Our penchant for unique circuit designs spawned a very unique tonal goal and a collaboration of a lifetime....
....Creating a tube amplifier with Mick Jones of Foreigner.
The goal was to create an all-tube amplifier that could re-create the guitar tones Mick acheived and recorded on the first three Foreigner albums (the self titled Foreigner, Double Vision and Head Games) regardless of what guitar was being used. A very lofty goal indeed! Yet through Mick Jones, Jeff Pilson and Kelly Hansen's assistance (and a huge shoutout to guitar techs AJ Srybnik, John Lowry and Cris Lepurage!!) the goal was acheived. We now offer the HipKitty HeadKnocker 100-watt amplifier!
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HipKitty Products is a true boutique company with it's official start dating back long before the term "boutique pedals" or "boutique amplifiers" were known to the guitar playing public. Long before guitar (print) magazines were buried in advertisements. All sales, production, amplifier (and guitar) repair and modification was initiated by word of mouth. Back then, these services were initially done on a kitchen table during free time. A tape-based answering machine happened to be the most advanced office tech tool for order taking. Personal computers just weren't common in most homes or businesses. The internet (aka World Wide Web, or www) wouldn't be launched for several years later.
As the cliche' says, "we've come a long way baby"!
As the guitar amplfier and pedal technology has progressed and grown, HipKitty Products has kept some things unchanged. We still build all orders from the ground up as the orders are placed. We still hand-etch, hand-wire, hand-drill and hand-finish each piece ordered (method of construction dependant on the item ordered). At this point in time, the only component we do not create in-house are our amplifier cabinets.
Over time, we did expand our guitar pedal line from one item only (The Java Distortion) to mulitple units and opened up a unique line of vacuum tube amplifiers (and with one solid state guitar amplifier, The Indio).
We also began offering our pedal re-housing service which took mass produced guitar pedals and converted them to true by-pass switching, upgraded their enclosures, controls, jacks, knobs and gave them special hand-painted finishes.
We have maintained a business model that keeps our prices low and in reach of the everyday guitar player. Our shop is small as is our overhead. No one pays for massive advertising, large warehouse manufacturing nor give-aways to those that can afford purchasing.
What one pays for is a true boutique amplifier or pedal that is truly unique and built for a lifetime of use (see our limited lifetime warranty info).