History:
History of Koch Guitar Electronics Koch Guitar Electronics has been designing, building and innovating guitar amplifiers since 1988. Please enjoy reading about the journey of our company from when we started in 1988 up to now.
How it began
Dolf Koch was born in 1948 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Dolf grew up listening to 50s Music. From a young age Dolf was fascinated by music and electronics. At the age of nine he built his first tube amplifier for his record player with a do-it-yourself kit his parents got him. One year later, he invented and built a tiny matchbox radio. His invention was published in an electronics hobby magazine called “Radio Blan”. Shortly after that, Dolf bought a record by “The Shadows” in 1959. He fell in love with Hank B. Marvins' unique guitar sound and playing style. Then Dolf decided he wanted to play guitar and got an acoustic guitar.
After 2 years of lessons and practice, Dolf decided he wanted to play electric guitar. Back then in 1962, electric guitars were hard to come by, so Dolf built one himself. Then he modified his parents tube radio and turned it into a guitar amplifier. Shortly after that, he formed his first band “The Lonesome Five”.
During his high school years, Dolf practised a lot and even became a local guitar hero. After high school Dolf briefly studied psychology at the University of Utrecht. After one year Dolf switched studies and enrolled at the High Technical School (HTS) in Hilversum. There Dolf learned everything he always wanted to know about tube technology. After graduating from his study in 1973, Dolf became a full time guitar player and played in several major Dutch bands. Besides that he taught acoustic and electric guitar, repaired and modified guitar amplifiers and built unique sounding tube amps which were mostly for his own use.
In 1980, Dolf quit professional playing and accepted a job as an engineer with the PA company ‘Ampco’ where he developed the well-known ASL intercom system. However, Dolf’s skills as a tube-doctor were increasingly needed in the company’s repair shop where he also serviced Fender and Marshall tube amps. This was the place where Dolf learned everything about road-testing and “foolproof” construction.
In 1988, Dolf quit his job and founded Koch Guitar Electronics. With his experience as a designer and now also as a “hot-rodder” he started to develop his own products and soon the first baby was born. In 1990, a superb sounding on-board guitar pre-amp, the GPA De-Luxe, was launched and orders for hundreds of units were placed. At first, his products were used locally however, this changed rapidly and soon his products were used all over the world.
One year later in 1991, Dolf presented his first tube amplifier, the KV50. A 19 inch all-tube stereo system for guitar. The unique Koch sound was born and standards were set for extreme versatility in sound and great tonal balance. The KV50, loaded with unique features such as Adjustable Speaker Damping, Buffered Serial & Parallel Effect Loops, Built-in Power Soak, Recording Output with Speaker Simulation Filter and Satellite Outputs was a huge innovative breakthrough within the industry and was an immediate success.
1992-1994
In 1992, Dolf presented the KC50 series. The KC50 was a combo version of the KV50 amp with the same unique features. More and more well-known artists and session players started using Dolf’s KC50 amps. At the time, the No.1 Dutch rock band ‘The Golden Earring’ (Radar Love, When the lady smiles) started to play Dolf’s amps and orders were rolling in..
Meanwhile, Dolf received many requests to build an all-tube bass amplifier. Dolf understood that bass players had grown accustomed to the lesser weight and the punchier low end of solid-state amps. Therefore, an extremely light and punchy sounding tube amp was developed. The KB2500 first saw the light in 1994. By applying the latest transformer technology, a major breakthrough was accomplished. Dolf had developed a 300W all-tube bass amp that weighed a mere 23kg (Instead of the usual 45kg!) and provided super musical and rich tube tones with solid-state-like punch and power.
1996-1997
In 1996, the Tone-series guitar amplifiers line was launched. The vision was to build retro styled, highly versatile and extremely good sounding amps. Dolf hit the bull’s eye, these amps had exactly the right mix between vintage and modern tones while providing excellent build quality, unique features, options and versatility in sounds. These amps were suited for almost every Music style and situation, from country & jazz to rock & blues to hard rock & metal and from small clubs to big stages. The Tone-series amps were here to stay.
In 1997, Koch started to work with Eden Electronics USA as Koch’s distributor in the US. At the same time, production of the KB2500 bass head ceased and the design was modified to Eden’s specifications. As a result, the Eden VT300 all-tube bass head was born which was designed and built by Koch in The Netherlands and assembled & tested by Eden.
