Okay, there are a couple threads going about amps that we own. How 'bout the amps you no longer own for whatever reason? Please identify the amp and why you no don't have it any more.
Here are just a few of the amps I've gone through. Kind of an interesting group, though.
Weber 5F2H, much modified. Great amp, about 10 watts of nice tone from one KT66 tube. I sold it when I got the Mission 32-20 prototype.
Fender Blues Jr. I could never get good tone from this amp. I sold it to a guitar player.
Newcomb E-10B Pathfinder. Wonderful little early 60s PA amp, about 10 watts from two 6V6 tubes. Very warm tone. Sold it years ago because I never used it. To low-powered for what I was doing at the time.
1972 Fender Twin Reverb. Freaking beast, but the reverb was lush. I traded it for PA gear; it weighed nearly 100 pounds with those big Altec speakers.
Rack gear: Mesa Boogie 20-20 power amp (four EL84 tubes) with Behrenger amp modeler and 4x12 cab. I was playing in a loud blues rock band. I sold it piece by piece when I came to my senses and left the band.
I'll look for more pictures of other amps and add them later.
UPDATE: Here is another one.
1947 Gibson BR-6. I don't know why I sold this; I still regret it. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. The amp has two 6V6 tubes, a very primitive circuit and a funky field coil speaker, but man did it ever crunch.
Mid 60s Ampeg B-15 full stack. My first harp amp. I bought it from a bass player in Lansing MI in 1980. Played it for several years until it stopped working and I gave it away. I was an idiot.
UPDATE: Three more
I bought the Crate Powerblock when they first came out about 2005. It did not sound half bad for harp. 75 watts per channel stereo in a small box. I eventually gave it to my girlfriend's 20 year-old son who plays guitar in a rock band. I also gave him this Avater 2x10 cab with two Weber 10A125-O 30-watt speakers. It is a great-sounding guitar rig.
VHT Special 6 Combo. I loved this amp. I donated it to a charity auction to benefit the Nic Clark family when his dad was very seriously injured in a car wreck.
1953 Masco ME-18. I recently sold this amp to Dan Solem. He is a good friend and a very good player, and was specifically looking for a Masco. I decided it was time to pass the amp along.
I've only owned 2 and still got em...the Holland is forsale though...$1500.00...I'll own it forever, because that price is firm!
Last Edited by on Dec 20, 2012 11:08 AM
I've only been in the game for about 4 years, and in that time I've owned just four amps. The two that I parted with are:
My first amp, a little SS Marshall MG10CD. It was a good beginner, but I quickly evolved to wanting something better. I traded it for a Univox UB250 115 bass cabinet.
And my Peavey Vypyr 15. Also solid state, but as a modeling amp, it had good applications for harp. I upgraded the speaker from a single 8" to a 12" bass speaker...
...and then later chopped it into a head/cab that I never got around to finishing before I restored her to combo to trade in for my Alamo.
I've had 4 Kalamazoos 2s. One I got from Greg, later sold when I was playing the Kendrick Champ more. Picked up a couple of nearly mint ones at a bargain price and re-sold. Also bid and won a custom Zoo, bigger transformer, nice Emminence speaker from a Sonny Jr., and finger jointed cabinet, Fender Tolex, chicken head knobs and grill cloth. Again, still playing the Kendricks, sold it. I would like to have kept th Kendrick big Texas Crude with 12 inch speaker, but it was harder to dial in than the Sonny Jr. I had. Also sold the Sonny when I decided I really never played anywhere I needed that big an amp. I had a very clean Alamo model 3 that was a terrific amp, but again, fell victim to the Kendrick I played most of the time. I think I'm done with buying and selling amps, good deals or not. (famous last words) I should start a thread about the vintage mics I once collected. Actually sold every one of them for a good profit.
First up. My first amp. A Yamaha JX-50. I got a lot of use out of this amp. Solid state. 50 watts. It had a decent clean sound and a really horrible 80's metal distortion. I learned a tremendous amount about microphone handling technique, tone and amplified playing attempting to get some decent sounds out of this amp.
