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Last July marked my 31st year as a full-time amp business. Because of the pandemic and losing my full-time employees, I was delayed in designing my 30-year Anniversary Amp but I am taking orders now and have already delivered the first 10 of them.
Being a guitar player for 56 years, and working with almost every type of tube guitar amp circuit for over 30 years, I knew what to include in the design that would appeal to most guitarists. It had to have a tremendous clean tone and fabulous overdriven tone that could be manipulated without the need for pedals, just by using the controls on the guitar itself. It had to be lightweight, small and sound like a big amp. It had to be touch sensitive to the players picking nuance to go from clean to hair – just by changing the pick attack. It had to have classic analog spring reverb. The cabinet had to sound better than other cabinets. The amp had to take pedals well, for those that insist on pedals. In short, it had to be a musical instrument and not just an electronic device. It had to be hand-built with the outstanding attention to detail that one would expect in any amplifier made by KENDRICK. And it had to have cool aesthetics and beauty to match the coolness of guitar players. It had to have the feel that makes a player play better and enjoy it more. When you sound better, you feel better and you play even better. As a guitar player, you know this better than anyone.
Introducing the limited edition all new,
KENDRICK Tres Equis XXX Combo Amp,
my 30-year Anniversary Amp.
The Design Let’s start with the circuit. There was an amp circuit that I had been constantly gig testing and tweaking for over a decade. I used this circuit, but with a slightly improved power supply to put a little more “sting” on the front-end of the note because I wanted to be able to slice through a mix well without it seeming too loud. The defining moment of the note punches through, sort of like adding click to a bass drum mix to bring it out in the mix. You need to have a defining moment of when the note actually occurs because some amps, when overdriven, will compress off the front of the note and you get buried in the mix.
I put the reverb control with the other controls for ease of adjustment, unlike many other Kendrick amps that had the reverb control on the bottom of the amp.
For the cabinet I decided to make a super resonant cabinet by using 100-year old antique Northern White pine. To improve resonance beyond other cabinets, I planed the sides down to ½” instead of the usual ¾” used on virtually all other amps, but gluing a narrow ¼” strip on the front sides, the cabinet retains the appearance of a ¾” thickness, yet it resonates 30% better.
I wanted a small 1X12” size cabinet for light weight and portability, but I didn’t want to use a single 12 incher because all 12 inch speakers, because of their geometry, have “cone cry”, a.k.a. “edge yell”. Some players never notice this, but once you notice it, you will hear it every time with every 12” speaker. It is an out of tune resonance that occurs on certain frequencies when the paper cone tries to wrinkle as it vibrates. Also, 12” speakers have much more cone inertia to overcome than a smaller speaker due to the mass of the cone. So I began experimenting with multiple 8” speakers. I found I could put four 8” speakers in a 1X12” sized cabinet and overcome both of those problems. As an added benefit, I could move almost twice as much air using four 8’s. An 8” speaker moves 50 inches of air. A 12” speaker moves 112 inches. So four 8” speakers move almost as much air as two 12’s! It’s a big sound in a small package.
And the paper cone of an 8” speaker has a small percentage of the mass of a 12” cone, so with cone inertia, the 8” wins. And because of its geometry, an 8” speaker doesn’t ever have “cone cry”! I made a cabinet and tested it with the four 8” speakers and the rich sound blew me away, and I am not easily impressed. Yes, the sound was huge. It was hard to believe I was filling the room with liquid sound and yet in a small and tube amplifier that weighed only 36 lbs!
I used an aluminum chassis to keep the weight down. For outstanding quietness, a brass grounding buss and every other trick in the book, including an excellent layout with perfect grounding was incorporated in the design. I designed a large, clearly lettered faceplate to make it very easy to read, even on a dark stage. I went with an art deco look with brown pinstripping on the tweed and a Tres Equis XXX graphic on the top. The cabinet has a custom American-made leather handle with brass and stainless steel mounting. It looks hot, yeah!
To add to the coolness factor, I am only making 32 of these and the serial number on each one will be one of the years I have been in business from 1990 to 2021. For Example 1990, 1991, 1992….. etc. 2020, 2021. When you place your order, you get to choose your serial number year, providing someone else hasn’t already ordered that number.
So how does it sound?
I have already made and delivered the first 10 orders and here are some comments from the people that currently own one:
"Over the years of being a working Blues Guitarist I’ve been through countless amps. From Twins and Supers, and Vibrolux, and Vibroverbs, Bandmasters, and Tweeds of varying types… Matchless, Victoria’s of many varieties, Magnatones and Sears Amps on and on ad infinitum… Your Tres Equis had me in its grips from the first note that seared through those wonderful 8” speakers.
This Amp, my Man, is Sonic Perfection, The quest for Tone is over. Thank You, Thank You ,Thank You…!!!"
Johnny McNally
Hartford Connecticut
"As I awaited in eager anticipation for my Tres Equis XXX, the day finally came and this gem arrived! Gerald, you have truly created your Magnum Opus! The range of articulation and tone produced by this amp is amazing. Every instrument I plug into the Tres Equis XXX takes on a new dimension of responsiveness and harmonic richness. Straight in. Words don’t suffice, you have to hear it to believe it. I could go on and on about the workmanship, the quiet operation and the bad-ass design….but sorry, I have to go now so I can hear my 335 through it one more time!"
Chet Jordan
St. Petersburg, FL
"My Tres Equis XXX gives me great clean tones and takes pedals really well. It's quieter than a mouse . I must say the lacquered Tweed work is the best I've ever seen. Excellent sounding spring reverb !"
Russ Reiser - Neenah, Wisconsin
"I've never had such an experience playing an amp ... my Tres Equis is so responsive and such a sound ... as if I was surrounded by the sound. I never really used the volume knobs on my guitars, but with this amp it's THE secret, THE way to get beautiful sounds ... Thank you so much for this amp."
T. Zwart. - Geneva, Switzerland
"When I finally had the opportunity to actually hear and play the 30 anniversary Tres XXX, I switched it on I heard nothing; no hiss or hum... totally quiet. It was so quiet I thought it wasn't on. But upon striking the first few notes, I was blown away and couldn't believe its responsiveness, clean tone and articulation to my picking nuance. The 8” speakers have an unbelievable “spank” and undeniable tone. This lightweight combo (36 lbs!) took me by surprise and blew me away!!"
Andy Garcia - Lampasas, Texas
"Gerald, you made the most unbelievable amp. There are so many things that are just wonderful. Vibrant, touch sensitive, breathy tone, lots of headroom. Sounds great with all my guitars - Tele, Les Paul , Stat, all killer. It just loves every thing. My Tres Equis XXX captures so many dynamics which are so necessary for great tone."
Tim Hill - Westbrook, Maine
"I played my Tres Equis XXX for about 2 hours with all my guitars, comparing it with my other amps, and I kept going back to the Tres Equis … It just sounded “better” at all levels … whether totally clean, slightly broken up or overdriven … more responsive, better dynamics, better overall sound balance (I don’t know how to explain it, but to me, all the necessary important electric guitar frequencies and harmonics are there in perfect balance).
Not saying my other quality & custom amps are not good, but compared to your amp, they always seem to have something missing somewhere. So thanks for this really great amp !"
Taco - Euro-town
"I have five nice amps - three Kendrick amplifiers, a 1960 Fender Concert and a Fender Dual Professional. If I had to take just one, I’d take the Tres Equis, hands down. It’s lightweight and small enough to tote easily, has plenty of cajones, and makes me sound better than I usually do, no matter what type of music I play. Those four 8" speakers have incredible bell-like tone and the response is so fast. I love the simplicity of the controls…vol, bass, treble, reverb. I can get any sound I want with ease. It doesn’t hurt that it looks so good and will blow other players away."
Ralph Metcalf - Tampa Bay, Florida
"My Tres Equis XXX is a very special amplifier. I am impressed with the sag/natural tube compression and it's ability to cut right through a mix. I like the way the mids come out when the volume is cranked. It is the only amp I need - lightweight with plenty of power. It just does everything."
Tony Economo - Tulsa, Oklahoma
"My new Kendrick Tres Equis XXX is obviously a culmination of over 30 years of tube amp building experience. The Tres Equis blows me away, and I am an amp tech that has worked on hundreds of amps! The tweed work/amplifier construction/layout/parts selection/and tone on the Tres Equis are all impeccable to say the least."
George Englebretson - Bryan/College Station, Texas
"I bought a new Tres Equis XXX amp from Kendrick and all I can say is WOW! This is the 6th Kendrick I have owned over the last 25 years and I have to say that while it’s tough to pick a favorite, the Tres Equis wins. The sound of this amp is crystal clear but turn the guitar volume up and it breaks up nicely. Amazingly, it’s the size of a 1x12 cabinet but there are FOUR 8 inch speakers in it! It weighs next to nothing , but with 35 watts it packs a serious punch. The spring reverb sounds great and adds to the tonal quality. It’s not cheap, but when you see the workmanship that went into this amp, experience the incredible "feel" and hear the tone, you are certain to agree it’s well worth the dough. Gerald obviously put 30 years of amp building knowledge into this superior amp!"
David Tullo - San Antonio, Texas
You can own one of your own!
I am taking deposits for these fine amps now. The price is $5000 + ship. I require only a 50% deposit of $2500 to secure your order. The balance will not come due until the amp is ready to ship. I cannot guarantee an exact delivery date because these are entirely hand-built with meticulous attention to detail, and many man-hours to complete each one. I can make an intelligent guess of 3 months, give or take a month.
The limited edition Tres Equis will not been put on my website as they will be sold out rather quickly just to the people on my Newsletter list.
All orders are by phone or email. Email me at: gerald20@earthlink.net or give me a jingle on my
cell 512 734 3064 and I will help you get one of these fine amplifiers. Playing this amp is the difference between the pursuit of happiness or obtaining it. You are going to love it.
Specifications:
Four 8” Blackframe speakers
100-year old antique Northern White Pine cabinet
Art Deco Lacquered Tweed covering
Precision Custom-made Aluminum chassis
5AR4/GZ34 rectifier tube, pair of matched 6L6 output tubes, two 12AX7 preamp tubes.
Custom KENDRICK massive 7-winding interleaved output transformer
Custom Overbuilt KENDRICK power transformer
Analog Spring Reverb
Volume, Treble, Bass, Reverb controls
Hand drilled Epoxy Glass component boards
Weight = 38 lbs.
Size = 20.5” Tall, 19.25” Wide, 9.5” Deep
All units feature export transformers that can be set for any voltage in the world.
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