@@yvesperreault9123 They aren't in operation anymore. I know Wally still keeps a track of the email inbox and helps where he can. probably worth reaching out to him. There is a general lack of amp repairers in Canada I've found. What kind of issues have you had?
Started with a Harlequin and later added a Hellcat. Love the Harlequin and it's my practice amp. Found that the Harmony H77 (semi acoustic) I'd had for 40 years suddenly became a different guitar - the tones coming out of it were simply amazing. The gold foil pickups just came to life (previously I thought they were the guitar's weak point - oh no they're not, but you need a great amp to make them sing). The Hellcat was one of the last made and I added a Cornford 2 x 12 cab too. Fantastic live sound that cuts through the band without being over loud. Yes, both punish mistakes and show the raw sound without fudging the sound, but that's a useful discipline and you then find the amp is on your side, not imposing its sound on you. Can't see I'd ever want to change either amp.
@@andycouchman1 Wow! thanks for the insight Andy. I'm yet to play one. I wanted to get one to demo and play as part of this interview but couldn't find one near me in Canada. Oh well. Another time. Interesting observations about the gold foil pickups. I agree with your points about giving you an honest sound. I lean on the more raw sound of a guitar, I hate the more polished sound of guitar nowadays, it lacks life. DO you prefer the sound of the Hellcat then? or is it a volume thing for live shows?
I was in a band during the Cornford years. Paul Cornford was a nice guy and I visited the workshop a couple of times whilst he and Martin were working on the RK100. Paul even shipped some amps to me whilst I was working on a record and shooting a music video. Good times!
Great heartfelt video. Super nice guy! I had a guitar company in uk Krozka Sharpe. We nearly broke out but Sound Control went bust on us. Paul Cornford was super supportive and lent us A white Harlequin and the RK prototype for the 2007 international music show. Ive dince bought a harlequin and love them and miss them. Now i am looking to get back to making them on my own for the love of guitar. Dave Sharp
It was a great time talking to Wally. I recall a Sound Control in the UK which also went bust. Probably the same firm. Thanks for sharing your story briefly. So you're thinking about making some cornford style amps?
Hi yes. That was the same co. No I made guitars under KROZKA SHARPE, nearly got off the ground but I have some new designs and looking to build purely for pleasure again by myself and make handful per year.
Thanks for making this. I feel there’s little information about cornford on the internet (in the grand scheme of things) i remember some of the first stuff I watched on RUclips was Guthrie using cornford amps.
Hello . CALGARY Wally said so much stuff that is true.... 90%is true, 10% is me, I love Wally like a brother, we argue, we fight, we smoke cigarets and drink beer ...... and we love each other.... big point there my friend..... Maybe you need to see the real truth of Cornford, you really do..... and as a side bar, Eddie is the beginning and the end!!!!! of American music..... but Wally has spoken much of the truth, but not all... he is being kind and nice!, there is much truth to be spoken!! exclusive?? :o)
I own a hellcat head… s/n 22 hard to believe how that wattage can cut thru a mix so easy. Crazy cool amp. Quick question… was it designed to have a15 inch speaker? I had to get the bass pot changed to a higher octave because it was unresponsive using a12 inch speaker. Just curious. I will never sell that amp. Cheers
Great, but I think the timeline of the amps is a bit off. It was more like Harlequin was first Then the hurricane and mk50 Then hellcat Then Carrera. The Richie Kotzen was towards the end too
Thanks for pointing that out Tony. I think Wally got into all things Cornford a bit after some of this happened, so may be a little fuzzy and was a while ago, so we'll forgive him haha. Hope you enjoyed the interview though, any highlights for you?
@@FretSuccess understandable, I remember the magazine that first reviewed the harlequin in around 1999 and I've had a soft spot for Cornford ever since, I bought my Carrera new in 2006 soon after they came out, I believe this was their last hand wired model. Yeah I enjoyed the episode, watched all of it and I've known of Wally probably since around that Cornford purchase in 2006 (I think through the tone merchants demos?) More recently Wally pops up on the Cornford Facebook page from time to time
@@tonystartup3817 Yeah the Carrera was the last hand wired one then switched to PCB. I wonder what the differences are between those types. Would be interesting. I guess you can see where cornford might have gone when you look at the Victory Amps. They are bringing out some very solid amps. I know Wally was a big part of getting Cornford in the USA but the fire just killed things, which is such a shame. Wally is a great guy. Hoping to get him on some future episodes. I really appreciate you taking the time to watch the whole thing!
Andy Couchman said that the design, quality, excellence of Cornford Amps was down to Martin Kidd. Sorry but you are totally wrong in that Paul Cornford IS Cornford Amps. Paul designed everything about it, especially the tone. For years he had a sound in his head that he create with any other amp, so he knew exactly what he wanted - and he got it. The result was the Harlequin. Paul is the man with Golden Ears and he is 110% responsible for the amazing sound of Cornford Amps. There’s a lot of misinformation going the rounds at the moment, but I can assure you Cornford Amps ia the sole design of Paul Cornford and no one else.
Thanks Toni for the comment. I think Wally was just trying his best on some of this stuff, appreciate the feedback. Looks like we may have a follow up with Paul, watch this space.
Have you got a Cornford amp? Or have you never heard of them? Let me know in the comments!
I've got a Carrera, I tought the Cie was not in operation anymore. Super hard to find a tech, when you have an issue with the amp (in Canada, Quebec)
@@yvesperreault9123 They aren't in operation anymore. I know Wally still keeps a track of the email inbox and helps where he can. probably worth reaching out to him. There is a general lack of amp repairers in Canada I've found. What kind of issues have you had?