1998-1999
During 1998 and 1999, Koch established new success in sales. In Holland, more and more guitar players started to use Koch amplifiers. As a result of that more and more music stores wanted to become Koch dealers. Due to the success on the home market in the Netherlands, Koch decided to move slowly in international markets for a while. However, everyone within the company knew that global success was lurking just around the corner and everyone started to work harder than ever before to achieve global success and recognition.
New products were being developed and the already existing product lines were improved. In the production department, new and improved production methods were implemented. In September 1999, we introduced the “LoadBox”. The LoadBox was an immediate success. Again we had built a product which was original, unique and complemented the market.
2000-2002
The new millennium proved to be the next step in the history of our company. At the Namm show in Los Angeles in January 2000, the “Pedaltone” was introduced. Then, everything we had hoped and worked hard for happened. Within weeks after the NAMM show we where overwhelmed with orders. We had a feeling this was about to happen, but never in our wildest dreams did we expect it to happen so soon. Immediately, we took the necessary steps to increase production but no matter what we did, it never proved to be enough.
Then the Frankfurt Musik Messe took place and once more orders were coming in faster than we could write them down. We knew our delivery times would increase dramatically and that we needed to expand the business if we wanted to maintain and fulfill the enormous demand. Within a few months we found the perfect building near the original facility in Amersfoort.
During 2001, the star of the company continued to rise. We had planned to move to the new facility in the summer of 2001. However, things did not always go as planned. The new building had to be adapted quite a bit and construction activities took forever. Finally, at the end of 2001 we were able to start moving to the new building.
Due to the fast growth of the company, we were not able to work on any new products for several monts. All of our attention was needed to manage our growth and to ensure that we had an answer to the continuously growing demand. After we were confident everything was in place and functioning in order to produce more while being able to preserve production quality we decided to introduce at least one new product that year. It would be a 4×10”, all-tube combo and with all the right features. We planned its’ introduction for the Frankfurter Musikmesse on the 13th till 17th of March 2002.
In 2002, despite signs of an impending economical disaster and poor economic outlook, Koch still managed to grow. Naturally, we did do it without any help. A big thank you needs to go out to our Distributors, Sales representatives and all Music Stores who made this possible.
Later in 2002 at the Frankfurt MusikMesse, we introduced the 4×10″ combo, the “Classictone”. The model shown at the MusikMesse was just the prototype, yet the reactions were incredibly overwhelming. During the summer, we once more had to improve our factory and finally in October the first production models were leaving the factory. The Classictone, withstood all tests and everyone agreed, it was a fantastic amp. Some even said it was the best Amp Koch had ever built. Naturally, this is very subjective and probably a Metal player would not agree.
Because we did not want to focus merily on the Classictone players, we also decided to work on the Powertone. The Powertone amplifier was loved by many Hi-gain lovers and had been transformed into an amp capable of doing it all. We named the improved Powertone amplifier the Powertone II. We strongly believed the Powertone II would soon find it’s place on the wishlist of many players from all musical styles. Besides introducing new products we also improved all older models.
2003-2006
During 2003, we had to work hard to maintain the position we had on the market. Particularly, the loss of our distributor in the US and the search for a replacement caused some problems. Furthermore, the economic situation of the world wasn’t helping us. As a consequence, we did not introduce any new products that year. Instead, we focused on making sure our dealer and distributor bases were expanded and improved. And all processes in the factory were scrutinized once more to perfect operations. Despite the difficulties we experienced the year ended quite well. However, we did not grow a lot and hadn’t made much progress.
Then we teamed up with a new distributor for the US, Audionova. The company based in Canada, handled sales and marketing for us in Canada and US. Because of the weakening position of the Dollars our growth in the US was slowing down as the weak position of the Dollar made our products quite expensive for US customers.
At the Winter Namm show in 2004, we introduced a new Amplifier. The Studiotone, a 20W Class A all-tube combo guitar amplifier. With the Studiotone we wanted to offer an amp in a lower price range without losing our identity as a high-end guitar amplifier manufacturer. The response to the Studiotone was great, everyone was excited and many orders were placed. The Studiotone became our company’s biggest commercial success. Within a year we sold close to 400 units, which for our company is quite a lot. We were also working on the design of new amplifiers however, because of the lack of time resulting from the success of the Studiotone we were not able to introduce these new products in 2004. The only new product we introduced at the Winter Namm of 2005 was the Studiotone head version. Once more, the product was very well received.
