Chris Siegmund is another visionary whose work transcends the ordinary, and the Midnight Special is no exception.
Rated at 4-15W, the Special is meticulously built using premium capacitors and resistors, including many classic NOS components.
Siegmund also uses octal preamp tubes, along with a vintage NOS rectifier and single 6L6.
Features include a transformer less reverb circuit that can be bypassed for extra gain, plus Volume, Mid, Treble and Bass controls, a series FX loop, high and normal power switch, Mercury Magnetics transformer and a Vox Blue G12 speaker.
Like the Carr, the Special is a real head-turner, but then, all of these amps qualify as serious, professional tone machines with looks that kill.
The Midnight Special is a great midnight-hour amp, but it also passes the test as a terrific small club amp. Its voice is deep, articulate and sophisticated.
The Special wasn’t intended to be a high gain amp with intense distortion characteristics, but it excels brilliantly with overdrive pedals, and the reverb bypass does kick an extra level of crystalline gain while beautifully preserving string definition and harmonics.
The combination of P90’s and the Special is absolutely orgasmic, and there is a lot of magic to be discovered in this magnificently built amp.




1/05/07

Hi Chris,

I wanted to let you know, I entered the Midnight Blues Head in an amp shoot out here locally and guess who came out on top?
That's right, the MB head!!!
In a blind listening with 1x12, 2x12 and 4x12 cabinets the MB had the best cleans, overdrive and string definition hands down!

The contestants: Park45, Park75, Koch Powertone II, Fender Bassman, JTM45, Plexi , Fender Showman, Vox AC50 ( second on the cleans) to mention a few.
Kudos!

Regards,
Tim

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10/07/09

Chris,

This Midnight Blues amp is killing me! And God knows how many amps I had going through my hands, from modern to vintage.
This is the best amp I ever had - period; with endless possibilities and an array of great vintage tones. And I've only scratched the surface.
There is something that newer amps usually have, which is that possibility to bring up almost exclusively the pickup flavor alone.
This amp also brings out the wood of your guitar, like no other.
The touch response is simply amazing. This amp will bring me to another playing level just by the way it responds to my hands.

This amp is unique in every possible way! I have a lot of respect for what you did, sincerely...

Cheers!
Yvon

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10/14/09

Hi Chris...

Well my Double Drive arrived safely & I am extremely happy. It has completely exceeded my expectations in every way.
For the first time in my life I feel in control of my sound- & what a sound!!!
It really is beyond superlatives; warm, round, clean, defined, dynamic & musical !!
- All the glowing praise from reviewers is completely justified & my little leap of faith in ordering 'sound unheard' has paid off big time.
I feel extremely fortunate to own it & very much appreciate the magnanimity with which you make these (affordably!!) available-thank you.

Regards,
Novak Conrad
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4/16/10

Hi Chris,

Don't worry... I'm not a chatty guy... but I have to let you know that, in a live gig setting, the DD blew me away last night...
I've primarily used the same power amp/speaker combo live since 1990 (just the power section and JBL-E130-4 of a '70's Webb amp [transistor but very nice clean power])
w/ several preamps, and smaller amps w/ attenuators, etc., but the DD blows them all away, including the Avalon U5, and other high end tube pre's.
The only tube power amp that I have right now, which I can plug directly into, is a single ended EL84 (effects loop of a MacIntyre head),
and the DD iworks amazingly beautiful w/ that in my studio... very much looking forward to recording with it.
I'll be in touch when I'm ready for the Midnight Blues custom power amp.

Thanks again,
PEACE
Charlie
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6/30/09

Chris -
Got the Missing Link today. Just spent four hours with it. Wow!
This is one of two or three pieces of equipment in 40 years that immediately impressed me as original and essential.
When I ordered the ML, I thought I would just use it as a buffer, but I'm finding it to be a very versatile, extraordinary musical device. I didn't know what I was missing.
Years ago, when I was in conservatory making oboe reeds 4 or 5 hours a day, I finally learned to coax subtle timbres out of a reed with a few well placed scrapes.
Today was the closest I've come to that experience using a guitar device. The ML is true craft.
My sincerest thanks.
JLT