‘MARK I' MESA/BOOGIE

Vintage amp restorer Fabio Cutolo of FM Amps explains how he resurrected a ‘Mark I’ Mesa/Boogie by transforming it back into the original giant killer it once was in its glory days of the 1970s

- Rod Brakes

Every now and then, a bona fide classic amp will be plucked from a cupboard, attic or garage and shown the light of day after spending years in the dark. Many of these amps didn’t retire from service in the best shape, having been heavily worked, modded and repaired over the decades, before being cast aside into the twilight confines of storage. Years later, they blearily tumble back into the world without purpose, their owners keen to make some room and maybe a few quid to boot. For some people, such amps are nothing but an expensive burden, although as the saying goes: one person’s trash is another’s treasure. But who do you turn to when such pieces of historic hardware need expert attention? After all, this kind of project isn’t standard fare for your garden-variety electronics engineer. Indeed, restoring a vintage amp properly often takes years’ worth of specialist knowledge and experience.

Enter Fabio Cutolo. With nearly 20 years of expertise under his belt, Fabio first began learning about amplifier electronics as a teen on the job at a workshop in his native Rome, before honing his craft on Denmark Street. At his Tin Pan Alley workshop, Fabio soon had his hands full of electronics repairs, with around 1,000 customers a year looking to salvage anything from a pedal to a PA. He has since relocated to North Acton in West London where he continues to focus on vintage amp restoration under the name FM Amps.

“The principle of my business is to get amps back to original factory spec as closely as possible,” he tells us. “I’m old-school. I don’t have a website. If I had to spend time online, I’d never have my hands free to work on the amps!