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AMPLIFIERS, AMP ACCESSORIES and CABS:
ATTENUATORS:
THD Hot Plate 2.7 Ohms Attenuator, for 2.7 Ohm load and works best for amps rated at 2.7 ohms such as Fender 3X10 combo's. Offers Bright and Deep switches for tailoring your sound - Bright switch gives you two different high frequency levels to compensate for an overly bright, or dull speaker cabinet while the Deep switch offers two distinct bass settings to help you fill out the bottom end, or reduce the bass in a cabinet with too much low end. Has built in noise reduction up to 10dB, line out, and a fan to keep it cool. Perfect shape, works flawlessly, and with new ones going for $369, a sweet deal for $249. For full specs click here for THD's site.
THD Hot Plate 4 Ohms Attenuator, for 4 Ohm load and works best for amps with a 4 ohm output and 4-ohm speaker load (including 8 ohm combo with 8 ohm extension cab - or a 4 ohm combo or head). Offers Bright and Deep switches for tailoring your sound - Bright switch gives you two different high frequency levels to compensate for an overly bright, or dull speaker cabinet while the Deep switch offers two distinct bass settings to help you fill out the bottom end, or reduce the bass in a cabinet with too much low end. Has built in noise reduction up to 10dB, line out, and a fan to keep it cool. Perfect shape, works flawlessly, and with new ones going for $299, a sweet deal for (SOLD-Kevin 8/5). For full specs click here for THD's site.
A Big thanks to UPS!: Check out the latest damaged amp courtesy of the UPS gorillas. This was a wonderful-sounding Premier B-160 Club Bass, an especially good sounding Blues amp for guitar. Original ’65 Jensen C15N is totaled beyond repair, speaker baffle is in many parts. It was wrapped in 3 layers of the large bubble wrap inside a triple-wall box. Think they would pay off on insurance? Think again. I insure everything I ship for full value, however, I do that only in the event of loss or in the event of obvious carrier damage such as tire tracks across the box. I took care of my customer - but unfortunately nobody will take care of me. If this happens to you, the only tip I can give you is they will pay off if: (1) you spend many hours on the phone and impress upon them that you’re not going to go away; (2) you send them a letter on a lawyer’s letterhead threatening legal action and reminding them that it’s illegal to receive payment for insurance and not pay off when there is a claim.
RARE, BOUTIQUE, VINTAGE, COLLECTABLE
Goodsell Super 17 MK III Brown, (back), (top), (speaker). New - full warranty. Hand-wired 1X12 combo. Some of you might remember a new of Goodsell Ltd Ed 5/17 I had a few months back. The Super 17 MK II is a similar amp in the back end but a look at the front end (pic) of the Ltd model shows how basic the preamp was compared to the current production model. Added to the new MK III are tremolo (speed & depth), and reverb. Along with the switchable power, this is now a perfect club or practice amp, along the lines of a Deluxe Reverb. Features include dual EL84 power in a push-pull design, 12AX7 triode preamp, solid state rectifier, and it's solid pine 9.5"X15.5"X20" cabinet is identical to a tweed Deluxe and weighs in at only 29 lbs. As with the Ltd Ed 5/17, this is a very musical sounding amp and is one of the few amps I've had where it sounds good with the gain turned up and the master turned down - for most amps this is the "buzzy overdrive" setting but for the 5/17, it sounds more like power tube saturation and less like overdriven preamp tubes. For more info on Goodsell amps, click here for their home page. Richard builds these in batches of 12 and he's sold out by the time the production run is finished so I was happy to get my hands on a pair. After I gave up on Budda's production of hand-wired amps, I was very happen to pick up a line that offers a top quality built, with a superb tone. I'm happy to see Goodsell doing a big push on advertising as this is one area where many boutique builders have failed. MAP pricing on this model is $1999(SOLD-New order pending) but this will include free shipping - or a killer trade for your American Fender/Gibson/etc guitar. For sound clips and awards, including the Guitar 1 award for the Super 17, click here.
Goodsell Super 17 MK II Tweed, (panel), (back), (top), (speaker). New - full warranty. The predecessor to the MK III but a very similar amp with the main difference being a straight 17-watter rather than a 5/17 switchable, tube rectifier, and a larger size cabinet at 9"X21"X24". Flawlessly finished in vintage tweed cover. Shares the same main features as the MK III including the top panel layout. MAP pricing on this model is $1999 but this will include free shipping - or a killer trade for your American Fender/Gibson/etc guitar. For sound clips and awards, including the Guitar 1 award for the Super 17, click here.
Blues Pearl Texas Tornado, (panel), (top), (back), (label), (chassis). Hand-built in Ft. Wayne IN, ca. 1998, Serial 130, finished in snakeskin covering for a perfect nice blend of vintage and modern. Overall condition is very clean, other than the snag in the grill cloth. Blues Pearl was one of the best boutique builders of the 90's, and in the vintage tradition, featured hand-wired point-to-point circuit with top quality components all around. No "pre-wired components" or circuit boards here and, likewise, they used quality finger jointed pine cabinets and one of the best selling points, a three-knob reverb. The Texas Tornado was apparently made in two versions with most equipped with dual 6V6 power, but I've seen another review on one equipped, like this one, with dual 6L6's, which gives it around twice the power at around 40 watts. With a small company like BP, it's quite possible that he used his Diablo (Super Reverb) circuit and simply used a Texas Tornado panel and box. It features a single channel design with two uniquely voiced inputs, dual 6L6 (Audio Glassic) power, GZ34 rectifier tube, and four 12AX7/12AT7 preamp tubes. The 3-knob reverb (dwell, depth, tone) is one of the major selling points and it's like getting a free reverb unit with the amp, offering much more control than a single-knob which tends to sound like a bucket brigade in comparison. Looking around the web you might see some negative comments about Robert Hudson and Blues Pearl's business practices as he eventually ran into financial difficulty and eventually stopped building amps. The quality of his amps, especially his earlier models like this one, is universally acclaimed. For reviews on some of the earlier Texas Tornado's, click here for Harmony-Central, where it receives almost straight "10" scores. Despite the later part of his career, Robert's amps remain highly regarded and their quality is on par with almost any boutique amp built today. If you're a fan of vintage Fender tone, and especially a vintage Fender reverb unit, you'll likely love this amp, snakeskin and all. For a hand-wired with quality components, very nice value at $1299.
Budda Verbmaster 18 4X10 Combo, (panel), (top), (back), (back panel), (footswitch), (chassis). 90's model - Serial VMD-0003, the 3rd Verbmaster built! Back in the day Jeff Bober had a small company that did some of my repairs and built some killer little amps called Budda, all hand-wired and built in small numbers. After gaining a reputation as the amp guru of the Baltimore area, doing Marshall mods and various repairs and hot-rodding, his extensive knowledge went into designing some of the best boutique amps ever made. Jeff eventually sold his company, but stayed on at the Maryland factory, building both his original designs plus the new "Superdrive" series, which were great amps but not hand-wired. The hand-wired series, which offered little profit margin, soon fell victim to corporate thinking and was discontinued. They came out with a 10th Anniversary hand-wired but at $5K list, the amp was essentially a Twinmaster with a commemorative badge. The Verbmaster was a fairly complex amp for Budda, with more than 3 knobs and an effects loop. The Verbmaster features an excellent sounding reverb with two distinct sounds, "sand" and "surf"; Hi-gain and Normal inputs, each voiced differently; and the usual bass - treble - volume controls. The high-gain input adds a tube stage to overdrive the normal input's gain stage, which in turn drives the unique tone-control stack. The back panel features an effects loop; slave output with level control; parallel speaker outs with a 4/8 ohm switch. This amp breaks up very early and isn't recommended for anyone looking for clean headroom - but for a non-master volume high-gain amp, you get a beautiful tube breakup at a relatively low volume. For many players, this will be the perfect club or practice amp. Although 18 watts may seem rather tame, this is a deceptively loud amp. For a good example of the versatility of the Verbmaster (1X12), using only a guitar's volume control (no effects were used), click here for a YouTube demo. Other than the Anniversary model, which is great but overpriced, Budda hand-wired amps remain some of the best values on the market, and one of the few that weren't clones of Fender or Marshall. Dealer cost on these was over $1500 on my last price list that had the hand-wired and it's an excellent amp, in nice shape, for $1399. See lower down on this page for the same era handwired Budda Twinmaster Ten.
1997 Budda Twinmaster Ten, (back/spkr code), (top), (front panel), (back panel), (Tuki cover). Back in the day Jeff Bober had a small company that did some of my repairs and built some killer little amps called Budda. These were all hand-wired and built in small numbers. Jeff gained fame doing Marshall mods or many of the touring acts like the local band "Kix." His extensive knowledge went into designing some of the best boutique amps ever made. Eventually Jeff sold his company but still runs production at the Maryland facility. Sadly, the hand-wired series were soon phased out in favor of the "Superdrive" Series, which are good amps but are strictly circuit board. The Twinmaster Ten is wonderfully simple with just 3 knobs - the only bells and whistles are a high/low gain channels, effects loop and DI output.. It's a Class A circuit with a pair of EL84’s cranking out 18 watts, but you’re going to swear it’s 35, with a 5U4 GE rectifier and a pair of 12AX7’s in the preamp. Excellent sounding pair of Mojo/Eminence 10” speakers. Extremely lightweight with real Birch construction. The tone is best described as a cross between a baby Plexi and an AC30 with a more complex and touch sensitive gain structure. I have a Tuki cover, custom made for the TM10 which will be included. The last Budda handwired built was their 10th anniversary re-issue which was a Twinmaster in a 1x12 configuration, with a $4995 list and the were this exact same amp except for the speaker, upgraded tone caps and fancy cosmetics. A better bargain is this nice early Twinmaster, not mint but no major flaws and for a point-to-point quality 2X10 combo, a modest price of $1150(HOLD-Kevin K 3/25), which is less than a new Superdrive Series.
