T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
---|
1704.1 | Plush | AQUA::ROST | Bikini Girls With Machine Guns | Wed Mar 07 1990 11:13 | 12 |
|
There has been a West Fillmore model amp in the WantAdvertiser (MA area
want ad magazine) for awhile, cheap, too.
Garnet I don't believe ever got any US distribution happening.
Want more obscure ones? How about Plush and Earth (actually I think they
were the same company!!)? I remember seeing a Jeff Beck Plush
endorsement back in 69 or so....
Brian
|
1704.2 | another oldie | STAR::TPROULX | | Wed Mar 07 1990 11:16 | 2 |
| How about Mitchell amps? Haven't seen one of those in
awhile...
|
1704.3 | | TCC::COOPER | MIDI-Kitty-ADA-Metaltronix rack puke | Wed Mar 07 1990 11:26 | 4 |
| Correct me if I'm worng here...
I read someplace the EARTH amps were designed by none other than
Jim Marshall!!!!! Hmmmm...A rare bird for sure...
|
1704.4 | | LOOKUP::BUCKLEY | TNT on I-25 at 85 | Wed Mar 07 1990 11:34 | 6 |
| I remember Earth amps...they were supposed to be the amp to blow
Marshall 'off the face of the earth'. I thought it doubtful then,
and my prediction was corrtect!
Mitchell amps are cool.
|
1704.5 | zzzzzzzz | FREEBE::REAUME | totally tubular gain | Wed Mar 07 1990 11:36 | 15 |
|
J.C. , Worng? sure you're worng (not sic).
Earth and Plush were the only companies I knew of that copied
Kustom classic Naugahyde look. But I'm reasonably certain that
both these amps were tube where Kustom was always solid state.
The Jim Marshall connection seems unusual but not totally
unlikely.
Other old names that kicked in after another cup of caffeine:
Univox, Standell, and Traynor. I should dig out some old mags,
I'd probably be shocked at the historical (make that Hysterical)
ads in it.
-BoOm-
|
1704.6 | | PNO::HEISER | Menudo: Breakfast of Champions | Wed Mar 07 1990 11:38 | 1 |
| Man, you guys are really dating yourselves! :-)
|
1704.7 | | TCC::COOPER | MIDI-Kitty-ADA-Metaltronix rack puke | Wed Mar 07 1990 11:51 | 5 |
| Hey, I'm only 28 *bub*, so watch it !
I read about those amps in Groove Toobs booklet...
;)
|
1704.8 | | DECWIN::KMCDONOUGH | Set Kids/Nosick | Wed Mar 07 1990 12:04 | 7 |
|
I remember Leslie West using/hawking Stramp amps. Others I haven't
seen in a while are EMC and Magnavox.
Kevin
|
1704.9 | | PNO::HEISER | Menudo: Breakfast of Champions | Wed Mar 07 1990 12:06 | 3 |
| > Hey, I'm only 28 *bub*, so watch it !
So Coop, what's it like to be 28? :-)
|
1704.10 | Supro, Earth, Mitchell | CSC32::G_HOUSE | Fearless | Wed Mar 07 1990 12:21 | 16 |
| Jimmy Page used to use Supro amps. I even have one at home, a little
practice amp version with one 6V6 power tube. It was my Dads, he gave
it to me (well, sorta, I rather pirated it). It'd probably sound cool
if I'd ever fix it up, the speaker is about shot.
I've seen a couple of Mitchell cabinets in pawn shops lately. They any
good? (I was thinking of looking into the 2x12)
One of the local stores around here (Co. Springs) had an Earth head for
the longest time. It was all tube with 4 6550s. Beastly looking, but
might have sounded good. If I remember right, it was dirt cheap. I
don't remember seeing it the last time I was there, maybe they finally
sold it. It was there for well over a year!
Greg
|
1704.11 | Did The Boss endorse Bruce amps? | MCIS2::NOVELLO | I've fallen, and I can't get up | Wed Mar 07 1990 12:26 | 12 |
|
When I was a teenager, my bassplayer had a Hilgen or Hillgen
bass amp (Fender Bassman clone). It sounded pretty good.
Anyone remember Bruce Amps? The first (I think) amps made with
the power amp in the cabinet, and the Preamp on the top. These
were made to avoid Y adapters and whatever tricks guitarists used
for multiple amping. But, they sounded horrible for rock, getting
more of an RandB, or Blues type sound. My 335 sounded nice thru it.
Guy
|
1704.12 | Rare for a reason | USEM::SEAWARD | | Wed Mar 07 1990 12:34 | 11 |
| Well, you did say rare, here goes. When I got my Premier Twin 12
with dual channel and vibrato, I thought I could blow out windows.
Several years later I noticed that it had a hard time being heard
with a Bandmaster in the room.
When the old group went to the battle of the bands, we rented a
couple Silvertones - had a separate head and that skinny metal
box containing a single reverb spring - and we won !!
