Vintage Guitar Reviews the Clark Beaufort

By Gerald Weber

Although there have been 30-some new amplifier companies claiming to build replicas of '50s tweed style amps, very few companies actually do it right. The Clark Amplification Beaufort Amplifier rates as one of the few.

When unpacking the Beaufort, the attention to detail in the packaging was my first tip-off this was a product from someone who actually cared and was paying attention. The Beaufort is Clark Amplification's top of the line model replica of the late-'50s Tweed Deluxe.

Cabinet construction consisted of finger-jointed solid pine - exactly like the original. There were no knots in the wood (this impressed me, because I know how hard it is to get good pine these days. This guy knows how to select his wood). The impeccably covered tweed cabinet had all the tweed lines going the correct directions and had a slightly yellowed look just like an original. The corners were cut just right. Leather, machine - stitched handle and nickel - plated chassis bolts had the right look. Decorative head bolts were used to attach the plywood baffleboard to the cabinet.

A beautifully polished triple chromeplated 18-gauge steel chassis with perfect lettering completed the outside package. Looking in the back of the amp, I noticed an original Jensen P12Q 12" speaker. Michael Clark told me the amp comes with the customer's choice of speakers - currently-manufactured or reconed vintage. I removed the back panel to take a gander at the innards and what to my two bloodshot eyes should appear? NOS ceramic Cinch 9-pin preamp tube sockets and ceramic octal sockets for the power tubes and rectifier. The octal sockets were not NOS, but they were the nicest new manufactured sockets I've seen. The inside of the socket literally wrapped around the tube pins and were gold-plated with gold-plated solder lugs.

The tube complement included two RCA NOS 12AX7 preamp tubes, a matched pair of Phillips JAN 6V6 output tubes, and a RCA 5V4 rectifier. Although 5E3 Deluxes used a 5Y3 rectifier tube, I have always thought the 5V4 was a better choice because it is indirectly heated and takes a while to heat up; thus eliminating the need for a standby switch. Like the original, there is no standby switch. Also, the 5V4 puts out a little more voltage, which means more power and a little more headroom. A handwired, eyeleted board was neatly laid out exactly like an original using carbon composition resistors, cloth covered wire, and foil and paper (oil filled) capacitors. Filter caps were the Sprague 16 Uf/475 volt. Also, I noticed premium CTS pots with Switchcraft input jacks, Carling switches, and even an Ohmite cathode resistor for the power tubes! I couldn't help being impressed by the tidy lead dress and flawless soldering inside this amp. It was neater than any original I have ever seen, and I've seen plenty of originals.

How does this amplifier sound? Very much like an original 5E3 Deluxe! I ran my Kendrick Town House guitar through it and got a singing sweetness that would have turned a yellow canary green with envy. The clean setting had more usable range than an original. The CTS pots used in the Beaufort have a slower taper than original pots. This results in a smoother volume control with much more usable range. It is interesting to note that tweed Deluxe amps were some of the only amps made in which the circuitry does not use a voltage divider for the volume controls. This circuit design loads down the signal to attenuate volume. The problem with all originals is that the volume comes up so quickly that it leaves the player with hardly any range for a clean setting.

Also, the volume controls were interactive, just like an original. This allows the player to control the midrange of the channel used by turning the volume of the channel not being used. Maximum midrange occurs when the volume control of the unused channel is set about half up (about 5). Maximum midrange scoop occurs when the volume control of the unused channel is almost all the way up. When plugged into the bright channel with the volume about half up and then turning the normal channel almost all the way up (around 10) gave a clean tone very similar to a grand piano sound.

I am not easily impressed with guitar amplifiers, but I must say playing the Beaufort was an emotional experience. This amp may have been the quietest Deluxe-style amp I have heard. With the volume turned up and the tone set high, the hum and hiss level was so low that from three feet away I couldn't tell if the amp was on or off. Of course, I could put my ear directly against the speaker and hear a very slight hiss.

I also noticed one other difference. The ground toggle switch has a center off position as well as the standard two on positions, and the heavy-duty-yet-supple-soft black rubber-insulated AC cord has a third ground prong to eliminate those nasty electrical shocks common with non-earth grounded originals.

If you are a collector who wants the vintage thang, go get an original and have it restored and overhauled. The original is a classic and will always be sought after. But if you want the tone without the service problems of a 40-year-old amp, the Clark Amplification Beaufort has the tone, new components, and an extra 40 years of life!