Dr. Z Galaxie 1X12 Combo, (top), (panel), (back), (spkr/tubes), (footswitch). After years of primarily EL84 powered amps (and a few 6V6), Dr. Z has produced their first ever 6L6 powered amp. In addition to a pair of 6L6', the Galaxie has three 12AX7's in the preamp and a 5U4 tube rectifier. It also features a Triad output transformer, which is original spec for Fender's classic tweed amps including the low-powered Twin, Super, and Pro, which is part of the magic of this fine amp. The Galaxie is a dual-channel amp, with channel 1 voiced for clean tones; channel 2 is the overdrive/dirty channel. Channel 1 is the perfect clean with crisp highs, fat lows, and a very throaty voice overall. Channel 2 is the OD channel with excellent sustain with a beautiful break-up. CH-2 reaches full volume at around 9'oclock and from there on it's more of a gain knob, with more overdrive, sustain, and compression as you turn it up. Both channels share the same EQ (bass/treb/pres) knobs. The tone knobs are very interactive with the volume controls and really act like gain controls as much as EQ knobs. Turn up the bass or treble and you'll notice an increase in gain at the same time. The tonal possibilities aren't as simple as the layout appears but there really isn't a bad sound on this amp, regardless of settings. Rather than the vintage style separate inputs for the two channels, the Galaxie uses a footswitch to change channels, which is a nice touch for live bands, with an indicator light to let you know when you're on CH-2. Output is rated at 30 or 40 watts, selectable via the pentode/triode switch on the back panel. This features wasn't really to offer an appreciable difference in output rather than different voicings. Although it has a very slightly higher output, the 40W setting is a bit tighter and slightly more high fi sounding; while the 30W setting gives the amp and earlier breakup. For more info go to Dr. Z here. There are a number of good demo's on YouTube including this one by Frankie Starr, playing what appears to be an earlier version with a different layout. The Galaxie 1X12 sells new for $1849, which is right in the ballpark for a hand-wired 40W combo. This one is dead mint and a killer combo for $1299.
DST Engineering MarWatt 2X12 Combo, (pic2), (top), (panel), (back). Another great Class-A combo and clearly one of the best of the lot as far as 18-watt clones on the market and much more than another Marshall clone. Touted as the "last word in British sound from a portable amp", one of its proponents is the Rev. Billy Gibbons, who has plugged it in a few articles in ToneQuest. It features two individually voiced channels for 2 very distinct sounds. Channel 1 features Hi and Low inputs with simply a Volume and Tone - Channel 2 features High and Low inputs with Volume, Bass, Mid, and Treble. The two channels are voiced very differently which adds some versatility and ensures that you'll be able to get the classic British tone that you're looking for. Tube compliment includes three 12AX7, a pair of EL84/6BQ5, and a 6CA4/EZ81 rectifier. In addition to top grade components, the cabinetry features solid core Baltic Birch plywood with 3/4 inch dovetail corner joints. With a decidedly vintage look, along the lines of Vox including the top vents, this one is finished in green vinyl covering with gold trim and outfitted with a pair of Celestion 70th Anniv. G12H30's, which is spectacular speakers. Of note to the back-weary, it weighs in at under 60 lbs., featherweight when compared to some 2X12 combo's. Click here for a DST's Marwatt Page including full spec's and sound clips and for a great in-depth review in Guitar Player Mag click here. New cost on this amp was $1899, very reasonable for a hand-built 2X12. Better yet is this collector-owned, barely used one, for just $1299(SOLD-Dale E 6/15).
Hi-Watt Custom 7 Hand-Wired Combo, (back), (panel), (top), (chassis), (circuit), (manual). Model SA110, designed and manufactured in Hi-Watt's Custom shop in England. The Custom 7 is a little 7-watt Class A that features the legendary English hand-wired construction of Hiwatt's Classic Series. Designed specifically for the home and studio environments, where you want to drive an amp into the "sweet spot" without driving neighbors crazy, it is truly the classic Hiwatt sound in a small package. Using a Single-ended output stage with two ECC-83's and one EL-84 together, it features Master Volume control, individual Gain, Bass, Mid and Treble controls, High and Low inputs. The Boost knob pulls out to get a higher gain tone at lower volumes and when pegged all the way, it still puts the amp over the top. It's a very simple circuit but built with quality components throughout. A look inside reveals point- to-point hand wiring, turret tag boards (no printed circuits), and hand laced wiring harnesses. The power and output transformers are manufactured by Partridge, the original 1970's supplier to the original design sheets. The components and wires are the modern available equivalents of the vintage components, 1-watt carbon resistors, and wound polyester capacitors. They even use Fane speakers, just as they did back in the early days. For Hi-Watt's site info, click here. A quality amp of this design isn't cheap. This little baby lists at $2899 and sells at $1969 to $2100 at discount. This amp appears to have seen zero use and could easily be sold s new. Offered here for just $1379.
Mojave Coyote Head, (panel), (top), (back), (cover). Third one of these I've had. Last one was serial #6, this one is serial #9. If you're looking for clean headroom - look elsewhere - this amp has none. If you're looking for excellent crunch and rich distortion at all sound levels - you'll likely be very pleased. In my business low watt boutique amps are about the hottest thing on the market right now - even more than most vintage amps. They generally sound as good, or better, and don't have 30-year-old components prone to failure In fact, most of these have better components than many of the original models. The Coyote is a dual-EL84, cathode-biased amp that features dual independently voiced channels, labeled 'Bass Volume" and "Treble Volume." Each controls the two triode gain stages of a 12AX7, and the idea is that you use varying levels of each to obtain not just the amount of overdrive you want, but also the balance of bass and treble needed for your particular guitar. The dual-function system eliminates the need for separate tone controls - and the only additional EQ on the Coyote is a Tone knob and 2-position Mid Cut/Emphasis switch. Don't be fooled by an lack of knobs and switches; as many of you know, less is more. The output tranny is equipped with both 8 ohm and 16 ohm speaker taps so it will be compatible with various speaker configurations. To quote one review online: Elements of its sound are reminiscent of an old Marshall 20 watter’s, but the Coyote has a broader palette of textures to play with, and it seems to instinctively want to sound good with just about any guitar. Bottom line: If you like the idea of exploring very interactive control nuances for precise tailoring of your tones, you’ll find the Coyote fun and exciting. For full details and reviews, click here for Mojave's site - or click here for sound clips. Like the other ones I've had, this one is in bedroom condition, with the only real flaw being a tiny impression on the bottom (pic here). If you've been thinking about getting a new Coyote, they sell pretty much at their list price of $2100 but this one is super clean, one of the first ones built, and just $1450. Includes very plush Mojave cover.
Now with new logo* (as shown here) - THD Bi-Valve, (pic2), (pic3). *Special ordered from Andy, current spec logo. Bob Dylan's tour was using a bunch of Bi-Valves but THD wasn't getting deserved recognition with the hard-to-see logo older logo so THD switched to these easily visible white logos. This amp is in mint condition and a very unique amp with some cool features including self-biasing with two output tubes, wired in parallel and combined through a special output transformer, you can use almost any output valve you like without touching any kind of bias adjustment, and the BiValve you can use them in any combination as well. Along with the capability to take almost any preamp valve, this makes the BiValve even more of an amp-tweakers dream than its predecessor, the Uni-Valve. Like the Emery Sound, you can just experiment and have fun finding all the killer combinations available. In addition to the usual volume, bass, and treble, note the "Attitude" control, which works on the driver valve to change its response, and does more or less what the name suggests: either smoothing things out or making them more aggressive. A The hi/lo power switch is like having a built-in Variac; switching to low voltage adds a squashy dynamic feel and reduces clean headroom, essential for valves like the 6V6 which can't handle high plate voltages. Perhaps the nicest feature, THD's famed "Hot Plate" power attenuator, which is essentially a $329 bonus feature for free. The Hot Plate lets you run this baby full out, saturating the power tubes, letting you get that creamy response and natural sounding distortion, at living room volume output. This amp is built like a tank and the circuit and overall construction, impeccable. For full specs, click here for THD's site. The Bi-Valve lists for $1795 and sells new at a modest discount for $1529. This one's perfect and $579 cheaper at $950 which includes original black/chrome logo as well as the new white logo.
Marshall Hand-Wired 1974X Combo Reissue, (panel), (top), (back). One of Marshall's recent hand-wired reissues, bringing back the tone and meticulous construction of the original 60's models. This one is a reissue of the 18-watt Model 1974, which was produced from '66 to '68, and considered by many to be Marshall's best sounding EL84 model ever made. Featuring top-mounted controls, immaculately applied black covering, and gray/white grille cloth, the 1974X resembles a baby Bluesbreaker combo (model 1962). As with its ancestor, the 1974X sports two channels, each with dual inputs and a set of Volume and Tone controls. The Tremolo channel also has Speed and Depth controls for the tube-powered trem circuit. The proprietary Celestion T1221 speaker, which is rated at 20 watts and has a 15ž impedance, is made to the original 1967 formula and has been specially aged by matching the magnet flux to that of an original 1967 Celestion. The cone material is also made more "pulpy" in order to replicate the response of a 37-year-old speaker. With a birch-ply cabinet the 1974X features the same point-to-point circuitry of the original with carefully routed leads to the chassis-mounted pots, jacks, switches, and tube sockets. Dagnall power and output transformers are exact duplications of the originals in terms of construction, materials, and electrical characteristics. At the bottom of the chassis are dual speaker jacks, an impedance selector, and a jack for the vintage-correct tremolo footswitch. This amp is not just cute, it's a little terror tonally. With just 18 watts, it doesn't have a lot of clean headroom, but by pegging the Volume and your guitar's volume control, you can get a nice spectrum of gritty-clean to grindingly distorted sounds. The tones are bright with a clear midrange that made chords ring and single-note lines with plenty of presence. With it's open-back cabinet, it has plenty of low end power as well. The trem circuit sounds great, whether used as a very low sweep or a super fast staccato. For much more info, click here for Marshall amps and click here for a 10-min. YouTube demo. If you're not looking for much clean headroom and instead prefer the wonderful breakup that these amps are cherished for, you'll love it. This amp has seen only limited living room use and is offered in flawless condition. With a list price of $3240, the 1974X sells new for $2299, which is reasonable for a hand-wired amp of this quality. Even more reasonable is this "as new" model for $650 less, just $1649.
1976 Fender Deluxe Reverb "Blackface" (click pics to enlarge), (panel), (top), (back), (speaker), (back panel/label/footswitch). Original '76 Deluxe that was changed over to blackface specs, including circuit and cosmetics. Still has the original cabinet but it's been professionally recovered with era-correct grill cloth and a blackface panel. All the work was top notch and it looks as nice as a reissue but sounds so much better. The tolex covering is perfect with straight, flush seams, and the grill cloth is tight all around. I have a list of the circuit mods which were performed but it's not a radical change, but one which most players would agree makes it a better sounding amp. The Blackface DR is truly one of the holy grails of vintage amps, with original examples in this condition going for around $3K. They are the perfect club amp with 22 watts of 6V6 power with dual channels and excellent sounding vibrato and reverb effects. It's loud enough that it provides plenty of stage volume, with a low enough output that you can crank it up and make the power tubes sing, without overwhelming the house sound. One of the best mods is the choice of a Jensen P12N Alnico 5, arguably the best sounding low-powered speaker on the market at around $235. Also included with this amp is a genuine Anvil brand ATA Flight case (pic1 pic2) which has thick foam padding cut to fit the amp, and has a storage compartment on the side for footswitch, cables, effects, etc. The case has a pair of spring loaded handles on each side and recessed latches. Add a pair of casters and it would be even better. I don't think you can touch an Anvil brand of this size for under $350. If you want a vintage Blackface Deluxe Reverb but don't have unlimited funds, here's a great alternative and one that's a lot cheaper than getting a total refab on your 70's DR. Just $1150 includes the amp, flight case, and reissue 2-button footswitch. Not much to pay for one of the best sounding amps you've likely ever heard.