Thanks for jogging the memories...
|
1704.13 | another rare amp | IAMOK::CROWLEY | Some call me.....Tim | Wed Mar 07 1990 12:59 | 10 |
|
How about Orange amps? These suckers win hands down the award
for THE most ugliest amp made! That dayglo orange tolex
is nausiating! I've heard a few that really cranked,
and a couple (one just a few weeks ago) that were real dogs.
Ralph
|
1704.14 | really old hat | FREEBE::REAUME | totally tubular gain | Wed Mar 07 1990 13:35 | 14 |
|
Here's one I owned that I forgot about- Legend. Nice wood cab,
tube preamp, solid state power amp. Claimed to sound like a Marshall
at half the cost. Right now I think it would make good firewood!
I did sell it , cheap!
Speaking of amps that fit inside the speaker cab, anyone remember
Oliver amps (named after the movie, right?). Seriously they had
a motor that raised the amp out of the speaker cab, trick huh?
And that was in the sixties when I played Ampegs.
Anyone remember Kitty Hawk?
- so shoot me!
- BoOm -
|
1704.15 | Not _as_ rare, but | SMURF::LAMBERT | The Delicate Sound of Thunder | Wed Mar 07 1990 13:51 | 11 |
| Speaking of amps-in-the-cab designs... (Other than the Silvertone
guitar case amp, which I really don't want to talk about... :-))
I had an Ampeg "Tremolux" (or something like that) whose head could
be inverted and placed inside the cab for storage, then lifted out,
flipped over and locked in for playing. Very strange.
I know of an old Kustom 100w amp, complete with 2/12 cab (in matching
tuck-and-roll vinyl) which is available for sale if anyone's interested...
-- Sam
|
1704.16 | | LOOKUP::BUCKLEY | TNT on I-25 at 85 | Wed Mar 07 1990 13:56 | 6 |
| Remember Acoustic? maybe we don't wanna!
What about Stage amps?
Buck, who has played thru an Acoustic, a Stage, and an EMC throughout
his career.
|
1704.17 | | LOOKUP::BUCKLEY | TNT on I-25 at 85 | Wed Mar 07 1990 13:57 | 4 |
| Oh yeah...
Marlboro amps. Not bad lil combo...the treble boost mad for a nice
sound with a Distortion +.
|
1704.18 | Vox Reverb Combo... | MPGS::MIKRUT | Don't you boys know any NICE songs? | Wed Mar 07 1990 13:59 | 7 |
| I don't know if this amp is rare, but I remember having a Vox combo
that was built in '63. I bought it in '67 for $45 and sold it in
'69, in PERFECT condition, for $40!! :^( :^( :^(
Man, times haved changed!!!
cheers/mike
|
1704.19 | Ditto ! | TCC::COOPER | MIDI-Kitty-ADA-Metaltronix rack puke | Wed Mar 07 1990 14:00 | 11 |
| Wow !
Marlboro amps !!
I had (and still HAVE!) a Marlboro 1x12 combo and a 150wt head.
I used to use it with a MXR Distortion+ (and 100000 other stomps)
thru a peavy 4x12.
They are both fried and sitting in my music room closet.
RIP's
|
1704.20 | | SMURF::LAMBERT | The Delicate Sound of Thunder | Wed Mar 07 1990 14:39 | 9 |
| re: Buck
Yep, used to own Stage 1-15" combo(!) bass amp. Was that sucker HEAVY
for a solid state? Wow. And bulky, too. Must've been 2.5' square.
Also played thru an Acoustic bass amp. I always thought they were
pretty good, actually (for "1" clean bass sound).
-- Sam
|
1704.21 | | BSS::COLLUM | Just do the move! | Wed Mar 07 1990 14:51 | 5 |
| Talk about bulky? An old friend of mind had a Univox 100wt all tube
4x12 (that's right) COMBO! That sucker was heavy. Sounded just great
though.
Will
|
1704.22 | memories returning | FREEBE::REAUME | rollin' rack! | Wed Mar 07 1990 15:02 | 8 |
| remember this one? Kasino! I was trying to remember this one earlier.
While I had my Ampeg Portaflex (that's what they called the flip-top),
my other guitarist had a Kasino 400. LOUD and FUGLY it was! Vertical
stripes and 8 10's! It made my Ampeg look real good I'll tell ya.
BTW , the Ampeg Portaflex had all-tubes, a light-up LOGO,
four 12" Jensens, and casters to boot. In some ways I wish I still
had that monster!
-BoOm
|
1704.23 | oh yeah??!! | RAVEN1::DANDREA | Frog lickers unite! | Wed Mar 07 1990 16:08 | 8 |
| I'm gonna date myself now.......actually since my divorce, I've been
dating myself pretty often.....never mind that, now...|)
What about SILVERTONE amps! I use two 25 watt (I think) heads thru a
Silvertone 4 x 12 with a Gibson SG...it was a wonderful experience in
the summer of '69!
