Rockin Daddy
8 posts
Nov 19, 2014
7:02 AM
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Does anyone know about an amp head from Allied Knight? Are they similar in tone to something like a Masco? It looks similar to one, but I'm not sure how they sound. Are there certain models or years that are better than others? Any help is appreciated.
-Brian
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HawkeyeKane
2666 posts
Nov 19, 2014
7:58 AM
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I think they're more similar in tone to a Stromberg-Carlson or a DuKane. But no less tasty. Dave Wren over at harpmicshop.com rebuilds PA heads and flips them. You might try hitting him up for the different models of Knights. I know I've seen at least two on his for sale page in the last couple years.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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dougharps
774 posts
Nov 19, 2014
9:21 AM
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My Knight KN3245 (60's - 70's style turquoise flat box head w/master volume) is my loudest amp, and gets great tone. It came with 2 RCA black plate 6L6s that were worth more than the 2007 price of $64.99 after shipping costs were added. It has 2 - 1/4" inputs and can be set for 4, 8, & 16 ohm speaker(s). The Knight even has an anti-feedback switch that seems to make a difference!
I also like my Stromberg-Carlson AU-57 that gets good tone and looks really cool, like an old Masco. But the Knight puts out more volume with good tone, though less cool looking.
Of course with any vintage tube amp head the issue is greatly influenced by the speaker(s), the mic, and your own tone and cupping technique.
I had my vintage PA amps checked out and 3 prong plugs added, but the heads were not modified.
(CORRECTION! He added a standby switch on the Knight KN3245)
Old tube PA heads were used in churches, grocery stores, bus stations, etc. They were made for high-z mic input signals. They don't have the many gain stages in many guitar amps that cause problems for harp players.
If you have a chance to try an old PA head out, I suggest taking a couple mics and experimenting. My KN3245 sounds great through a Cannabis Rex using my Shure 585AV. My Astatic biscuit with a CM element sounds great, too, but I can get more volume before feedback with the 585, and I like the less distorted sound that only breaks up when I hit more than one note. Great lows on this amp that really pick up the difference tones!
Edited for correction...
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Nov 19, 2014 5:16 PM
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Larrystick
86 posts
Nov 20, 2014
8:55 AM
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I picked up this little Knight PA last year. It's model 93 SZ 690. It has a single 6L6. Specs say 8 watts. I run this through a twin 10 cab with a pair of Lil' Buddies. Sweetest, fattest tone of all my amps. Not especially loud, but classic mid-50's sound.
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 For questions mail james@simplemics.com
Stickman from walkthatwalk.org
Last Edited by Larrystick on Nov 20, 2014 8:56 AM
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Steve Harvell
171 posts
Nov 20, 2014
10:47 AM
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A beautiful amp LarryStick :)
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rogonzab
624 posts
Nov 20, 2014
10:55 AM
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A sound sample would be great!!
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Sorry for any misspell, english is not my first language.
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Barley Nectar
571 posts
Nov 20, 2014
6:08 PM
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I have a Knight PA/Record Player, 2x6L6, 35W. The head goes inside two clamshell cabs covered in red airplane cloth. Tan fuzzy grills cover two GE 12" speakers. One spk per half of cab. I did the usual rebuild and recap and removed the record player. I then moded the circuit to Fender 5C5 Pro specs. The Knight was very close to that circuit as stock so it did not take much. I played this thing for a year both practice and gigs. It sounded good as stock and better after the work was done. The GE 12's are still going strong. Don't know how it compares to a Masco but it is a cool vintage rig with great tone. I would not hesitate to get another...BN
Don't know how to do this but here is a track using the Knight
https://soundcloud.com/gerstka/05-track-5-107
Hey, that worked!!!
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Nov 20, 2014 6:23 PM
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Johncn
77 posts
Nov 20, 2014
8:09 PM
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Hi - I have a wonderful 30 watt Allied Knight 93-146 that I got from Jim Rossen. It's one of my very favorite amps, and has a several options for tone because of the way Jim tweaked the circuits. Sounds great. The 93-147 had the turntable option originally, but that was removed. I started a wiki site regarding blues history, and for that project did a couple of pages about the history of this, and similar portable PA systems. Although the site got bumped off my radar, and the content is now gone (it was pooched a couple of PHP and MySQL upgrades ago), I have a screen capture of it. Sorry about the size of the image, but if someone is looking for info on these systems, it may help someone if I post on MBH. Here is a link to a download of a full sized PDF versionif anyone is interested.
John
Last Edited by Johncn on Nov 20, 2014 8:31 PM
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chromaticblues
1631 posts
Nov 21, 2014
9:26 AM
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Larry is one cool looking amp!
What are the other tubes?
Looks like a 5y3 and 7sl7.
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Steve Harvell
172 posts
Nov 21, 2014
12:55 PM
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What a NICE amp collection John :)
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Johncn
78 posts
Nov 21, 2014
2:15 PM
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Thanks, Steve. There are many regulars here with better collections, but I think I have what I need for now. ;-)
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Barley Nectar
572 posts
Nov 21, 2014
6:53 PM
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Johncn, how do you like the Gibson channel on that amp? Thanks...Goose
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Nov 23, 2014 7:45 AM
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jimr
73 posts
Nov 22, 2014
11:06 AM
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John's Knight 30W amp is a real honey. The power supply had this 5 in long wire wound resistor that bled off some of the high voltage to ground. With this resistor removed the 6L6 plate voltage was over 400V, which is rather high for a PA amp like this. The amp is pretty loud and has great tone. BTW- the exposed fuse holder seen in the chassis shots is not connected.
Jim Rossen
Last Edited by jimr on Nov 22, 2014 11:07 AM
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Johncn
79 posts
Nov 23, 2014
8:16 AM
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Goose - I don't have much basis of comparison, having never seen or played a real Gibson GA-45...but I like it quite a bit. I'm not skilled enough at describing the voices of different amps to really do it justice. I will try to find time to do some sound clips. As Jim said, it's a really nice amp head.
I typically (but not always) use it with the Super Goldtone Cabinet the head is sitting on. It has sealed (infinite baffle) with 2 12-inch Celestion Vintage 30 speakers, and two open backed 10-inch Celestion Vintage 10’s. The switch on the back allows each side's 10-inch open back / 12-inch closed back pair to be used with a different amp or input in 8 ohm stereo mode.
However, with the Super Goldtone cabinet weighing in at 88 pounds alone, and wanting to be extra careful with the Knight head itself, these two prize possessions only very rarely ever leave the house. ;-)
Jim: Thanks for this wonderful amp. It's truly my favorite.
Regards,
Johncn
Last Edited by Johncn on Nov 23, 2014 8:21 AM
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Johncn
81 posts
Dec 20, 2014
10:50 AM
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If somebody is looking for one, just an FYI that there is what looks to be a pristine example of the same Knight 30 unit I got from Jim Rossen on eBay. It's in unmodified condition, I believe, with the phono top. Also comes with a (probably) working EV Cardax 950 crystal microphone.
Last Edited by Johncn on Dec 20, 2014 10:53 AM
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