Marshall JCM800 1960A Cabinet, (back), (speakers). Hard to find genuine JCM800 cab, loaded with original British Celestion G12T-75, 75W speakers. Cab is in typical used condition with a few tears to the tolex on back, but looks pretty good from the audience perspective. If you have a JCM800 and want the proper matching cab, here you go, just $450 plus shipping - or discount applies to local pickup.
Fuchs Train 45 Head, (back), (top). This amp blew me away. I've never had a Trainwreck and now with prices on those soaring into the ozone layer I probably never will, but assuming they sound similar to this Train 45 I know what the hype is about. Like Ken Fischer's legendary amps, the Train 45 is a straight ahead single channel, non-master volume amp. This amp has a singing quality that most players are looking for with a shimmering clean with plenty of clean headroom - and fantastic overdriven sound that sustains notes endlessly. Runs on your choice of EL34's for 35 watts of clean power - 45 watts peak - or use 6V6's for a more neighborhood friendly 22 watts. Keep in mind though, that on an amp in this league even 22 watts is very loud. If you're used to master-volume amps and playing at a level that your spouse can live with, this may not be the best choice. This amp sounds best when you can open it up a little bit. Features solid pine cabinet with Tolex covering, two EL34's/6V6's in the power section, three 12AX7's in the preamp, 3-position brite switch (brite/flat/dark), Gain-Hi-Mid-Low-Pres controls. There are some intelligent reviews on Harmony-Central (click here) but I would discount the first one, especially considering the reviewer was evaluating the wrong amp but clearly knows little about tone. From the other reviews, it scored all 10's and just a single 8. Click here for all the info from Fuchs. This amp is "as new" condition, totally flawless, and one of my favorite amps ever in stock. $1599. Includes manual.
Gibson GA-5 Les Paul Junior Amp, (side/back). 5-watt lil' screamer! Oh man, what a monster this baby is. If you're looking for an overdriven tube tone for practice or studio, this could be just what you're looking for. Very little clean tones - starts to break up around "3" and around "5" it achieves what most amps achieve wide open. Turn the knob past 5 and you get more saturation at every number, unlike some amps where there is little difference between initial break-up and full volume. I am very impressed with this one and hat's off to Gibson for coming up with a reissue that's even cooler than the original. Not a cheap amp, but comparable to most of the boutique Champ clones in that it's hand-built with point-to-point solder - with single-ended Class A circuit with an EL84 power and a 12AX7 preamp. Excellent sounding 8" "special design" Goldtone speaker with hardwood cabinet covered in cream tolex. Looks good inside with a polished chrome chassis and a remarkably large power transformer (pic2). Other than 3 small nicks in the tolex in back (shown here), flawless cosmetics. Every studio needs an amp like this and with a list price on new of $1150, this one's just $429. Ships in original box with manual. For Gibson's specs, click here. Note: I have this identical amp except in yellow tolex, also made by Mojotone (pic here) on my amps page for $399.
2004 Fargen 2X12 Bordeaux, (back) (click to enlarge both pics). In cool green tolex with black panel and white knobs. This is a killer deal on a very good quality boutique combo - hand made in Sacramento Calif. - and this is an early model for the company, serial 173, back when all of Ben's amps were custom orders. Recently Fargen has begun selling direct to the public and I'm sure the quality is still top notch, but there's something about early models from any maker...built when they had something to prove. There's also a certain quaintness with these small builders and the case in point, for example, is the panel on this amp. Although it is labeled with a "Reverb" knob, it's actually a factory non-reverb model and the Reverb knob is actually the Master Volume, with the "Volume" knob being the Gain control. Confused? It's simple and the very basic layout: Gain, Master, Treb, Mid, Bass, left to right. To reiterate, this amp was built as a non-reverb from the ground up and the only oddity is the incorrectly labeled knob. This one has an excellent Marshall crunch and at 40 watts, you can get these power tubes singing without being insanely loud. It's currently biased with installed 6L6 power tubes but will also run EL34's if you want an even truer Marshall tone. Speakers are excellent sounding Eminence Read Coat "Tonkers". Cost on this amp almost 4 years ago was $1800 and while I don't know what the prices have done since Ben started selling direct, it's a killer deal on this early model with at $1150.
1962 Fender Blonde Tremolux Head & Cab, (tilt-back), (back), (head-click to expand), (tops), (label). Another one! Now I have three '62 Tremolux sets in stock. Model 6G9-A, date coded June '62. Cab is loaded with a pair of Jensen C10Q's from 12th week of '67. The Tremolux is a great amp for small to medium venues, with 35 watts of Fender power, and plenty of headroom for a medium powered amp. It does have a nice break up at just over 1/2, but there's plenty of clean volume before that happens. Appears to be in original condition and pretty nice for a blonde-era. A few stains here and there, the worst of which is on the top of the head and cab but they'll possibly clean up if you're so inclined. As I've pointed out before, if this were a new boutique hand-wired head and cab you would expect to pay to $3K or more for a head & cab. Blonde Fenders have really taken off in recent years but are still a bargain compared to the tweed amps from 2-3 years earlier. You can still find one in pretty nice shape, this one for example, at $1950. These P10Q's are original equipment for a number of '67 Blackface amps (Vibrolux, Super, etc.), so I'll knock off $200 if you want to order some quality new speakers in place of the '67's. You can get better sounding pair of speakers for $200 and get the amp for just $1750.
1962 Fender Tremolux Head & Cab, (pic2), (pic3), (circuit), (top chassis date codes), (label, retailer's label, service label - just serviced by LA Amps Jan 05). Model 6G9-A in beautiful shape, needing nothing except plug in and go. When it was last serviced, owner asked for it to be tube/biased for early break-up and while this isn't the loudest 35-watter I've heard, for a vintage Fender it does break up nicely at a moderate volume. All components original, except for, perhaps, filter caps, which I forgot to check. All tranny codes correct for this year, original pots, original point-point solder joints, all collector approved. The only mod I'm aware of is a stand-by switch added to back panel, which makes it a lot more friendly for your power tubes (see arrow in this pic), and speakers are 1972 CTS (pic here). Cosmetically, the whole setup is in very nice vintage condition, with the worst flaw being some circles on top of the cab, barely noticeable with the head sitting on top (pic here), which may be removable with some cleaner - picture also shows the speakers, CTS, 42nd week of '72. If this were a new boutique hand-wired head and cab you would expect to pay to $3K or more for a head&cab. Blonde Fenders have really taken off in recent years but you can still find clean ones at a pretty good price, like this one at $2150. If you'd prefer, I'll also offer it with a NOS pair of Mojotone speakers for $1999 in place of the 1972 speakers that are currently installed.
1968 Fender Bandmaster Head, (panel), (back), (top). The famed AB763 circuit - this is identical to the Blackface model, except with early Silverface cosmetics with the drip-edge trim (pic) around the grill. Excellent sounding in very nice shape, recently benched, Svetlana 6L6's installed, and ready to gig. This amp sounds perfect and needs nothing. No snap, crackle, or pop from tired components, all the pots and switches work perfectly. If you've ever heard a properly tuned Bandmaster, you know what I'm talking about. 45 watts classic Fender tone make this a nice choice for a club amp, although it might be a tad loud for bar gigs. Cosmetically it's very clean with the worst flaws being some corrosion to the straps and handle caps on top, and some minor finish reaction on the panel. Grill cloth and tolex are in very clean shape. All original except for grounded 3-prong wire. With Blackface Fenders continuing to soar in price, these early Silver's are still a good deal that gives you the same tone at a lower price. For a clean '68 that sounds perfect, an excellent value at $599.
Custom-made Blonde Fender 2X12 Blonde Cab, NOTE: HEAD IS SOLD. (cabinet), (cab back), (extra panels), (speakers). Both are in matching blonde tolex, identical to factory original except not yellowed out like an original - and grill cloth is slightly different with oxblood on the head; wheat on the cab. The quality of work on these is outstanding, done by Brian Bradshaw at BLB Sound. The cab features a killer combination - Celestion Vintage 30 and Electrovoice EVM-12L - the best of both worlds - wired at 4 ohms. Additionally, the cab includes additional back panels (top and bottom) in case you prefer the tone of an open-back design. The previous owner sunk a lot of money into restoring/building this setup. The cab matches well and the quality is as good as anything being built by the bigger builders and with the open-back option, you can try it both ways and stick with the tone that works for you. With around $400 in speakers alone, this custom cab is a sweet deal at just $499. Note: I have two original '62 Tremolux head/cabs and if you'd like, we can substitute this cab for one of the original cabs.
1940's? Rickenbacker M-12 Electro, (back/panel), ((inside). I finally got around to cleaning up the grill and what a difference 2 minutes can make to the appearance. Looks to be late 40's and pretty nice shape for it's vintage, other than the which was taped over broken leather. Most importantly, it sounds great and needs no attention. Finished in 2-tone brown, with a brown panel, bakelite knobs, the panel is in very clean shape with all lettering intact. Features quality RCA/GE tubes putting out 15 watts through a 12" speaker in a bass reflect design, with 2 instrument inputs plus a mic input, all with their own volume control. I don't know a lot about the design of this amp but each input has a different voice and breaks up, quite nicely, at different volume levels. The speaker looks to be a newer one but otherwise this amp looks to be all original. There aren't many Rick amps on the vintage market and this is somewhat of a find for me. Harp players really like these M-series and it sounds equally nice for guitar. Good value for a vintage amp at $439.