Steve D.
|
1704.24 | | IAMOK::CROWLEY | Some call me.....Tim | Wed Mar 07 1990 16:08 | 10 |
|
How about Kay?? My first amp was a Kay....a whopping whole
8 watts in a 5" speaker!! I played Pete Townshend with the
two of them somewhere along the way.....or should I say
I played golf with them? :^)
Ralph
|
1704.25 | | AQUA::ROST | Bikini Girls With Machine Guns | Wed Mar 07 1990 16:09 | 16 |
|
Stage and Westbury were names used by Univox in later years to try to
get around the negative name connotations. Univox became Korg.
Kasino was a low end amp built by Kustom.
Whoever said Magnavox probably meant *Magnatone*, eh?
Later Earth models cloned *Peavey* of all brands after they stopped
making the tuck and roll. They even cloned the Peavey clone of the
Fender tweeds.
Acoustic, Marlboro and Traynor are still in business!!!
Brian
|
1704.26 | Plenty more where that came from | VMSDEV::NORCOTT | Wakarimasu ka? | Wed Mar 07 1990 16:36 | 14 |
| I can think of MANY not already on the list:
National
Saber Reverb
Guild
Baldwin
Rickenbacker
ShoBud
Coral
Rickenbacker
Danelectro
Bill Norcott
|
1704.27 | | TCC::COOPER | MIDI-Kitty-ADA-Metaltronix rack puke | Wed Mar 07 1990 16:38 | 7 |
| How about Polytone ?
Anyone remember those brutes ? I know John Derrico does...
:)
jc (Who'll stick with Metaltronix, Marshall, Kittyhawk and ADA)
|
1704.28 | more | VMSDEV::NORCOTT | Wakarimasu ka? | Wed Mar 07 1990 16:44 | 11 |
| Oops Rickenbacker was on there twice. Both Rick and Baldwin had
push button tone controls (early-mid 60's, era of push button
transmissions on cars).
Also, Mike Mathews Freedom Amp (founder of Electro-Harmonix)
British Amps they still make Hi-Watt, Sound City
Bill Norcott
|
1704.29 | | TCC::COOPER | MIDI-Kitty-ADA-Metaltronix rack puke | Wed Mar 07 1990 16:47 | 6 |
| Push button automatics ??
Gawd, whata band name that would be !!
;)
jc
|
1704.30 | | PNO::HEISER | Amadeus, Bach, Beethoven, Kitty Hawk | Wed Mar 07 1990 17:16 | 6 |
| > Push button automatics ??
Some of today's Toyota Camrys have 2 pushbuttons on their trannies.
One for "Normal" and one for "Power Booster".
Mike
|
1704.31 | | DECWIN::KMCDONOUGH | Set Kids/Nosick | Wed Mar 07 1990 17:23 | 11 |
|
re .25
>Whoever said Magnavox probably meant *Magnatone*, eh?
Yup. Sad when the mind goes. 8-(
Kevin
|
1704.32 | SOUND??? | HAMER::KRON | BILL-THE-WONDER-MUTANT | Wed Mar 07 1990 18:14 | 10 |
| I used to have a "SOUND" amp that I practiced with...Ithink it
was really an accordian amp,I think it was 50 watts,all tube with
a single 15" speaker,reverb and tremolo. 2 channels with volume,
bass, treble.It had UGLY gray vinyl and a silver/gray grillcloth;
but had a swell power light dead center on the control panel, cut
like a jewel and dark blue.....it looked cool! Inside all the
components were "pinned"on blank ckt.board stock and soldered together
with individual wires......a real nightmare!!!!
-Bill
|
1704.33 | here comes the sun | DISCVR::JONEILL | | Thu Mar 08 1990 06:39 | 1 |
| Did anyone mention Sunn amps?
|
1704.34 | SUNN amps | MPGS::MIKRUT | Don't you boys know any NICE songs? | Thu Mar 08 1990 08:26 | 11 |
| re: .33
Yeah Jim, our old rhythm guitarist had one. He ended up spilling a
beer into the ventilating screen where the tubes 'usually' sit.
Needless to say, that old Sunn now rests in that big amp-junkyard in
the sky!
Of course, it was still junk even BEFORE he spilt that budweiser!
cheers/mike
|
1704.35 | SOUND CITY | STAR::DONOVAN | | Thu Mar 08 1990 09:28 | 6 |
| Did someone say SOUND CITY was still in business?
I used to have the sweetest SC speak cabinet with six 10's.
Would love to find it or something similar again!
Brian
|
1704.36 | Earth? Made in Brentwood, L.I., New York. | SALEM::ABATELLI | Who's D.B. Wilfred?? | Thu Mar 08 1990 09:57 | 19 |
| re: .3
Earth? By Marshall?
Ahhhh no. I mean no. Earth was a company from Brentwood, N.Y.
