Numerous guitar amplifiers have taken their names and cosmetic cues from the automotive industry.  Likewise, there have been well-documented cases of gear builders and famous guitarists who enjoy working on cars as a hobby.  Noted personalities such as Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons, Mark Sampson and the late Danny Gatton, for example, have all been on "record" discussing their love for tweaking and building automobiles and engines.  How many players, though, can say that their amplifier was produced by someone who currently makes a living by building world-class drag racing engines?  If you own an amplifier made by Bob Reinhardt, then you can lay claim to that distinction.  "I build extremely high-end drag racing engines for a class called Pro Stock," says Reinhardt.  "They are as technologically-advanced as you can get with an engine."  Certainly, working with automotive engines doesn't necessarily qualify someone to craft premium guitar amps.  However, both endeavors require technical skill as well as an ability to understand the perhaps less-cerebral, yet equally important and instinctive attributes of feel and what sounds are trying to say.

Reinhardt Amplification was born out of Bob's enduring love for the classic hard rock that could be heard routinely on radio stations back in the 1970s. Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, AC/DC, and Judas Priest were some of the sonic influences who informed Reinhardt's development as a player and an amp designer.  "The vintage Marshall sounds, like the Super Lead, not the really high-gain modern type of stuff, are what I tend to like to play and hear," says Reinhardt.   Indeed, upon first glance, a Reinhardt amp exudes a spirit with roots firmly entrenched in Marshall-esque design.  Yet closer inspection reveals that Bob Reinhardt's creations are not dead-on clones of famed amp ancestry, as some boutique manufacturers' products are.  "Like most builders, I'm definitely affected by classic circuits and designs; but I'm not afraid to go beyond that and implement the things I want to see and hear with my products," he notes.

I first met Bob Reinhardt at one of the Les Paul Jam and Tone Conferences in Greensboro, NC.   He had made the drive of several hours down from Evington, VA (near Lynchburg) to partake in the regular gathering of players and builders from all over the United States.  It was there that I first heard a Reinhardt amplifier and took note of its namesake as yet another seemingly gifted builder located in this very fertile region of well-known musical equipment manufacturers.  He struck me as a very down-to-earth and enthusiastic person with an obvious passion for amplifiers and music in general.  Since that time, I've interacted with Bob on several occasions and feel quite confident in saying that he is one of the "good guys" in the industry.

I detect a degree of humility in him that isn't always evident in the competitive market of amp building.   In fact, I will relay a story here which should underscore that thought.   If you've been a long-time visitor to the Steelbender.com website, you may have seen my write-ups about another respected maker of Marshall-influenced amps, Greg Germino.  I've known Greg for many years, have gigged with him on a number of occasions and own two Germino amplifiers at the present time.   For this article, Bob wanted to send down his 18-watt head and one of his 2x12 cabs to me.  Between our busy schedules, the Thanksgiving/ Christmas holidays and the forthcoming Winter NAMM show of 2006, it was hard to coordinate a convenient delivery time.  It was not feasible for me to travel up to Virginia, nor would someone be here over the holidays to accept the goods.  Knowing how gracious both Bob and Greg are as people, I suggested the possibility of Bob giving the amp and cab to Greg at an event they were both attending, and then I could subsequently make a trip to Greg's to retrieve them.  On the surface, this might seem like giving the Red Sox' playbook to the Yankees' manager; but as I suspected, neither one had a problem with the arrangement.  Bob and Greg were very happy to accommodate me, and it emphasized how classy both of these folks are in my opinion.

Friendships aside ( I do feel very good about the ones I've made), I am conscious of not letting relationships affect the essence of the product profiles that I conduct.  I certainly won't hesitate to relay my accounts of likeable personalities; but the overriding thing for me is if the product in question has some inspirational substance, which in and of itself is quite subjective.  I do have friends who make musical items that don't move me as deeply as other gear does.  A friendship alone is not enough for me to rave about a guitar or an amp, etc.   So, as engaging as I found Bob Reinhardt to be on a personal level, I still wanted to find out about the mettle of his 18 watt amplifier in my normal environment.
 