Bogner Metropolis 30 Head, (pic2). As new - never registered and a killer boutique 30-watt head via quad of EL84's. Much more traditional than the Shiva head on my amps page - but at the same time not really traditional - is the Metropolis. Forever classic, the chimey EL-84 tone blossoms into an extremely touch sensitive and dynamically expressive voice. Metropolis features a single channel circuit that responds remarkably to nuances of your attack and shift of the guitars controls. A kaleidoscope of tonal colors can be found in Metropolis's two distinctly voiced inputs and the five position Schizo control, really a sonic blender control the Schizo switch alters the voicing of the amps Gain and EQ structure, combined with the individual tone, gain and master volume controls many stellar sounds await. For more details and sound clips, check out the Metropolis here. This 30W model sells at new at the boutique dealers for $1929. I got this brand new from a local Bogner dealer, sold it briefly to a collector and was happy to take it back in trade, still in mint condition, and to many this is the ultimate EL84 amp at just $1499.
ADA Quad Tube Programmable 2X12 Combo, (front panel - pics pieced together), (3/4 view), (back panel). The Big Boy - the baddest amp ever made by ADA. It was also the most expensive, selling for $2399 15 years ago. This amp is super RARE - try to find another one. I found one on the web which was actually a NOS model that a store was selling for the same $2399 but has sold since I looked it up a month ago. I have not one but TWO of these babies. One of them works perfectly - the other one has a glitch on some of the patches and is priced accordingly. Looking through the 62 page manual it's clear that there are too many features to list here so I'll just do a brief overview. Features 150 watt output (true stereo - 75W/Side) with complete digital control of an all-analog signal path, 128 user and 39 factory patches, four low-noise 12AX7A tubes with 10 voicing options an overdrive, onboard compressor, four-band tone controls nine-band graphic EQ, powerful effects, including "Varicab" (programmable cabinet emulator), tremolo, stereo chorus, noise reduction, stereo effects loop with programmable mix control, front panel volume and room compensation EQ, cabinet-emulated XLR output with ground lift s well as unbalanced 1/4" outs for recording, complete MIDI with real-time MIDI for on the fly changing of parameters, rack holster for mounting single rack space to the back, accepts ADA 4X4 MIDI controller. As I mentioned, one of these works perfectly, priced at $1399. The other one works perfectly on some patches, while other patches have a low rumble which runs away if you tap the top of the amp - could be an easy fix - it's never been benched. This one is totally useable on most of the patches and is selling "as is" for 1/2 price; $699. If you're an ADA fan, this might be your only chance to get your hands on one of these rare and great sounding amps - and a piece of ADA history. Includes 62-page owner's manual but if you're familiar with the MP-series, you will find it easy to get around on without the manual.
1966 Fender Vibrolux Reverb, (back), (panel-click2enarge), (top). One of the ultimate club and studio amps, highly sought out by players for it's superb tone and portability, and at 35 watts it's perfect for most stages - you can crank it up to where it sings and it's not unmanageably loud as a Twin, Pro, Showman, etc., would be. Features Fender's normal layout with an Normal channel with volume-bass-treb, while the Vibrato channel features those controls plus vibrato speed and intensity, and reverb controls. This is a wonderful sounding amp which responds to player's dynamics very well, has plenty of headroom, plus a nice breakup starting just over half-way. Appears to be all original other than a few minor changes: on the top back panel it had 2 small holes in back panel which we covered with a strip of the same '66 tolex (pic here) so it matches perfectly - plus one replacement speaker - Speakers include one original Jensen C10N (7th week; '66) and one replacement Jensen C10Q. Tubes (pic) compliment includes 6 preamp tubes and a matched pair of Philips JAN 6L6's and a NOS Dumont 5U4 rectifier. If you've never played one of these you're in for a treat. Such a pure tone in a nice little package, which is one of the reasons that some boutique shops build clones of this model. But...why pay $2500 or more when you can get the real deal for just $2200 or if you'd rather have a matched pair of NOS Mojotone speakers, $150 cheaper, just $2050.
1950 Gibson GA-30, (top), (back), (panel), (speakers). We have so many projects piled up but this rare '50 Gibson is going to be an "as is" sale. It works but obviously needs some TLC. The good news: Appears all original and it does sound good, but only at low volume. It actually sounds pretty good at low volume settings, up to around "3". The bad news: It has a noticeable but sight 60-cycle hum at idle, and gets extremely noisy at around 3 1/2 which makes it impossible to drive the amp into the break-up zone. This is possibly due to the fact that both of the speakers are partially blown, and sound floppy, which you can't notice at minimal volume but becomes apparent at higher volume - but before it goes into the noisy range. Speakers are original Alnico Jensens with a 12" and an 8". Control panel features Tone, Instrument Volume, Mic Volume, with 3 instrument inputs and a dedicated mic input, and a "Tone Expander" switch labeled "Low" and "High". The Expander switch doesn't seem to do anything but we haven't tried cleaning it so it may just need to contact cleaner to kick it. I'm not an amp expert, but it's possible that the speakers are shorting at higher volume which is the culprit that's causing the noise at the mid-volume setting. It could also be something as simple as completely dirty connections in the pots, input jacks, and tube sockets. We haven't touched it, opting to leave this adventure to a home project enthusiast or qualified tech. As far as cosmetics, it's in average "fair" condition various rusty spots, vinyl covering that could use some hot glue in spots, and missing the logo. Oddly enough, the leather handle appears original and is still intact. The fact that the amp works, and actually sounds pretty good at low volume, leads me to believe that this won't be a major project. The speakers definitely need re-coning or replacing, and I'm sure it must need a cap job. Those two fixes alone may be all that's needed to return this old Gibson to its sonic beauty. If you want to give it a try, $450 takes it.
Louis Electric Tremblelux Tweed, (top), (panel), (back), (serial). Most of you amp gurus are aware of Louis Electrics. Louis Rosano hand builds amps that are as fine as anything made, in very low numbers. Full specs for the Tremblelux are at Louis site here, along with a link to a glowing Tonequest report as well as audio and video links. I've only had one other of his amps the KR12 (Keith Richards model), build with a 100-year-old pine cabinet. The guy who bought that one loved the amp so much that he's hooked up with Louis on two additional amps. That says it all. In the $2K+ price range you can get some fine amps--none are finer than Louis Electric. Check out his site and read the whole story - from the his hand-made transformers and speakers to his own unique circuit designs, the sum of his efforts put Louis amps in a different class from other small builders. About the Tremblelux: Starting with a Tweed Deluxe and finishing off with one of the most musical Bandmaster/Bassman singing lead tones you could hope for. You can simply plug into the "Normal" channel and work the volume and tone for a world of incredible sounds or you can bridge the Fat and Normal channels for much greater flexibility and control over the sculpting of your tones. The tremolo is among the finest you'll hear with a singing quality that fills the room and makes the amp sound huge. One spec not listed on the site - this amp can run on 6V6's for a 27-watt output - or as it's currently set up, with a pair of 6L6's for around double the power. Simply make the change and then set the easily accessible bias control accordingly. In either configuration this amp has loads of clean headroom, which is one of the things that sets this amp apart from most. You'll also notice on the top panel a plug where a low-power switch had been planned. I don't think he's ever incorporated the high-low power switch however the panels had already been made, thus the plugged whole and labeling. Other specs of this amp include: Controls - Fat Volume, Volume, Tone, Tremolo Speed, Tremolo Depth; two channels - four inputs; tube compliment of dual 6V6 (or 6L6) with 3 12AX7 preamp and an 5U4 rectifier; dove tail jointed pine cabinet; dimensions are 20.25X10.25X24"; 44 lbs.; Phenolic board material (moisture free); Eyelet Terminal board construction; Hand selected caps and resistors; Cloth wiring; custom designed hand built transformers; Belton tube sockets; Switchcraft and Carling input jacks and switches; High quality machine grade fasteners; and this one's equipped with an Eminence Alnico Red Fang 12". This amp takes pedals very well and especially with a Strat, it has so much headroom that you might want to run a pedal to get some lower volume distortion. It breaks up a little more with humbuckers but still has loads of headroom. This amp has never seen a gig and has been used in the home only. It's in beautiful condition and for many players this will be the ultimate Fender style combo, but one that covers several eras of Fender designs. With new one going for $2195, I have serial number 2, at just $1499(SOLD-Stephen F), and no waiting list. For some more clips, click here for YouTube.
Marshall 4X12 - JCM800 Model 1982A Cab, (back). Fairly rare cabinet which was a high-power version of the 1960A, made expressly for the higher powered (250W) Model 2000 (guitar) or Model 2001 (bass heads). When these rare heads were produced in 1981 at the start of the 800-series, Marshall didn't have a cab that could handle the output and thus the 1982A/B, rated at 400W, was introduced around '82 to handle the power. Although you don't see many of these on this side of the pond, they were actually in catalogs from '82 to '87. From what I've read, original speakers for this cabinet would have likely been G12H-100 Celestions. This one is loaded with G12M-70 Celestions which are more noted for being stock in the 1960A/B cabinets early to mid 1980's. This, combined with the fact that these speakers will only handle 280W, makes me fairly sure that they're not original to this cabinet. As you can see, this cab has been roaded a bit and the covering in back has been torn. We can recover the back if desired for around $70 parts & /labor, or less if you just want the center "slice" re-covered. Originality aside, this is a pretty rare cab compared to the common 1960A and, especially if you're into hard rock, these G12M-70's are good sounding speakers. All considered, a pretty nice deal at $599. If you ever come across a 2000/2001 head, you've got a rare bird. The new cost on these was 2X the cost of a 100W head and because of this--plus the fact that they're simply too loud for anything other than a stadium tour--very few were produced.
ca. '90 Mesa Boogie .50 Caliber Plus, (panel - click to expand), (top), (back panel), (man/footswitch.). One of the more versatile amps Boogie has made, capable of handing virtually any style of music. Metalheads will like it, as will jazzers and country pickers, which also makes it an ideal amp for guitarists in Top-40 bands. In addition to loads of EQ options, it has plenty of gain control which is key to its versatility. Between the Gain, Master, and Lead Master, you can dial in squeaky clean tones, crunch, or classic Boogie steroidal overdrive. It's a two channel amp, using a single input, with the lead channel accessible via push/pull gain knob or via footswitch (included). If you're playing heavy tunes you can dial in a dirty clean channel by cranking the gain allowing you to go from overdrive to super overdrive and used in conjunction with the footswitchable Graphic EQ, you can really get a radical change in tone by changing the channel and EQ "In" simultaneously. Like most Boogies, this is an all-tube amp, with 50 watts via a pair of 6L6's, with five 12AX7's in the preamp. The tubes appear to be original but this amp has obviously seen little use and probably have plenty of use before they need replacing. The back panel features an effects loop, Graphic EQ footswitch jack, and a Direct Out with level control for plugging into your mixing console or recorder. Manual is included but if you want to read up, click here to read a PDF file of the manual. Hearing is believing and here are a few YouTube clips using the .50 Caliber. None are actually product demonstrations but they will give you an idea of some of the tones: (metal), (rock/blues/metal). Although it's said it's impossible to get a bad sound out of this series, here's an example of how to dial in a horribly buzzy metal sound without any balls whatsoever. I don't have a price list from this era but looking around the web, most new .50 Cal's were going for $1099 in the early 90's. If you're looking for a an extremely clean, great sounding Boogie that will do it all, here you go, for $750. Includes original footswitch.
