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They both got that powerful transparent tone with thundering lows and a crisp top. The Colorsound Power Boost and Tube Driver are very similar, which may be one of the reasons why David chose the Tube Driver. The pedal was also an essential part of his tones on 2006 On an Island album an tour. The classic Colorsound Power Boost was David’s main overdrive unit in the 70’s and after some experimentation with different units in the 80’s he settled with the Tube Driver during the Division Bell sessions in 1993-94. Ever since 1994’s Division Bell he’s been using the Tube Driver as his main overdrive unit and it’s been one of my favourites for the last couple of years. If you’d like to watch an interview with Max talking about amps and his builds – please visit our video page to hear what he had to say for yourself.David is often associated with his lead tones but he’s a master creating the sweetest overdrive tones too. You can fill out the form below to send email, or to submit a picture to us of your Butler Amp for the photo gallery. You can read more about our eBay rant here. That doesn’t mean, however, you should pay as much as a used car for one of his amps (unless you really, really want it). If you really want a Max Butler amp they are a bit rare, and since he’s no longer with us he can’t build one for you anymore. That auction points to this page as a reference, so it was a good opportunity for us to call them out.
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There’s another auction (currently) that says “think Dumble” in the title and the price is a bit of sticker shock as well. The claims that are suspect are that it’s in any way like a Dumble (it’s not, the Swamp is a modified classic Fender Bassman circuit), and also that Kenny Wayne Shepherd played one (a complete lie). He started at $9,995 and has come down over the months to (now) $3,995. There is one seller that has been trying to sell his Butler Swamp head since Spring 2015. Unfortunately there are eBay auctions that crop up from time to time with sellers that are (in my opinion) inflating the truth (and prices), and sometimes outright lying. The only thing they have in common is that they both built something for Eric Johnson. BK Butler is in no way affiliated with Max Butler. There was (for a short time) an amp based on that pedal produced also called the Tube Driver. BK Butler build the infamous Tube Driver guitar pedal used by Eric Johnson, Billy Gibbons, and scores of others. Often people get Max Butler confused with BK Butler (because they both designed amps). Because he was a player, the amps he built were tuned “by ear” – something that you will NEVER get from an assembly line guitar amp – made in America or not. Even though he has only 2 main amp models – he would custom tailor a guitar amp to your personal specifications. He listened to what you liked in an amp, and if were local he also listened to you play in his basement. He built 350-400 amps over those 30+ years. In the many talks I had with him, he told me in no uncertain terms that any amp builder that doesn’t play guitar himself will never be able to credibly “tune the amp”.
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Max was a “player”, and his passion is building amps for people. His 9-5 job before he retired was in real estate. Max was not an engineer, he was not an electrician, he never even had a job related to electronics. I created this website for him in 2008 as a resource to help people find him, because other than email he really wasn’t on the Internet. After multiple visits to his home he custom built my second Butler amp for me (a Swamp). My name is John Pratt, and I met Max in 2006 when I asked to service my first Butler amp (the Silver Hammer). Unfortunately Max passed away on at the age of 80. He’s built amps for some very famous players, and he’s never tried to “cash in” despite his incredible knowledge and talent. Max has never advertised in any way – on, or off the Internet, and yet he’s friends with some of the biggest names in electronics, gear, and amp building in the world. For those of us that have met Max, and that play and use his amps – there is nothing else. He definitely chased “the tone” all of that time, and was building custom guitar amps well before the terms “boutique” or “vintage” amps were coined. Max Butler built point to point style guitar amps quietly in Eaton Rapids, Michigan for more than 32 years.