The Vintage Tupe Amp Lover Fan Page

The Top Vintage Tube Amps of the 80"s & Guitars & More

Ok Back on Track After all the Dumble Kitty Hawk shit the Roy brothers took their experience and started not to copy the Dumble overdrive. They were smart and started to build the Kitty Hawk Standard and Custom Amps and began in Germany and parts of Europe a Kitty Hawk super amp invasion to many music stores because thoses superamps along with Acoustic G 60 T 112 or G 100 T 112 Tube Amps were the most sold Amps ever in history of the 80´s. Here we start the story of the legend standard amp.

This was my first Kitty Hawk Standard Amp that I bought insanely cheap only 500 Euro in Mint condition at a tiny store in Germany . It was the time around 2000-2002 when nobody knew anything about Hawks and their story and so on. Forgotten historic amps lost in time. i thought and started to build the first vIntage tube amp lover website to give all Kitty Hawk and vintage tube amp lovers a platform to recreate the vibe and story .

It worked out very well....so most of you guys will remember ....I hope. If you do ......write me here in my Guest Book.

so i quit rember i sold this amzing amp for 2000 Euro to a Colector named Patric Hoss so i remember

After we are all connected and Gregor Hilden the German blues guitar hero , sneaked in on the Kitty Hawk vibe and the amps are back a bit more on track in Germany.

After that suddenly Joe Bonamassa got into the Kitty Hawk vibe in 2015 because he heard about the Kitty Hawk Dumble Stuff and was looking for a real Kitty Hawk Dumble Amp ... but seriously he was not looking for a Kitty Hawk Standard or Cutsom Amp . He was looking for one of the 20 rare first Kitty Hawk Dumble amps which he never did get even until today . Its probably the only amp that is missing in his amp collection currently.

So after that and all Kitty Hawk owners were connected on my first fansite called Vintage Tupe amp lovers page suddenly the price for a Kitty Hawk Standard or Custom Amp went up from 500 Euro to 1500 to 2400 Euro in 2004 . but listen, at this time the price for a Dumble amp was at around 4000 to 6000 dollar and now ????? 2020 . 80 000 US Dollar or higher

after all that icl our work .. icl research the kitty hawk amps had suddenly a lobby and were reborn

David Gilmours Del Lago Custom Shop Master Build Workmate with a Kitty Hawk Standard

Anyway so lets talk more about the next level of Kitty Hawk Amps in influence of Mister Dumble .. The Kitty Hawk Standard and Custom Amps .The hand made super amps from Germany

The Kitty Hawk Prototypes and AMP

The Kitty Hawk Company was run by the Roy Brothers, both were electronic engineers and after Howard Dumble found out that they used parts of his in some Hawk"s the buisness was kind of over for the Roys. After that Dumble just send complete chassis of Amps without wood case or speakers in them and the chassis were to be covered inside with tons of wax ......but.... still they had all Information from the first Overdive Amps so they started to build a couple prototypes and they are still out on the market today. Some amps have different front panels or chassis or lables with handwritten stuff inside and on the back like those protot"s here

The first real Kitty Hawk Amp was called just Amp not Standard just Kitty Hawk Amp ... like that one here without the Standard Letter or this Amp further down from the Test Magazine 1980. Under this Label at least 25-35 Amps were made befor it turned into the actual Kitty Hawk Standard Brand With the Eagle Logo. Kitty Hawk Standard Amps were sold and and only 1500 0r less units were produced. After that the custom handmade production stopped. Actually the Roys did not have a Seriel Nr system . Some of the Early Kitty Hawk Amps have a seriel nr stamp under the chassis some do not . But for sure is if you own a Kitty Hawk just caled Amp on the front panel and it has a very thick heavy golden eagle on the front wicker that is a very early model .

Here you see the Chassy and the wiering of the first Prototypes and Kitty Hawk AMP

they are diffrend to the next level Kitty Hawk Standard Amp

The first Kitty Hawk Amp calt ...Amp

Here you see the Chassy and the wiering of a Kitty Hawk Standard

they are diffrend to the Kitty Hawk Amp/Prototype

Some Legends of the 80"s

Here you can read the great and probably only original test review about the kitty hawk amp/ standard amp/ out of a German music magazine from 1981 . ....................the english translation will follow soon ......................................... in this test review they talk alot about Dumble simularity in construction and wiring and so on .