Vox Scorpion 4x10 Combo, (pic2), (pic3). Vox was the best at refining a solid state design into an amp that had the warmth and feel of tubes and this is another good example. Fairly rare model and a good value in a vintage Vox combo. Lots of features including bi-level control panel with Normal and Brilliant channels, each with its own volume-bass-treble. On the lower level there's footswitch input, reverb, tremolo depth, tremolo speed, line reverse switch, and Aux speaker out. Classic Vox looks with Diamond grill cloth, vertical logo, and top/back control panel. Overall nice shape for a vintage amp and, again, very affordable at $699. Please read the following opinion on VOX SOLID STATE AMPS: I have long stated the opinion that Vox nailed the solid state tone long before Fender and other makers, and thanks to Robert B on his explanation of this, basically Vox had a decade or so head start through their organ manufacture: "As far as I know the Thomas Organ Vox amps were the first commercially produced solid state line, beating Fender’s mid-1966 solid state line by a few months –and the 1966 and 1969 Fender attempts were pretty much failures. People ask “why Thomas Organ?” and the long forgotten answer is that the keyboard companies like Thomas and Wurlitzer were early into solid state – the first Thomas all solid state organ was 1958, and Wurlitzer had solid state keyboard amps by at least 1962, so those companies had more solid state experience than anyone, so it was natural that Vox would have them designed by Thomas. Plus all the crazy effects probably originated in organ circuits anyway.
Palmer TriLine and E-Frog, (Stock Pic). ONLY the E-Frog is available as the TriLine has been sold. If you're playing one guitar over two amps, but you want to send both amps through the same speaker cabinet - here's the answer, the Palmer E-FROG. (PGA-02). This unit is "as new" in original box and available for $79. Again, this is for the E-Frog ONLY.
1979 Mesa/Boogie MK IIB Combo with EQ and EVM, (top), (panel), (chart), (back/panel). For all you vintage Mark fans here's a nice '79 IIB in cream tolex with wheat grill. There are a lot of fans of the Mark series and the last few years I rarely get them in. Most collectors have at least one MK Boogie so that takes a few thousand out of circulation. This one's in very nice shape for its age - due to the camera flash the grill cloth looks much more discolored than it does in person - and the grill is in nice shape except for a 3/4" snag in the center. Front panel is in clean shape with all lettering intact and just some finish worn around a few of the graphic EQ sliders. Tolex is in nice shape all around. The MK IIB is an excellent all around amp with a very punchy clean sound and like most Boogies, loads of gain on the Lead channel. The one complaint some players have is that there are so many tonal options via the push/pull pots and EQ settings that you can get bogged down dialing in your tone. The trick for me was just finding favorite settings and then writing them down - then treat it like a normal amp with just very minor adjustments to the EQ. This one doesn't have the 100/60W Simulclas option but, trust me, I don't know what you'd do with more power than this 60 watts. It is a very loud amp. This is an early model MKII and has a switchable silicon device called "fetron" in place of one of the 12AX7 preamp tubes, with a switch on the chassis for configuring the amp for either fetron or 12AX7 operation. The reason for using a fetron was to address some of the problems associated with microphonic 12AX7 tubes in a high-gain situation. Boogie dropped the idea later in the MKII series but it's there if you want to use it. This one has the stock upgraded EV Speaker ($75 over Black Shadow) and the optional graphic EQ ($150). Speaker is original OEM Electrovoice EVM-12L, which is an excellent sounding speaker and with its 200W rating, there's little chance that you'll ever blow it. Boogie has a great library of manuals and the manual for the MK IIB can be downloaded here. There are a bunch of YouTube demo's for the IIC, click the links for blues demo on clean channel, distortion demo on lead channel, and of course a nice Carlos Santana style demo here. For almost 50 reviews of this great amp, click here for Harmony-Central where it received overall 9's or better in every category, including a 9.7 in reliability. A killer deal in a nice vintage Boogie - just $999.
1982 Mesa-Boogie D-180, (pic2). Rack now included (see below). When's the last time you saw one of these? Maybe...never? This is a unique amp for several reasons including it's design as either a guitar amp or bass amp, with one channel voiced for bass - the other, with overdrive, voiced for guitar. The same idea as the old Marshall Lead&Bass 50. It was also a very LOUD amp for the time, with 200 watts RMS, which beat just about any other tube guitar amp in its era. It was also Boogie's first rackmount amp and the first with dynamic "Dual Differential" drive circuitry. With its cascaded inputs (a Boogie patent) distortion can be created via channel one running through channel two. If you crank the volume while playing through channel one, you will get a nice, adjustable distortion. I recall the Laney did the same thing years later with it's "cascading preamp". Also notable, Boogie recommends running the master volume at 10 because there is a preset, optimized EQ at this volume and you'll get the most out of it in this fashion. Want loads of headroom with your guitar? This amp has it. Also you can get a very fat and punchy tone for your bass, at around 1/2 the weight of an SVT. A look inside (pic2) reveals a very neat layout, hand-wired of course. Also features all tube circuit with six 6L6 tubes in the power section with 4 preamp tubes. You can read about this and more features via the online manual (view or download here). I'll try to add more info but the pics show that it's in very clean shape, I've installed all new Russian tubes, and this baby is ready to rip. Now included is a carpet-covered rack, included for free, with an extra rack space at the top for your guitar effects. Priced at $1199 for this rare one, which is a nice price for a hand-wired 200 watt head.
Polytone 102, ca. 70’s, very cool stereo amp with a single 12” and dual 8” speakers, plenty of power, stacked pots for each channel, mono/stereo switch, reverb, some sort of “octave” switch that acts somewhat like vibrato (only cooler), light-up panel, one of the more unique amps I’ve had and I give it two thumbs up for tone and features, $450
1965 Cordovox Amplifier 3-piece Complete Set, (Leslie), (Leslie-inside with instructions and label), (amp/speaker unit), (inside "brain"). Made by the Cordovox company during the height of the accordion craze, the Cordovox was a very sophisticated amplification system consisting of 3 parts - (1) amp/speaker cabinet; (2) matching "brain" or "tone generator" as it's called) which contains loads of circuitry and 66 (sixty-six!!!) tubes; and (3) slightly larger Leslie (Tremolo unit) cabinet with a rotating baffle. This unit is in beautiful shape, other than some discoloration to the grill cloth and seems to work perfectly. As far as user or travel wear, there is virtually none. This set appears to have sat, un-used, for nearly its entire life. Although I can only test it with a guitar I know that the amp cabinet and Leslie cabinet work well. I don't have a way to test the brain for accordion use but the set is very well preserved and I have no reason to believe that it doesn't work. The amp/cabinet portion of this unit is basically a guitar amp, with a pair of Jensen C12R 12" (date-coded 36th week of '64) speakers and bottom-mounted chassis housing the transformers, 2 power tubes, and a preamp tube. The Leslie houses a Jensen C8R, date coded 1st week of '65, and has a rotating baffle to create the swirling sound that Leslies are famous for. Many stomp boxes have been created to emulate this sound but, trust me, none of them have quite the same effect as a rotating baffle. It also includes a footswitch to turn on/off the rotation. I forgot to shoot a pic of the amp panel but it's a simple 3-knob with volume and tone controls. Although it's low powered, it's a very good sounding tube amp and has a very smooth break-up. The Leslie really makes this unit though and used in conjunction with the amp, you've got some very sweet tones. This unit is potentially worth more in parts than it is as a 3-piece set, with treasures such as vintage transformers and original cone Jensen C12R's which are original for many amps, Gibsons and Ampeg among them. If you're a guitar player with a lot of spare room or you know any accordion players looking for some top-notch vintage gear, the whole setup is just $850 and, again, in beautiful shape. Includes all cables including a long multi-pin proprietary cable.
ca. mid-50's Mullard 5-10 by E.A.R., (sides), (chassis/trannies), (circuit), (front panel), (Mullard tubes), (Wharfedale speaker). Okay, ignore the pea green cab. It's what's inside that counts. What we have here is a very old hand-wired Mullard 5-10 amp, which was a very popular circuit in England as soon as it was published in "Practical Wireless" magazine in 1954 and, in fact, this same amp is being built today. Mullard created this circuit and published it as a means to sell their vacuum tubes ("If you build it they will come....") as well as the recommended Partridge transformers. The amplifier featured five tubes and an output of 10 watts - hence the model name "5-10". Of those tubes, one was a diode-rectifier (an EZ80), one was a pre-amplifier pentode EF86 and one a double-triode ECC83 as phase-splitter. The power amplification was handled by a pair of EL84 working in push-pull configuration. Mullard also had a variation, 5-20, which was a 20-watter that substituted EL34's for the increased power. There is a lot of info on this amp on the web in various UK usegroups. Click here for the best site I found with a blow-up of the original magazine pages which introduced the amp and another useful link is here. Although countless numbers of these were built as DIY projects, this one was produced by "Electric Audio Reproducers Ltd" aka E.A.R. It is a quality made piece with a steel chassis and attractive gold paint including a bottom plate to seal in the circuit. Controls, Bakelite knobs of course, are an input selector switch, bass, treble, and volume. The power input jack is in the back and is the typical 2-post UK type (I probably have one around here somewhere). On the left side of the unit is another power input which I am guessing was to plug in a record player or radio tuner (there's an antenna jack mounted to the chassis) - and small plate with two widely spaced pin holes which I believe was the UK standard for speaker jacks, to be used if you wanted to hook up an extension speaker. The power transformer is tappable with a jumper to select your required power. Unfortunately, it's wired or 220V, 230V, 240V, and 250V, so you'll need a step-down transformer to use it. Since they are painted, I don't know if these trannies are Partridge but chances are many of these component will work on early Vox amps and other UK gear or if you're an audio collector, it's a pretty cool find, especially in the USA. In my search I found that some of the later models had circuit boards, rather than this point-to-point soldering. Personally, I think it would be a pretty cool project to transform it into a guitar amp. Because I don't have a way to test it, it's being sold "as is" but I will offer a refund, less shipping, if you're not happy with it. I'll mention though that this came from my old "UK-connection" and a few dozen other pieces, all guitar amps, I got from him all worked fine. This unit is in very tidy condition for its age, even the old Wharfedale speaker looks clean, although there is a little dark gunk around the trannies that probably needs some goo-gone to remove. $499 for this prize.