Then at the Frankfurt MusikMesse in April 2005 we introduced the Twintone II. The original Twintone I amp had been a success and had sold well for over 10 years, but we felt it was time to come up with an upgrade. We decided to give the Twintone II a third channel and we added a five-way footswitch. The footswitch allowed you to switch between all three channels, the reverb and our own Solo/Rhythm function which essentially are two master volumes which can be set at different levels. Our customers’ and dealers’ reactions were overwhelming and the future looked very promising. We believed we would see the next step in our company’s history and expected another expansion. Koch Guitar Electronics was becoming a force to be reckoned with on the All-tube guitar amp market.
2007-2010
Throughout 2007, we were working hard to fulfil all orders and sought to further improve our production. Behind the scenes, Dolf Koch was constantly working on the development of new products and toward the end of 2007 we were ready to launch our long awaited Supernova head. The Supernova is the most complex amp we have ever built. The moment it hit the market people were amazed by the sound quality, versatility and many features coming from a fully analog amplifier.
A few months later, we introduced the bigger brother of the Studiotone. Many Studiotone users had requested a more powerful version of the Studiotone. With these requests in mind, we came up with the Studiotone XL which packed 40Watts rather than the original 20Watts which ensured continued success of the Studiotone amp.
In 2007 the market was slowly changing. In the past, guitar players did not mind carrying around big and heavy heads and cabinets however, things were changing and guitar players wanted their amps and cabinets to be small and light weight. We decided it was time to take things to a different level. We wanted to build a small portable combo dedicated to the more traditional guitar player. An amp which would be very responsive and could easily be controlled with the volume of the guitar. The Classic SE was born, a single-ended Class A amplifier. At first, we launched a 6Watt version however, many people requested a bigger version. Hence, shortly after its’ introduction we introduced the 12Watt version of the Classic SE. The extra power and bigger cabinet were exactly what many players were looking for and the Classic SE started to become more popular. The Classic SE is one our best looking amps and simple amps to date. With only three knobs, various boost functions and half/full power switch the amp allows guitar players to find many musical ways to fully employ the different tonal characteristics of vacuum tubes.
In 2007 the housing market in the US collapsed and the financial crisis we are currently still in had started. Our US dealers were starting to feel changes in the market and worldwide economic concern increased. We managed to maintain growth despite the beginning phase of the crisis. A few years later in 2010, the crisis started to affect both the US and European markets. Companies throughout the guitar industry started to feel the effects such as declining sales and the increasingly harder to get capital from banks needed to grow businesses. Fortunately, our company was able to maintain growth and remain financially solid due to our loyal customer base and great efforts made by our dealers and distributors. Then disaster struck when one of our suppliers could no longer provide us with our custom transformers. Due to our specific needs and custom design it took quite a while to find a new supplier who could provide the same high quality component we had always had. As a consequence, the list of backorders increased quite a bit during 2010 and we had to delay delivery of some of our products. During 2011 we got back on track with a new supplier who exceeded our expectations and could resume delivering our products.
2011
In 2011, we released two new amplifiers. The Startrooper and Jupiter hybrid combo amps. After their introduction on the Frankfurt MusikMesse in 2011, we had been working very hard to get the amps in stores. Almost immediately the response on the green boutique style Jupiter hybrid amp was incredible. Lovers of vintage tones hailed the amp for its’ response, tonal qualities and portability. We knew we had a winner.
Jupiter video was included?
We also introduced a Limited Edition of our most successful amp, the Studiotone. This snow white Limited Edition version symbolises a new Koch Amps chapter and we hope is going to be a collector’s Item someday.
2012
In 2012, despite the ever intensifying effects of the crisis on the guitar market we introduced several new products. We introduced the new and improved Twintone III, Powertone III Prototype, Pedaltone II and all new Dummybox Home and Studio/PA versions. Never before had we introduced this many new products at once.
The Twintone III is the upgraded version of the Twintone II amp. We refreshed the look of the combo and head versions, increased the size of the combo, improved its’ tonal qualities and added several neat features such as the Rythym/Solo Master controls. Furthermore, we improved the sound quality of the direct recording output and reverb considerably, extended speaker cabinet connectivity, enhanced the sound of the overdrive channel and gain boost. The response on the Twintone III was and still is awesome, players from all different genres from jazz to metal and everything in between praised its’ tonal qualities, versatility and now: vintage style chickenhead knobs.
