Milkman Creamer 20 1x12 Combo - Chocolate

The Milkman Creamer Amp may look like a standard Princeton Reverb, but aesthetics is pretty much where the the similarities end.

I mean, don't get us wrong... It's tones are definitely a Fender vibe for sure, but it brings it's own thing to the table that none of the old Fender amps did. Tim Marcus, the founder of Milkman Sound, didn't set out to clone the old Fender amps. He wanted to refine the circuits using modern techniques and superior components. Sound like salesman amp talk mumbo jumbo? Read on...

So, the Milkman Creamer came about when Marcus wanted to create an amp that has a balance between a perfectly voiced guitar tone with a fair amount of volume and portability. The old vintage low wattage guitar amps are certainly much loved, but sometimes you also need a bit more versatility and reliability on the gig.

Milkman Sound addresses these issues:

Volume - A typical vintage Princeton Reverb put out about 12-15 watts. As mentioned above, you often need a bit more power and headroom. Playing at home this range is fine, but throw a drummer and a crowd into the equation and all of a sudden you lose your headroom and you sink back into the mix. So, the circuit got a bump up to about 18 - 22 watts. Now you've got that headroom back and you can remain clean or just on that edge of breakup at the volume levels you need for a gig. Also, the vintage models came only with 10" speakers. Bumping up to 12" helps keep a tighter bottom end as the volume is increased.

Versatility - Tim wanted the Creamer to be very versatile so he included an adjustable cathode bias circuit so that the guitar player could easily substitute 6L6 or 6V6 output tubes with no need to rebias. He also added a rear mounted switch to maintain an 8ohm speaker output regardless of which tube type was chosen. Inside of the chassis is an internal bias adjustment in case you want to fine tune the cathode bias when substituting in vintage tubes which tend to draw more current.

Reliability - Like all Milkman amplifiers, the Creamer is built using the finest possible components onto a turret board, and is hand wired with premium cloth covered wire. He uses top-notch Jupiter capacitors, Carbon Composition resisters, and custom spec'd Mercury Magnetics transformers.

Additional Info:

The Milkman Creamer comes standard with 6V6 power tubes, and produces about 20 watts into 8 ohms. If you put a pair of 6L6s in, just flip the switch on the rear panel and you get a bit of more low end, subtler mids, and a touch more headroom. Play around and see what works for you.

The tremolo circuit in the Creamer is unique and sounds outstanding. It is harmonically rich, deep, and has a very useful range of speed.

In studio, the Creamer is virtually silent when idle. Its the ultimate refinement and alternative to the vintage small format amplifier.

From Tim Marcus:  "Blackface frontend with reverb and tremolo into a cathode biased tweed style power amp give the Creamer an amazing feel and gorgeous woody guitar tone with just the right amount of breakup. A lot of people ask: why build a Princeton Reverb type amplifier with cathode bias? My answer is simple - nothing responds like a cathode biased amplifier, and nothing sounds better than the Princeton circuit. I always design amps based on my own experience and needs, and I wanted to find a balance between the Princeton sound and the Tweed era amplifiers. Also, I wanted my amp to be very versatile - so I designed it with an adjustable cathode bias circuit. The user can easily substitute 6L6 or 6V6 output tubes with no need for rebias.

Because of cathode bias, and the cathodyne phase inverter, the amp has notes of a Tweed Deluxe in the way that it breaks up when pushed hard. Put a pair of 6L6s in and you get a bit of more low end, subtler mids, and a touch more headroom. The tremolo circuit in the Creamer is unique - it does not have bias modulated tremolo like a Princeton Reverb does because of the cathode bias. The result is a very rich sounding tremolo which does not compromise the life of the output tubes or create crossover distortion. It remains deep at all volumes."

Specifications: 

Wattage:  18-22W Class AB
Preamp Tubes: 2 x 12AX7, 1 x 12AT7
Power Tubes: 2 x 6V6 (optional 2 x 6L6)
Rectifier Tube:  5AR4
Speaker:  Celestion G12H30
Effects:  Tube tremolo and spring reverb. Includes footswitch.
Dimensions: 19-7/8" W x 16" H x 9-1/2" D
Weight:  32 lbs