My interest in tube amplifiers started as early as 1977
when I was about to become 15 years old. On my
birthday my parents gave me a DNS 120 tube amplifier
head with two cabinets each equipped with a 12"
speaker. The DNS amplifier had both reverb and
vibrato, a fact that intrigued me so much that I still to this
very day cannot play well though amplifiers without
those effects. It wasn't before long until I disassembled
the DNS to see what made it work like it did. My first encounter with tube
amplifiers probably wasn't
the best since DNS amplifiers are not really known for their robustness in the
design or a good sound.
My first quality amplifier was a Marshall 50 W Bass head that I used together
with a 4x12" speaker
cabinet. At the same time I got my first real Fender guitar (a Stratocaster).
Ever since that day I have
been quite picky when it comes to guitars and amplifiers.
At the time of writing my main guitars are:
My main amplifiers are:
Throughout the years I have always been dissecting and
repairing tube amplifiers for the fun of it, helping
friends in need whenever possible. But during the year 2001 the idea of forming
my own enterprise began
growing in my head. Why not have a good time and make some money at the same
time? Like some kind of
logical continuation of my life-long hobby. Said and done: at the end of
that year I officially registered
my small enterprise Vintage Vibe.
About the same time I became serious about playing in a band,
too. So,
that same year me and four other guys formed the band Vintage Vibe
in an attempt to spread to gospel of
blues, rock and country in the west coast area of Sweden. After five rewarding
years, I left that band and
formed Steel 'n Blues
to take a direction more towards western swing and jazz.
In 2003, I was asked to join
Cina Samuelson and
Springhill Boys,
something which gave me
ample opportunities
to play my pedal and
lapsteel
guitars in a more country-oriented setting.
With Springhill Boys, I have also
been fortunate
enough
to back up great country musicians such as
Billy Dee and
Redd Volkaert. In the
end of 2006, I was recruited
to the swing band
The Western Toneflyers.
I'm eager to explore the steel guitar in a more traditional
setting.
During normal working hours I have a faculty position at
Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg,
Sweden. I'm an associate professor (swe. docent) in
real-time computing and share my time equally between
teaching and conducting research within that field. I
have a MSc in Computer Science & Engineering and a
PhD in Computer Systems Engineering, both from
Chalmers University of Technology. You can read more
about my academic life on my
home page at Chalmers.
In the tube amp workshop:
In the studio (spring 2003):
On stage with Redd Volkaert and Spring Hill Boys (spring 2004):
On stage with Cina Samuelson and Spring Hill Boys (summer 2005):
On stage with Vintage Vibe band (spring 2006):
