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The 185Golden icon brought into the presentElektra Amplifiers Europe brings back the sounds of old with 'The 185' family of guitar amplifiers.Each model shares essential DNA with the pre-war Gibson EH185. Elektra Amplifiers transports the original circuit into the present, offering a range of iconic tones spanning 30s Big Band Jazz, 50s Rockabillly, 60s Rock & Roll, Blues Roots, steaming Rock & Roll and contemporary Rock music. All with modern day reliability and ease-of-use.The two-channel 16W design feels at home in Recording / Home Studio environments, as well as small- to medium-sized live Clubs.Obsessed with detailShellac lacquered tweed, hand-stitched leather corners and handles, vintage correct rosette speaker screws, a silk-screened logo on the grille, an etched brass control face plate and ivory colored chicken head knobs. Just to name a few.And most importantly, the Tone!Power transformer, choke and output transformer are custom wound for every amplifier. Tubes and electronic components are handpicked and matched to achieve the best possible consistency with only the best sounding materials.Where required, Elektra updated the original circuit to improve safety and reliability, while preserving the essence of the EH185's tone.
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The models
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Visit our artists page for tonnes of videos of live performances and links to albums recorded with Elektra Amplifiers.We could tell you how great we think our amps are, but hearing the amplifier in the hands of good players in live and recorded settings tells the story all on its own!Be sure also to check out Walter Broes' comments on his first real live encounter with the Elektra Amplifiers 15" Combo.(page may load slowly) -
ReviewsElektra 'The 185' nominated for Gear of the Year 2016Guitar and Bass magazine nominated the Elektra 'The 185' 12" combo for 'Gear of the Year 2016' in the category Amplifiers above £1000. While Tone King amplifiers took the crown, we couldn't help but be proud as a monkey with seven tails amidst the other nominees!
Huw Price of Guitar and Bass magazine added his personal note to the nomination:“Resurrecting a pre-WWII amplifier may seem inauspicious, but the Elektra 185 is a painstakingly accurate recreation of the Gibson EH-185. Cathode-biased ‘coke bottle’ 6L6s combine with three 6SQ7 octal preamp valves to send 14W through a Celestion Gold speaker. From old-school jazz tone to Neil Young meltdown, this is an outstanding amp built by a true enthusiast.”
Huge thank-you Huw!
Guitar & Bass Magazine review
9/10 Award!Guitar & Bass magazine UK reviewed the 12" Combo in their March 2016 issue.Read the full article online here, laden with beautiful photography and raving enthusiasm. -
Elektra Amps on national TVOn may 14th 2017, VPRO Vrije Geluiden aired the interview with Dave Gonzalez and two new songs of the Paladins on Dutch national TV. -
Chasing Charlie's Tone with Ray and MichielIn this vid we explore, together with Ray Nijenhuis, how close the Elektra 185 gets to the original tone of a vintage EH150 & ES150 setup, when combined with a Slaman DS-250 guitar. In the video Ray concludes that the original tone is there completely and that the Elektra Amp has a lot more tunable range than the originals.
This video was originally a Facebook live event, so it's long - we didn't leave out any details!
Ray Nijenhuis is an expert on Charlie Christian's style and tone.Also, he recently published a course on Western Swing guitar on Truefire. -
Slaman Guitars interviews Elektra AmplifiersSince we both build instruments from the same era, it seemed like a good idea to get together with Daniel Slaman of Slaman Guitars. What followed was an inspiring meeting that lead to this spontaneous interview, where Mr. Slaman interviews Michiel Helsloot of Elektra Amplifiers Europe.The voices got very noisy after they got boosted to audible levels. The amplifier tone is unprocessed, exactly as it was recorded during the session. -
The Team
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Where to Try & Buy
GuitarKingKerkstraat 14a5427 BC Boekelthe Netherlands+31 (0)492 324038
Luthiers Gitaren
Kauffmann's Guitar Store
Elektra Amplifiers EuropeOr sends us a message through the contact page if you're in the neighbourhood and want to try an amp. We're happy to come meet you in a 1h radius from 's-Hertogenbosch, NL and from Leverkusen, Germany. -
Contact usElektra Amplifiers Europe is based in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.Visits by appointment only - send us an email!Retailers contact us at sales@elektra-amps.comDutch Camber of Commerce (KvK) registration no. 61136999Any questions about the 185?Want to order an amp directly?We love to hear what you think!