We also introduced the Powertone III prototype head. The new Powertone was still in development, but we wanted to show what we were doing and get feedback on the new OTS function, speaker damping and controls. The response was awesome, while working with artists to develop the amp and the introduction we received useful feedback we would later apply in the development process of the final production version which will be introduced in 2013.
The Pedaltone was also improved and we introduced the Pedaltone II. The new Pedaltone now featured the new OTS function which gives the effect of output tube saturation typically found when playing amplifiers on very loud volume levels. Furthermore, we added the Rythym/Solo Master volume controls, introduced a post fx-loop, headphone out, tons of outputs and made its sound fatter than its predecessor. Beyond our expectations, the first production run of the Pedaltone II sold out rather quickly.
As if it wasn’t enough we had introduced two more new products. The Dummybox Home and Dummybox Studio/PA versions. The Dummybox in essence is a lighter and more affordable version of the Loadbox II power attenuator and allows guitar players to crank their amp while keeping the volume low. Both Dummybox versions feature several direct outputs for recording, filtered speaker simulation and microphone simulation. All analog! The Dummybox is a perfect tool for both the (home)studio, live, rehearsal and bedroom. The response on the Dummybox was awesome and we quickly sold out the first and second production runs.
To organise our operations more efficiently and allow the expansion of product lines we relocated our production facility to ‘s Gravenzande near Rotterdam. The research and development lab is still located in Amersfoort near Dolf Koch his house. Over the years, we found this is the optimal environment for R&D as sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night with new electronic design ideas and concepts.
Present
This year Koch Amps will celebrate its’ 25 year anniversary. From 1988 to 2013 we have been building some of the worlds finest guitar amplifiers and electronics. We had our ups and downs but managed to stick around. We are incredibly greatful for the support we have received over the last 25 years from artists, guitar players, dealers and distributors. It is thanks to them and you that we are still around and able to do what we do best.
In true Koch tradition, all final assembly and production of the amps is done at the Koch factory in The Netherlands to meet the highest quality standards. To us maintaining one of the highest quality standards is of the utmost importance because we want to become a well-known and respected guitar amplifier manufacturer. Therefore, each Koch amplifier and any other Koch product is thoroughly inspected, both visually and electronically. Furthermore, the amps are sound tested 3 times in different stages of the production process. An amp only leaves our factory if its 100% OK. Still, despite rigourous testing this does not guarantee that our products can not breakdown. During transportation or use of the product lots of things can go wrong. If this is the case and one of our products fails we’ll help you solve the problem as quick as humanly possible.
In order to best service our customers and product users we have designed and built the amps to allow easy servicing and access to components. We have no double-sided PC boards with unreachable parts on the bottom side. Instead, all our parts are on the surface and have extra long ends so they can be replaced in no time. All our opamps are on sockets and therefore easy to replace. The PC boards are designed in such a way, that the circuit is easy to follow. Furthermore, we added trim pots and measuring points to simplify the biasing process of the amp to make replacing tubes a quick 10 minute job.
Our cabinets are built in a special factory equipped with sophisticated machinery. Our supplier makes use of certified ‘green’ wood and is accredited with all green certifications to guarantee that our customers are receiving a responsably sustainably built product.
Currently, Koch is looking at a bright future. The popularity of Koch Amps is increasing, more fans of our products have emerged and more and more dealers world wide sell our products. To build our credibility we strive to build high quality products with perfect tonal balance, practical features which complement the way guitar players’ interact with their gear while striving to have the best service and reliability in the business. Thanks to the belief in our products by our customers, guitar players, artists, dealers and distributors we’ve managed to build some of the worlds’ finest guitar amplifiers for over 25 years. It is our mission to continue to improve the existing products and develop even better new products. Years ago, Dutch professional guitarists recognised the quality of Koch Amps products, many players have been fans for years and have owned multiple Koch amps and products. We hope the rest of the world will also recognise the quality of our products and allow us to continue for many more years to come.
We have set up an Artist Relations program to deepen our relationships with artists. We are always looking for talented guitar players who play larger venues on a consistent basis either locally or globally. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you are excited about our product and would like to become an endorser. Together with your help we would like to make Koch Amps the next big name in guitar amplification.
