My name is Joe Kelemen and I founded JoMama Music, LLC in 1994 to produce the best possible hand-made instruments that give the professional musician awesome tones in a very flexible package. Each one of the JoMama amplifiers and speaker cabinets were crafted with a discriminating attention to detail because I know that everything (to a certain degree) affects tone. From our custom-made transformers, thick linen grade phenolic turret boards, porcelain tube sockets, and 100% hand wired all tube designs; we strived for the Ultimate tone , and believe we reached our goal of producing a great amplifier at an incredible price. The original 50 watt JoMama Blues Special head sold for under a grand! The JoMama designs are extremely versatile and let You decide what power amplification stage best fits your application. Whether you play in an intimate club or an outside venue, JoMama amps delivered. With the optional "Triode Mod", which reconfigures the output tubes to produce a creamier tone at 50% power, both the JoMama - Blues Special and the Kelemen - Reverb 45 can be set up to clip as low as 6 watts! The tone is thick and rich just like a low powered "tweed" amp. On the other side of the spectrum lies a powerful tone machine capable of producing 45 watts of wicked Marshall-like ferocity! 6 watts, 45 watts, or almost anywhere in between, you can customize these amps to your specific need. We weren't the only ones who thought we built a great amp. Currently we have completely sold out of the first run of all the Kelemen Reverb-45's and Blues Specials. We do have a few of the 2nd run Blues Special chassis available for a custom order basis only. If you are interested drop me a line or e-mail. Currently I've moved my efforts onto my new line of Kelemen amplifiers, however don’t be surprised to see a new JoMama amp surface in the near future. I am excited about the Kelemen "Bird" logo heads and have many amplifier ideas to fabricate in the future. I look forward to continuing this wonderful journey of making my amplifier dreams come true and am glad to have you, my valued customers & fellow musicians along for the ride. Joe Kelemen

JoMama Music, LLC

Hand Built point-to-point all tube guitar amplification

JoMama - Kelemen Reverb 45 - with Custom 10” & 12” Tone Cones

A few JoMama comments from the press....”back in the day”....



Guitar Player - August 2000:


Excerpt from "Tones from the Unknown" by Terry Buddingh


"…Tones: Swapping different tubes revealed the Reverb 45's chameleon-like versatility. The amp evokes a fat, tweed-like richness when fitted with a 5U4 rectifier and 6V6s. Changing to 5AR4 rectifier and Svetlana 6L6GCs provides authentic blackface sweetness and dynamic snap. The most versatile tube combination, however, proved to be a 5AR4 and Svetlana EL34s, which produced wicked Marshall-like ferocity. This would be a good set up for a blues player who wants aggressive, rock-flavored tone - although players seeking loud clean tones will find the amp's headroom somewhat limited (a solid state rectifier can be substituted for more headroom). The 12" speaker tended to dominate the less efficient 10, but the amp seemed equally happy with single-coils or humbuckers.


The Reverb 45's strength is its versatility - it can approximate a tweed deluxe when fitted with 6V6s, a blackface Fender with 6L6s, and a raging Marshall with EL34s. It's also a great choice for blues or blues-rock in a medium-sized club environment."

Vintage Guitar Review - May 2000:


“Sweet, Savory Sounds” by: Lisa Sharken


"Given the heavy recent buzz about Joe Kelemen's handmade amplifiers, we thought we'd find out what it was all about by testing the company's Reverb 45.


The amp is essentially the same as their JoMama Blues Special, but has a larger output transformer and reverb. The Reverb 45 is also capable of driving external speaker cabinets. Both are single-channel, two-speaker combo amps that combine 10" and 12" speakers in an open-back cabinet. By blending the speaker sizes, Kelemen intended to create a cabinet that would combine the characteristics of British and American combos (which also depends on the tube configuration). The speakers are proprietary-design JoMama Tone Cone models. The cabinet is constructed from solid pine covered in dark brown tolex, with black corners. There's a thick black, leather-like handle on top, if you dare to carry the amp - but the Reverb 45 is not exactly light-weight.


The amp has controls for volume, treble, middle, bass, master, brilliance, along with gain, mix, and tone controls for the reverb. The chassis is made of stainless steel and all of the connections are hand-wired.


I like the knobs; they're triangular stove-top-style units that give the amp a cool, eye-catching look. The controls are very sensitive - you can hear audible differences at every increment. The Brilliance control adjusts the amount of power tube treble response, like presence.


The Reverb 45 is outfitted with a six-spring Accutronics reverb tank that provides deep, spacious, ambient effects. The reverb is noticeably richer-sounding than the typical three-spring reverb available on mass-production amps. The Gain control affects the input gain level on the reverb tank, which is tube-powered. The Mix control adjusts the blend of wet and dry sounds, while Tone places the reverb more up front or in the background, for subtle effects. While it may not pose a problem for most, a good option would be a foot-switch for the reverb.


The power and standby switches are located on the back panel, as are the in and out jacks for the reverb tank. Likewise, there are two speaker input jacks and a four-position impedance selector switch for 2, 4, 8, or 16-ohm settings. An additional feature is the external bias adjustment, which makes it easier to try different tube combinations (still, bias adjustments should be preformed by a qualified tech).


One of the features that make the Reverb 45 most appealing is the option to change the rectifier, and power amp tubes in order to get the amp to make the best sounds for your purposes. With each tube configuration, the amp reacts differently and produces a new set of tones of varying strength and magnitude. The amp I received was set up with 5881 power tubes and a 5U4 rectifier, a configuration that generates 30 to 35 watts of power. It also included two 12AT7 preamp tubes and 2 7025/12AX7WB preamp tubes. Using a set of EL34s will yield approximately 45 to 50 watts, for tonal characteristics like a Marshall. Using 6V6s will yield 15 watts, for a low-wattage tone like smaller Fender combos. Rectifier tubes can be interchanged, too, selecting between 5U4, 5Y3, 5AR4 and solid-state rectifiers for varying responses.


Not all tubes can be used together. For instance, 5881s or 6L6s can be used with 5U4, 5AR4 or solid-state rectifiers; EL34s can be used with 5AR4 or solid-state rectifiers; and 6V6s can be used with 5U4 or 5Y3 rectifiers. Refer to the manual for correct setups and maximum current ratings for biasing.


For even more versatility, Kelemen installed a pentode/triode half-power switch, located inside the amp, near the power tubes. At full power, the amp packs the most punch and delivers the cleanest and richest sounds, with the widest range. At half-power, the amp isn't quite as loud, and it clips earlier so you can drive it harder. Most noticeable is the way the tone becomes darker-sounding.


I tested the Reverb 45 with my usual threesome; my trusty '52 reissue Tele, '59 reissue Les Paul and original '65 Strat. At full power, the Reverb 45 offers lustrous clean sounds with deep, gusty bottom-end and nice sustain. There were no surprises in how each guitar would react; I just wanted to hear the amp with different instruments.


The varieties of sounds attainable by the Reverb 45 are great for playing blues, and players will enjoy the luscious reverb effects. While not nearly as splashy as a typical Fender reverb, it is rich-sounding and adds nice texture. Of course, the humbucking pickups of the Les Paul drive the amp's input harder, so it was the top choice for power and getting the fattest sounds. The neck pickup on the Les Paul delivered super-creamy tones for Clapton or B.B. King riffing. The single-coils in the Strat and Tele sounded great, too. Anyone who enjoys surf music or Albert Collins-type Tele Blues will have no trouble dialing in the perfect setting.


While the tone can be overdriven and does get dirty, you won't get anything close to crunch. The amp's inherent characteristics seem to be for cleaner and fuller sounds, and the amount of natural gain is greatly affected by where the level of the Middle control is set. As the level is increased, you'll get more gain and more grit. If you want heavier dirt and more gain, just stick a Tube Screamer or Boss Overdrive in front. For SRV-like tones, I recommend the Tube Screamer mixed with the amp's natural tube growl. This amp was designed for shaping cleaner and overdriven classic tones rather than chunking Pantera riffs. However, with the right metal distortion stomp box, you could get some really heavy sounds. It can work, but that's not really this amp's bag.


To the average guitar player, most "tech talk" can be nearly incomprehensible and intimidating. Regardless, all they really care to hear about is the bottom line - whether or not an amp sounds good, how durable it is, and if it's reasonably priced. In this case, both tech-heads and "regular guys" will appreciate what the Reverb 45 offers. Old-school amp aficionados will appreciate the components and construction (like the 1/8" linen-grade phenolic boards with turret lugs, and porcelain tube sockets).


With all the features, the amp offers a variety of ways to alter its response and achieve a variety of fine sounds. Plus, there's a luminous reverb effect. The Reverb 45 allows you to shape your tone by selecting your preference of tubes, as well as the power level to run the amp, and then sculpt the tone by using the amp's EQ. Mic'ing both the speakers can produce a more interesting variety of sounds in the studio or for live performance with two slightly different speaker sounds. Plugging into an external cabinet, like a 4 x 12 (without the amp's speakers), will deliver a more powerful punch. Kelemen offers a matching external cabinet loaded with the same 1 x 10" and 1 x 12" configuration that can be used with the amp's built-in speakers."


VG