Garnet Amplifiers

My first real amplifier was a Garnet. It was the first one I saw with a fuzz effects unit built in. It was called a “Stinger” and by hitting the foot pedal you could get a distorted – albeit “cheesy” – sound that actually was a passable overdrive.

By the early ’70′s, Garnet was firmly established in most Canadian markets and had made strong inroads into America. All of the Garnet tube amps were designed by Gar Gillies Sr. Some of the more popular models were the PRO, REBEL, and BTO (big time operator) series. These three series all had two guitar heads and a suitably powered P.A. system.

The first P.A. system and amplifiers that the company built were for a popular Winnipeg group then called Chad Allen & the Expressions (soon to change their name to The Guess Who?). Many of the other local and Western Canadian groups liked the new sounds and power of the amps, and followed suit by ordering amplifiers and P.A. equipment. The band BTO were also avid users of the Garnet tube amps.

In all my view of the Garnet was very affirmative, Our bass player used the small Revolution Bass for a year. It was a portable amp with a 15″ speaker and did the trick for the Legions and other venues we played at the time. Like me he went to the Kustom series a year later.

I also forgot that they made a decent guitar, knock-offs of the Gibson line but good sounding instruments. So for a brief, shining decade-and-a-half Canadian companies made innovative, world-class band gear, until Japanese – and now Chinese – companies took over with their cheap labor.