Started with a Harlequin and later added a Hellcat. Love the Harlequin and it's my practice amp. Found that the Harmony H77 (semi acoustic) I'd had for 40 years suddenly became a different guitar - the tones coming out of it were simply amazing. The gold foil pickups just came to life (previously I thought they were the guitar's weak point - oh no they're not, but you need a great amp to make them sing). The Hellcat was one of the last made and I added a Cornford 2 x 12 cab too. Fantastic live sound that cuts through the band without being over loud. Yes, both punish mistakes and show the raw sound without fudging the sound, but that's a useful discipline and you then find the amp is on your side, not imposing its sound on you. Can't see I'd ever want to change either amp.
@@andycouchman1 Wow! thanks for the insight Andy. I'm yet to play one. I wanted to get one to demo and play as part of this interview but couldn't find one near me in Canada. Oh well. Another time. Interesting observations about the gold foil pickups. I agree with your points about giving you an honest sound. I lean on the more raw sound of a guitar, I hate the more polished sound of guitar nowadays, it lacks life. DO you prefer the sound of the Hellcat then? or is it a volume thing for live shows?
@@FretSuccess Volume. The Hellcat is 35w and the Harlequin is 6w. The Hellcat also has reverb and an effects loop. There's just more of it! :-)
I was in a band during the Cornford years. Paul Cornford was a nice guy and I visited the workshop a couple of times whilst he and Martin were working on the RK100. Paul even shipped some amps to me whilst I was working on a record and shooting a music video. Good times!
Great heartfelt video. Super nice guy! I had a guitar company in uk Krozka Sharpe. We nearly broke out but Sound Control went bust on us. Paul Cornford was super supportive and lent us A white Harlequin and the RK prototype for the 2007 international music show. Ive dince bought a harlequin and love them and miss them. Now i am looking to get back to making them on my own for the love of guitar. Dave Sharp
It was a great time talking to Wally. I recall a Sound Control in the UK which also went bust. Probably the same firm. Thanks for sharing your story briefly. So you're thinking about making some cornford style amps?
Hi yes. That was the same co. No I made guitars under KROZKA SHARPE, nearly got off the ground but I have some new designs and looking to build purely for pleasure again by myself and make handful per year.
Thanks for making this. I feel there’s little information about cornford on the internet (in the grand scheme of things) i remember some of the first stuff I watched on RUclips was Guthrie using cornford amps.
No problem man. Appreciate you taking the time to watch and the kind words. More to come hopefully
Hello . CALGARY Wally said so much stuff that is true.... 90%is true, 10% is me, I love Wally like a brother, we argue, we fight, we smoke cigarets and drink beer ...... and we love each other.... big point there my friend..... Maybe you need to see the real truth of Cornford, you really do..... and as a side bar, Eddie is the beginning and the end!!!!! of American music..... but Wally has spoken much of the truth, but not all... he is being kind and nice!, there is much truth to be spoken!! exclusive?? :o)
Hey Paul. Thanks for dropping in here and watching. Let's chat. Drop me an email at learn@fretsuccess.com and we'll set something up!!
I own a hellcat head… s/n 22 hard to believe how that wattage can cut thru a mix so easy. Crazy cool amp. Quick question… was it designed to have a15 inch speaker? I had to get the bass pot changed to a higher octave because it was unresponsive using a12 inch speaker. Just curious. I will never sell that amp. Cheers
Great interview!
Glad you enjoyed it Steve
Great, but I think the timeline of the amps is a bit off.
It was more like Harlequin was first
Then the hurricane and mk50
Then hellcat
Then Carrera.
The Richie Kotzen was towards the end too
Thanks for pointing that out Tony. I think Wally got into all things Cornford a bit after some of this happened, so may be a little fuzzy and was a while ago, so we'll forgive him haha. Hope you enjoyed the interview though, any highlights for you?
@@FretSuccess understandable, I remember the magazine that first reviewed the harlequin in around 1999 and I've had a soft spot for Cornford ever since, I bought my Carrera new in 2006 soon after they came out, I believe this was their last hand wired model. Yeah I enjoyed the episode, watched all of it and I've known of Wally probably since around that Cornford purchase in 2006 (I think through the tone merchants demos?) More recently Wally pops up on the Cornford Facebook page from time to time
@@tonystartup3817 Yeah the Carrera was the last hand wired one then switched to PCB. I wonder what the differences are between those types. Would be interesting. I guess you can see where cornford might have gone when you look at the Victory Amps. They are bringing out some very solid amps. I know Wally was a big part of getting Cornford in the USA but the fire just killed things, which is such a shame. Wally is a great guy. Hoping to get him on some future episodes. I really appreciate you taking the time to watch the whole thing!
Andy Couchman said that the design, quality, excellence of Cornford Amps was down to Martin Kidd. Sorry but you are totally wrong in that Paul Cornford IS Cornford Amps. Paul designed everything about it, especially the tone. For years he had a sound in his head that he create with any other amp, so he knew exactly what he wanted - and he got it. The result was the Harlequin. Paul is the man with Golden Ears and he is 110% responsible for the amazing sound of Cornford Amps. There’s a lot of misinformation going the rounds at the moment, but I can assure you Cornford Amps ia the sole design of Paul Cornford and no one else.
No disrespect to Paul ever. Miss you all
Thanks Toni for the comment. I think Wally was just trying his best on some of this stuff, appreciate the feedback. Looks like we may have a follow up with Paul, watch this space.
I just gave you a comment??
Paul! No disrespect if I was off by 10%. 🤘🏻. I was shooting for 100
Haha. Thanks!
@@WallyMpls good going if you ask me