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Emberato 18
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Emberato 18

$3,175.00
ColorEvergreen - Copper
Speaker
Optional Upgrades:
Alnico Speaker Upgrade (+$120)
Two-Tone Custom Finish (+$120)

The Emberato 18 is a hand-built, hand-wired 18-watt tube amplifier crafted in Salem, Oregon, designed to deliver expressive tone, dynamic feel, and uncompromising build quality. Built on a traditional turret board mounted to an FR4 substrate, it combines serviceable hand-wired construction with long-term stability and consistency. Powered by dual JJ 6V6 tubes, precision-selected JJ preamp valves, custom-wound Sour transformers by Bryan Sours, and a constant-impedance reactive attenuator with seven steps down to -21 dB, it maintains consistent response from full output to stage-friendly levels. Housed in a resonant poplar cabinet with Baltic birch baffles, rattle-free dovetail construction, durable custom finishes, and your choice of Amperian VSOP Alnico or Ceramic speaker, the Emberato 18 blends boutique craftsmanship with modern versatility for studio, stage, and everything between.

The Heart of the Amplifier

Every amplifier is powered by custom Soursound transformers, hand-wound in Portland, Oregon by Bryan Sours, who brings a creative and masterful approach to the art of transformer design and construction. Our close proximity to Soursound allows true collaboration and transformers voiced specifically for the response and character we’re after.

Full Power, Controlled Volume

The Emberato’s built-in attenuator offers seven selectable steps in precise 3 dB increments, from -3 dB down to -21 dB, with a bypass switch on the top panel and a true hard-bypass located under the chassis. It maintains a constant 8-ohm impedance at every setting, so your tone, feel, and speaker response remain unchanged—perfect for smaller venues, church stages, or any situation where FOH needs you quieter without touching your sound.

Amperian V.S.O.P. Alnico

The Amperian V.S.O.P. Alnico is an expressive, boutique driver designed to capture the most sought-after qualities of classic alnico speakers from both sides of the Atlantic. With shimmering top-end detail, rich midrange warmth, and an unusually full low end for an alnico, it features a 40 oz alnico motor (100 dB sensitivity), 1.75” voice coil, and a 55 Hz UK-made Kurt Mueller cone, delivering depth and articulation that pairs effortlessly with the Emberato’s dynamic response. Hand-built in Paducah, Kentucky.

Let the Cabinet Breathe

Our cabinet finish isn’t just cosmetic, it’s part of the instrument. Instead of wrapping the enclosure in thick vinyl and layers of adhesive, each cabinet receives multiple hand-sprayed coats of a durable pigmented finish that cures directly to the wood. Traditional tolex coverings can add roughly 25–28 mils of vinyl material before even accounting for glue layer, creating a thick barrier between the cabinet and the air, while our multi-coat finish builds only a fraction of that thickness while still providing exceptional durability. The final coat is applied with a subtle smooth-to-hand texture that resists wear, and helps protect the cabinet without muting its natural resonance. Our Mono Color finishes incorporate a layered visual approach, combining a primary base color with two complementary spec or dot colors that create depth and character while keeping the overall aesthetic cohesive and refined.

Where Structure Meets Resonance

The cabinet shell is built from solid one piece poplar boards, a wood prized for its balanced resonance, light weight, and lively acoustic response, allowing the enclosure to contribute musically rather than dampen the sound. Critical structural components, including the front baffle, sub-baffle, and back panel are made from Baltic birch plywood for strength and stability, all joined with through-dovetail joinery and built to tight tolerances to create a rigid, unified cabinet that resists rattles, buzzes, and unwanted vibrations, even at high volume and under heavy low-end response.

Carefully Voiced Tube Complement

The Emberato 18 runs a full complement of JJ tubes chosen for gain structure, balance, and long-term stability, anchored by a matched pair of JJ 6V6S 'Double Mica' power tubes sourced from Eurotubes in Portland, Oregon for consistent biasing, tight low end, and smooth transition into power-stage saturation. The preamp begins with a JJ E83CC, a high quality frame grid style tube in V1 for extended headroom and low noise, followed by a JJ ECC83MG in V2 for harmonically rich gain shaping, while a long plate JJ ECC803S drives the long-tail-pair phase inverter, providing strong drive symmetry, balanced phase splitting, and articulate power-tube response across the entire attenuation range.

Electronics & Components

  • 18-watt, all-tube amplifier
  • Power section: 2× JJ 6V6S Double Mica, matched pair (sourced from Eurotubes, Portland OR)
  • Preamp: JJ E83CC (V1), JJ ECC83MG (V2)
  • Phase inverter: JJ ECC803S long plate
  • Custom-wound Soursound transformers by Bryan Sours (Portland, OR)
  • Low-noise Vishay & Yageo metal film resistors throughout signal path
  • Mallory 150 and Vishay film capacitors for coupling and tone shaping
  • F&T electrolytic capacitors in power supply
  • CDE silver mica capacitors for precision high-frequency control
  • Turret board construction on FR4 substrate for stable, serviceable, hand-wired electronics.

Built-In Attenuator

  • Integrated constant-impedance reactive attenuator
  • 7 selectable attenuation steps in 3 dB increments
  • Range: -3 dB to -21 dB
  • Maintains constant 8-ohm load at all settings
  • Top-panel bypass switch
  • Chassis-mounted true hard bypass
  • Dedicated attenuator network using Ohmite HS10 & HS25 wirewound resistors (10W–25W)
  • Attenuator housed in separate aluminum enclosure for heat dissipation

Controls

  • Bright Volume
  • Normal Volume
  • Bass
  • Treble
  • Presence control with switchable negative feedback / no-feedback operation
  • Primary controls use custom-spec Bourns potentiometers

Cabinet & Construction

  • Solid poplar cabinet shell for balanced resonance
  • Baltic birch plywood front baffle, sub-baffle, and back panel
  • Through-dovetail joinery
  • Tight-tolerance, rattle-free cabinet construction
  • Durable direct-to-wood finish (no tolex or adhesive layer)
  • Subtle smooth-to-hand textured final coat for added durability

Speaker Options

  • Amperian V.S.O.P. Alnico (40 oz alnico motor, 100 dB sensitivity, 55 Hz UK Mueller cone)
  • Amperian Custom Explorer 30 Ceramic (55 Hz UK Mueller cone)

Hardware & Mechanical

  • .068” 308 stainless steel chassis
  • Belton tube sockets (including Micalex 9-pin with shielding where required)
  • Switchcraft input/output jacks
  • Carling toggle switches
  • Alpha rotary switches
  • Panel-mounted fuse holder
  • Silicone-free thermal interface compound on chassis-mounted power components

Build

  • Hand-built in Salem, Oregon, USA
  • Built by Harvey Gerlitz, David Iliyn, and Darrell Adams
  • Warranty Info

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Every Emberato amplifier is humbly hand-built in Salem, Oregon by Harvey Gerlitz, David Iliyn, and Darrell Adams, with careful attention to detail and an unwavering focus on tone. Each amp is crafted by hand and by ear, guided by one goal above all else: sound.

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