We were talking about the iconic Stimer M12 amp yesterday and we’ve realised that in our excitement in having one back in stock we forget to tell you a bit more about it.
With the senior team down with Maurice Dupont in Cognac last week, we were fortunate to be able to watch Maurice putting the final touches to the instruments and amps that were on order. And, yes, it is Maurice himself that makes them.
Given so much comes from China these days and even if the item is assembled locally the parts often come from the Far East, it is a real pleasure that all the components for the Stimer amps are still made in France; with most of them still being hand made, hand blown, hand wound, or hand cut. For example, the distinctive creamy-yellow leather, and the tan used for the stripe, together with the black leather cover is all hand cut and machine stitched on something that looks like it came out of the 1940s (and may well have done!).
The glass valves are completely hand blown by an artisan not too far away from the workshop and even the brass clips that hold the back in place are made by one of his apprenctices in a little workshop up the road.
Sadly, all this craftsmanship means these little amps come at a higher price than their mass produced equivalents. However, with a favourable forex at the moment we are able to offer our new amps at a significantly lower price than previously… £1195 versus the previous price of £1550
So, if you’ve always hankered after one of these iconic amps, frequently pictured with Django himself, now is the time to buy!