Second on the list. A Fender Pro Jr. I loved the tone that I got out of it. I loved the size. Overall, it was too loud for the house and usually not loud enough on the bandstand. It ended up being unused after I built a tweed Champ clone and a Harpgear Double Trouble.
Third, I never really sold it. It was a little Yamaha practice amp that was included with a guitar. It died. It wasn't worth fixing. It got sent away.
Fourth, A Bassman LTD. I had a love/hate relationship with this amp. It had those funky reissue Jensen speakers. I never could get it dialed in the way I wanted it. I decided to ditch it when a person whose opinion I respect told me the amp was changing the way I played and not for the better. I flipped it for the Harpgear Double Trouble.
Finally, a Meteor Mini Meat (2x8 and 1x10). It was covered in red tweed and gold grill cloth. It wasn't a very versatile amp. It was distorted before you turned it on. I get some hellacious tone out of that amp. It simply wasn't loud enough. The Harpgear amp was louder. This one, I kind of miss. Sometimes, but not all the time.
I decided I wanted a reissue Bassman, so I sold it to a former list member who sent it off to be modded into a Sonny Jr Cruncher. He eventually sold the Mini Meat to it's fifth owner. I never got the reissue Bassman. I came across a sweet deal on a Super Sonny.
First amp: Fender Blues Jr. I would like to try one today because I know then my technique sucked - I might have placed more blame on the amp than I should have - still I found it stiff - and not loud enough for jams.
Second amp - Peavey Prowler. I bought it from Dave Barrett. I couldn't get any decent tone out of that either and it was a feedback monster.
Third amp: Sonny Jr 4x10. Now I could be heard and I could get good tone. THAT was the amp that got me on the right path toward better mic technique and acoustic tone. It was very forgiving and could be set up dark enough that, even without a great cup, it was warm and full. I upgraded it to Super Sonny status. I miss the amp. I sold it to Joe who still has it, and I've made him promise to give me right of first refusal if he ever wants to give it up.
I bought a Cruncher which became a Super Cruncher, and then an Avenger - which is why I sold the Super Sonny. I LOVE the Avenger too - and I need more amps like a hole in the head - but that was just such a great amp....... ---------- /Greg
Greg - I loaned that amp to RJ a few times. Here it is in action. Honestly, that one may be my favorite amp of the ones that are keepers. It's hard to beat that sound.
I tend to make sure it's right when I buy it so I don't sell much, but I've traded up and thinned the herd a few times over the years.
My first amp was a 79ish silverface Princeton Reverb I bought when I was 16. I didn't know anything about amps but I got lucky with that one. Bass all the way up, treble all the way down=tone. Kept it for 20 years and sold it when I bought my house a few years ago.
I also sold a Harmony H-400 1x8. Those are famous for having no transformer and zapping the snot out of whoever plays through it. Also sold when I bought my house.
I bought a small 1x8 or 1x10 1950s portable PA with a 707a Mic. I sold the mic as soon as I got the amp. I planned on getting around to fixing the amp, it had a loud hum, but I never did. You guessed it...sold when I bought my house.
In college I bought an Ampeg Gemini II pretty cheap. It just up and died one day and I never got around to fix it and sold it cheap at a garage sale when I moved to LA after college. Now those amps are pretty hot with guitar players.
I bought my first 59 Bassman reissue for $600 used because one of the channels didn't work. It was a cheap and easy fix and I had that amp for a long time. I sold it to a harmonica student of mine when I bought a Kinder Mod Bassman from Allen Ortiz, Rod Piazza's occasional sax player, when I lived in LA. I kept that Kinder amp for 12 years and just got tired of the mid rangeyness of it and sold it when I bought a Meteor.
Lastly, I often subscribe to the "if it looks cool, it sounds cool" method of picking gear. It rarely lets me down. Unfortunately that did not apply to the Fender Champion 600. I really gave it a shot, but after speaker and tube swaps it was better at getting a Pete "Guitar" Lewis guitar tone than a good harp sound.
I might be forgetting one or two. I've still got a dozen or so.
