#160899  by Mithrandir
 
I sent Joe Martin, the owner and operator of Shakedown Amps, my 65 Twin Reissue in August 2017. I got it back today, and it exceeds anything that I ever hoped a shitty reissue could be. The thing even transcends the whole Jerry thing, with its own unique identity expressed in every note. I'm writing this self-reflection piece because this whole experience has taught me a whole lot about myself, about others, and about the nuances of custom instrument modifications.

I sent Joe this amp with the naïve assumption that it would be a month turn around, couple of tweaks here, boom, done, magic. A month came and went, and my amp did not seem to be any closer to being done. Like a spoiled child, I started hitting Joe with phone calls. When is it going to be done? What's taking so long, blah, blah? With each passing day, I became more and more resentful. More months went by, with my headspace escalating in the aforementioned direction. Then, like a freight train, something happened one day (might have been perpetuated by a strong LSD trip, I'm not sure).

I made a phone call to whine, but in the process of the call, Joe and I ended up connecting, not as customer and consumer, but as fellow human beings. He said his back had been bothering him and he wasn't able to work on my amp or any other for the past couple of weeks. With that statement, it dawned on me that Joe was just like anyone else, doing his best to meet the demands of tone freaks while trying to live his own life with all of its accompanying difficulties and joys. This conversation and my newfound empathy for the current custodian of my amplifier sparked a friendship that continued to teach me more and more.

It took Joe a long time to get my amp back to me. However, the long turn around was not due to laziness, like the August 2017 assumed. It was due to Joe caring about the product he sent back to me. If there was another mod to make it sound better, he was going to do it. If there was a set of tubes he could order that would move the tone closer to fall of 78, he was ordering them. I learned that my newfound friend was a perfectionist and a humanitarian. He wasn't lazy. HE GAVE A SHIT! he gave a shit about me, about my sound, about my satisfaction, and it was lost on me for the longest time. I guess that people caring about the quality of their services is something so foreign in today's day and age that I missed it when it was right in front of my face. Let me say that I became much more understanding after figuring Joe's methodology out. He also pushed himself past his limits to get my amp back to me because he knew it was important to me, working on it even when he was in agony. In the end, all of his work paid off into something truly incredible that could have never been created without Joe's philosophy regarding amp-work and the value he places on his customers.

I'm a therapist, meaning that I sit across from people every day. I feel that in my profession I have developed a pretty good feel for character. Joe from Shakedown is a high quality individual, and a close friend of mine today. I'd tell anyone on the planet to send their amp to him for upgrades if they're willing to stay open-minded to what goes into turning a 65 twin reissue into something that rivals a very solid 67 black face. Point being, is I think we're too quick to jump to conclusions, to demand that we get our way. My whole experience with Joe was mind-opening and enlightening, and I made a dear friendship in the process (I don't have many friends, so I choose carefully). I give Shakedown Amps 5 stars, but those 5 stars mean so much more to me than a fucking rating. Joe's the man, and he's honest to the core. He went all out for a total stranger, and that earns him a special place in my jaded heart.

Peace.
milobender, paulinnc, Banana Boat and 1 others liked this