(Long Island to be exact). Earth, Kasino were almost identical
in style and in the materials they were made from. El Cheapo
particleboard from Gros*mans, but then again it didn't cost you
$500.00 for a 2-15" bass cabinet either! ;^)
Also FYI "Mountain" used those "West" amps too!
Talk about a rare amp... how about those Standel amps? Made in
the very early 60's with homemade circuitboards and then potted
in very small "pill boxes" from the local 5 & 10 store. I retubed
one for a guitarist I was working with a looong time ago and was
really amazed that at a volume of "10" (full-tilt) it had absolutely
NO DISTORTION and loud enough to kill small animals! I haven't heard
anything like it since. JBL's were standard equipment on them too!
Fred (ex-Long Islander)
|
1704.37 | Pignose | MFGMEM::DERRICO | | Thu Mar 08 1990 10:21 | 10 |
| A not too old one is Pignose.
re;27 Jeff... Brute! Twas actually a Traynor! In the Kitchen with the
GK & Traynor...those are old memories.
Did Heathkit or JC Penney have any amps?
J/
|
1704.38 | Heath, Knight, Lafayette, Standel | AQUA::ROST | Bikini Girls With Machine Guns | Thu Mar 08 1990 10:43 | 15 |
|
Heathkit had a few amps. I recal a 120 watt, 2-12" bass combo, a 60
watt 2-12" guitar combo and a Super-Beatle like amp with 120 watts,
three channels ( for guitar, bass and Microphone use respectively) and
a matching 2-12" plus horn cab. Allied Electronics also sols a
"Knight-Kit" guitar amp. Lafayette Radio used to sell Univox stuff
with Lafayette nameplates.
Standel amps are hard to come by these days since by potting the
subassemblies, they're impossible to repair!! You have to replace the
whole subassembly, and without schematics, it's impossible to reverse
engineer it. They probably potted stuff for ruggedness. Too bad any
failure becomes fatal!!!
Brian
|
1704.39 | | TCC::COOPER | MIDI-Kitty-ADA-Metaltronix rack puke | Thu Mar 08 1990 11:12 | 7 |
| RE: .37
Yeah John, that was like 6 years ago...
Where have all the flower gone ??
jc
|
1704.40 | | DNEAST::BOTTOM_DAVID | Nice computers don't go down | Thu Mar 08 1990 11:14 | 5 |
| ...and can anyone remember pignoses' big competator Dwarf?
wasn't there a battery powered thing called a somebody or other's Freedom amp?
dbii
|
1704.41 | lab series | RAVEN1::BLAIR | I toad you once, I toad you twice | Thu Mar 08 1990 11:26 | 8 |
|
Has Lab Series been mentioned yet? My roommate in college had one.
I *believe* it had a built in phase shifter. You could get an eerie,
early Al Stewart sound from it with an acoustic. Were they any good?
-pat
|
1704.42 | HI-WATT | SUBWAY::YATES | | Thu Mar 08 1990 11:36 | 10 |
|
Did anyone mention HI-WATT amps. I remember seeing Eric Clapton
the first night of the US Derek and the Dominos tour with
them.
He sounded great.
t
|
1704.43 | re....-1 | ROYALT::BUSENBARK | | Thu Mar 08 1990 11:38 | 5 |
| Those were the Gibson SG series which had a Phase shifter in them,
Lab series amp's had parametric eq and were a decent solidstate amp.
It was a great sounding amp........
Rick
|
1704.44 | Pignostic Engineering | SAMMAX::lambert | The Delicate Sound of Thunder | Thu Mar 08 1990 11:38 | 16 |
| re: .-1
Pignose is still in business. Just saw an ad last night in GUITAR.
It was "Mike Matthews" Freedom Amp - already mentioned, but yeah, what
a weird setup. 100watts, 2 10s, "bite" control, and it could be run on
batteries. About 25 'D' cells, if memory serves...
I've still got a "ColorSound" battery powered amp. Uses two 9v latern
battteries, and only sounds good on "10".
-- Sam
P.S. Yes, I always thought LAB Series were pretty good (and flexible)
but they never caught on...
|
1704.45 | | FREEBE::REAUME | rollin' rack! | Thu Mar 08 1990 11:40 | 15 |
| What a bunch of brains out there! Here's a few more relics:
SG systems - marketed by Gibson in the mid-seventies. Extruded
aluminum edges and denim-like tolex, Yuk! And I think they were
the first to put in a built in phase shifter.
Road - Rugged looking solid state amps, again extruded aluminum
edges ( like a flight case) and round metal grills over the speakers.
I remember these as being quite loud and a particularly impressive
bass amp was part of the line! I think Ross marketed them.
Gibson Les Paul amp - seriously, Gibson tried to use the LP name
to pust a line of solid state amps many moons ago.
