Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - 39
"I had a sample unit in the shop to see
what the demand might be like, and in the
meantime we built 100 units," Watkins told
Petersen. "The day I planned to put them
on sale... I went to open up and the door
burst open with the press of customers.
I remember selling the very first one to
Johnny Kidd (of Johnny Kidd & the Pirates,
who had a #1 hit with "Shakin' All Over"
in 1960, replete with Copicat echo). Those
first 100 sold that day." To put an even more
impressive number on the Copicat's success,
in the early 2000s, Watkins related how he
sold "about 1,000 Copicats a month" in the
first few years of the '60s.
The Copicat's functions were simplified for
the Joker, but its inherently rich sound is all
there, along with buttons to tap different play
heads to achieve slapback and longer delays.
This Joker's former owner, British enthusiast/
collector Julian Marsh, says it's "a very tight
and responsive amp - very positive to the
pick. It's a clearer sound than you get from
a Westminster or a Dominator, probably
because it's built more like a hi-fi amp, with
some versions having a tweeter and crossover.
Apparently, Charlie thought it his best amp,
but it's a complicated circuit and was expensive
to produce - hence the rarity - and it was also
heavy and potentially fragile."
Quirky as all get out, then, the Joker might
have been the future of rock and roll. If not,
well, it sure wasn't for a lack of trying.
(TOP TO BOTTOM) Access to the Copicat's
tape loop lies behind the Joker's main
control panel. Inside the cab is clean.
Note the 12" Goodmans speaker and
tweeter, along with the tubes atop the
Power 30 Drive Unit. Inside the poweramp chassis, a character-filled circuit.
September 2017
39
VINTAGE GUITAR
Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open
Contents
Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - Cover
Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - IFC
Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - 3
Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - 4
Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - 5
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Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - Contents
Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - 11
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