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Earth Sound Research Amps [message #28339]

Tue, 05 October 2021 13:11

rodak
Messages: 497
Registered: October 2001
Location: Georgia

Senior Member

This is somewhat topical, as I'm sure some of the members here are interested in Plush amps as well. I found this article today about Earth Sound Research:

http://www.pedalhaven.com/history-earth-sound-research-ampli fiers/

Apparently, their early amps were "copies" of Plush amps, and the later ones copies of Peavey amps. This is obvious by looking at them, but I was always curious about the background, if Earth was like a spinoff from Plush or Peavey, or if ex Plush/Peavey employees defected and took the designs with them. Turns out neither was the case, but they just got the amps and copied them as much as possible. Why they did that, I don't really understand. Also, apparently there never was any sort of litigation against them, they just folded due to financial troubles.

Also, I think Plush amps copied some Fender circuit designs, so in effect, the early Earth models were copies-of-copies. Weird.

www.combo-organ.com

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Re: Earth Sound Research Amps [message #28340 is a reply to message #28339]

Wed, 06 October 2021 07:57

stevem
Messages: 4663
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Earth amps are one of the few tube amps that I have never had come thru my shop, which is odd since they where made some 70 miles away from where I live.

I do however recall seeing them being sold in the Sam Ash chain of music stores near me back then.

I have worked on far more of the Plush amps and they 98 % copy's of Fender amps. Just in different cabinets!

From the gut pictures I have seen of the Earth amps and working on Plush amps, I would call it a toss up as to build quality!

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Re: Earth Sound Research Amps [message #28341 is a reply to message #28339]

Wed, 06 October 2021 12:42

chicagobill
Messages: 2002
Registered: April 2003

Senior Member

Rodak, Thanks for that link.

I've seen a lot of the Peavey copy, Earth amps. I always assumed that they were knock offs to steal business from Peavey.

I know that I had read that Hartley sued them for copywrite infringement and won. His win was not because they stole the electronic designs or because they physically looked like Peavey product, but because they copied the pc board design which was protected by copywrite laws.

I think that Plush amps was run by Ron Lipsky. The circuits are 99% copies of Fender amps, with a diamond tufted version of the Kustom cabinets. They aren't built very well so they tend not to last very long.

And speaking of copies, Hartley often mentioned that Bud Ross was very helpful to him when he was just starting out. I find a lot of similarities in the early Peavey circuits with the K200-B designs.

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Re: Earth Sound Research Amps [message #28408 is a reply to message #28339]

Fri, 24 December 2021 22:03

ImTheSlime
Messages: 2
Registered: December 2021

Junior Member

I picked up one of these locally a few years back from a guy who didn't even know what it was, but thankfully I knew what it was lol. The look on his face when I plugged my bass into it in his basement was priceless. "How much did I say I wanted for that thing again!?"
Unfortunately I don't really know anything about it. Earth Concertmaster. Also unfortunately I can't post an image until I have 10 posts in here so my apologies

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Re: Earth Sound Research Amps [message #28410 is a reply to message #28339]

Sat, 25 December 2021 06:33

stevem
Messages: 4663
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Hello and welcome!
This site is about Kustom amps and we try to keep it to the vintage Kustom's up to the late 70s era.

That all being said Earth amps where made for a short period on Long Island NY, but they basically where circuit wise copy's of Peavey' s and got dragged into court over that and in turn went out of business.

I have played a few of there amps back in the day and they sounded good, with there bass amps having good punch for what they where!

Congrats, you have a rare amp now in your possession!

Please note that this web site does not accept pictures no matter how many post you make.

[Updated on: Sat, 25 December 2021 06:35]

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Re: Earth Sound Research Amps [message #28609 is a reply to message #28410]

Thu, 02 June 2022 17:37

DeadKoby
Messages: 35
Registered: August 2017
Location: Cleveland, OH

Member

I'm an amp tech, and I've fixed up BOTH Tube and SS Earth amps. The Tube one was a circuit clone of a Fender Dual Showman. The SS model was indeed a Peavey clone. The build quality of both amps was fine, and they are on my Youtube channel somewhere.

For Earth, the "Sound Research" part of their name apparently just means copying things that are known to work well. For the Solid state model, I had almost all the cap values in stock as left-overs from working on a Peavey mixer. Both amps sounded good. One was sold....the other went back to the customer who sent it in.

Many of these "knock off" amps are actually just fine, and usually command low $$ on the used market. If you have electronic skills, may as well snag it if it's cheap. Overall, they sounded just fine.

All your electrons are belong to us.

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