Warning: this week Bobble TIki is not writing about a musical "show," per se. In fact, he's not even really sure what "per se" means.

Rather, he's writing about an event - a musical event, yes - but not your standard three bands on a bill and a couple (too many) whiskey sours.

Sunday at Stonegate Pizza on South Tacoma Way, Union Jack Amps and Riggio Custom Guitars - both local endeavors - will be holding an event going by the billing "Demo Daze."

You know it's serious because they used "Daze" instead of "Days." Plus, it's only one day, so "days" wouldn't have worked anyway. Plus, Z's just look crazy exciting you know ...

But Bobble TIki digresses. Demo Daze at Stonegate Pizza will be your chance - whether you're a serious player or just a bedroom six-string tinkerer - to see some of the more exciting, hyper-local gear currently offered.

When it comes to Union Jack Amps, you don't have to be paying very close attention to see they're making a mark. The list of bands and musicians now part of what the man behind Union Jack Amps, Derek Springer, calls the "Union Jack Family" is long and impressive. And folks aren't just using the amps to be nice; these throwbacks seriously deliver.

Bobble Tiki caught up with Springer this week to talk about just how he got into the amp business, and what people can expect out of Demo Daze ...

BOBBLE TIKI: First and foremost, talk about what Union Jack Amps is all about and where it came from. You say, "I am Union Jack Amps." What all does this entail? What do you do? Why do you do it? Where do you do it from?

DEREK SPRINGER: Union Jack Amplification is a Northwest custom guitar and bass amplifier company.  I hesitate to say company since it's a one-man show, but doesn't everything usually begin that way?  I started out building HiFi tube amps aboutseven7 years ago mainly because the retail costs are in the four to five digit range.  Building them was less expensive and a lot more fun.  After that, the transition to guitar amps was inevitable.  If a HiFi tube amp was a BMW, then a guitar tube amp was a 500 horsepower 1969 Camaro.  I built a few using schematics of classic Marshall amps.  Like most hobbies, it soon became a habit.  A few days after I'd finish a project, I'd start thinking about things I would do different or other amp circuits that looked interesting.  Fenders and Hiwatts to name a few.  So to raise money for the next build, the previous build would have to go.  I sold a few on eBay and Craigslist mainly hoping to break even and get the next amp started.  During the process I would receive dozens of emails with questions and requests.  "Hey man.  Nice work.  Do you have a website?"  Or"I'm looking for someone to build me a Trainwreck style amp, can you do that?"  Seeing an opportunity, Union Jack Amplification was born.  At the time, I was mostly building Marshall style amps.  There's just something about those classic British amplifiers.  Just the right combination of gain and tone.  After some solo brainstorming, the name Union Jack Amps just stuck.  Short and sweet and it looks good backlit on the stage.  I do all the work from the Man Cave and I'm currently focusing on one amp at a time in a direct collaboration with each buyer.  I've narrowed down the model lineup to six classic circuits that I think are the best of the best in guitar amps.

TIKI: If you pay attention to local music in Tacoma, you'll see Union Jack Amps. You've got relationships with a number of bands that should be more than familiar to regular readers of the Volcano -- from Billy Shew to the Dignitaries to SweetKiss Momma and the Big Wheel Stunt Show. How were these relationships forged, and how big a part of your operation is hyper local?

SPRINGER: The first locals to test drive the amps were the guys in Sweetkiss Momma.  I hooked up with them at one of their rehearsals out at a church in Puyallup about two and a half years ago.  We had a mutual friend and he setup the demo.  They were still playing solid-state amps at the time so I'd like to take credit for introducing them to the world of tubes.    About a year later I took a few amps out to Allstar Guitar in Gig Harbor and spent some time with their guitar teachers Chris Meadors and Billy Shew.  Billy asked me to bring some amps down to the jam he hosts at Dawson's every Thursday.  By that time I had already sold dozens of amps through the website to players all over the world, but this was the first time for me to see that amps at work, on stage, in person.  It was a blast hearing the amps and getting direct feedback from the guitarist using them.  The next week, Billy had his first of three Union Jack Amps.  That summer, Billy and I hosted a Union Jack Amps night at the Swiss Tavern.  I invited my old friends from Sweetkiss Momma and they recommended the one and only Big Wheel Stunt Show to get in on the festivities.  The night went off without a hitch and soon after Aaron from Sweetkiss was playing his own Union Jack.   Since then, the local Union Jack Family has grown to about a dozen players including Rafael Tranquilino, Nolan Garrett and Elliott Kay from the Dignitaries. Getting to know so many local musicians has been the best thing to come from the venture.  I consider them friends and I get to be a part of their art in a roundabout way.

TIKI: Explain what folks will see Saturday at Stonegate Pizza for Demo Daze? Is this just something for the real hardcore gear types -- musicians only? Or will there be something for everyone?

SPRINGER: This Sunday Union Jack Amps and Riggio Custom Guitars will be hosting a Demo Daze at the Stonegate Restaurant on South Tacoma Way from 4 to 6 pm.  It will be a chance for folks of all styles and skill levels to come see, hear and play the gear in a live stage setting.  Joe Riggio and I will be on hand to answer questions and, of course, take orders.  Jeff Call from the Stonegate, who has been a huge supporter of local music and my amps, has offered up his Rock Loft for the day.  Very cool!

EXTRA CREDIT: Tube amplification is where it's at because:

SPRINGER: Ask any serious guitar player and they'll tell you a vacuum tube amplifier is the only way to go.  The rich tone and soft clipping of a tube can never really be reproduced by a transistor.  I like to say, the thing that makes a tube amp so perfect for guitar amps is its imperfection.  No two amps are exactly the same.  The nuances of each tube actually become part of the music and the art.  Plus, the music most guitar players grew up on was recorded with tube amps.  You want "that sound" and "that tone"; you need "that amp".

[Stonegate Pizza, Demo Daze, Sunday, June 26, 3:30 p.m., free, 5421 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.473.2255]