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Steven Fryette Aether

Steven Fryette Aether

Price: $--SOLD

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redefines 'responsive'

The Fryette Aether is a single channel amp with reverb and tremolo. No channel switching, No loop. No boost. It is super responsive to different instruments and exhibits amazing guitar volume control sensitivity, making it an instrument unto itself. With Aether, Fryette intends to raise the bar for amplifier personality, behavior and contribution to artistic expression on the part of the player.

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The Fryette Aether is a single channel amp with reverb and tremolo. No channel switching, No loop. No boost. It is super responsive to different instruments and exhibits amazing guitar volume control sensitivity, making it an instrument unto itself.

This design was inspired by jazz, blues and r&b guitarists of the '40s, '50s and '60s. Fryette's goal was to produce something “new” from the perspective of emerging artists of these eras. Back then, like today, many companies just did what other companies did – whatever was popular or sold well was simply copied to varying degrees. While visionary artists of the day were making great strides in musical evolution, amplifier designs were either not keeping up or proceeding in a direction not necessarily conducive to the players intuition.

The technicians at Fryette believe the amplifier is more than just an accessory for a nice guitar. It is an equal part of the guitar/amplifier playing experience – like a bow is to a violin. With Aether, Fryette intends to raise the bar for amplifier personality, behavior and contribution to artistic expression on the part of the player. They also wanted it to be visually and functionally unique.

The tone controls are completely different than anything you’ll find on a vintage boutique style reproduction. Fryette uses active tube equalization to enhance the natural characteristics of the tone-woods and hardware of the instrument. So whether you are playing clean with a hollow or semi-hollow guitar or slamming it with a solid-body, you feel a level of interplay between the amp and instrument not likely to be found on any other amp, new or old.

This is a hand-wired amplifier using a proprietary single turret point wiring system to minimize component lead-lengths and wire usage. Naturally, Fryette utilizes high-quality, high-reliability components and construction materials to increase the quality and reliability of the overall design.

The preamp and power amplifier sections are housed in separate chassis. This helps keep hum and noise to almost imperceptible levels, reduces power tube vibration which will extend tube life and minimizes certain frequency cancellations that can impact tone and sustain. Plus, it’s wonderful to look at, connect and operate.

Like all Fryette amplifiers, the output stage incorporates custom designed, precision-wound power and output transformers for maximum fidelity and reliability.

CRAIG'S POV

There has been some brilliant and exhaustive writing done on this incredible amplifier that I simply can't improve on. Instead of trying I'd like to just share what's been said:

Here is a review written by guitarist and SUNY professor Mark Dziuba.

And here is an in-depth analysis by Alchemy Records artist Kingsley Durant.

And here is a quote from mondo-accomplished guitarist Matte Henderson:

"The Aether is the first amp that has ever felt hard wired to my best musical intentions. The polarity of tremelo fueled Selmer Zodiac clean feedback to raw Wreck approved mayhem generates a feeling of musical satisfaction which has been heretofore unknown by my head, hands and heart!" - Matte Henderson

If you'd like to find out more about this item, just call or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure to talk to you about it.

ABOUT FRYETTE AMPLIFICATION
Amps made by Steven Fryette are worshipped, for lack of a better term, for their organic nature and the way players can interact with them. A few years after moving from Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles, California in 1976, Steven Fryette landed a job as a repair technician at Valley Arts Guitar. Fryette honed his skills doing custom work, repairs and modifications for the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Steve Lukather, Larry Carlton, Tommy Tedesco, Ry Cooder, Buzz Feiten, Carlos Rios, Duane Eddy, and many other legendary players. After several years of building experimental prototypes for a new all tube stereo power amplifier and the first of a long line of multi-channel, multi-featured amplifiers under the PITTBULL moniker, Fryette decided to go live. VHT Amplification (now Fryette Amplification) officially began in January 1989 on the dining room table of a small Studio City, California apartment just two blocks away from Valley Arts. Today, the company continues to manufacture all of the products that were current under the VHT name.



And an audio clip from Kingsley Durant:

Preamp controlsvolume, treble, bass, reverb, speed, intensity
Preamp switchesbright switch, tremolo switch
Preamp tubes12AX7 X 2, 12AT7 X 1
Power amp configurationTung-Sol 6L6 X 2, cathode biased
Power amp wattage25 watts (conservatively rated)
Phase inverterEH 6SN7 X 1 (a big plate dual triode)
Rectifier tubesSovtek 5Y3 X 2 in complementary operation to maintain a nice give without mush (enhances long term reliability)
Ambience switchselects high or low negative feedback (affects feel, reaction speed, speaker resonance, etc.)
Speaker outputs8 and 16 ohms (can be internally rewired for 4 ohms)
SpeakerCelestion Gold 12, 8 ohm 50W
Reverbthree-spring
CabinetBaltic birch
Dimensions24-1/2W X 18-1/2H X 9D
Weight45 lbs.
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