History of Koch Guitar Electronics Koch Guitar Electronics has been designing, building and innovating guitar amplifiers since 1988. Please enjoy reading about the journey of our company from when we started in 1988 up to now.
How it began
Dolf Koch was born in 1948 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Dolf grew up listening to 50s Music. From a young age Dolf was fascinated by music and electronics. At the age of nine he built his first tube amplifier for his record player with a do-it-yourself kit his parents got him. One year later, he invented and built a tiny matchbox radio. His invention was published in an electronics hobby magazine called “Radio Blan”. Shortly after that, Dolf bought a record by “The Shadows” in 1959. He fell in love with Hank B. Marvins' unique guitar sound and playing style. Then Dolf decided he wanted to play guitar and got an acoustic guitar.
After 2 years of lessons and practice, Dolf decided he wanted to play electric guitar. Back then in 1962, electric guitars were hard to come by, so Dolf built one himself. Then he modified his parents tube radio and turned it into a guitar amplifier. Shortly after that, he formed his first band “The Lonesome Five”.
During his high school years, Dolf practised a lot and even became a local guitar hero. After high school Dolf briefly studied psychology at the University of Utrecht. After one year Dolf switched studies and enrolled at the High Technical School (HTS) in Hilversum. There Dolf learned everything he always wanted to know about tube technology. After graduating from his study in 1973, Dolf became a full time guitar player and played in several major Dutch bands. Besides that he taught acoustic and electric guitar, repaired and modified guitar amplifiers and built unique sounding tube amps which were mostly for his own use.
In 1980, Dolf quit professional playing and accepted a job as an engineer with the PA company ‘Ampco’ where he developed the well-known ASL intercom system. However, Dolf’s skills as a tube-doctor were increasingly needed in the company’s repair shop where he also serviced Fender and Marshall tube amps. This was the place where Dolf learned everything about road-testing and “foolproof” construction.
In 1988, Dolf quit his job and founded Koch Guitar Electronics. With his experience as a designer and now also as a “hot-rodder” he started to develop his own products and soon the first baby was born. In 1990, a superb sounding on-board guitar pre-amp, the GPA De-Luxe, was launched and orders for hundreds of units were placed. At first, his products were used locally however, this changed rapidly and soon his products were used all over the world.
One year later in 1991, Dolf presented his first tube amplifier, the KV50. A 19 inch all-tube stereo system for guitar. The unique Koch sound was born and standards were set for extreme versatility in sound and great tonal balance. The KV50, loaded with unique features such as Adjustable Speaker Damping, Buffered Serial & Parallel Effect Loops, Built-in Power Soak, Recording Output with Speaker Simulation Filter and Satellite Outputs was a huge innovative breakthrough within the industry and was an immediate success.
1992-1994
In 1992, Dolf presented the KC50 series. The KC50 was a combo version of the KV50 amp with the same unique features. More and more well-known artists and session players started using Dolf’s KC50 amps. At the time, the No.1 Dutch rock band ‘The Golden Earring’ (Radar Love, When the lady smiles) started to play Dolf’s amps and orders were rolling in..
Meanwhile, Dolf received many requests to build an all-tube bass amplifier. Dolf understood that bass players had grown accustomed to the lesser weight and the punchier low end of solid-state amps. Therefore, an extremely light and punchy sounding tube amp was developed. The KB2500 first saw the light in 1994. By applying the latest transformer technology, a major breakthrough was accomplished. Dolf had developed a 300W all-tube bass amp that weighed a mere 23kg (Instead of the usual 45kg!) and provided super musical and rich tube tones with solid-state-like punch and power.
1996-1997
In 1996, the Tone-series guitar amplifiers line was launched. The vision was to build retro styled, highly versatile and extremely good sounding amps. Dolf hit the bull’s eye, these amps had exactly the right mix between vintage and modern tones while providing excellent build quality, unique features, options and versatility in sounds. These amps were suited for almost every Music style and situation, from country & jazz to rock & blues to hard rock & metal and from small clubs to big stages. The Tone-series amps were here to stay.
In 1997, Koch started to work with Eden Electronics USA as Koch’s distributor in the US. At the same time, production of the KB2500 bass head ceased and the design was modified to Eden’s specifications. As a result, the Eden VT300 all-tube bass head was born which was designed and built by Koch in The Netherlands and assembled & tested by Eden.
