English Electronics Tonemaster

Probe an American-made amplifier from the ’50s not made by one of the big names and there’s a good chance it emanated from the Valco factory. That’s certainly the case with the stylish English Electronics Tonemaster combo. Fans of the many great vintage British amps will be forgiven for getting all hot and bothered over an encounter with one, but it and others that bear the name were manufactured in the heart of the USA. In addition to building gear that appeared as Supro, Gretsch, Oahu, Airline, and other names, Valco of Chicago supplied amps and guitars to a far smaller concern branded English Electronics, headed by lap-steel guitarist and teacher Norman English in Lansing, Michigan. English used the model name Tonemaster on a line of lap-steel and Spanish electric guitars as well as amps of varying sizes. Most paralleled something else in the Valco-made lineup, though the big Chicago maker likely saw no competition in what English was offering, especially considering they were paid to manufacture them in the first place. As was often the case, the styling of the cabinet, control panel, name badge, and front fascia of this Tonemaster were unique to English Electronics, but the circuit and configuration are much like that of so many similar Valco-made combos of the era, including the Gretsch 6150 and Supro 1616. The amp is covered in a thin, goldish-tan luggage fabric with a brown faux-leather stripe bordered in tan string running around its perimeter. The separate front-mounted speaker baffle lends further dimension to the styling, as does the step down to the upper-rear-mounted control panel. It’s all topped off with a Valco “V” afloat on waves of tone (or so we suppose), stenciled on the actual metal screen material that comprises the grille. Inside, the circuit follows what most aficionados would recognize as the basic “Champ” platform with a single 12AX7 preamp tube feeding a single 6V6GT and AC-to-DC conversion by a 5Y3 rectifier tube. From there, however, it’s a little bigger than many entry-level combos of the era, carrying a single 10″ Rola Alnico speaker in place of the standard 8″ driver. That and the slightly larger cab dimensions (approximately 15″ x 15″ x 8″) hint at a somewhat fuller voice from the Tonemaster, and possibly less small-amp “boxiness.” In fact, the existence of a 1×8″ Tonemaster combo offered concurrently, which had a similar circuit but only a Volume control, indicates it was English’s version of the Champ, while this one with Volume and Tone slotted in as competition for the Fender Princeton. In addition to control knobs, the panel carries a power switch and three inputs – two for Instrument, one for Microphone. They all feed the first stage of the 12AX7 dual-triode, though the latter is potentially a little hotter thanks to its 47k-ohm grid-stopper resistor versus the 100k resistors on the instrument inputs. From there, the signal heads through a .05µF coupling capacitor to the grid-leak-biased gain stage (a topology Fender, for example, had moved past a few years before), then along from there to the cathode-biased driver stage heading into the output tube. As a single-ended circuit, it’s pure Class A by definition, with the one 6V6GT working the full signal cycle rather than taking part in a push/pull affair with a partner. Like many other Valco-made amps, the components within the Tonemaster circuit aren’t of the highest quality, but that contributes to the character of the amp in ways that are often deemed positive. Rather than the larger axial (tube-shaped) signal caps used by other big-name manufacturers of the era, those within this circuit are the smaller ceramic-disc types (other than the axial grounding cap on the fuse, which serves no sonic purpose), which are known for their warm, lo-fi, slightly granular tone. Otherwise, the carbon-comp resistors found throughout the circuit were standard for the era, and the wiring, while not the neatest, doesn’t fully suck and appears neatly and competently done. This Tonemaster’s output transformer (OT) isn’t hefty, but average size for a single-ended amp of the era. It’s mounted directly to the frame of the speaker, which at first glance might lead you to believe it’s a field-coil unit, but such is not the case. This configuration – with very short secondary leads from the OT soldered directly to the speaker’s connection tabs – means you’re stuck with the stock driver unless you break the rivets, remove it from the frame, mount it elsewhere, and install an output jack in place of the hard-wired connection, changes some players make when reconditioning these amps. Fortunately, this one is in good condition and sounds full, lively, and well-balanced. The amp exhibits decent headroom relative to its size, as well as the full-throated crunch tones with its Volume pushed past noon. Elevating the Tone control beyond halfway or so adds to the gain factor slightly while bringing an edgy brightness into the brew. The Microphone input is a hair hotter than the second Instrument input, but not as dramatically so as on some vintage amps. And the Tonemaster is not overly blessed with low-end (no surprise), but it’s still a rich, characterful performer that offers appealing edge-of-breakup tones into a studio mic for recording, in particular, or a house PA onstage. All in all, with many of the more desirable Valco-made amps finding B- or C-list collectible status, the English Electronics Tonemaster makes an interesting addition. Its stylishly alternative looks and lesser-known badge offer added interest, and its sonic personality makes it a showpiece you can actually use – and for relatively little money compared to the big-name collectibles, which is right in the Valco wheelhouse. This article originally appeared in VG’s July 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.