Trainwreck Circuits
Trainwreck Circuits
Also known as: Trainwreck, Trainwreck Amplifiers, Trainwreck Amps
UnclaimedTrainwreck Circuits is a boutique guitar amplifier company founded by Ken Fischer in 1985 in Colonia, New Jersey. Before starting Trainwreck, Fischer worked as a senior engineer at Ampeg, where he built and repaired amps and developed a reputation as a tube-amp authority. His three core designs — the Express, the Liverpool, and the Rocket — were built exclusively as heads (not combos, a choice ...
Trainwreck Circuits is a boutique guitar amplifier company founded by Ken Fischer in 1985 in Colonia, New Jersey. Before starting Trainwreck, Fischer worked as a senior engineer at Ampeg, where he built and repaired amps and developed a reputation as a tube-amp authority. His three core designs — the Express, the Liverpool, and the Rocket — were built exclusively as heads (not combos, a choice Fischer made to prolong tube life) and became known for their extreme touch sensitivity, dynamic overdrive, and the ability to sweep from clean to saturated solely with guitar volume.
Fischer produced a famously small number of amps during his lifetime — fewer than a hundred complete units, each engraved with a female name rather than a serial number — and his waiting list reportedly grew to more than 1,500 names by the time of his death in 2006. The amps' rarity, combined with their distinctive Class A EL84-based voicing, made them some of the most sought-after and expensive boutique tube amps on the used market, and their circuits have inspired numerous clones and tribute builds from other boutique makers. After Fischer's passing, his longtime friend and co-builder John Mark continued building amps under the Trainwreck name.
Trainwreck Circuits has 4 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Guitar Amplifier Heads and Guitar Power Attenuators. Their gear is featured by 8 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Folk, World, & Country, and Pop. Notable users include Billy Gibbons, George Lynch, and Keith Urban.
Artists Who Use Trainwreck Circuits
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