Jared_SA
84 posts
Jul 03, 2013
7:46 AM
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Hi All. I am in the process of buying a Magnatone Eddie Bush Special amp. I have no idea what the specs are. The guy just said: "It's a bush amp. I don't know what it is. It's black and I think it's 17W."
Needless to say, he want's R250 ($25) for it. Here's a link to the only info of the amp I could find. Eddie Bush Special
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Egg Timer Mic
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rogonzab
326 posts
Jul 03, 2013
7:52 AM
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is a tube amp?
Is that is right, $25 is cheap, so buy it.
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Jared_SA
85 posts
Jul 03, 2013
7:58 AM
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Yip. I would love to know how many watts, officially.
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Egg Timer Mic
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rogonzab
328 posts
Jul 03, 2013
8:13 AM
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a picture of the tubes:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=200384&sid=429f262d13ec03d95ba1180245d6624b
Last Edited by rogonzab on Jul 03, 2013 8:30 AM
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Jared_SA
86 posts
Jul 03, 2013
8:21 AM
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Yeah looked there. Can't get close enough to see. Haha.Waiting on pics from the seller.
EDIT: It's 17volts and 4W.
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Egg Timer Mic
Last Edited by Jared_SA on Jul 03, 2013 8:30 AM
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HawkeyeKane
1849 posts
Jul 03, 2013
8:44 AM
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Just from the pic of those tubes (which appear to be 1 X 12AX7, 1 X 6V6GT, 1 X 5Y3GT), and the addition of the tone knob, I'd say this amp looks pretty Blackface Champ-ish, which would put her at or around 5 watts. That can cap might give her a different tone or boost though.
17V, or 117V?
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Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Jul 03, 2013 9:20 AM
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Rick Davis
2041 posts
Jul 03, 2013
8:52 AM
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4 watts sounds about right. For $25 I'd snap it up right away. I paid $50 for an old tube amp at a used gear store and with a little work it sounded very good for harp.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Tip Jar
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Kingley
2841 posts
Jul 03, 2013
9:14 AM
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For $25 you can't really go wrong. Even if the amp turns out to be useless for harp, you can always sell it on or use the parts to make a better one.
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blueswannabe
219 posts
Jul 03, 2013
1:48 PM
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25 bucks.....no help needed...buy it.
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HawkeyeKane
1852 posts
Jul 03, 2013
1:54 PM
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Yeah Jared. 25 bucks is a breeze for something like that. I'd be jumping on it like a monkey on a cupcake.
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Hawkeye Kane
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blueswannabe
220 posts
Jul 03, 2013
1:54 PM
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However. I will give you some advice that others have given that I should have Taken. if you can afford it, buy an amp made for harp players or approved by harp players because in the long run you will save money and you won't chase amps. Been there done that.
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Jared_SA
87 posts
Jul 03, 2013
1:58 PM
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Hey guys. Thanks for all the help. I was trying to get more info on the amp. I'm buying the thing regardless, as it is a steal.
@blueswannabe. I can't afford a harp specific amp at the moment, plus shipping it to South Africa, along with customs fees... It becomes outrageous... Plus, I'm keeping my cash reserve for a mic from Greg :D
I'm gonna try see what the schematic layout is like and get my brother to switch up the preamp to a 12ay7 possibly. I'll play around.
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Egg Timer Mic
Last Edited by Jared_SA on Jul 03, 2013 2:00 PM
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Rick Davis
2042 posts
Jul 03, 2013
2:16 PM
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Jared, a stock tweed 5F1 Champ is a very good little harp amp, and this clone may be as well. At $25 there is not much risk here.
Tweaking amps is fun and you will learn a lot. The Champ is a great teacher because the circuit is so simple that the benefits of any change are apparent and obvious.
But it just may be fine the way it is. I'd change the power cord to a grounded plug right away though.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Tip Jar
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HawkeyeKane
1853 posts
Jul 03, 2013
2:22 PM
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I agree with Rick, Jared. Do you have an amp guru in your vicinity? If so, one thing you might consider doing is printing off a Blackface Champ schematic and placing the amp and schematic in your guy's hands. When he goes through it, he could tell what similarities and differences there are between the two circuits. It'd probably give you some good ideas on how to proceed towards getting the amp to your liking, if it isn't already. :-)
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Hawkeye Kane
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blueswannabe
221 posts
Jul 03, 2013
6:41 PM
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@Jared, I understand. You can't go wrong with this one. Judging from the pictures and tube configuration...you might totally luck out. It's Likely a champ type circuit with tone control...that will likley turn out real well for harp. you may need to do nothing with it at all..or you may consider possibly increasing value of tone coupling caps to .1 uf 450 v., but that would be total speculation at this point. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.
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