Myke replied:

Dave,
You're probably wondering how that amp ended up in Phoenix. After Nikita Boone fizzled, around 1975, I realized that it was time to get myself some more schoolin' and headed off to DeVry Institute of Technology in Phoenix, followed shortly by Jay Greenfield and Bob McHugh. I spent 2 years there. Jay and Bob a little longer. Either Jay or I brought that amp there. Probably Jay, because shortly after his arrival in Phoenix, he hooked up with this cute burn unit nurse who distracted him to a point where he sold all his gear. Good decision, though. They are still very happily married.

As you can see, Nikita Boone lives on in BooneScuttle5, with three of the five members accounted for.
A little cult status is all we ask. Is that so wrong.
-Myke

And soon our new found compadre Dave replied:

Subject: Re: Nikita Boone
I should have told you that the only reason I still have the amp is because Nikita Boone is painted on the side of it. The story goes like this:

I bought it in June of 1990, and it was broken. (Blown power transformer). This was well in advance of the internet so I had a job on my hands trying to track down a new transformer. As luck would have it I found a repair sticker on th inside of the chassis for Time Electronics in Union New Jersey. The amp was modified in 1973 with 7027A output tubes and some other things. I called and number and a guy named Rich (who was the guy that did the mods back in '73) got me the parts I needed. As I was not a EE major I took my amp the parts and a schematic to search for a repair tek. This was not an easy task as there wer no detailed schematics available then and no one knew what voltages were needed to run the original tubes. I finally found a guy up to the challenge in late 1995. [Ed. note: 5 years later!!] He promptly disappeared with my amp in tow. I made a police report but since I had no serial# from the unit chances were pretty slim.

In 1998 [Ed. note: 3 years later] I walked into a local guitar shop and saw a Hiwatt Amp head sittin all by it's lonesome. In Arizona there currently are 2 Hiwatts and 1 of them is mine, so you can appreciate how rare this was. On the side of the amp you could stil see the lettering Nikita Boone. It was much lighter as the thief had tried to remove it, but you guys used some good paint. This was in my favor as I had included in my police report the the name was sprayed on the side of the head. It took about a year but in Feb of 1999 I finally plugged in my amp.

If that name had not been there I would have never recovered it. Needless to say I repainted Nikita Boone over the faded letters, because as far as I was concerned that name was my good luck charm. When ever I have played since then someone invariably asks me why my amp says Nikita Boone in bright white lettering. Since finding your website the story will be much more interesting.

Dave

Nikita Boone drummer Bill Funcheon adds to the history:

Dave, I thought you might enjoy a little more insight to the amps arrival in Phx and other tangential AZ / Boone-links.

In the summer of 1975, My wife Rachel and I moved to Tucson. Jay Greenfield moved in with us (with the amp) for a few months. Tucson and country flavored music didn't agree with Jay (he could have kicked serious ass) and he moved up to live with Myke and Bob @ the Hub, were he met Mindy and sold the amp. Rachel and I formed a band Valley Fever which played in Tucson in '75-'77 and moved to Phx in '77-79. We played @ GIGi's @ 40th and Indian School (among other joints) and were lucky enough to open a number of shows at the Celebrity Theatre.(Lots of our equipment said Nikita Boone on it)! (Valley Fever lead to Cosmo Topper, with no Boone blood line). VF was pretty popular during it's run in Phx. It's not impossible some old-timer, music-lovers from that era may remember it.

Glad to hear the amp is still alive and seeing action. It was one of the coolest pieces of equipment we had. Enjoy... Bill