McNeil B100 Amplifier | Golden Age of Gear Ep. 35

This week on Golden Age of Gear, Joey and Derek dive into something truly unique from Joey’s collection — a hand-built McNeil B100 amplifier from Boston-based builder Brian McNeil.

What starts as a story about two new dads bonding over amps quickly turns into tales of blown fuses, near-electrocutions, and figuring out why you should never poke around a live amp chassis. (Spoiler: 300 volts to the hand is no joke.)

The McNeil B100 is a Tweed-inspired monster, tricked out with Brian’s custom mods:
 ⚡ Gain & EQ boosts
 ⚡ Switchable tube/solid-state rectifier
 ⚡ Multi-tap output transformer (2Ω & 8Ω)
 ⚡ KT66 power tubes & classy Harris Tweed wrap

Joey and Derek put it through its paces — raw into a Revv 4x12 with WGS ET90s & Veteran 30s, mic’d with a Telefunken + AEA ribbon combo. From vintage bloom to modern punch, this thing is LOUD, vibey, and dripping with old-school character.

Along the way, the guys get into:
 🎸 Why Tweed amps feel so alive under your fingers
 🎸 Custom Tolex rabbit holes (pink amps, zebra print experiments, and Marshall’s Sex Pistols rig)
 🎸 Why you should never cheap out on amp safety
 🎸 And why the YouTube comments section is both a blessing and a curse

This isn’t just another amp demo — it’s a deep dive into boutique amp building, vintage tone philosophy, and the weird world of custom amp aesthetics.

👇 Let us know in the comments: Would you rock a Harris Tweed-covered amp, or are you holding out for neon pink zebra print?