 

It is important to note that the unit sent for this profile was mounted in a demo headbox.  If the photos reveal dust, scuff marks, empty screwholes, etc., rest assured that production boxes are immaculate.  Actually, in my estimation, Reinhardt offers amps with even more striking looks than the featured purple tester.  Bob's wife, Sue, is in charge of tolexing, and the fit and finish of the coverings on the several Reinhardt amps I've seen up close is appropriately smooth and refined.  Aside from a non-functional pot (a result of some of Bob's experiments) between the standby and bass controls on the front panel,  and the footswitch jack on the rear panel, everything else about the Reinhardt 18 in this article is stock and up to current production specs according to Reinhardt.

The test unit arrived in a love- it or hate -it purple tolex.  (Let's call it "man-ly" purple  ).   Having seen so many tolex colors over the years, I would say the Reinhardt purple is a shade lighter than most purples I've encountered.   I found the color scheme to be attractive...almost royal-like with the purple and gold accents.
 
 

Some people might wonder if I'm on a handle crusade, given how I've been stressing their importance to me recently.  As I've pointed out in previous Spotlight articles, I prefer a nice thick leather handle that is soft, but sturdy to grip.  The Reinhardt's handle is a rubber affair that I've seen on a wide range of other amps, from pedestrian to boutique.  It's not terribly uncomfortable given the 18's light weight.  I think a leather handle, such as those found on other high-end amps like Victoria or Matchless, would add a touch of class and increased comfort to an already nice looking package.  This feature may not be as important to other players, and honestly, in the case of the Reinhardt, the stock handle really isn't a problem to deal with, so I don't mean to blow this out of proportion. [Bob Reinhardt responds:  "I now use the Marshall Gold Handles on all my amps, I think it adds a nice classy look, even though its way more costly, I dont care, it looks better."]

Thick rubber feet on the bottom of the head box gives ample clearance and support when the amp is placed on a cabinet with a tall handle.
 
 

Here's the lowdown spec-wise on the Reinhardt 18 spotlighted here:   As a part of a currently popular renaissance of 18 watt amps, the Reinhardt 18 sports a pair of EL-84 tubes in its power section.  Preamp bottles are of the 12AX7 variety, and an 6CA4/EZ81  tube rectifier rounds out the glass complement.  Reinhardt can hand-select vintage tubes upon request, and also offers upcharged options such as SOZO caps and his eye-catching 2-color tolex coverings.  The 18 watt output transformer is supplied by the Michigan-based Heyboer Transformers.  While the world of 18 watt amps features a variety of designs and tonal approaches, there's no mistaking that Reinhardt's take is influenced by Jim Marshall's benchmarks.  There are a number of changes though!  "There are two channels on the 18," comments Reinhardt. "The first channel, which I call "normal", is based on the old Marshall 18 watt-style amp.  The second channel or "bright" channel is the hotter side," he continues.  "I took out the tremolo circuit, put in another gain stage and used a three-band EQ for versatility."  All Reinhardt amplifiers are hand-wired using point-to-point construction.

The layout of the controls is easy to understand with a quick introduction.  Aside from the routine power and standby switches, as Bob says.....the 18 is divided into two sections.  Looking at the far right side of the front panel, the Normal channel , with its hi and lo inputs, is about as simple as things can get.  This is truly a "plug and play" arrangement with nothing more than a volume control (no master volume on this channel) and a single tone knob.  Moving leftward, the Bright channel adds a master volume and extends the tone options with dials for bass, mid, and treble.  Reinhardt points out "The channels can be switched via a footswitch jack on the back of the amp."
 
 

Back panel features are pretty much standard fare:  a couple of speaker outs and the requisite impedance selector are the highlights.  Our test sample was not shipped with a footswitch because it is not applicable to production models.  "The footswitch is not on production models, its just an experiment on that amp," Reinhardt points out.  "My stuff now does it through the front with an A/B/Y box.  That switch jack was actually for a boost I was messing with that may be incorporated later."

