If you know anything about guitars, the name “Two-Rock” will likely conger images and sounds from some of today’s great tone aficionados. Legends such as John Mayer, Eric Johnson, Doyle Bramhall, Ariel Posen, David Ryan Harris, Joey Landreth, and Matt Schofield are just a few of the long list of customers who have made a Two-Rock amplifier the centerpiece of their sound. Much of the early Two-Rock designs were based on classics—Fender amps from the 50s and 60s and the schematics from the infamous Alexander Dumble; however, over the years, the designs have evolved into something all their own and musicians began to notice. The question is, what makes these amplifiers so good?
In a recent interview with Guitarist Magazine, owner Eli Skinner spoke about the “magic” of his amplifiers. “We really just put the best parts in there we can. We don’t even look at the price of anything, we just put the best stuff in there and then price the amp afterward.” His obsessive attention to detail is present in every stage of the schematic. “I might sit there and spend two, three, four weeks just working on one capacitor so I can find which one I want to use in a particular area of the amp we’re working on.”
Even though every component contributes to the overall sound of the amplifier, Eli attributes much of the sound to the power supply that Pacific Transformer helped design and manufacture. “The transformers are a huge deal. We actually have a proprietary transformer manufactured for us – and it does do power scaling. And we made a dual primary transformer, which, when you put it in half-power mode, doesn’t change the phase or the impedance of the amplifier. Overall, it just gives more headroom and ‘shoulder’ and bounce to the amp. It’s a very beautiful transformer that we put a lot of work into.”
When we think of the quintessential Two-Rock sound, it’s hard not to think of John Mayer’s live concert DVD, “Where the Light Is.” The three-part concert film features a masterclass in electric guitar tone. If you want to hear it, we suggest having a listen to our favorite tracks from the evening, “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.” From the delicate touch sensitivity of the initial lick, to the searing guitar solo that closes out the song, the track tells you all you need to know about why Two-Rock has become so popular with some of the world’s best musicians.
If you want to see a video of John playing Slow Dancing in a Burning Room live featuring his signature Two-Rock amplifier. Check it out:
