Okay, so I got this thing in my head a while back, this name: the ‘amp house’. Kept hearing whispers about it, sounded like some kind of spot people used to know, maybe for gearheads or musicians, I dunno. The name just stuck with me, you know? Had to figure out what it was, or where it was.
Starting the Hunt
First thing I did, like anyone would, I guess, was hit the internet. Typed ‘amp house’ plus my city, variations of it, into all the search engines. Honestly? Mostly useless results. Found places selling amps, sure, or real estate listings talking about houses with amps in them. Not what I was looking for. Zero solid leads online.
So I figured, okay, gotta go old school. Started asking folks I knew who’ve been around the local scene for a bit. Talked to Pete down at the record shop, asked a couple of older guys I know who used to play in bands. Got a lot of ‘Hmm, sounds familiar…’ but nothing concrete. One guy thought it was maybe over by the old mill, but wasn’t sure. Said it probably vanished ages ago. Helpful, right?
Chasing Ghosts
Spent a good chunk of an afternoon just driving around that area near the old mill. Looking for anything that might fit the bill. Found some derelict buildings, a few weird back alley workshops. Peered through some dusty windows. Nothing screamed ‘amp house’.
This was getting frustrating. Felt like I was searching for a myth. I sent out a few more messages, casting a wider net to anyone who might have a clue. The replies were all over the place:
- Someone remembered a basement practice space with loud amps, but couldn’t pin down the street.
- Another dude insisted it was just a nickname for ‘Andy’s Music Place’ which closed like, fifteen years back.
- Got sent an address that led me straight to a dentist’s office. Yeah, really.
Man, talk about a wild goose chase. You ever do that? Get obsessed with finding some obscure thing from the past based on half-remembered stories? It’ll drive you nuts if you let it.
Digging Deeper
I was almost ready to just write it off as local legend. Was grabbing a coffee, thinking about how much time I’d wasted. Then I remembered – I had this old box, stuffed full of flyers from shows, local zines, stuff like that from years back. Maybe, just maybe… So I went home, hauled this dusty box out of the closet. Started sifting through piles of faded paper.
And bingo! Found this tiny ad in a crumpled zine from maybe the early 2000s. Didn’t actually say ‘amp house’. But it advertised ‘tube amp repairs, loud environment’ and listed a specific, kinda weird address. Not a main road. This felt promising. It was a real lead, not just guesswork.
The Payoff… Sort Of
Got back in the car, feeling a bit more hopeful. Put the address into my phone maps. It took me to this small, slightly hidden block of workshops tucked away behind a bigger industrial area. I’d probably passed the entrance a hundred times and never noticed it. Found the unit number from the ad.
There it was. Just a plain, beat-up door. No sign, nothing fancy. Looked pretty quiet. I knocked, waited a bit. Nothing stirred. Found a crack in a boarded-up window and peered inside. Looked like it was just storage now. Saw some shapes under tarps that might have been old speakers or cabinets, hard to tell. Definitely dormant.
So, that was it. I found the location. The place where the ‘amp house’ likely used to be. Wasn’t some hidden treasure trove, just an empty unit now. Kinda disappointing in a way, but also satisfying? Like solving a small puzzle. Closed that chapter, you know? It wasn’t the Narnia of amps I’d half-imagined, but finding the spot felt like an accomplishment anyway. Reminds me of trying to track down that specific hot sauce I had once on vacation… sometimes finding out it’s gone is the only answer you’ll get. The search itself was the interesting part, I guess.
