Milkman Sound
Milkman Sound
Also known as: Milkman, Milkman Amps
UnclaimedMilkman Sound is a boutique amplifier company based in San Francisco, California, founded by Tim Marcus, an accomplished pedal steel guitarist. Marcus began repairing and building amplifiers from his apartment in the city's Lower Haight neighborhood before launching the Milkman brand in 2011. His background in pedal steel — an instrument that demands exceptional headroom and bandwidth — directl...
$749.00 - $849.00
in Guitar Preamp Pedals Rank
$249.00
$3,449.00 - $3,499.00
$2,159.00 - $2,459.00
$849.00 - $899.00
in Guitar Preamp Pedals Rank
$3,569.00
$3,339.00
$2,600.00
Milkman Sound is a boutique amplifier company based in San Francisco, California, founded by Tim Marcus, an accomplished pedal steel guitarist. Marcus began repairing and building amplifiers from his apartment in the city's Lower Haight neighborhood before launching the Milkman brand in 2011. His background in pedal steel — an instrument that demands exceptional headroom and bandwidth — directly informs every amplifier design. Each Milkman amp is hand-wired using premium components such as Jupiter capacitors and Mercury Magnetics transformers.
The product line spans from the diminutive One Watt Plus to the 700W Bass Half and Half, with standout models including the 5W Half Pint, 20W Creamer, 45W Tres Leches, and 50W Sideman. Milkman gained widespread attention with The Amp, a 50W hybrid tube/Class D amplifier built into a pedalboard-friendly enclosure featuring onboard reverb and tremolo. The Amp line has since expanded to include The Amp 100 and The Amp Stereo variants. Milkman also collaborates with other builders, notably Benson Amps on the Benson The Amp and JHS Pedals on The Milkman effects pedal. The company produces a dedicated 85W Pedal Steel amplifier and offers an extensive range of custom Tolex finishes.
The brand's name is a nod to Marcus's family heritage — his great-grandfather ran a small dairy farm in Connecticut, and the spirit of making and selling something by hand carries through to the amplifier business. John Mayer, Feist, Jeff Tweedy, and producer Joel Hamilton are among the artists and engineers who have used Milkman amps.
Milkman Sound has 35 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Combo Guitar Amplifiers, Guitar Amplifier Heads, and Guitar Preamp Pedals. Their gear is featured by 12 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Jazz, and Folk, World, & Country. Notable users include Josh Heath Scott, John Mayer, and Mateus Asato. Most Milkman Sound products sit firmly in the high-end, boutique range.
Artists Who Use Milkman Sound
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