-BoOm-
|
1704.46 | | DNEAST::BOTTOM_DAVID | Nice computers don't go down | Thu Mar 08 1990 12:10 | 3 |
| anybody mention Tusk? the first "programmable" amp...total junk
dbii
|
1704.47 | "mortal" vs. immortal | MILKWY::JACQUES | | Thu Mar 08 1990 12:49 | 26 |
|
re .10 Supro made some really funky looking amps to accompany
their lap steels. They featured Dobro Resonator plates for speaker
grilles. Of course, let's not forget that Supro, National, and Dobro
were all related at one time or another.
This is off the subject, but years ago there was a device on the
market called an "Ice Cube". This was designed to work with Fender
amps. It got plugged into the reverb send/return jacks and supposedly
had a dramatic effect on the sound of the amp. I've never actually
heard one, but I have always been sceptical about what they did to the
sound. The fact that they were rather short lived indicates they were
not too useful.
Re. Pignose, The little Pignose battery powered amp is still being
made, but the larger combo series is long gone. The small Pignose
is actually a real bargain with an average selling price of ~$89.00
In any given year, lot's of new products come and go. The ones that stand
the test of time seem to become immortal. For instance, it is a safe
bet that the Strat, Telecaster, Jazz Bass, Precision Bass and Les Paul
will all survive into the 21st century. Chances are Marshall, Mesa,
and Fender will still be the leading manufacturers of amps. I would
expect to see some of the more obscure amps fade into the wood-works.
Mark Jacques
|
1704.48 | Wilder??? | PROXY::MOREAU | Ears RiNgInG Head HURTS | Thu Mar 08 1990 12:54 | 3 |
| I had a Wilder amp once. IT $*cked.
Dennis
|
1704.49 | cordovox??? | ROYALT::BUSENBARK | | Thu Mar 08 1990 13:11 | 12 |
| White?
Alamo?
Actually Acoustic which primarily came out with solid state stuff
in the 70's also made a couple of tube amp's too. Last I heard was
someone bought the name to slap on there amp. Was it Traynor? Plus
Acoustic amp's had a lifetime gaurantee too...????
Sound City is still around as a company......?
Hey Mark I remember "ice cubes"!
|
1704.50 | Back Before Everybody Was A Technodweeb | AQUA::ROST | Bikini Girls With Machine Guns | Thu Mar 08 1990 13:30 | 13 |
|
Re: Ice Cubes
All the Ice Cube was was a thing that let you use the reverb stage of
your amp for an overdrive. It plugged in where the reverb usually did.
Check out a Fender schematic, the verb cicruit consists of a driver and
a receiver. The Ice Cube allowed you to crank in some overdrive by
dialing up your reverb knob....unfortunately you lost your reverb!!!
Plus, by using the footswitch you could kick the overdrive in and out.
Not bad for $30 or whatever they sold for.
Brian
|
1704.51 | Hey, I've got one of those! | CIMAMT::KELLY | Feelin' a little edgy | Thu Mar 08 1990 13:41 | 26 |
| I have a LabSeries L9. It's 100watt, solid state, with an EVM-15S
speaker. A couple of unique touches, at least for a mid-70's vintage
amp:
parametric mid range EQ (well, semi-parametic: fixed Q, variable
center frequency, variable amplitude)
additional high-frequency shelving filter, for ultra-high-end
adjustment..my guess is 4-8kHz range.
a very smooth compressor built-in.
LabSeries (actually, Moog) made an L-5 and and L-7; one had two 12's
and the other had four 10's (sound familiar?). BB King endorsed 'em
for a while.
The 15 has too 'round' a sound for guitar, IMHO, but it's perfect for
pedal steel.
One other weird amp I recall was an 'Airline': I had both a guitar
and an amp from them (Montgomery Ward hosue brand). One monster
eight inch speaker...good for practicing distortion.
Regards,
John Kelly
|
1704.52 | Yes | CSC32::MOLLER | Nightmare on Sesame Street | Thu Mar 08 1990 13:45 | 6 |
| > One other weird amp I recall was an 'Airline'
Made by SUPRO (them & National made the guitars)
Jens
|
1704.53 | squeal like a pig... | MPGS::MIKRUT | Don't you boys know any NICE songs? | Thu Mar 08 1990 13:47 | 7 |
| re: pignose
Yup, just bought one a few weeks ago. I used to have a Pignose 30/60
as a practice amp a long time ago, but haven't seen any since. They
were great for miking through a PA system.
cheers/mike
|
1704.54 | how about... | ROYALT::BUSENBARK | | Thu Mar 08 1990 14:10 | 2 |
| Epiphone....
|
1704.55 | | FACVAX::BUCKLEY | TNT on I-25 at 85 | Thu Mar 08 1990 14:18 | 9 |
| One really cool entry we've forgotten...
PARK amps! Jim Marshall turned out these wonderkind amps when he was
'makin em right'...sold under a surname to avoid legal entanglements
(distributor issue).
I'd like to have an old 50wt Park top myself.
|
1704.56 | | TCC::COOPER | MIDI-Kitty-ADA-Metaltronix rack puke | Thu Mar 08 1990 14:59 | 7 |
| Yeah !!!!! Park !!!!!