Very first amp was a 60s Vox AC30, purchased in 1982. The chassis was original but it was installed in some sort of weird cabinet. I paid 50 UK pounds for it, had it several months then sold it for what I paid for it.
Replaced the AC30 with a Music Man HD130 for 100 pounds. File under "Seemed like a good idea at the time." Weighed too much and sounded like crap with harp but was pretty good for guitar. In hindsight I really had no idea what was supposed to be a good harp sound live.
I then got hold of a '66 Blackface Vibrolux Reverb. My guitar player at the time had bought one a few months earlier by pure luck for something ridiculous like 100 pounds ($150-$200). He worked in a small guitar shop and a couple of times he let me know when someone came in with something I needed. A guy just wandered in with the Vibrolux needing fast cash. I got it for 300 quid. Fantastic amp. I ran the harp through the Normal Channel and the guitar through the "Bright" channel. Had that for a couple of years until it was stolen in a tragic van rip off along with a lot of other gear, some of which was irreplaceable.
I replaced it with a brand new '63 Vibroverb RI. I picked that one up for 10% over wholesale from a shop I had a relationship with. I used that amp for 10 years all over the UK and Europe. Once fell out of the back of a car at about 20mph on the way to a gig. Got to the venue and she fired up no problem. Only damage was a small dent in one of the corner pieces, which is why their there. Gotta love Fender build quality.
While in Holland I had my friend Ted Oberg build me what was supposed to be a custom harp amp. Ted is a legendary Dutch blues guitar player and excellent amp builder but he knows nothing of harp amps and neither did I. It was basically a BF Champ with a 12 but he "improved" the design. Never liked it and sold it when I left the country.
Sold that Verb when I moved back to the states and immediately bought another one which came with a set of Weber 10A125 speakers. Vast improvement. Discovered NOS tubes and installed a pair of RCA Black plate 6L6s, and some Telefunken and RCA preamp tubes. Kept that amp for 8 years.
Decided to go searching for a dedicated harp amp. Had a Champ and a Champ 12, then discovered tube PA heads and bought, three Newcombs, a Knight, and a Bogen. The Newcomb E-10,I could be wrong about the model #, was the best. Had it paired with a Weber 10A125. Sounded pretty damn good but was not practical or loud enough for regular gigging.
During my tube PA period I scored a Masco 25N with original 12" cabinets. Condition was really sweet on that. It had already been sorted electronically and the in/outs converted to 1/4". Arguably the best harp sound of any amp I have ever played through. It was just enormous with complexity of tone and ..well just add your own adjectives. I loved that amp though again it was not practical for gigging. I was going to keep it in the closet to leave to my daughter then got into a crunch and had to sell. It did go to a harmonica museum and I got twice what I paid for it. Still, I wish I could have kept it. It taught me what great tone from a harp amp was supposed to be.
I next discovered the fabulous little Kalamazoo. Bought a closet find Model 1 which I still have. I bought a 2nd modded one as a small venue amp.
Next to last was a Super Cruncher. The first amp I ever paid full price for. Now that was a revelation, but then most of you know that. I sold almost everything to pay for it. Gary Onofrio offerd me one of the last Avengers so I sold the SC to a guy in Okinawa. With the Avenger and the Zoo I will never have to buy another harp amp again, though I could well be tempted by a 2x10 HarpKing or even another SC if I had the money.
The RI Vibroverb recently was sold and replaced with a great '65 Fender Deluxe non-reverb, which I use for guitar.
I currently also have a mint'65 National 6422TR for recording, a Maxi-Mouse which was given to me, and a pair of AER Combo/60s which I use for acoustic guitar and/or PA.
Last Edited by on Dec 20, 2012 8:27 PM
Sano 30 WR with a 15 and an 8" lush- gorgeous clean guitar amp tone- at first I thought I liked it for harp - but after a while - not enough to keep it. I made $140 on the deal - a fun ride.
A silvertone (valco) with a 12". The first amp I had that was really cool with harp. A garage sale find that I just wasn't playing much anymore. lost to the "thin the heard" impulse. It was pretty ugly lookin.
