Your amps through the years

[Vince]

1940's radio (plugged in the record player socket and used to get the old tingle from time to time)
1950's radio altered to amp...

Geez bro, how old are you? 100? No offence intended, but the 40's? Crikey. They didn't hardly even have electric guitars in the 40's, not solid bodies anyway, at least until the very late 40's - as I'm sure you know!

However I did post a picture of someone playing a doubleneck solidbody from a Practcal mechanics mag of 1937 on one of the threads here some time ago, so your solidbody dating is a little off - although I was just as surprised as anybody to see it but it was a doubleneck gibson - like their old lap steels - and he was playing it like a regular guitar. Must have weighed the earth I'd imagine.

Mind you, if you really want to push the boundaries of electric guitar - have a look in Duchessoir's book on Gibson electrics - there he has a picture of a Gibson prototype amp and guitar that Julius Bellson says is from the late 20's!!! while Lloyd Loar got his patent for an electric on November 12, 1935 (Tom Wheelers Book American Guitars 2nd ed p 356/7) and there is a picure of one of his vivi-tone instruments!

And there's also the Rickenbacker "Frying Pan" guitar which came out in 1931. Not a Spanish type, but solidbody and amplified all the same.

I suspect that ampliers pre-date electric guitars.

[angry_young_poet]

Geepers, You've had the lot. Any favourites from that line up? Which ones have you kept, and which ones do you miss the most if you've sold them?

probably the AC15. it was perfect for what i needed.

wish i'd kept the AC30 with greens (twice!!!!!)

all i have is the Laney now. but on the hunt for gear..

[Polar Bear]

i've gone thru a lot of amps over the years..

in no particular order - as i remember it
- Marshall Valvestate 15 watt SS amp
- Peavey Bandit II
- Peavey Bandit I
- Marshall MG50
- Peavey Classic 50 2x12
- Marshall JCM900 4550 head + no name cab
- Vox Cambridge 2x10
- Vox AC30 with greens (from Crushing day)
- Marshall JCM800 + Slash Signature 4x12
- Marshall JMP50
- Peavey Delta Blues 1x15 (twice)
- Peavey Classic 30 (a few times)
- Crate V508 5watt head
- Vox AC15CC1
- Vox AC30CC2
- Vox AC30 with greens (from philipnz)
- Mesa Subway Rocket 44
- Epi Valve Jr.
- Rockit Superlead 130 (from Rog)
- Fender Princeton Chorus (i think, sold it to R4andom, RIP)
- Laney LC15 (current)

probably missed a couple too, but those are the ones i can remember.

You had a mighty JCM900 at one point, and a massive Fender, a pro 180 or something similar?

[calling card]

First amp: Holden, orange SS combo thing that stood about waist high, just one big transister & a few components & wires, large speaker with little magnet of local manufacture. POS.

The 'Marshall lunchbox' - a car valve radio and four car speakers all jammed into a box, I'll never forget those days at lunchtime on an orchard with that thing sitting on the car bonnet. My LP burst copy plugged in, how that thing howled...untill the end.

Rockit SS combo, black with checkered yellow grill cloth, can't remember model, reliable thing but thirsting for valve tone.

Marshall 4010 50w combo 1987, first valve amp, how disappointing when first plugged in - I still sounded like me!, learnt how to find the 'tone'. I loved this amp...untill the end.

Unplugged 1990 - 2007

Langcaster 30w head & 1x12"1x15" cab, Oh well guess I stumbled into the world of 'hey joh', it has withstood 18 months under the hammer & now my son uses it. Monster big clean, dirt is brown as in shit, great for pedals, innards look as complex as a tv, must have some protection devices there too, my son was complaining that he had no sound. I checked & found a wire loose at the cab & all volumes set to amaggedon but the smoke did'nt come out & it still goes.

Ceriatone Marshall 2204 head & Splawn cab, what can I say?...I found my true love.

[sambrowne]

wish i'd kept the AC30 with greens (twice!!!!!)

Why did you get rid of it? Shit I wish I'd bought that one when I had the chance.

[crushing day]

wish i'd kept the AC30 with greens (twice!!!!!)

wasn't this the dude you onsold it to ?... selling it on Tm last week

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Music-instrume ... 021987.htm

[Miza]

1. Old Pioneer Stereo that had a mic input, with a 12" cable. Had to sit really close to hear anything!!
2. Samick 80W SS piece of crap
3. Marshall JCM900 Head (ex Scarecrow) running through above Samick (had no cab)
4. Marshall 1974x (18watt handwired reissue) + 1974cx (matching 1x12 ext cab)
5. Nothing (see my thread about WTB cheap tube amp)

Some pretty big jumps there in terms of quality/price, and look where it got me.

[GrantB]

Dredge...deep dredge.