OTHER AMPS
Alamo 2530 Combo, (panel), (top), (back), (chassis). Cool little student amp from ca. '67-'70. This amp takes me back to my early band days when we would take an amp like this and use all three inputs with a guitar and perhaps two mics. With 3 parallel inputs, the strongest signal would drown out the other two. Circuit appears to be all original; speaker is a CTS with an irregular date code but most likely 36th week of 1970; quality vintage tubes installed. This is one of those rare vintage amps that works perfectly with no extraneous noise, sounds quiet at idle, and needs no attention whatsoever. Low power, probably a 5-watter, with a nice clean tone, and a little breakup as you crank it up. For $150 a better buy than any of the Chinese low-powered tube amps. It simply has better tone. Plus I wonder how many Valve Juniors will be in use 40 years from now. Anyhow, $150 takes it.
ATA Grade Amp Case, (pic2), by Alum. Road Case Co., best quality you can get and this one was formerly owned by the Army Band where, sadly, money is no object when purchasing band gear. Interior dimensions are 24X17X12 which is sized for a small/tall combo amp like an acoustic guitar amp. Flip up handles, very thick stiff padding, built for abuse. Note: This case does not have casters. This thing will be around long after we've quit playing. Original cost on these is over $300 but this one's in nice shape and just $99.
Epiphone Valve Junior Head - Refin, (top), (back). These amps have been getting rave reviews since they came on the market 2 years ago. At well under $200, now $149, the Valve Junior Head broke the price barrier in all-tube combos. At 5 watts single-ended Class A you can get a full power tube distortion at very reasonable home levels but you'll likely be surprised at how loud 5 *tube* watts can be. Controls are as follows: Volume. That's it...volume. Tubes are a 12AX7 preamp and an EL84 power. It has a nice clean sound at low volume but gets a good saturated tone starting around 4 and attaining increased breakup at virtually every number above 5, and it's also engineered to work very well with your guitar's volume control. Back it off for clean, turn it up and send the amp into overdrive. There are a number of mods available for this amp, including a very popular one by Mercury Magnets which guarantee boutique tone at around 1/2 the cost of a boutique amp. There's even a site devoted to this cool lil' amp, http://www.valvejunior.com/. While I'm sure these mods are nice, it actually sounds good in stock condition. This one has been refinished to a bronze color, looks very cool to me, and a nice lil' amp for $110.
Epiphone Valve Junior Combo. These combo's have been getting rave reviews since they came on the market 2 years ago. At well under $200, now $149, the Valve Junior broke the price barrier in all-tube combos. In addition to obvious cool retro looks, it actually sounds very good. At 5 watts single-ended Class A through an 8" speaker, you can get a full power tube distortion at very reasonable home levels but you'll likely be surprised at how loud 5 *tube* watts can be. Controls are as follows: Volume. That's it...volume. Tubes are a 12AX7 preamp and an EL84 power. It has a nice clean sound at low volume but gets a good saturated tone starting around 4 and attaining increased breakup at virtually every number above 5, and it's also engineered to work very well with your guitar's volume control. Back it off for clean, turn it up and send the amp into overdrive. There are a number of mods available for this amp, including a very popular one by Mercury Magnets which guarantee boutique tone at around 1/2 the cost of a boutique amp. There's even a site devoted to this cool lil' amp, http://www.valvejunior.com/. While I'm sure these mods are nice, it actually sounds good in stock condition. Prices on new ones are now $199 ($349 list) but this one's in perfect condition, and just $139. I also have a matching extension cab if desired.
Crate CR-110, original wooden “crate” model, neat little screamer for the studio and a vintage example of an original Crate when they were made to look like a wooden packing “crate”. Clean and overdrive channels, both sound good. A great little reference amp, it has been my man Martin's bench amp for around 6 years and works perfectly. He loves the amp and doesn't want me to sell it but for $150 it's yours.
Epiphone SC-28 Amp, tweed covering, nice shape and upgraded with steel corners and leather handle, stereo chorus via two 8” speakers, footswitchable overdrive and chorus, nice little practice or studio amp for $150 (available in Baltimore).
1993 Fender Concert, (front panel), (top), (back), (back panel), (chassis). Another road warrior that's a 3rd generation Blackface that looks like a ca. 1965. One of Fender's Pro Tube series, the Concert features an all-tube circuit with a pair of 6L6's cranking out 60 watts, with 5 12AX7's and a 12AT7 in the preamp section - with a non-tube rectifier. This series has more of the modern features than the old Fenders with updates such as effects loop (with 3-position level control), Line output, effects mix control on the front panel which is a great idea, dual channel select via push/pull, and gain boost push/pull, the latter two being also selectable via 3-button footswitch which I *think* is included if I have the proper one. It is, essentially, a 3-channel amp with clean/distorted/boost. Speaker is an Eminence Legend, an upgrade from the stock Eminence. This amp should appeal to anyone who wants the classic Fender clean tone but needs the versatility of an amp that sounds good when overdriven - both with the classic tube-driven Fender reverb. It has seen its share of road use but if you're into vintage vibe, this thing just oozes it at only 15 years old. Lots of features and versatility and a lot of amp for just $550. Includes 3-button footswitch (pic).
Fender Diminsion IV, 70's, for your non-vibrato equipped vintage amps, this give you some very cool vintage vibrato tones via an "oil can" design. Easy to install - just plugs into reverb jacks on Fender tube amps $175.
Genz Benz Shenandoah 60 Stereo Acoustic Combo, (panel), (bottom), (acc.). Like the Marshall MG4 below, as new in the box. The Shenandoah 60 is a compact stereo amp that cranks out 60 watts from a pair of 6.5" woofers and a pair of tweeters. It can double as an acoustic guitar amp or portable PA system with both an XLR (with phantom power) and 1/4" input on channel one and dual channels, each with a 3-band EQ with sweepable mid-range. The cab design uses a stage monitor shape for added flexibility during performances, allowing the amp to stand upright or tilt back at a 30° angle. The tilt-back helps reduce feedback on the low frequencies without massive EQ'ing. It also has a sleeve for pole-mounting if desired. While some amps have a few cheesy sounding effects, this baby has a quality Alesis processor built in which offers 16 quality preset effects. Other features include headphone jack, effects level on each channel, master level control for effects, gain control on each channel, and master volume. For an amp that is essentially brand new, a sweet buy at $399. Ships in original box with cover, manual, cable, and paperwork.
Gibson GA-5 by Mojotone Amp, (pic2), Identical to the Gibson amp above (side by side), other than a different speaker and yellow tolex but identical case, chassis, and same quality components. I've heard that Mojo built Gibson's GA-5's but also built a few like this one without the Gibson logo and "Les Paul Junior" screened on the control panel. It's an excellent sounding amp with the same tone and response as the GA-5 above and in perfect shape. Any studio needs an amp like this. $399.
Ibanez GTA15R Guitar Amp. Excellent starter amp for anything from blues to rock to metal. Keep the gain down for nice clean tones, crank it up for excellent preamp distortion. Three band EQ allows you to boost the mids for a nice blues/rock tone - or boost bass and treble for that scooped mid's Metal tone. 15 watt RMS, plenty for any practice situation, through a solid 8" speaker. Features 3-band active equalization, reverb for spacious tones, CD input for jamming along with CD or IPod, and headphone output for silent practing. AC cord stores easily in bottom of amp. For a 15 watt amp with reverb, a sweet deal at $65. Add headphones below for $13.99 for private practice.
6PH1HPO1 Headphones, stereo, full size with comfortable padding, long cable, great for private practice through the Ibanez GTA15R or any other amp with a headphone output.
Hartke 1X15 Transporter Cabinet 200 watts, $250(mgr)
Hartke 4X10 XL cabinet, terrific punch with sufficient bottom, XL badge is missing but make no mistake, this is the road-worthy XL series and not the lightweight Transporter, $325(mgr)
Hartke Transporter 210 Cab, sealed cab, carpet covered, ¼” input, good choice for use with a 15” or 18” bottom or stand-alone for light gigs, $145.
Hughes and Kettner Edition Blue 60R, (panel off or panel lit up). As new in the box - 60W combo with a 12" Celestion. Immaculate condition with only an hour or two of use and ships in original box with manual, etc. A very straight ahead, 2-channel amp, but the current Feedback power amp delivers not only 60 watts of punch, but it was also engineered to deliver the actual essence of a classic tube amp. I will admit, it emulates and all tube amp better than most and both its clean and overdriven tones are excellent sounding. Channel selection is via pushbutton on panel, or on optional footswitch. Other features include 3-band EQ, Master Volume which controls both channels, and Master Reverb on both channels. One of the coolest aspects, although strictly cosmetic, is the cool-blue light-up panel which works great on dark stages. Also features CD input, effects loop, and a very good sounding reverb. Although 60 watts on a solid state amp isn't excessively loud, this one will have no trouble keeping up with the drummer's volume and sounds better the more you crank it. The 12" Celestion sounds very good and carries loads of bass, if that's your thing. Would make a great gift since it's "as new" in the box or for the player, the perfect amp for practice for club/party gigs for small stages. $275.
Ibanez Troubadour Acoustic Amp, (pic2), built in chorus and reverb with hi-z guitar input, and XLR input for mic, at 25W it's great for practice, portable vocal PA, or small gigs. Nice features including sweepable mids to dial out annoying feedback, 3-band EQ, separate volume controls for guitar and mic. Nice little amp in nice shape for just $139.
Kustom '66 Dart - Silver Sparkle, (Blue Sparkle), (Red Sparkle), (Black Sparkle). A lot of us older folks remember Kustom's amps from the 60's with their signature tuck&roll (padded vinyl) covering with some fondness. Say what you will about the tonal appeal of the old solid state amps, they were definitely the coolest looking amps to come out of the golden age of rock and used by a number of groups, most notably Credence Clearwater Revival. The '66 Dart is a repackaged black tolex Kustom Dart 10FX, with the same features but finished in the tuck&roll with the vintage style knobs. Although small in size, these 10 watt monsters are loaded with features including a 6.5" speaker with a genuine plywood baffle, Lead and Rhythm channels, Bass-Mid-Treble EQ knobs, Effects knob with adjustable reverb or delay, external speaker jack, line out to go direct to recorder/PA, headphone jack, and CD/Tape input to practice playing to songs or lessons. This has to be one of the coolest looking practice amp made and sounds as cool as it looks. These have been discontinued but they carried list price of $159. I have a few in various colors, new in the box, priced at $89 (I think I'm sold out of all colors).