1998-1999
During 1998 and 1999, Koch established new success in sales. In Holland, more and more guitar players started to use Koch amplifiers. As a result of that more and more music stores wanted to become Koch dealers. Due to the success on the home market in the Netherlands, Koch decided to move slowly in international markets for a while. However, everyone within the company knew that global success was lurking just around the corner and everyone started to work harder than ever before to achieve global success and recognition.
New products were being developed and the already existing product lines were improved. In the production department, new and improved production methods were implemented. In September 1999, we introduced the “LoadBox”. The LoadBox was an immediate success. Again we had built a product which was original, unique and complemented the market.
2000-2002
The new millennium proved to be the next step in the history of our company. At the Namm show in Los Angeles in January 2000, the “Pedaltone” was introduced. Then, everything we had hoped and worked hard for happened. Within weeks after the NAMM show we where overwhelmed with orders. We had a feeling this was about to happen, but never in our wildest dreams did we expect it to happen so soon. Immediately, we took the necessary steps to increase production but no matter what we did, it never proved to be enough.
Then the Frankfurt Musik Messe took place and once more orders were coming in faster than we could write them down. We knew our delivery times would increase dramatically and that we needed to expand the business if we wanted to maintain and fulfill the enormous demand. Within a few months we found the perfect building near the original facility in Amersfoort.
During 2001, the star of the company continued to rise. We had planned to move to the new facility in the summer of 2001. However, things did not always go as planned. The new building had to be adapted quite a bit and construction activities took forever. Finally, at the end of 2001 we were able to start moving to the new building.
Due to the fast growth of the company, we were not able to work on any new products for several monts. All of our attention was needed to manage our growth and to ensure that we had an answer to the continuously growing demand. After we were confident everything was in place and functioning in order to produce more while being able to preserve production quality we decided to introduce at least one new product that year. It would be a 4×10”, all-tube combo and with all the right features. We planned its’ introduction for the Frankfurter Musikmesse on the 13th till 17th of March 2002.
In 2002, despite signs of an impending economical disaster and poor economic outlook, Koch still managed to grow. Naturally, we did do it without any help. A big thank you needs to go out to our Distributors, Sales representatives and all Music Stores who made this possible.
Later in 2002 at the Frankfurt MusikMesse, we introduced the 4×10″ combo, the “Classictone”. The model shown at the MusikMesse was just the prototype, yet the reactions were incredibly overwhelming. During the summer, we once more had to improve our factory and finally in October the first production models were leaving the factory. The Classictone, withstood all tests and everyone agreed, it was a fantastic amp. Some even said it was the best Amp Koch had ever built. Naturally, this is very subjective and probably a Metal player would not agree.
Because we did not want to focus merily on the Classictone players, we also decided to work on the Powertone. The Powertone amplifier was loved by many Hi-gain lovers and had been transformed into an amp capable of doing it all. We named the improved Powertone amplifier the Powertone II. We strongly believed the Powertone II would soon find it’s place on the wishlist of many players from all musical styles. Besides introducing new products we also improved all older models.
2003-2006
During 2003, we had to work hard to maintain the position we had on the market. Particularly, the loss of our distributor in the US and the search for a replacement caused some problems. Furthermore, the economic situation of the world wasn’t helping us. As a consequence, we did not introduce any new products that year. Instead, we focused on making sure our dealer and distributor bases were expanded and improved. And all processes in the factory were scrutinized once more to perfect operations. Despite the difficulties we experienced the year ended quite well. However, we did not grow a lot and hadn’t made much progress.
Then we teamed up with a new distributor for the US, Audionova. The company based in Canada, handled sales and marketing for us in Canada and US. Because of the weakening position of the Dollars our growth in the US was slowing down as the weak position of the Dollar made our products quite expensive for US customers.
At the Winter Namm show in 2004, we introduced a new Amplifier. The Studiotone, a 20W Class A all-tube combo guitar amplifier. With the Studiotone we wanted to offer an amp in a lower price range without losing our identity as a high-end guitar amplifier manufacturer. The response to the Studiotone was great, everyone was excited and many orders were placed. The Studiotone became our company’s biggest commercial success. Within a year we sold close to 400 units, which for our company is quite a lot. We were also working on the design of new amplifiers however, because of the lack of time resulting from the success of the Studiotone we were not able to introduce these new products in 2004. The only new product we introduced at the Winter Namm of 2005 was the Studiotone head version. Once more, the product was very well received.
