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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Is this amp good for harp?
Is this amp good for harp?
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K_O_E_N_J
6 posts
Oct 03, 2011
2:00 AM
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hi
Iám searching for a amp here in holland.
I found a Geloso G204V amp but iám not sure if its good for harp.
here is a link with the description
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/geloso_g204vg204_2.html
I think its should be good for harp but iám not sure about the 6SL7 and 6X5
What do you guys think? should i pay 150 for it?
Greats
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jbone
648 posts
Oct 03, 2011
3:43 AM
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with just 8" speakers this amp may be a feedback little monster. it looks pretty cool and it is a tube amp, so possibly a tube swap would make it workable, but it will not end up being a high volume amp. my guess is it would be good for possibly coffee house gigs or recording or general home usage.
no idea what the value would be but if it's from the 50's and works, that counts for something, as does over all cosmetic condition. will you be able to see or try this amp before buying?
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K_O_E_N_J
7 posts
Oct 04, 2011
12:44 AM
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If I buy it I will change the speakers.
But what about the 6x5? does someone know if this tubes is ok for harp? and what about the 6SL7
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5F6H
876 posts
Oct 04, 2011
1:17 AM
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6X5 is the rectifier tube, the amp won't work without it, (unless you replace it with SS diodes, not recommended without ear testing). 6SL7 are preamp tubes, these were commonly found in old Ampegs, 6SN7 is a low gain drop in replacement. Note that the schematic has "12SL7" in parenthesis, the amp may come with either depending on how the the power transformer is set up.
Power tubes are 6V6, used in many popular harp amps.
There is nothing that excludes these tubes from doing the job in an amp used for harp, but here's the deal - the tubes need to be in a circuit to make sound and the amp will deviate from the published circuit certainly in terms of voltages, if not in other respects too.
Gelosos can have pretty funky circuits that are not commonly found in other amps (like fixed bias supplies feeding preamp heaters), if you buy it entrust to a good amp tech (it will undoubtedly need a service if it hasn't had one already).
7LimitJI has a G213A (head only) that sounds pretty cool (after a service).
Try before you buy...listen with your ears, not with your eyes ;-) (In other words don't buy it just because you think it looks good)
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www.myspace.com/markburness
Last Edited by on Oct 04, 2011 1:27 AM
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slowblowfuse
41 posts
Oct 04, 2011
5:19 AM
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--If you decide to buy it and are looking for a dependable and skilled tech to check it for you - and to make it safe to use - mail me or check out the Dutch "Bluesharp forum".
Skinny Dog
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K_O_E_N_J
8 posts
Oct 04, 2011
11:16 AM
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thanks! my English is not that good. so i don't understand it that good.
WHat do you mean with "the amp may come with either depending on how the the power transformer is set up. "
and
"the tubes need to be in a circuit to make sound and the amp will deviate from the published circuit certainly in terms of voltages, if not in other respects too."
Is is worth to buy this amp and so maybe change some tubes?
I was thinking to put some 10/15 inch speakers in it.
This amp is just for small gigs so i don't need a really loud amp but just a good sounding small amp.
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5F6H
879 posts
Oct 04, 2011
11:55 AM
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To be sure what tubes the amp has in, you will have to look at that particular amp. Lots of old amps used "off the shelf transformers" & rather pay for custom items to be made up, they made do with what was easily/cheaply available. You can swap 6SL7 for 6SN7 (less gain), you can do the same thing with 12SL7 & 12SN7...but you can't swap 12SL7 for 6SL7, or 6SN7. You may find a way to swap to regular 12A#7 tubes but you will need specific adaptor plugs to achieve this.
There aren't a lot of options for the 6X5 either, Euro designation is EZ35.
In short, this is probably not the amp for tube rolling experiments.
As with the power transformers, amp circuits were often updated without changes to schematics, so you can't assume a schematic will match your amp. All amps made in the 50's & 60's run higher voltages than the schematics suggest, because AC wall voltage has risen. Neither of these is a reason not to buy, but you just can't look at a schematic & "know" how an amp will sound.
The only way to know if this amp sounds "good" is to try it (preferably back to back with a known quantity...a lot of good players can make pretty well anything sound good in isolation, it's ony in comparisons that shortfalls become more obvious). If you like it, buy it and get it serviced before assuming it needs different tubes or speakers. There are lots of low powered amps that people already know work well for harp, seems like shame to buy an amp like this just to butcher it, never knowing if you are going to get a decent result. There may be someone who loves it just like it is & will give it a good home...however if you play it, & it sounds good, it's your money, your amp & your perogative;-)
If I was in Holland I'd pay visits to Marble amps & Fox amps & try their products out. If I was new to amps I probably wouldn't buy a 60yr old oddity & certainly not without a proper service.
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www.myspace.com/markburness
Last Edited by on Oct 04, 2011 12:07 PM
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