Clear Evening Sky: One-Off Clean Analogue Pedal Platform
A unique analogue guitar amplifier
Clear Evening Sky is a one-off, fully analogue clean pedal platform. It is the only dedicated clean amplifier planned for this new four-part build group. Hand-built from English sweet chestnut and Yorkshire sycamore hardwoods, I’ve finished it with a striking, vintage-blue speaker cloth.
I designed this amplifier specifically for players who shape their sound through a pedalboard . On its own, the amplifier is transparent, open, and hyper-responsive.
When you engage your drive, fuzz, delay or modulation, the design really makes sense. It’s a perfectly balanced analogue foundation, an iconic speaker, and a solid hardwood cabinet with the resonance and body to let your pedals breathe and bloom.
Price: £995
A clean foundation for your tone
We all know the frustration of finding a magnificent pedal, only to plug it into an amplifier that rips all the life out of it. Fuzz goes flat. Overdrives feel boxy. Delay and reverb sit awkwardly on top of the mix rather than blending into it.
I built Clear Evening Sky as the ultimate antidote to that problem.
At its core sits Nutube-powered Vox analogue technology, selected for its pristine clean headroom, rugged reliability, and natural, valve-like interaction with pedals. This is not a digital modelling amplifier. It’s an immediate, zero-latency canvas designed to let your guitar and effects work in perfect harmony.
Every detail surrounding that core is a custom Colson of York refinement. From circuit-level tonal tweaks and speaker curation to the bespoke cabinet geometry, timber selection and acoustic projection.
Note: Colson of York builds are entirely independent and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or manufactured by Vox.
Master-grade tonewoods & elegant presence
The cabinet is entirely handcrafted from premium English sweet chestnut and Yorkshire sycamore, accented by a vintage-blue speaker cloth and custom wooden control knobs. There is absolutely no MDF or particle board used in this build.
The sweet chestnut was the true surprise of the process. As I cut and planed the timber, it released a warm, nutty aroma of roasting chestnuts. And a faint trace still lingers inside the cabinet.
The pairing of pale sycamore and soft blue cloth gives the amplifier its serene visual identity. The name Clear Evening Sky was born from this exact harmony of light wood, calm colour, pristine sound, and an expansive sense of acoustic space.
The Greenback speaker: A three-dimensional voice
After testing a range of configurations, I selected the legendary Celestion Greenback speaker for this circuit.
The transformation was immediate. While the amplifier retains its clean, transparent pedal-platform architecture, the Greenback injects a timeless, musical, three-dimensional character. It softens any harsh transients in the high end and adds a rich texture to the mid-range, ensuring your tone never feels sterile or boring.
This compression and warmth are vital when running pedals. A completely linear, ultra-clean amplifier can often sound too polite or sterile when pushed by aggressive fuzz or overdrive. The Greenback gives your pedals something rich and dynamic to push against, helping your entire signal chain sit beautifully together in the room.
I’ve also made the control layout intentionally minimalist, with just bass, treble and volume.
Dial in your low-end response, set the top-end bite, adjust your level, and let your guitar and pedals do all the expressive work.
Form follows function for ergonomic acoustic design
The distinctive shape of a Colson amplifier is born from utility, not mere styling.
Tilted Acoustic Baffle: I’ve angled the speaker slightly upwards to project your sound naturally towards your ears and across the room, rather than at your ankles.
Integrated Top Controls: While my previous Three Sisters of Ainsty amplifiers featured top controls built into a metal housing, I wanted a more seamless, natural feel for this build. So, I’ve set the controls directly into the hardwood face, making the amplifier feel complete as a single, sculpted object.
These cabinets are vastly more complex and time-consuming to construct than those standard, square-box enclosures. But that’s the point. I’ve brought this to life to complement how an amplifier should be used, heard, handled, and lived with.
What’s included?
The Clear Evening Sky package is:
The amplifier
Owner’s notes
Record of origin
Build details
This is a completely unique one-off amplifier. There never will be another one like it on the planet. Ever.
Built individually by Drew
Clear Evening Sky was built entirely by me, Drew Colson, in my workshop on the outskirts of York.
There is no assembly line, and no outsourced cabinet shop. I personally cut, shape, sand, solder, finish, test and tune every single element. Because of this, the amplifier carries the thousands of microscopic decisions, adjustments, and human touches that occurred during its creation.
This project took months to perfect. The geometry, the exposed wood face, the speaker angle, and the sonic marriage of the Nutube platform and the Greenback all had to align.
I wanted to create a beautiful heirloom object just as much as a high-end amplifier, something you will love to play, look at, live with for decades, and hand down the generations.
Key details
- One-off Colson of York handmade analogue guitar amplifier
- First completed amplifier in the Veils of York series
- Model name: Clear Evening Sky
- First of four related Veils of York variants
- Only fully clean version planned in this group
- Built by Drew Colson in Bilton-in-Ainsty, YO26
- Built around analogue Nutube-powered Vox technology
- Colson of York build; not affiliated with, endorsed by or made by Vox
- Dedicated clean pedal-platform voicing
- Celestion Greenback speaker
- Hand-built hardwood cabinet
- English sweet chestnut and Yorkshire sycamore
- Blue vintage speaker cloth
- Pure wood control face
- Wooden control knobs
- Top-mounted controls
- Upward-tilted speaker design for improved projection
- Bass, treble and volume controls
- Power switch
- Supplied with power supply
- Supplied with owner’s notes, record of origin and build details
- Fully finished, tested and ready to play
- Serial number: C07-005
Collection from near York is welcome. I can also arrange fully insured free delivery anywhere across the UK.
Price: £995