Then at the Frankfurt MusikMesse in April 2005 we introduced the Twintone II. The original Twintone I amp had been a success and had sold well for over 10 years, but we felt it was time to come up with an upgrade. We decided to give the Twintone II a third channel and we added a five-way footswitch. The footswitch allowed you to switch between all three channels, the reverb and our own Solo/Rhythm function which essentially are two master volumes which can be set at different levels. Our customers’ and dealers’ reactions were overwhelming and the future looked very promising. We believed we would see the next step in our company’s history and expected another expansion. Koch Guitar Electronics was becoming a force to be reckoned with on the All-tube guitar amp market.
2007-2010
Throughout 2007, we were working hard to fulfil all orders and sought to further improve our production. Behind the scenes, Dolf Koch was constantly working on the development of new products and toward the end of 2007 we were ready to launch our long awaited Supernova head. The Supernova is the most complex amp we have ever built. The moment it hit the market people were amazed by the sound quality, versatility and many features coming from a fully analog amplifier.
A few months later, we introduced the bigger brother of the Studiotone. Many Studiotone users had requested a more powerful version of the Studiotone. With these requests in mind, we came up with the Studiotone XL which packed 40Watts rather than the original 20Watts which ensured continued success of the Studiotone amp.
In 2007 the market was slowly changing. In the past, guitar players did not mind carrying around big and heavy heads and cabinets however, things were changing and guitar players wanted their amps and cabinets to be small and light weight. We decided it was time to take things to a different level. We wanted to build a small portable combo dedicated to the more traditional guitar player. An amp which would be very responsive and could easily be controlled with the volume of the guitar. The Classic SE was born, a single-ended Class A amplifier. At first, we launched a 6Watt version however, many people requested a bigger version. Hence, shortly after its’ introduction we introduced the 12Watt version of the Classic SE. The extra power and bigger cabinet were exactly what many players were looking for and the Classic SE started to become more popular. The Classic SE is one our best looking amps and simple amps to date. With only three knobs, various boost functions and half/full power switch the amp allows guitar players to find many musical ways to fully employ the different tonal characteristics of vacuum tubes.
In 2007 the housing market in the US collapsed and the financial crisis we are currently still in had started. Our US dealers were starting to feel changes in the market and worldwide economic concern increased. We managed to maintain growth despite the beginning phase of the crisis. A few years later in 2010, the crisis started to affect both the US and European markets. Companies throughout the guitar industry started to feel the effects such as declining sales and the increasingly harder to get capital from banks needed to grow businesses. Fortunately, our company was able to maintain growth and remain financially solid due to our loyal customer base and great efforts made by our dealers and distributors. Then disaster struck when one of our suppliers could no longer provide us with our custom transformers. Due to our specific needs and custom design it took quite a while to find a new supplier who could provide the same high quality component we had always had. As a consequence, the list of backorders increased quite a bit during 2010 and we had to delay delivery of some of our products. During 2011 we got back on track with a new supplier who exceeded our expectations and could resume delivering our products.
2011
In 2011, we released two new amplifiers. The Startrooper and Jupiter hybrid combo amps. After their introduction on the Frankfurt MusikMesse in 2011, we had been working very hard to get the amps in stores. Almost immediately the response on the green boutique style Jupiter hybrid amp was incredible. Lovers of vintage tones hailed the amp for its’ response, tonal qualities and portability. We knew we had a winner.
Jupiter video was included?
We also introduced a Limited Edition of our most successful amp, the Studiotone. This snow white Limited Edition version symbolises a new Koch Amps chapter and we hope is going to be a collector’s Item someday.
2012
In 2012, despite the ever intensifying effects of the crisis on the guitar market we introduced several new products. We introduced the new and improved Twintone III, Powertone III Prototype, Pedaltone II and all new Dummybox Home and Studio/PA versions. Never before had we introduced this many new products at once.
The Twintone III is the upgraded version of the Twintone II amp. We refreshed the look of the combo and head versions, increased the size of the combo, improved its’ tonal qualities and added several neat features such as the Rythym/Solo Master controls. Furthermore, we improved the sound quality of the direct recording output and reverb considerably, extended speaker cabinet connectivity, enhanced the sound of the overdrive channel and gain boost. The response on the Twintone III was and still is awesome, players from all different genres from jazz to metal and everything in between praised its’ tonal qualities, versatility and now: vintage style chickenhead knobs.
