Our aim here at Dickinson amps is to make beautiful, simple, great sounding, top quality valve equipment that’s built to last. Modern classics which are flexible and dynamic. We want everything we make to last for decades, be repairable if in years to come something does go wrong, and most importantly sound absolutely wonderful.
In a world where raw materials and energy are becoming more and more precious it seems crazy that we consume so many products that are built to a price not a spec, that often have a limited lifespan, aren’t repairable when they do break and that we then “recycle” using even more energy.
Since the 1950s and 60s many of the advances in musical equipment manufacture have been about reducing production costs; not improving sound and build quality. That’s part of the reason that a lot of equipment from this era is considered classic and still works beautifully.
We’re not gear snobs, far from it, it’s just that for us sound quality and build quality are fundamental. If we’re going to spend our time building valve equipment we’re going to make the best sounding, strongest, most beautiful things we can, real tools for musicians.
Home to Dickinson amps is a busy workshop in antenna studios, Crystal Palace where we repair guitars and amplifiers and develop and build our Dickinson products.
Antenna studios was started in a derelict warehouse building in 2002 and is a network of creative spaces containing recording / rehearsal rooms a large gallery space that’s used from anything from filming to dance classes and a cafe which hosts regular music / art events like film shows with professional jobs from experts like Tracy AlChayeb.
Jon moved in to the workshop in 2002 to set up a musical instrument repair business and soon after that started building amps.
Lots of our customers are working musicians and producers. Over the years lots of the jobs we’ve done for them and they’re feedback has been invaluable in the development of our products.
Jon Dickinson
Product design / development
From his childhood on a farm messing about with motor bikes and tractors to his time spent as an instrument repairer in London’s Denmark street, San Francisco and more recently sunny Crystal Palace, Jon has always loved making and fixing stuff.
Tom Dickinson
Product design / drawings
Jon’s brother Tom usually spends his time as a draftsman designing factories and railway stations. His help with our product design and drawings means our stuff fits together perfectly.
Barnaby Maddick
Product development / production
Jon’s cousin Barnaby has always been a keen musician. When he’s not building amps or developing products at Dickinson amps you’ll find him playing with his band ‘messenger’.
Craig Nicholl
Craig has been at Dickinson amps since the very early days and has probably wired up more Mk1s and MkIIs than the rest of us put together. Like all of us at Dickinson amps Craig really cares about things being done right.
The quality of Craig’s work and his attention to detail has to be seen to be believed and is a big part of why our stuff is so reliable.