Not Earth but PARK was made by Jim Marshall...
See, I'm not crazy, just a little forgetful.
:)
|
1704.57 | jus saw this in the KH note! | FACVAX::BUCKLEY | TNT on I-25 at 85 | Thu Mar 08 1990 15:04 | 3 |
| Yeah, yeah...
:^)
|
1704.58 | Gibson amps. | MILKWY::JACQUES | | Thu Mar 08 1990 15:07 | 19 |
| The biggest, most successful manufacturer of guitars (Gibson) has
a history of missing the mark as far as amps are concerned. Most of
the amps they have marketed over the years have been flops. The only
two models that were somewhat interesting (and have maintained some
appeal to collectors) is the EH150 and the 78 rtv. The 78 rtv was
a stereo amp. It featured 2 30w power amps, and reverb on one of the
2 channels. The cabinet on the rtv was angled in the front to improve
the separation.
I used to own a small 50w Gibson combo with 2 12" Jensen speakers.
I used it in a band with guys that played through mammoth Ampegs
and Dual Showmans. I started using an Electro-Harmonics LPB1 to get
a little extra volume out of it, and ended up smoking the transformer
and both speakers.
I must be getting real old. Time to go home and take my Geritol.
Mark
|
1704.59 | Lab Series cab | NAVIER::STARR | Nightmare in the land of dreams... | Thu Mar 08 1990 16:27 | 4 |
| I have a Lab Series L-11 that I play through all the time - its a 4x12
cabinet. I like it a lot, actually....
Alan S.
|
1704.60 | Woah | CSC32::G_HOUSE | Fearless | Thu Mar 08 1990 21:43 | 20 |
| re: Heathkit
Yeah, my friend had a Heath guitar amp when we were in college. Gotta
be one of the worst sounding beasts ever. (of course the speaker
laying on the floor with no cabinet didn't help it any...)
re: Hiwatt
Rare?? Now way! These are still make and have been used by many big
name artists. Pete Townsend used Hiwatts for years. (Nice sounding
British tube amp!)
re: Lab Series
Didn't they make some tube amps too? I remember two or three years
ago, Guitar Player had an article like "Top 10 Best Buys in Used Amps"
and the Lab Series was one of the ones listed. Orange was also listed.
I don't really remember the rest.
Greg
|
1704.61 | Lab, Ampeg | MILKWY::JACQUES | | Fri Mar 09 1990 08:44 | 27 |
|
I have the Guitar Player amp issue at home. Lab was mentioned as one
of the ten best buys in amps, but I'm pretty sure that all Lab amps
were transistorized. Larry Vignault used a Lab amp for years, and it
had a great sound to it. For some reason, however, he kept blowing
speakers with it. I suspect this may be because he kept replacing them
with Celestians. If he had replaced them with high-power drivers like
EVM or JBL, he may not have had this problem.
Re. the Ampeg portaflex, There was another model that featured this
same design called the B15. This featured a single 15" speaker and the
head flipped over into the cab for portability. When the amp was in
use, the tubes were sitting up at the top of the chassis, and were
visible through a mesh cover. This model was very popular with Bass
and keyboard players alike.
Another funky line of amps from Ampeg was the Gemini I and Gemini II.
These were not really obscure, since they were used by many players
and are still available in the used market, but as far as looks go,
these are real classic. They feature swirled Naugahyde covering, a
chrome-plated top mounted chassis, bat handled knobs, and a "tv-front"
enclosure similar to the old Fender deluxe.
Mark
|
1704.62 | old hiwatts...... | ROYALT::BUSENBARK | | Fri Mar 09 1990 08:46 | 11 |
| re-1
Hiwatt is still being made,but there not the amp's Townsend used
nor are they like the ones Dave Reeves built.....
Lab Series amps were all solid state,however the SG systems amp's
came in both solid state and tube....
Rick
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1704.63 | Plush or Flush? | PROSE::DIORIO | | Fri Mar 09 1990 12:52 | 9 |
|
Re: Plush amps
Does anybody have any more information on Plush amps? A friend of mine
is going to let me borrow a Plush amp (actually I think it's a whole PA
system) indefinitely to use in my home studio, if I want. Is this stuff
a pile of crap, not worth the space it will take up, or what?
Mike D
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1704.64 | As Is Means Bear Whiz | AQUA::ROST | Bikini Girls With Machine Guns | Fri Mar 09 1990 13:36 | 7 |
|
The only news I have is that every Plush amp I have ever seen for sale
in a music store was always "as is", not very comforting. As an
earlier reply stated, they were tube amps. "Borrow"?, "indefinitely"?,
why not try it out. Own a fire extinguisher? 8^) 8^)
Brian
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1704.65 | They sounded good to me.... | CSC32::MOLLER | Nightmare on Sesame Street | Fri Mar 09 1990 14:15 | 18 |
| A guitar player in one of my previous bands had a Plush. It
was pretty much a Twin Reverb type clone. The difference was that
there was a seperate amp head & speaker cabinet & the output
transformer was about 50% larger.