We also introduced the Powertone III prototype head. The new Powertone was still in development, but we wanted to show what we were doing and get feedback on the new OTS function, speaker damping and controls. The response was awesome, while working with artists to develop the amp and the introduction we received useful feedback we would later apply in the development process of the final production version which will be introduced in 2013.
The Pedaltone was also improved and we introduced the Pedaltone II. The new Pedaltone now featured the new OTS function which gives the effect of output tube saturation typically found when playing amplifiers on very loud volume levels. Furthermore, we added the Rythym/Solo Master volume controls, introduced a post fx-loop, headphone out, tons of outputs and made its sound fatter than its predecessor. Beyond our expectations, the first production run of the Pedaltone II sold out rather quickly.
As if it wasn’t enough we had introduced two more new products. The Dummybox Home and Dummybox Studio/PA versions. The Dummybox in essence is a lighter and more affordable version of the Loadbox II power attenuator and allows guitar players to crank their amp while keeping the volume low. Both Dummybox versions feature several direct outputs for recording, filtered speaker simulation and microphone simulation. All analog! The Dummybox is a perfect tool for both the (home)studio, live, rehearsal and bedroom. The response on the Dummybox was awesome and we quickly sold out the first and second production runs.
To organise our operations more efficiently and allow the expansion of product lines we relocated our production facility to ‘s Gravenzande near Rotterdam. The research and development lab is still located in Amersfoort near Dolf Koch his house. Over the years, we found this is the optimal environment for R&D as sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night with new electronic design ideas and concepts.
Present
This year Koch Amps will celebrate its’ 25 year anniversary. From 1988 to 2013 we have been building some of the worlds finest guitar amplifiers and electronics. We had our ups and downs but managed to stick around. We are incredibly greatful for the support we have received over the last 25 years from artists, guitar players, dealers and distributors. It is thanks to them and you that we are still around and able to do what we do best.
In true Koch tradition, all final assembly and production of the amps is done at the Koch factory in The Netherlands to meet the highest quality standards. To us maintaining one of the highest quality standards is of the utmost importance because we want to become a well-known and respected guitar amplifier manufacturer. Therefore, each Koch amplifier and any other Koch product is thoroughly inspected, both visually and electronically. Furthermore, the amps are sound tested 3 times in different stages of the production process. An amp only leaves our factory if its 100% OK. Still, despite rigourous testing this does not guarantee that our products can not breakdown. During transportation or use of the product lots of things can go wrong. If this is the case and one of our products fails we’ll help you solve the problem as quick as humanly possible.
In order to best service our customers and product users we have designed and built the amps to allow easy servicing and access to components. We have no double-sided PC boards with unreachable parts on the bottom side. Instead, all our parts are on the surface and have extra long ends so they can be replaced in no time. All our opamps are on sockets and therefore easy to replace. The PC boards are designed in such a way, that the circuit is easy to follow. Furthermore, we added trim pots and measuring points to simplify the biasing process of the amp to make replacing tubes a quick 10 minute job.
Our cabinets are built in a special factory equipped with sophisticated machinery. Our supplier makes use of certified ‘green’ wood and is accredited with all green certifications to guarantee that our customers are receiving a responsably sustainably built product.
Currently, Koch is looking at a bright future. The popularity of Koch Amps is increasing, more fans of our products have emerged and more and more dealers world wide sell our products. To build our credibility we strive to build high quality products with perfect tonal balance, practical features which complement the way guitar players’ interact with their gear while striving to have the best service and reliability in the business. Thanks to the belief in our products by our customers, guitar players, artists, dealers and distributors we’ve managed to build some of the worlds’ finest guitar amplifiers for over 25 years. It is our mission to continue to improve the existing products and develop even better new products. Years ago, Dutch professional guitarists recognised the quality of Koch Amps products, many players have been fans for years and have owned multiple Koch amps and products. We hope the rest of the world will also recognise the quality of our products and allow us to continue for many more years to come.
We have set up an Artist Relations program to deepen our relationships with artists. We are always looking for talented guitar players who play larger venues on a consistent basis either locally or globally. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you are excited about our product and would like to become an endorser. Together with your help we would like to make Koch Amps the next big name in guitar amplification.