But just putting this out here ... The Kitty Hawk Amps and Standard have basically not so much to do with a Dumble Hawk Amp or actually Dumble Overdirve Amp .

its a Kitty Hawk /Standard /Amp with a great super lead sound based on a bit like Dumble but its a Kitty Hawk Sound........ just keep it like it is....

all these amps were like the Dumble or Jim Kelley or early Boogie mark 1 and Acoustic 165 tube amps. Hand wired and in between the production they changed sometimes the parts and wiring icl the boards and so on. I am lucky to own couple Kitty Hawk Amps from different years and month of production so you can see the difference down there. Kitty hawk used only the best of the best electronic parts that they could get on the market in those days . The Motto from the Roy Brothers was to build high end Amps made in Germany in best available quality that you could get in 1980

...but basically I can say..... no Kitty Hawk Standard amp sounds the same. Some of the Hawks sounds like total shit some totally great .. nobody can say that the First Kitty Hawk Amp sounds better than a Kitty Hawk Standard . it´s about luck to find your great sounding Amp . I own 6 Kitty Hawk Amps/Standard and all have different boards and chassis and wireing and most of them sound quite a bit different but still they are Legend Hawk Amp´s

Here you see The Kitty Hawk Junior 1 Series based on the Kitty Hawk Standard super rare and awesome great sounding more based on the Dumble overdrive Sound than the actually Kitty Hawk Standard AMP

Ok back to the Standard or Amp ..Model :::: In my Experience - If you would like to buy a Hawk... if you find some ....then its better to pick it up by yourself and check out how it sounds and have a look in to the chassis because all Kitty Hawk Owners know that there are zero elecronic schematics out there so if any amp was repaired it might be not original anymore... most important is to have a look at the boards for burn damage on the tube sockets like i wrote before

The only negtive or consurnes i have are be ......................

4 Things

These amps sound like, in my opinion, too much in the mid range and high treble frequency than warm and just a bit bottom like a Acoustic 165 or G100 T 112 or 60 T 112 or Mesa Boogie Mark one . I like to feel the tone more in my stomach than in my tooth..lol.... but i do not like the Dumble Overdrive sound either. ok a Kind of but Its all about your own style and feeling what you like to have.

One of the reasons why the hawks sound like they sound ...is the wood case . Its way to small and did not have the deepness and Volume that a EV 12 L Speaker needs to bring a powerful sound out

and sometimes the powertube is sitting directly on the magnet of the 12 L speaker. This is not a good thing at all .. but the Kitty Hawk Guys had no chance to make the Wood Case deeper and a bit bigger because the weight was already 40 kg.

Most Amps have a Seriel Effect Loop like Send and return what is not working at all but you can let it fixx.

biggest Isue is that in additio,all tubes sockets had their pins direcly wired to the boards themselve,wich can use huge problems from the excess heat transfere so you see in this Pic. so ive you ever buy a Kitty Hawk Amp like Amp Standard or Junior or Custom have a look on the boards .or ive you buy a Amp online let you send very good Pics before to have a look for that .

to get rid of the Sound Problem with the way to smal Wood Cace of the Kitty Hawk Amp -Standard or Custom ........I use them with 2x12 Cabs run by old Vintage EV 12 L speaker and i can tell you thats a sound as it should be. Pretty awesome with suddenly alot of bass range and bottom. Not so Mid range and sharky sharp - And believe me a Kitty Hawk is loooooud. This thing has power, its absolutely awesome . Thats the only way to run a Hawk Amp Standard or Custom .. over a good 2x12 Cab with Vintage Electrovoice 12 L speakers over 4 Ohm . Then suddenly the kind of Dumble 3 Mid Bass Trebel Acess Power Switch makies sense because you actually can hear more of the difference when you turn them on. It doesnt sound like a swamp mismatch bass high mid range amp . It sounds like a high flying Hawk Eagle . Its tone, just tone and power.

I like to use thick old Acoustic Controll 1980 2x12 Cabs with 12 L Speakers or much better are the the New Vintage Amp cabs becauce they use a high quality very thick wood taken from Russia ................ https://newvintageamps.com/speaker-cabinets/guitar/

you can order any kind of Cab in any color to fit to your Kitty Hawk Amp empty without Speakers and stick some old vintage EV 12 L Speakers Inside and you will be super happy believe me ..

Soon i will make some Videos and Recording in my Studio to show you the huge Diffrend