchase or not available anymore. Of course I soon found out that this so called "hobby" of mine was costing me way more money than just buying the amps I wanted in the first place.

What were your original aims? How did what you wind up doing differ?

After I learned how to repair vintage amps taking as many jobs as I could. I started to see reoccurring themes as far as problems and tonal complaints from my repair customers. I kept a log of mods and tweaks that were then eventually integrated into my amp designs-- really just modern improvements based upon customer requests.

What is the difference between your amps and the mass produced ones?

Most mass produced amps use cheap components--underrated resistors, caps and transformers that just lead to poor lifeless tone and unreliable performance. Another aspect is that most are just rehashed old designs that ride on the legacy name of the product, without any new improvements or innovation.

What sort of players do you mostly cater to?

There is no one area that Fargen amps excel in because I like so many styles of music. I can really relate to any player, regardless of the style of music, and help fit them with a great match instead of just selling them any old product to make another sale.

I am going to assume you were always tinkering with amps, but how does your average musician type make the jump from tinkering to actually making an amp? What goes into making an amp from the ground up?

I would say the best place to start is with an old vintage amp that needs repair or some kind of simple champ or tweed deluxe kit. This gives you a chance at learning the basics without having to source each individual part. Which can be difficult when your starting out. Read as many books on tube amps as possible and hop on the net to join one of the many DIY amps forums out there.

What about the materials you use? what are the cabinets made of and why?

The cabinet woods vary from model to model based upon the tone we are looking for, but they are always high grade pine, poplar, or baltic birch with hardwood rails. My brother Jeff runs a company called J.Design Speaker Enclosures and does all of our cabinets. His craftsmanship is second to none and his custom hardwood enclosures are works of art. We are lucky to have someone building our enclosures who has a vested interest in quality and innovation.

What sort of components do you use in your amps and why?

We use classic components that sound great and are rated to withstand decades of hard use and abuse. We also use Mercury Magnetics transformers which I feel are basically the best sounding guitar amplifier transformers on the planet.

Any celebrities using your amps?

Yes. Jim Weider(The Band) and Ede Wright , Lizz Wright, KD Lang and India Arie.

Did what you play yourself influence how you went about making amps? Just looking at the specs these seem very rock n roll.

I would say the Fargen line of amps provides designs that fit the needs of todays players on many levels many of the models (I.E. Blackbird or mini plex) can jump from blues, rock, country and jazz tones with ease. Keep in mind The Fargen Custom Shop is well known for doing one of a kind custom versions based upon customer requests as well.