T.H.E. Show is enjoyable for many reasons—friendly people, a good vibe, some great-sounding rooms, and new hi-fi gear. There are introductions of new products from known makers and from some showing unexpected things. An example of the latter: L.A.-based Desmond's Tiki Tube Amplifiers, shown on passive display in the Marketplace area. Proprietor Desmond Bowe said these are just intended as examples "to get a conversation started" with the customer.
Bowe is a musician. He started out with guitar amplifiers. He began making his Tiki hi-fi creations during the COVID pandemic as he was expanding his woodworking skills. His creations are made-to-order, outside and in, hand-carved and point-to-point wired. He can build anything from a tube amp to an all-in-one/integrated speaker system with drivers sourced from JBL and silk-dome tweeters; he can even build you a Tiki-totem tower speaker. His amplifiers deploy various tubes and can be designed and built to customer specifications: 10Wpc, 30Wpc, triode, etc. He can add RCA analog input pairs and Bluetooth, a subwoofer output, whatever you need or want. His products start with select found hardwood, which is sustainable. Customers can choose the wood, the scale, the look.
Bowe's creations take up to 200 hours of work, Desmond told me. He speaks of them with a reference that's almost spiritual. His creations even had names. He told me that he showed his Tiki Tube Amplifiers at NAMM and that a blind attendee noted approvingly how tactile his products are.
With all those wooden faces staring at me, I forgot to ask about pricing; I'll add this information if I find out. Nothing feels more "California kitsch"—in the best way—than Bowe's one-off Tiki creations.
Bowe is a musician. He started out with guitar amplifiers. He began making his Tiki hi-fi creations during the COVID pandemic as he was expanding his woodworking skills. His creations are made-to-order, outside and in, hand-carved and point-to-point wired. He can build anything from a tube amp to an all-in-one/integrated speaker system with drivers sourced from JBL and silk-dome tweeters; he can even build you a Tiki-totem tower speaker. His amplifiers deploy various tubes and can be designed and built to customer specifications: 10Wpc, 30Wpc, triode, etc. He can add RCA analog input pairs and Bluetooth, a subwoofer output, whatever you need or want. His products start with select found hardwood, which is sustainable. Customers can choose the wood, the scale, the look.
Bowe's creations take up to 200 hours of work, Desmond told me. He speaks of them with a reference that's almost spiritual. His creations even had names. He told me that he showed his Tiki Tube Amplifiers at NAMM and that a blind attendee noted approvingly how tactile his products are.
With all those wooden faces staring at me, I forgot to ask about pricing; I'll add this information if I find out. Nothing feels more "California kitsch"—in the best way—than Bowe's one-off Tiki creations.