Lab Series L5 100W Combo Without Speakers, (panel), (back/side), (top), (back panel). Amp works A-Okay, but it's being sold without speakers. A good example of solid state amps done right - good enough in fact that the L5 was used by Allan Holdsworth on his first few albums, as well as Ty Tabor on the early King's X albums and its most noteworthy user, B.B. King found his signature tone in an L5 in the late 70's and continues to use them today. B.B. became an official endorser in 1981 (pic of ad) but was already a devoted user by then. If most people listen to any of these recordings they'd likely assume they were hearing a tube amp. The dynamic range and touch sensitivity - and Allan and Ty's pure sounding crunch, don't share much with other solid state amps of the day. Lab seres are frequently thought to be "Gibson" amps, but Gibson was just sort of an in-law to the Lab company. Gibson's only relation was distribution of the Labs, and the fact that both companies were owned by Norlin. The actual credit for design and manufacture goes to Moog, of analog synth fame. Although the L5 is the most noted of this series, there were several others in the line including the L7 and L9 which were identical amps but with a different speaker configuration. These are loud amps, rated at 100W RMS and unlike most solid state amps where 100 watts was roughly the equivalent of a 35 watt tube amp, this was a loud 100 watts. Specs and features include: 100 watts through 2X12" speakers; dual channels; channel one is a basic Fender-style layout with Bright switch and Vol-Bass-Mid-Treb knobs. Channel 2 features a lot more control. In addition to the Bright switch, Volume, Bass, and Treble, it features an active type EQ with a semi-parametric midrange control with mid frequency adjustable from 100Hz to 6400Hz along with a corresponding cut/boost knob. It also features a Multifilter knob, essentially a 6-band EQ with fixed settings (centers at 1000Hz, 1370Hz, 1900Hz, 2630Hz, 3630Hz and 5000 Hz.), where you control only how much of the signal thru it gets mixed back with the main signal - sort of like a flanger's comb filter with the sweep set to zero. It also features a good sounding reverb and an onboard compressor that's a personal favorite, with a knob to control the amount of compression with a corresponding LED that lights up when the compressor kicks in. Lastly, a Master Volume knob lets you overdrive the preamp circuit while keeping the output level down. On the back of the amp you have a footswitch input for reverb on/off, effects loop, and an unusual on/off switch that locks in to prevent inadvertent shut down. There are a few Lab Series sites on the web including DIYGuitarist. Again, this amp does not include speakers. It had a pair of early Celestions that were worth almost as much as the amp and they were sold separately. Speakers shown are just to highlight speaker alignment and are not included. Overall it's in decent used condition but far from collector's grade. Buy it because it's a good sounding amp - not because it's a lovely example. If you haven't heard one of these, you're likely in for a treat and at $299, a good buy on a high-powered 2X12.
Line 6 Flextone III XL 212 Stereo Combo, (back), (top), (panel), (back panel), (cover). Like the famed Roland JC-120, a stereo combo like the Flextone III has a 3 dimensional sound that just blows you away. It can even emulate the Jazz Chorus in fact, as well as numerous other famous amps. The Line 6 Flextone III XL 2x12 Stereo Combo Amp delivers 32 classic amps and with 150 watts stereo through a pair of specially-designed Celestions, has plenty of power for any venue. This amp is noted for having the warmth of tube tone plus some of the best amp and effect modeling you've ever heard. It features 12 premium effects models, 16 mix 'n' match speaker cab options, stereo XLR outs, and 4 user-programmable channels (36 with the optional foot controller) for instant storage of the tones you create. MIDI capability for deep editing and access to Line 6 Tone Transfer Library. It's also the only amp I can think of with a true stereo effects loop so all of your stereo outboard effects and run as they were intended to run instead of a wet and dry side. Other features include: 32 Vetta-based amp models, MIDI capability for deep editing and access to Line 6 Tone Transfer Library, Mix 'n' Match speaker cab options, 1/4" TRS headphone and balanced XLR direct outs. For over 100 reviews, click here for Harmony-Central. There are a number of YouTube demo's online, click here for a comprehensive overview from Line 6 - let the video roll after the first demo and it will go straight into successive videos. The Flextone III XL has gained great popularity and was engineered to be a relevant amp for many years, which is why it's still in production today. It sells in stores for $699, which is very reasonable for a 150W stereo combo with all these great effects and amp models. This one has never been gigged with and is excellent condition. There are a number of players out there, for whom this will be the ultimate amp, and one that will also make their effect pedalboard obsolete. All this for $479 - PLUS it has a set of quality casters installed which you'll appreciate if you've ever lugged around a fairly heavy 2X12 combo.
Marshall 100V Valvestate, Mod 8100, clean channel w/boost plus overdrive channel, reverb, many more features, classic Marshall crunch and vibe at a bargain price, $275 - Model VS100 available in Baltimore.
Marshall G100RCD Head, (close-up - click to expand). Marshall does great solid state and, in fact, in my opinion I think they're generally better for metal music than tube amps; there, I said it. The G100RCD features 100 watts of Marshall power, plenty to power a pair of 4X12 cabs or any other cab that fits the venue. Features include: channel switching, dual channels each with their own controls, effects loop, reverb, and CD input for practice. The "Normal" Channel has a switch for "Clean" or "Crunch", while the "Boost" channel is selectable for "OD1" or "OD2", making this, essentially, a 4-channel amp. This amp listed for $550 but even at that modest price it has a number of pro users, most notably Riggs from Rob Zombie. this one is "as new", showroom condition, in original box, and a lot of Marshall power for just $275. If you're a rock or metal guitarist, it very well may blow you away. I might have a mint-in-the-box Marshall 1960A 4X12 inbound and if it arrives, this will be a killer setup.
Marshall VS2000 AVT20 Valvestate, ECC83 tube, 1X10 Celestion, clean and boost channels, nice reverb, CD input, DI output, headphone out, ext speaker out, 1” snag in grill cloth but otherwise very clean, this baby has classic Marshall tone in a compact package for $185(available in Baltimore)
Marshall MG 100HFX, (panel), (top), (back), (box/acc.). Part of Marshall's MG4 series, which gives you the effect of a 4-channel amp with dual footswitchable channels (clean and crunch), with a footswitchable overdrive on both channels. Marshall has been one of the few companies who have mastered solid state. From the 80's Studio 12 and Micro Stack, they somehow engineered the Marshall tone into a solid state circuit. The MG4 series are the latest in their evolution. With 100W output, it's loud enough for any venue but if you don't need the power, this amp sounds great at bedroom volume. It also has built in digital effects including chorus, flanger, phaser, and delay, plus analog reverb. You can run 3 effects at once, with reverb and delay, and your choice of chorus/flanger/phaser. Other features include 3-band shared EQ, FDD (damping) which is a Marshall exclusive (see demo) that makes this amp sound like two completely different amps, MP3/Line in input, headphone out, effects loop, and 2-button footswitch (included). Rather than including a very long description, for a few in-depth demo's on YouTube, produced by Marshall, click here for part 1 and here for part 2. Full specs are at Marshall here. This amp is brand new. Ordered but never used, and in new condition in original box. If you're looking for Marshall tone in the most bang for the buck, it's hard to beat this for $299(HOLD-Ed H 1/9) - with FREE shipping to most locations.
Mesa-Boogie Rect-o-Verb 50 Series 2 Combo, (front-panel), (back), (back-panel), (acc.). Another killer amp from the *original* boutique amp builder, still made in USA, with a design that has been tweaked to perfection through over 3 decades of engineering. These amps are monsters - killer tone and very loud. Although rated at 50 watts Class A/B power, it will bury most 100 watt amps. The Rectoverb 50 is a dual channel, but with 5 modes: on Ch-1 choose Clean or Pushed - Ch-2 choose Raw, Vintage High Gain, or Modern High Gain. Front panel of this single rectifier has independent controls for each channel, with switches for "Clean"/"Pushed" and "Raw"/"Vintage"/"Modern". Indicator lights let you know if you're on Ch-1 or Ch-2. Back panel has external switching jacks for channel-solo-reverb (footswitch included), parallel effects loop with "mix" control, Bias Switch for EL34 and 6L6 power tubes (a new feature added with the Series 2 models), 8-4-4 ohm output jacks, and slave output. The amp is currently set up with EL34 power tubes but it's designed to run on 6L6's as well, if that's your preference. Purchased locally at The Only Guitar Shop (having fun Dave?), this amp has seen very limited home use only and is in superb cosmetic condition. This is a fantastic amp, which is largely the consensus of 132 reviewers on Harmony-Central where it scores a remarkable 9.9 on sound quality and a 9.6 overall (link). For a very good review from PlayMusicFree.com, click here, although I think the review was on the Series I. This amp can cover a lot of ground and is equally at home in rock, jazz, metal - even country - and would be a good choice for players who need versatility such as cover band guitarists. Included is original cover, 3-button footswitch with a long stage cable, manual, and hang tags. I only have the '08 price list where this amp shows an $1800 retail, and discounts are minimal to none. If you've heard these amps, you know that this is a smoking deal for a clean Series II at just $850(HOLD-John R (local) 8/7).
Peavey Classic 50/410
Tweed, (panel - click to enlarge),
(back). This is the recent
model with the newer cosmetics and an incredible value for a quality American
made tube amp. These are fantastic club amps and when I've had these set
up at shows next to Fender club-sized amps like the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or
Fender Deville, the Classic 50 was almost universally chosen for superior tone.
Originally launched in 1991, this versatile all-tube combo is still made in the
USA, with updated cosmetics and chassis design, but it retains its original sound and circuitry. With three 12AX7s up front and four EL84 power amp tubes plus normal and bright inputs, 3-band passive EQ,
spring reverb, and presence control, it's all the classic tone you seek and all the gigging versatility you need.
It also has an effects loop accessible on the underside of chassis (shown
here) as well as an external speaker output, and remarkably cranks out
50 watts through an 8-ohm or 16-ohm load, which is your normal 4X12
cabinet. With two channels accessible via switch on panel or optional
footswitch (included), plus an excellent sounding EQ that really does something,
this amp is a champ for versatility - excellent clean tone and a plenty of
saturation for a smooth overdrive that covers virtually any style of music
Very nice shape for a used amp with the front and top in perfect shape, and just
a few snags to the tweed on the back. Full specs, manual, and sound clips,
check out Peavey's
Site here. This model sells new for $899 but this one's in nice shape,
works perfectly, and includes $39 footswitch and original
manual, for just $550(HOLD-Frankie 8/14) .
