Nathaniel (Spaceships)
SPB: Tell us about your amp pairings and how you chose them.
Nathaniel: I run a stereo rig with a Vox AC15 and a 1960s Gibson Falcon. I encountered a Falcon while helping a friend who runs an amp repair shop. He had me put it together and test it, and I fell in love -- only to realize that I had to call the owner to give it back. A couple years later I tracked one down on Craigslist. The AC15 is an absolute workhorse, and there’s a reason they’re so common. I run mine through the Top Boost channel with a bit of pre gain to give it a subtle dirt. The grit of the Vox pairs very nicely with the chimey, jazzy clean tones of the Falcon, and when you put them together, those suckers sing.
Our other guitarist Ben uses a Fender Princeton, which is an absolute classic. It doesn’t take much fuss to get a killer tone out if it, and it can get way louder than you’d expect for being a 12w 1x10. There have been a few shows where I couldn’t hear my own amps over his.
Our bassist Bret uses a Mills Custom bass head. It’s an absolutely gorgeous handbuilt bass amp with a gorgeous wooden enclosure. And luckily, this thing sounds as good as it looks, giving a gutsy low end and crisp articulation for all the lead-heavy fuzz and glistening atmospheres that Bret throws into it.
