Zanita Amplifiers was started by two guys in Grass Valley, CA who were tired of the standard Tolex covered square box that almost all guitar amps are packaged in. Guitars are works of art; why shouldn’t the amp cabinet look just as good? Why hide the amp in the closet or in the corner of the Man Cave? We figured the amp should be front and center! We decided to design amps with classic tone that your wife won’t banish. Todd Lawson builds all of the cabinets in his shop, while Sheldon Colin wires them up in his basement.
Todd is a computer chip designer by day, but a wood working, cabinet designing monkey the rest of the time:
I have worked in the high-tech field for almost 20 years, but have always had my heart in the music industry. I play the trumpet, and started taking guitar lessons from Sheldon a few years back. We started talking, and realized we both had the same vision: amplifiers that exude beautiful tone, and are visually stunning. Once you toss the idea of a square box out of your head, there are endless exciting ways to design cabinets. I can’t wait to bring you more of our designs while I explore the outer reaches of what is possible.
Sheldon spends his days teaching music and helping out in the repair dept. at Soundcheck Music in scenic Grass Valley, California
I’ve been making music for half a century now. Started out in the Milton Mann School of Accordion at the age of 6, and never looked back. Piano, cello, organ, guitar, bass, and as arthritis sets in I am working on the trombone. When I was a lad, all the kids got regular packages from companies like Heath-Kit and Dyna-co—we made things. Once Todd got wind that I had hand made a half dozen or so Deluxe Reverbs for friends, Zanita Amplifiers began to slowly form. Many moons later, product is about to be released.
Where does the name “Zanita” come from? We originally wanted to incorporate a local tree called manzanita in our cabinets. We moved away from that concept for now, but the name of Zanita stuck.