The Sons of Twang specialize in midlife crisis creativity.

Scott Dickson, aka Dr. Twang, has been tinkering around on guitar amplifiers and electric instruments since he was in high school. He taught himself how to repair and restore tubes in amps, fix damaged circuitry in electric guitars and even fabricate replacements for broken or missing parts.

All that time spent under a fluorescent light in his childhood garage in Phoenix, Arizona led to the birth of Dr. Twang’s Obsolete Technologies, a local word-of-mouth operation specializing in amplifier and electric guitar repair and modification. Dickson can take a modern amplifier and make it sing like a vintage tube amp that could’ve been used by Buddy Holly himself.

“I can make new stuff sound old,” Dickson says.

About a year ago, the amp wizard decided it was time to start a band that can do the opposite of what he does to musical equipment: take old songs and make them sound new.

“We’re four guys with jobs and families, all going through midlife crises,” Dickson says.

In their first summer together, The Sons of Twang, featuring guitarist Magic Dave, bassist Mick Thunders, drummer Tommy Toms and Dr. Twang on Fender Telecaster, have been performing fairly regularly at local spots like the Safari Club Lounge and Cooper’s Pub, which they’ll play on Saturday.

The group’s repertoire is mostly made up of B-sides and obscurities – the quartet unleashes jangly upbeat original arrangements of country western classics and rock and roll spanning every decade since the ’60s. And Magic Dave’s 12-string Rickenbacker adds Roger McGuinn-approved twang.

Warren Zevon, The Byrds, Dave Edmunds RPM and The Amazing Rhythm Aces are among the artists the Sons of Twang cover, but as their catalog continues to expand rapidly, that only scratches the surface.

THE SONS OF TWANG 9pm Saturday, Aug. 16. Cooper’s Pub & Restaurant, 653 Cannery Row, Monterey. Free. 373-1353.