The Deacy Amp is an amplifier. Close alternatives include the 1970s Mesa/Boogie Mark I 'Snake King' and the Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat. It pairs well with the Cusack Music Tap-A-Fuzz and the Zvex Fuzz Probe.
Deacy Amp
Unknown brand · amplifier
The Deacy Amp is a homemade amplifier built by Queen bassist John Deacon in the early 1970s from a discarded transistor radio circuit board he found in a London skip, retrofitted into a small cabinet with a 6.5-inch Elac Twin Cone speaker and powered by a nine-volt battery pack. Deacon removed the volume knob after discovering it sounded best turned fully up. Brian May used it specifically for the layered, harmonised guitar orchestra overdubs heard throughout Queens catalogue, including on Bohemian Rhapsody. It was never a commercial product; May and Deacon later authorised an official replica in 2010.
What stands out
“[Con] , battery-only power, and unpredictable tonal drift make this impractical for any use outside controlled studio overdubbing”
— from the community notes
“• [Sound] Boxy yet fluid and thick transistor tone with tremendous sustain and harmonics — an unexpected blend that sounds”
— from the community notes
“• [Pro] The buzzing transistor character produces a singing, harmonically dense sustain —”
— from the community notes
“• [Rig] Battery-powered with — the tone shifts as the battery discharges, creating a uniquely dynamic character that changes throughout a session”
— from the community notes
“The Deacy Amp is a homemade amplifier built by Queen bassist John Deacon in the early 1970s from a discarded transistor radio circuit board he found in a London skip, retrofitted into a small cabinet with a 6”
— from the listing
- studio
- harmonics
- transistor
- session
- boxy
- sustain
- dynamic
- singing
Good for
- Studio
Genres the Deacy Amp is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
Pedals that stack with the Deacy Amp
Cusack Music Tap-A-Fuzz
Cusack Music
23% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → fuzzy)
Run mid-forward into Cusack Music Tap-A-Fuzz for more fuzzy on top
Goes in front of the amp
Zvex Fuzz Probe
Zvex
22% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → fuzzy)
Put Zvex Fuzz Probe in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward fuzzy
Goes in front of the amp
Electro-Harmonix Hot Wax
Electro-Harmonix
20% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → high gain)
Electro-Harmonix Hot Wax stacks high gain on top of the mid-forward already here
Goes in front of the amp
Pigtronix Philosopher King
Pigtronix
20% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)
Pigtronix Philosopher King's own compressed character is the real reason this is worth trying
Goes in front of the amp
MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase
MXR
10% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase after Deacy Amp in the signal chain, clear of Deacy Amp's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
Echoplex EP-3
Echoplex
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Echoplex EP-3 in Deacy Amp's effects loop, clear of Deacy Amp's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
JHS Lucky Cat Delay limited edition
JHS Pedals
7% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put JHS Lucky Cat Delay limited edition in Deacy Amp's effects loop, clear of Deacy Amp's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
MXR Badass Variac
MXR
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
MXR Badass Variac leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own
Alternatives
1970s Mesa/Boogie Mark I 'Snake King'
Mesa Boogie
51% similarityShared character: 1960s, singing, thickness
Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat
Bad Cat
47% similarityShared character: middle
Blackstar CV10 Carmen Vandenberg Signature 10-Watt 1x12"
Blackstar
47% similarityShared character: singing, studio, lead
Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi
Marshall
45% similarityShared character: 1960s, singing, studio
Orange Crush Pro CR120
Orange
44% similarityShared character: thickness, middle
BluGuitar Amp1
Bluguitar
44% similarityShared character: studio
Carr Skylark Special
Carr
44% similarityShared character: singing, middle, studio
Blackstar Debut 100R
Blackstar
43% similaritySimilar voicing: sustaining, harmonically rich
Carr Sportsman
Carr
42% similarityShared character: middle, studio, lead
Randall RG100ES
Randall
42% similarityShared character: lead
Music Man 410 Sixty Five
Music Man
41% similarityShared character: middle, lead
See all alternatives to the Deacy Amp (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Deacy Amp?+
The closest matches in character are the 1970s Mesa/Boogie Mark I 'Snake King', the Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat, the Blackstar CV10 Carmen Vandenberg Signature 10-Watt 1x12".
What pairs well with the Deacy Amp?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Cusack Music Tap-A-Fuzz, Zvex Fuzz Probe, Electro-Harmonix Hot Wax — Run mid-forward into Cusack Music Tap-A-Fuzz for more fuzzy on top.