Peavey Studio Pro 40, (pic2). Mid-power solid state combo with a good clean sound and as much gain for rock/metal tones as you will ever need. At 40 watts, it's a loud little booger and the 12" Peavey heavy magnet speaker takes it easily. Back panel has effects loop and footswitch jacks. Formerly owned by "Peace Train", it has locomotive painted on the grill and on the top, by someone with obvious artistic ability. For bang for the buck it's hard to beat this one at just $139. Chassis removed and all pots cleaned so no scratchiness or issues of any kind.
Rocktron Velocity 100 Guitar Power Amp, (pic2), (stock). "As new in box". Ordered for a rack system that was never built and virtually untouched. Puts out 55 watts/side at 4 ohms; 40 watts at 8 ohms. Designed specifically for guitar, the Velocity 100 delivers tube-like dynamics in a single-space, reliable solid state design. The Velocity 100 utilizes thermal protection circuitry, along with protection from over voltage, under voltage or any shorts to the power supply = reliable performance night after night. Front panel power switch and two front panel volume control knobs make operation as easy as possible. With a list of $389 this is an excellent value in a virtually new V100 at just $185.
Tech 21 Power Engine 400 - rackmount power amp, (pic2), "As New" in the box - The "big daddy" of the Power Engines, Model PW400 with 200 watts/side at 8 ohms which is basically two of the PW300's built into one amp. It features an oversized power supply with a toroidal transformer that delivers a lot of punch with pure and uncolored tone. Guaranteed reliability with top-quality Toshiba power transistors and a heat-sensor equipped cooling fan. Other features of this 2-space unit are XLR and 1/4" inputs and outputs, dual parallel outputs, and ground lift on each channel. For full specs click here for Tech 21's Site. This unit lists for $899, discounted to $498 but this one has seen literally 1 hour of use, never been in a rack, and is "as new" in the box for just $350(SOLD-Jonathan 10/17).
1987 Seymour Duncan 60W Convertible Head, (panel), (back). Don't see many of these around, especially in the head only version. Seymour was ahead of his time when he developed the Convertible series back in the mid-80's. Since that time there have been a number of other amps which used the same idea, basically re-voicing the amp by a simple exchange of a preamp circuit Randall has had great success with their MATS series, which is the same idea, and actually this was the original "modelling amp." Each model holds a preamp tube and simply snaps in place when you want to change your amp's tone. The Convertible 60 holds two modules so you have, essentially, two amps at your fingertips or at the push of a footswitch. We were very impressed with the tone of this amp during our test with the two installed modules, "Classic - Warm Tube" and "High Gain Tube - High Overdrive & Sustain". Features include: 60 watts via a pair of EL34 power tubes, dual channel each with an Overdrive and Volume control with corresponding Red and Green Led's (one for clean channel - one for OD channel), footswitch jack, Treb-Mid-Bass controls with +/- 15dB of cut/boost, Reverb, and front panel effects loop. Back panel has 4 or 8 ohm outputs as well as a Slave out. The EQ on this amp is very well engineered and it really does a lot, not simply shelving. Makes it easy to dial in the perfect tone. There is a handle on one side for easy transport. Click here for some great reviews at Harmony Central, where it scored an incredible overall 9.7 (out of 10) - and I found a link devoted to this model here. Although this amp is 22 years old, it works perfectly and the tone holds up as well today as it did back in the 80's. Overall very nice shape and for a USA made tube head of this quality, a good buy at $429.
Sunn Studio Lead, 1970's, nice sounding solid state combo, USA made. It features 50 watts output through a pair of Sunn 10" speakers, with Rhythm and Lead input channels plus reverb. Overall nice shape for an amp that's 30+ years old - has that aged "patina" that you would expect from an amp that has seen some time in smoky clubs but that just adds to the vibe of these old Sunns. Tolex covering is in great shape and overall this amp is a well preserved example on the whole. Is missing one of the back panels which gives it less projection but a fuller tone - no problem performance wise. If you're a collector but find the $1000 Fenders out of your price range, here's a nice Sunn for just $199.
Tech 21 Power Engine Pair, (front), (back), (top). Made in the USA - a great idea and it's surprising that more companies aren't building units like this. It's basically and amplified extension cabinet with a single Celestion Seventy80 12" speaker. Designed specifically for the Trademark 60 above but perfect for any another amp or preamp to give you 60 watts more power in a small 1X12 package. One of the most useful applications for this amp is to turn any direct recording device or preamp into a performance rig. For instance, you have a POD Pro, Boss GT-8, Vox Tonelab or even a simple $75 RP100, just plug into the Power Engine and now you have an extremely flexible and full-featured stage amp. If you get bored with the preamp, just try a different one and save the expense of buying another whole combo. The Power Engine 60 does have controls (high-mid-low-level) but they're more to tweak a particular room, i.e. 'set it and forget it". Also features ground life, XLR out/in to daisy chain several of these together, and 1/4" input to accept the direct out signal from most amps or multi-effect units. Click here for Tech 21 info. Sells new for $329 ($435 list) but these are perfect in the box and just $239 each (HOLD ONE - Mike W 8/13 - one other is available).
SPEAKERS:
1966 Jensens C12R, I can only find one of these so one available. Barely used and beautiful shape. Removed from a closed-back Cordovox accordion amp cabinet that looked as if had never been used which is likely if the owner never had the "brain" that worked this complicated unit. These are the real deal, 41 years old, made the 14th week of 1966 and are original spec for Ampegs of the era including Jet, Reverbojet, and Reverberocket - or would be an excellent choice for many other vintage amps compared with most new replacement Jensens. Look on Gbase (link) and you'll see these reconed for $125-$150 each. These are original cone, beautiful shape, and priced at just $99/each (only one available).
Jensen P12Q Speaker in Crate Cabinet, (stock pic). Vintage Alnico 12" speaker to upgrade your combo or, if you need it, use with the Crate amp cabinet for an inexpensive extension cabinet. Rated at 40W and can handle 80W musical power. This is the 8 ohm version which will work well for many amps with either an 8 ohm output - or if paired with a combo's 8 ohm internal speaker for a 4 ohm load. Mounted in an old Crate combo box, with an input jack nicely installed on the cabinet. The speaker alone sells for $121. The Jensen is in clean shape with very little use and going for $99 with the cabinet.
EVM 12L in Cab, (pic2), (pic3), 8 ohms, rated at 200W so you're not going to blow it and served up in a Peavey Futura cab - with an EVM Series II 12L, with removable back for open/closed back operation. Nice compact design and this one even includes rack rails for rackmount transport. Put this with a boogie MK series head and you have the essence of a Boogie combo in two lighter packages. $199.
Celestion G12T-75, straight out of a 1936 2X12 cab that shipped out, mint condition, direct replacement for your Marshall 2X12 or 4X12 300W cabinet, $55/each. Only one left.
Fender 12" Speaker, from Hot Rod Deluxe, good shape, $39
New Crate 12" Speaker,
very good quality replacement speaker, Eminence made, 50W, heavy voice coil, 8
ohms, new in the box and never installed, $35.
Eminence Speaker, 1971, 12”, 8 ohm, correct equipment for some Fenders, Ampegs, and others (please do your research), sounds great, $75.
Fender 12” Speaker, 1987, made by Eminence for Fender, $65
1975 Fender CTS 12" 16 Ohm, works perfectly, original cone, and original equipment for Bassman 2X12, Musicmaster Bass, and possibly others. $99.
Line 6 Speaker, from a Flextone 60, 8 ohms,
works perfectly, $49
Mesa/Boogie Speakers, pair of 90W Celestion Black
Shadows with one needing a recone ($99 for pair) and pair of 50W Vintage Black Shadows (one cone has dimple repairs) ($150 for pair)
Mojotone M121660, 12", 2" voice coil, 20oz magnet, 60 Watt, 8 Ohm, last of my new Mojotone stock, discontinued as Jensen is making their speakers now but Mojo’s were stock in many boutique amps such as Budda back in the day, anyhow, new in the box for $75/each.
Peavey Blue Marvel 12"
speaker, original equipment on Classic 30and many others, works perfectly
and a definite upgrade to most Jensen or Eminence for just $39.
Peavey Scorpion 12" Speakers, one is a regular Scorpion, the other is the heavier Scorpion Plus. Both 8 ohms. The Plus has a very small glue spot but works perfectly. These are excellent speakers and upgrades over cheap Jensens. $45/ea.
Soldano 12"
Eminence Legend, model V1216, made for a Soldano by Eminence. 16 ohms
and designed for a 4X12 cabinet but can also be used in a 2X12 or single
12" if you want to lower the output volume. Very clean shape,
$49.
Toa 2-way Speaker, dual cone, 8 ohms, rated at around 75W, from KB amp but good for monitor or other amp, $50
ACCESSORIES/PARTS/FOOTSWITCHES:
Fender Amp Footswitch 2-button 1/4", Vibrato and Reverb, stereo 1/4" jack for reissues including Twin, Vibroverb, Deluxe, Custom Vibrolux, Vibrasonic, etc. Still has factory bands on it. $35
Fender Amp Footswitch, two button with different colored LED's for use on dark stages, labeled "Channel Select" and "Drive/More Drive". Uses a stereo cable and you can use this on many amps that use a 2-button footswitch. 2 available at $25/ea
Marshall 2-button footswitch, new, for Marshall amps, $29
Marshall channel selector switch, $29
Marshall footswitch, Marshall #2, new, for Marshall amps, $29/ea
Mullard 12AT7 Tubes, new-old-stock and many agree these are best preamp tubes on the market, $19.99/ea
Peavey Footswitches, choice of 2-button or 3-button, both use multi-pin connector, 3-button $29/$25
Randall 2-button footswitch, for Randall amps, new in box, $29
Fender 2-button Footswitch, uses stereo ¼” cable, labeled chorus/channel but should work with channel/boost, led indicators, $25.
Peavey 1-button switch, for channel switching on most amps, $15
Marshall Cover 1X12 JCM Series, new, plastic, for handles on sides, approx 19x19x11, $15
Marshall Cover 1X12 Valvestate, new, plastic, for handle on top, $15
Marshall cover, black with gold writing for 4X12 straight cabs, mint, $29/ea.
60's Silvertone 2-button Footswitch, for your Tremolo and Reverb equipped early 60's Silvertone. All original including cable and plug. Ebay price on one with a replacement plug is $125 (link), which would make this all-original one very fairly priced at $85.
SWR Cover, around a cube size, new, appears to fit Workingman 12, $15