In my semi-ideal environment, I've developed a few ideas that I'm sure I have in common with a lot of you. One that stands out right at the moment is this: Tone Is Not For Sale. I frequently see advertisements that portray "Tone" as some kind of commodity that can be bought and sold. To understand the flaw in that concept, you have to first understand where tone comes from.

A while back, my wife put on an old record, kept the jacket concealed, and said to me, "What Johnny Winter song is this?" I gave her a suspicious look and answered, "That's Rory Gallagher." She smiled knowingly.

The point is this: Every time you hear the unique vibrato of one of your favorite guitarists, the bend of the note, that essential personality, you recognize it immediately. It's an intuitive process that works on a physical as well as an intellectual and emotional level. This is my definition of "tone".

Your tone is your personal signature. Like a fingerprint, it's part of who you are. But it's also just the beginning.

He didn't originate the concept, but nobody more than Jimi Hendrix proved beyond the shadow of doubt that your amplifier is an integral part of your instrument. An extension of your guitar, if you will. To carry it a step further, you could even argue that his fingers via the guitar were controlling his amplifier. However you choose to look at it, few would argue the fact that this was a revelation that has sent legions of players on a quest. A quest not for the mythical "Holy Grail of tone", but the true relationship between tone, power, and expression with which you create your own tonal signature.

For the last twenty-five years, I've been playing, tweaking, tuning, dialing...and cursing. Ten years ago it hit me like a ton of bricks. The only way I was going to realize my goal was to build my own amp. The frustration that set me on this course was simply knowing that nobody was gonna do it for me. So I decided to get busy.

Ten years later, I'm still tweaking. Still learning. (Still cursing…) Still driven to overcome the challenge to create amplifiers that embellish and enhance the creative impulse. Instruments that give voice and expression to the essential ingredient hidden in your fingertips.

Fact is, I play more now than ever before. And the more I play the more demanding I become of my instrument and myself. Sound familiar?

At VHT, our goal is to produce a range of amplifiers unparalleled in quality, versatility and range of sound. The people here are a small but talented group dedicated to creating the kind of instruments that beginners and professionals are proud to own and use.

Every VHT amplifier is hand built right here in our factory in Newbury Park. Each assembly and sub-assembly operation is triple-checked for accuracy, neatness and operation. I personally check, test, bias, play test and final inspect every single amplifier that leaves our factory. Every speaker cabinet is tested for proper, wiring, phase, frequency response, vibration, final assembly and finish.

Our unique blend of top quality components, precision wound custom transformers, careful application of modern technology and strict hands on attention to every last detail produce amplifiers like nothing else you'll find anywhere.

While considering the various models and features, keep this thought in mind: You already own your tone. It's something you're born with. Our objective is to give you what you need to develop your signature sound. To define that part of your art that sets you apart from the crowd.