BnT
218 posts
Nov 17, 2018
1:28 PM
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Passing along a link to an informative podcast done by Fretboard Journal on the subject of tube amps and repair. Is new or old better? Why?
Hope it provides you with some new insights and dispells some of the misinformation so freely available on the net.
https://player.fm/series/the-fretboard-journal-guitar-podcast-2391184/podcast-224-vintage-amp-repair-with-skip-simmons
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BnT
Last Edited by BnT on Nov 17, 2018 1:34 PM
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jbone
2749 posts
Nov 17, 2018
3:01 PM
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Some years ago I had a '59 Bassman replica built and it was a great amp. It was actually a very reasonable price too considering the hardware. I sold it off after a few years as I really had no need for all that power in the structure of projects I began working in. I did take a loss when I sold it.
These days that same money would get me maybe a 10" or 12" speaker, 15 watt, harp purpose built amp. I can't justify the expense.
We use matching Silvertone 1482 amps, circa mid 60's, 12w 12" speaker. Mine has a gaincutter tube, otherwise they are all bone stock. In over 8 years' use they have given us no problems at all. I'll guess we've done at least 60 amped gigs with them, some where we were outdoors and cranked them up pretty loud. I think we spent maybe $500-600 to get both. I know cost is up by now.
We work as a duo but one cd we did was with drums and bass. We went even smaller to record, twin Fender Vibro Champs from the late 70's. Cost was about $800 for both. We definitely made our money back when we sold them off. One went for $450, one was a swap for a guitar with case and extras worth over $800.
It would be nice to have more disposable cash so I could try different rigs that are now available to us harp players. As it is I'm happy with what I have, and what I have had over the past 25 years since I went electric.
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Music and travel destroy prejudice.
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SuperBee
5654 posts
Nov 18, 2018
12:45 AM
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Pretty cool, thanks BnT.
I know exactly what he’s talking about with those filmosound amps. I picked one up about 7 years back, cheap as, and started studying about them. I just picked it up because it was a cheap 2 x 6V6 amp with an octal pre, but I found out there is a little cult around them.
Mine has had all the extraneous circuitry stripped out but it’s still very tight in there. And after all this time and restoration it still doesn’t work and no one really wants to work on it. On the one hand it would be good to have it running, on the other it’s a bit like throwing good money after bad unless I diy.
Some nice ideas though; I do have an old Ampeg Jet that needs a revival and I liked his idea for ‘tweeding’ a SF champ; except finding a SF Champ here for under $1G is unlikely now.
I think I’ll go to work on that Jet actually. I know a guitarist who could probably make use of that.
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Joe_L
2858 posts
Nov 21, 2018
8:18 PM
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Several years ago, I had a pre-Valco Valco amp that was original. I had Skip check it out. He cleaned it up and when he got done with it, it sounded great. When I picked it up, he spent time talking to me about amps for about an hour. I learned way more in that hour than I paid him. He’s a super cool dude.
I’ve played thru a bunch of amps he worked on. One was a silver face Champ that he converted a tweed circuit. It sounded great. Another one was a Fender Bassman Ten that was one of the most toneful and loud amp that I’ve ever played thru.
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Thievin' Heathen
1083 posts
Nov 21, 2018
9:51 PM
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I hope the fires missed Skip. And Greg and Ron too.
Last Edited by Thievin' Heathen on Nov 22, 2018 7:43 AM
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