Another Sivertone 1333 Super cool looking - and good little harp tone amp. I kind of swore off the press paper cabs of the cheap valco's (though I still have one single ended airline) - ebay'd it to someone in Europe. Also make some $ on it, - but it was a hassle to ship.
Fender Rivera era Concert 2/10. A very reliable hand wired guitar amp with cascading gain stages a la Mesa Boogie. I actually had two of these at one point, because I found bargains. Not the sweetest tone'd amp - but a nice extra to have when guitar players come by to jam. I still have one, but it's likely going to a guitar playing buddy in LA
Gibson br9 - great little 2 6v6 amp in a cool little combo with an 8" and an art deco sort of grill. I had bought a second one and would bring the two to some jams, set up as bookends. Decided I didn't really need two - and sold one.
still in "the herd" - but on the fence about them: Silverface Master Volume Fender Twin (actually a Super Six) in a blond cab with a 12" & a 10" - may be next "on the block" I had this tricked out with a cathode / fixed switch but returned it closer to stock, - though it still has a dropping resistor mod for lower voltage on the preamp tube. It is powerfull sounding monster with lots of balls. I just don't turn it on much now that I've dialed in the BassmanRI though. We'll have to see.
The VHT super 6 may also go. I wnated to check one out. It's really good for what it is, but I don't play through it very often.
Mesa Boogie Mark II - I wanted to be like Sugar Blue.
Bassman Ltd - shoulda kept it, maybe?
Pro Jr - loved it
Double Trouble - loved it more
Vibro Champ - loved it immensely
Allen Amp - 2x10 Super Reverb clone that was a way better amp for me than I realized...I did this totally on impulse and ended up fighting it too and nail. Thankfully Mark Burness helped me trouble shoot
VHT Special 6 - Great little amp
HG50 1210 - probably the best amp for me, but I then stopped gigging as much
HG2 - awesome, but I had no use for it
I am now ampless and the most content with my sound I've ever been. I try to match pedal and mic settings to what I am playing, but in general just need a SM57 with an eq. I can't see myself going back to using an amp unless I start playing huge stages...which would still have me using a board and monitor anyways. ---------- Custom Harmonicas
Swapped it for a black face 1966 Fender Pro Reverb. Sold it to my guitarist.
Bought a 1959 Fender Bassman for 700$ in 1988. All original except for the tweed. It had been stripped and replaced with fake tweed "peel and stick" contact paper. Horrendous! But a great tone. Used it ten years until I had it re-tweeded and had the guts serviced. The result? A beautiful amp, perfect for guitar, not so much for guitar and was worth a fortune.
I sold it for a lot of money. Enough to buy a Sonny Jr 1 and a 1958 Fender Deluxe and a Gibson GA40. I use to use the Gibson and Fender in tandem but retired them in favor of the Sonny Jr as it was much more "stable" and roadworthy and took a beating and kept on ticking.
Sold the Gibson and bought a Super Sonny and later a Super Cruncher.
Had a ton of amps over the years ..... Silverface princeton ... Blues Junior ... Blues Deluxe ... Blues Deville ... Bassman R.I. ... Numerous Solid State amps ... Still have Danelectro Nifty Fifty, great for harp ... Two VHT 6 combos, modded, and a VHT 6 head.
I forgot to mention my one big mistake; Selling a pair of McIntosh MC30 mono tube amps. I originally tried to use the first one I got as a harp amp head -(a stupid idea) - then got the second and used them in a stereo set up. Those things will never loose their value. Ugh!
Regretting that sale led directly to me hoarding amps ever since, - though I am starting to get over it and let a few go - as noted in post above.
Rick - If I'd a sold that BR-6 I'd of felt the same way. ----------
@Iceman: I feel YOUR pain. When I had my farfisa organs (a single & a duo) I played thru an Ampeg Portaflex, which I sold later. when you get old, you can look back at alotta stuff you wish you hadn't sold, eh? I wish I hadn't sold my silverface Champ. That was so-o-o cute & huggable.. I mean luggable. :)