I thought that it sounded quite exceptional & put out quite
a lot of sound (he played lead guitar in the band).
Why are they 'AS IS'?? The company went bankrupt around 1973 &
parts are not easy to find, altho people have been substituting
Twin Reverb Transformers for the original Plush output transformers
as needed. They are fixable.
Other than some rips & tears (his was red sparkle) and a missing
button or 2 (these were push & tuck with 1 inch foam rubber
underneath), it was highly functional.
Jens
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1704.66 | Ampeg Gemini | SMURF::BENNETT | Flicker Flicker Flam, POW! | Fri Mar 09 1990 14:26 | 19 |
|
I've seen these mentioned in a few places? Are they the same as
the Ampeg Rocket/Reverb Rocket? A freind of mine had a
Reverb Rocket II
that was fantastic. He eventually moved up to a V4.
Re Sunn: Fender owns them now and builds tube amps at the old
sunn factory.
Re Traynor: still being built in Toronto by Yorkville Sound. The
just rolled out a line of amps bearing the "Stage" nameplate.
I had a traynor YBA1-A bass head 6*10 cab back in high
school.
Future Obscurities:
How about the new Hohner Vampire line?
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1704.67 | One reliable, nice-sounding Plush bass amp | STAR::DONOVAN | | Fri Mar 09 1990 15:03 | 10 |
| The bass player I worked with back in the late seventies used a
Plush head and bottom. I forget the exact wattage (certainly over
150) and the bottom had two 15"s.
It was a tube amp. Never had any reliability problems with it,
and it sounded quite warm and fine. I liked it better than the
similar Kustom amp that our organ player was running his Hammond
through.
Brian
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1704.68 | | KIDVAX::ALECLAIRE | | Fri Mar 09 1990 15:06 | 2 |
| Red sparkles and foam?
I wonder if there are any guitars out there to match?
|
1704.69 | Vampires suck | CSC32::G_HOUSE | Fearless | Fri Mar 09 1990 16:08 | 3 |
| > How about the new Hohner Vampire line?
What's this, like, the amp that sucks?
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1704.70 | | VLNVAX::ALECLAIRE | | Fri Mar 09 1990 16:55 | 3 |
| The Vampires are made for Ultrasonic Pickups.
"SUCK TONE" as the ads say! :________)
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1704.71 | Sold "As is" usually means "not pretty". | PROSE::DIORIO | | Mon Mar 12 1990 11:07 | 6 |
| re .64 I'm not worried about old amps being sold "as is". To me that
only means that the finish is probably scuffed up or ripped
(not pretty to look at), but that in itself doesn't mean that it isn't
working properly or is unreliable.
Mike D
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1704.72 | More... | CCYLON::ANDERSON | If winning isn't important... Why keep score? | Wed Mar 14 1990 11:56 | 12 |
| What ever happened to E.M.C. they made some pretty nice stuff. I
had a G800 for a long time.
Don't forget thet Gretsch made amps... And wasn't there a Venture
amp. Airline was the Monkey Wards brand as Silvertone was Sears.
A British company H&H Electronics also made some interesting stuff.
I've used alot of Wilder PA colums but had necver seen one of their
amplifiers.
Jim
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1704.73 | Nostalgia ain't what is was! | CMBOOT::EVANS | if you don't C# you'll Bb | Thu Mar 15 1990 05:12 | 18 |
|
>> A British company H&H Electronics also made some interesting stuff.
Yeah, before I got my Marshall I had a H&H 100 Watt, a real good
combo. I still have a slave & a pa amp of theirs I use for monitors or
small gigs. All transistor stuff but they had a feature on the combo
called "valve sound" & it was a pretty good imitation, spring reverb
built in, a very versatile tone control section, pre/post gain, 3
channel (no switching) #1 bright #2 normal # 3 crud.
Ah! takes me back, Peavy & Roland killed em off as they were putting
more features in smaller boxes (this H&H was HEAVY, major problem, only
combo I ever saw without a flight case that had castors!).
Cheers
Pete.
Cheers
Pete.
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1704.74 | re casters | MILKWY::JACQUES | | Thu Mar 15 1990 08:16 | 14 |
| re. last >> Only combo I've ever seen without a flightcase that had
>>casters
Your kidding, right ??
Most Fender combos come through with pull out casters, At
least all Twin Reverbs do. The Ampeg B22X I owned had a dolly that
attached to the bottom.
Just a nit !
Mark
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1704.75 | I use an H&H now. | BAHTAT::BELL | SWAS Leeds 845 2214 | Thu Mar 15 1990 08:18 | 16 |
| I still use an H&H, in fact we have three of their amps in the band. I
play lead through a 150Watt Head called a 'Performer'. It has twin
channels, switchable from a foot switch, with compression on channel 1
and sustain on channel 2. I Turn the sustain way up on Ch 2 and get a
nice dirty sound from it. It also has a built in effects unit with
Echo, ADT (Auto Double Track), Phasing and Chorus. Reverb is available
on top. Effects can also be swithed from the foot switch, you just have
to select the one you want on the amp control panel. The amp uses
Mossfet technology which is supposed to give a valve type sound from SS
electronics, maybe one of you engineers understands that better than I.