Being able to go back and forth between the two input sections is useful and really makes it possible to play a gig without the need for external pedals, though the amp seems to accept effects in a graceful manner (again a subjective issue).   You could simply set up the Normal channel for your favorite clean sounds, and switch to the hot-rodded Bright channel for more aggressive textures if desired .
 
 

Many guitarists will jump to conclusions about how an amp will sound simply by what style of power tubes are being used.  There are many other variables that determine how an amplifier operates and sounds.  Nevertheless, the crisp chime and edgy grind often associated with EL84 tubes is indeed present in the Reinhardt 18.  Both channels have plenty of treble and a fast-feeling attack available, even though some might assume the amp would react a little differently with the tube rectifier.  I didn't feel an undue amount of give and sponginess in the notes; but there also weren't the ear-fatiguing and brittle sounds one can often get when dialing in brighter tones.  A couple of fellow players who heard the amp during its time with me characterized the 18's vibe as "smoky but clear".  Tone and feel is extremely difficult to sum up in mere words; yet I would point to the Reinhardt 18 as having a very balanced palette of sounds.  Abundant clarity and the proper amount of warmth were on display.  However, a firsthand test-drive is always the best way to find out if another user would feel the same way.   When playing my single-coil Strat and dual humbucking Briggs Avatar guitars, I found that I wasn't making a lot of adjustments with the EQ section on either channel to handle the different instruments.  The amp seemed to "work" for everything once I dialed in a basic tone I was pleased with, and did not require endless tweaking.....an aspect I appreciate very much!

The 18 watt is an easy head to tote around.  I played it through a couple of cabinets.....one supplied by Bob with a pair of 12" mid-70s 65-watt Celestions, and my personal Two Rock 1x12 loaded with an Eminence/Two Rock TR-65.  There's no doubt that Bob's cab exhibited a rawer vintage character, with a brighter and grittier soul than the Two Rock.  The Two Rock struck me as more refined with greater focus in the low and lower-midrange frequencies.  The good thing about having an amp head ( the 18 is also available as a combo) is that it's relatively easy to experiment with different cabinet setups, though a combo with speaker outs can also get the job done.  My personal preference leaned toward the Two Rock because I like a smoother kind of sound than what I was getting from Bob's cabinet.  Yet, the "Marshall purist" would likely gravitate more in favor of the Reinhardt box.   Bottom-line is that the 18 sounded pleasing to me through both setups.  It really can be a revelation to hear and feel just how important speakers and cabs are in influencing tone.  "Speaking" of which, Reinhardt offers an array of different speakers for his amps.  Consult with him about options and availability.
 
 

At the time of this writing, the Reinhardt 18 head has an introductory price of $1575, while the 1x12 combo fetches $1725 US.   I feel these are fairly-priced products with lots of "No B.S." character and tonal attitude.  The warmth and organic aura of a typical vintage Marshall seems to be present in the Reinhardt; while a newer and fresher feeling (perhaps modern tightness would be a fair description)  is also observed.  I like the way Bob has configured both of the channels.....it's nice to have access to both master and non-master volume sides in one convenient format.  He seems to have a good grasp on classic tones as well as modern refinements.  Another thing to consider is that Bob can custom voice the 18 according to the customer's desires for no extra charge.

My overall impression of the Reinhardts I've played, including the 18, is very positive.  The product is built with a high hand-crafted level of workmanship and the tones are flexible enough to go from cutting EL-84 cleans to a fuller and more buttery girth suitable for those classic hard rock bands of the '70s that Reinhardt has an affinity for.  All in all, the Reinhardt 18 is absolutely a worthy addition to the boutique market and should be explored by anyone wanting "the" 18 watt Marshall-style sound with reliable customer service and thoughtfully-executed features.

Thanks to Bob and Sue Reinhardt for the opportunity to spend some quality time with their quality amplifier.

For more information on Reinhardt Amplification, visit the official website at:   www.reinhardtamps.com

or contact them at:

e-mail: bob@reinhardtamps.com
 

Reinhardt Amplification
64 Twin Lakes Road
Evington VA  24550

Phone:  434-525-5590

            434-426-3434