The birth of Homestead Amps came in 2014 when Peter McMahon decided it was time for a change. After 15 years of owning and operating Diaz Amplifiers on his own and teaching amplifier building courses, he has truly become a master of his craft. These new products are bold, tasteful, and leave a lasting impression on any musician that plays them.
Peter bought his first guitar at the age of 13, and hasn’t been able to put it down since. In the late 1970’s, Peter lived in Washington DC with good friend Cesar Diaz. He developed his skills in electrical engineering, when together they would tediously rip apart and rebuild various pieces of musical equipment. Thus, Diaz Amplifiers was born. After years of building for Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bob Dylan, dreams were beginning to turn into a reality. Now able to work with his childhood idols, his passion and pride shine through every bit of gear that leaves the shop.
Peter rounded the troops after taking a few years off from building amplifiers full time, this time hitting the ground running at full speed. He called in Bobby Kyle, Linwood Taylor, Warren Haynes, Eric Hanson, among others and with due diligence, noted everything they looked for in an ideal amp.
From Diaz to Homestead, Warren Haynes has been a long time user, inspiring McMahon to design a line of amps to suit the particular tone of Haynes’ signature Gibson Les Paul sound. The BF25 combo is the result of Peter’s late friend Brian Farmer begging him to build a combo for years. Peter and Eric Hanson finally had the chance to fine-tune its voicing between takes in the studio with Warren Haynes and Railroad Earth.
Now building for an impressive and constantly growing roster of musicians, including the likes of: Jimmy Herring, Warren Haynes, Jay Jay French, John Prestia, Deren Ney, Dirk Miller, Tyler Anselmo, Adam Gorman, Myles Kennedy, Jorgen Carlsson, and many more. It has been a true pleasure watching these musicians amongst many others rediscover the joy of playing through such touch reactive, hand-crafted amplifiers.
The ultimate goal of Peter’s by launching Homestead is to create highly desirable pieces that are suitable for anyone and everyone. No matter what the customer wants, he should be able to create it – whether it’s for a studio, club, or stadium. Peter warmly welcomes loyal customers to visit the shop in Pennsylvania to see where the magic happens! It’s a genuinely unique experience getting to witness the boutique operation behind Homestead.
Site Credits:
Music Track Daily Bread Performed by & Courtesy of Bobby Kyle Band on the Homestead BF25 Combo