Darrell Adams
Darrell Adams serves as the electrical designer at Gerlitz USA, bringing decades of experience repairing and building vacuum tube amplifiers. Alongside founders Erick Cook and Harvey Gerlitz, Darrell built amplifiers from the early years of 1999 through 2006, helping shape the foundation of the company’s approach to tone and circuit design. With a background in electrical design and an Electronics Engineering degree from Oregon State University, he brings deep technical knowledge to every design. Darrell understands the unique language of tone and knows how to translate what Harvey wants to hear from an amplifier into practical circuit design, turning sonic ideas into reliable, musical results.
David Iliyn
David Iliyn brings a diverse creative background to Gerlitz USA, with nearly two decades of experience working in live sound and recording, along with a background in photography and videography. He currently runs the woodshop at Gerlitz USA, where all cabinets are built from scratch, combining hands-on craftsmanship with a strong understanding of how materials and construction influence tone. A lifelong Salem, Oregon resident, David lives with his wife, Katharine, and their two children, Farley and William, and brings creativity, attention to detail, and pride in workmanship to every amplifier that leaves the shop.
Harvey Gerlitz
Harvey Gerlitz is the founder of Gerlitz USA and has spent decades working closely with musicians and the craft of guitar care. In 1995, alongside Erick Cook and later Darrell Adams, he started Gerlitz Amplifiers, producing the “Revelator,” a unique design that essentially combined two amplifiers into one. After closing the company in the early 2000s, Harvey continued serving players through his guitar care products, Guitar Honey and Smudge Off, while working as a luthier focused on electric and acoustic guitar repair. The dream of returning to amplifier building never left, and that vision ultimately led to the creation of the Emberato 18, a simpler, more focused amplifier built around the tone and feel he always wanted to achieve.
Take a look behind the scenes of our latest product launch.