I play a Jap Fender Strat through this and get a lot of flexibility.
Our Rythem guitarist has got a similar amp and our bass player uses a
100W bass amp combo which has built in graphic equalizer.
Richard
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1704.76 | Castor oil & humble pie? | CMBOOT::EVANS | if you don't C# you'll Bb | Thu Mar 15 1990 12:09 | 8 |
|
Re -2 Well.....I've led a sheltered life I guess:-).
re -1 Great to know HH is still kicking, are they still available?
I know someone looking for a new amp who'd be interested.
Cheers
Pete.
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1704.77 | Guess not. | BAHTAT::BELL | SWAS Leeds 845 2214 | Thu Mar 15 1990 12:38 | 5 |
| Our rythem player only just bought his, it's supposed to be new but I
think it's been in the shop a long time. I don't see any adds in any
of the rags so I guess they are defunct.
Richard
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1704.78 | How quickly they forget!!! | SMOGGY::TURNER | | Tue May 15 1990 13:34 | 17 |
| I started out with an Ampeg VT-22 w/2-12's and an optional dolly.
Haven't seen one in years... wish I'd never sold it! That was in
1971-73 when the Rolling Stones were using Ampeg.
Have you all forgotten Leo Fender's "Music Man" line of guitars
and amps? I believe Leo introduced the first hybrid guitar amps
(i.e. transistor front end and tubes providing the final amplification.
I've got the 410 configuration with 130W in one cabinet. With a
master volume control it can be crystal clear to pretty good crunch.
Yes, I've finally broke down and bought a rack mount effects processor
so I don't outdate myself to bad but I'm happy with the Music Man!
My brother was inspired to run out and lay down federal green on
an Acoustic 360 back in 1971 after hearing Spirit in concert: Mark
Andes was blowin' heavy bass through one. I believe it featured
one 18" speaker and had a "lifetime" warranty! Yes, those were the
daze..................................
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1704.79 | "Bi-amping" is where it's at | ICS::BUCKLEY | You better drop the gun... | Tue May 15 1990 14:15 | 6 |
| Back in 76 or so, I had an Ampeg ReverbJET or something like that...
50wt, 1x1 combo that I used with a Stage 50wt 1x12. I think from
the volume produced, neither were TRUE 50wt amps, but hooked up
in stereo, it didn't sound too bad for the 70s raunch-guitar sound.
Buck, eternally using dual-amp setups!
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1704.80 | | BTOVT::BAGDY_M | E=mc� - the formula for beer bubbles ! | Wed May 16 1990 09:01 | 12 |
|
Speaking of Ampeg VT-22, I saw one in the local
paper today. Don't remember how much they
wanted for it though.
I started out with a Sunn Bass amp. The old
vacuum tube anchor style. I've still got it too,
but since I got the Yamaha, I don't use it
anymore. Maybe some day, but I'm sure the tubes
will be he|| to find !
Matt
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1704.81 | | PELKEY::PELKEY | But you can call me Ray | Mon May 21 1990 14:18 | 8 |
| <<Speaking of Ampeg VT-22, I saw one in the local
<<paper today. Don't remember how much they
<<wanted for it though.
I had one of these about a millenium ago.
The power head alone must have weighed close to 70 lbs.
|
1704.82 | Music Man not ready for scrap heap yet. | ACISS2::SWOPE | | Wed Dec 04 1996 14:53 | 5 |
1704.83 | Grandpa Eric remembers ;^) | FABSIX::E_PHILLIPS | Music of the spheres. | Wed May 14 1997 14:57 | 25 |
| I remember a two-page ad in the 6/82 issue of Guitar Player; it showed
Alabama on stage with Music Man guitars, basses and amps. I've known a
few people who have owned them, but I seldom see them anymore....
Anyone remember the Sho-Bud steel amps? The *words* on the controls
(volume, treble, mid, bass, etc.) were backlit, as were the control
numbers -- really handy when the stage lights were low or non-existent;
at any rate, they looked cool!
I seem to recall Emmons making an amp as well. Funny, it seems that
once Peavey started making the Session 400, all the specialized steel
amps like Sho-Bud and Emmons just vanished...
Magnatones? In high school, I knew *two* people who played 'em;
everyone else had Fenders.....
And for my last blast of the past, I remember well the Univox bass amps that
had the nameplate of "Realistic" -- yup, Radio Shack! (The same company
whose "Realistic" nameplate was on my first electric bass, a Hofner
Beatle Bass copy I wish I'd kept...)
Okay, now please pass the Geritol ;^)
--Eric--
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