reviews

I have owned my Pappas amp for over ten years now. The amp is a single channel 50 watt head with a 2×12 cabinet. It still looks and sounds great even after seeing me through high school gigs at house parties and crawfish boils, college gigs in jazz combos and pit orchestras, and the inevitable “alumni blues” gigs for my dog in my living room. I’m sure many of the reviews you read will focus on the sound itself, and of course the amps sound fantastic, but as I feel I’d give an inadequate description of the sound, I’d like to instead highlight a couple of the more abstract advantages. I’d also recommend playing through one yourself as that is the only way you can truly experience the quality of care that Cody puts into them. That’s why my first point of advantage is the man himself. Through the purchase of my amp I had the pleasure of meeting Cody. He is kind, knowledgeable, and open to discuss his work with anyone that’s interested. Although he cares deeply about his designs, he is not precious about changing something in the name of improvement or tailoring aspects to an individual. In fact, the build documents (which I still have) explicitly state the amp was designed to be modified easily. Just last year he swapped speakers in my cabinet and updated the circuitry when I told him about a particular feel I was after. He’s happy to work with you to get the sound you want even when your ideal sound changes down the line. To me, Cody’s involved approach regarding the satisfaction of fellow musicians is enough to justify double the asking price. If you already know him, I’d be willing to bet you just nodded your head in agreement (maybe even spoke out loud). If you don’t know him and are considering buying one of his amps, I can assure you that you will feel at ease throughout the process no matter at which point you find yourself in your musical development.

Which brings me to the next point, the amp will make you a better player. That may seem like a bold statement, perhaps a sales pitch you would get from an overeager employee at Guitar Center with a tenuous grasp on the idea of personal space, but I will do my best to explain (from a safe distance). The clarity, sensitivity, and “essentials only” presentation of Cody’s amps offer any musician who plugs into them the gift of honest self assessment. There is no hiding when you play through one. I don’t care what ad you saw on YouTube, unfortunately, there is no shortcut to learning how to play an instrument with confidence. However, there are tools to help you along the unending journey, and I can safely say that my Pappas amp has been invaluable to me as one such tool. Playing through it is like looking in the mirror each morning. I don’t always look my best and I’ll never look like Brad Pitt, but at least I have the opportunity to look at an accurate reflection of myself and say, “Yup, that’s me.”