1. cassette player - SS mostly
2. borrowed Musicman somethign a rather - tube
3. Gunn 50 - valve...reliability issues but wicked fuzz channel
4.Rockit Lead 120 - SS
5. Vantage Valve 30 watt - man, shoulda kept that one - it was saweet!
6. Crate Club 50 - valve...awesome tone, horrendous reilability
7. Sovtek Mig 50 w/ 2x10 Jensen cab - awesome and still have it
8. Laney VC30 - great amp (and an LC15 for practising). Ultra reliable!
9. Vox AC15CC - great initially, now unreliable in spite of my wanking on about how good it was. Still sounds fantastic tho. Still have it.
10. TWeed Deluxe - made by me - still have it (also did a 2xTweed but sold it). Great for Ryan Adams tones.
11. TopHat Super Deluxe - what can I say....it is everthing an amp should be. Yes, still own it.
12. Vox AC15 Heritage hand wired - not in my ownership but will be by the end of today! Nice.

Loving the fact many started with a tape player...had to put a tape in mine, press record, then the mic in would work....used an old valve radio out of the extension speaker....sounded extremely distorted and lo fi - probably be very cool now!

Looked at my earlier post - virtually every amp listed there as being in the "still own it" category has gone! And in between there's been a heap of other things like a 1974X, a bunch of TWeed-esque things, Bellbird.

Current line up:

JMI AC30 T/B
Vox AC30TBX
65Amps Tupelo
65Amps London Pro
Matamp C7
Marshall 1974X cabinet (Celestion Blue)
1967 Vox Conqueror 2X12 Silver Alnico's

Wanting to add some Fender clean to it w/reverb and vibrato...plans beginning to develop there.

FInd your post in the old thread and compare it to today...or don't.

[Basket Case]

I'm bound to have forgotten some...

Shitty old stereo.
'Vantage' amp
Crate 212 stereo chorus (sounded absolutely terrible, but the Metal Zone wouldn't have helped.
Some old Jansen
ADA MP1 through an ADA Poweramp
Digitech Valve FX through ADA Poweramp
Line 6 Axsys 212
Marshall TSL 100
Traynor YCV50 Blue
Peavey JSX
Mesa Boogie Electra Dyne
HD500 through a Mesa 50/50
Line 6 DT50
Mesa Boogie mini Recto

[alanp]

MG15CD
5E3 head with 2x12 G12H30's cab
2204 head

still have all three

[sopachrga]

Shiity Samick practice amp
JCM900 2X12 Combo
JCM800 head and 4X12

*---- Sell all gear and quit playing for 2 years-----*

*------------ Start playing again----------------*

Peavey practice amp
Holden 50
Laney VC50 2X12
JCM900 head and 4X12
Mesa Dual Rect and 4X12
POD X3 Pro Rack and power amp
HD500 and power amp
DT50 (ex Basket case)

They were my main use amps...
during the 2nd group, I also bought and tried an ADA MP1 and Holden Musician 50 only to on sell them pretty quickly.

[Capt. Black]

[Vomit phase]
AWA stereo
Some small combo amp (2 watts?) which eventually melted
Jansen Bassman 50.
Rockit 100 combo.
Gunn 50 2x12 combo (On loan for weeks while Rockit was getting repaired).
[/Vomit phase]

[Respectable amp phase]
'65 Fender Black Face Twin
Marshall 50Watt 2x12 Combo
'65 Fender Black Face Twin (traded Marshall back after a few weeks)
[/Respectable amp phase]

[Interim post-lost-it-all-to-burglary phase]
Jansen SS 60watt thing. The worst sounding amp in the world to that point. Although I did compose and record a great Beastie Boys piss-take metal riff for a Soda Stream commercial with it.
Roland JC120s. Not actually owned but hired for a few gigs until i retired from playing.
[/Interim post-lost-it-all-to-burglary phase]

[Re-birth of the Mysterons leading to present day excess and heavyocity phase]
Marshall MG30
traded back 7 days later for...
Marshall MG50
traded back 7 Days later for...
Marshall JTM60 combo
* Marshall JTM45
Marshall JCM800 50 Watt. Marshall 1960A 4x12 G12T-75s
Roland JC160. Like a JC120 but with 4x10 instead of 2x12.
Marshall Super Lead 100 Re-issue. Marshall 1960A 4x12 G12T-75s
* Marshall Super Lead 100 '77 model. Marshall 1960B 4x12 G12T-75s
* Jansen 715 (circa '59-'61) The greatest sounding 20-ish watt amp ever made). DC Cabs 2x12 w/Goodmans Audiom 60 Alnicos
* Marshall Super Bass 100 '74 model. The envy maker. Marshall 1960B 4x12 G12H-30s.
* Roland JC120 combo
* Fender 75 combo.
* Jansen six/twenty head. DC Cabs 2x12 w/Goodmans Audiom 60 Alnicos
* Carvin R1000 Bass head. Carvin 4x10.
* Musicman 100B Bass head. Fender 15" cab.
* FuzzieBro 10 watter built into an ancient Ferrograph Reel to reel case and chassis. (A work in Progress). 1x12 Goodmans Audiom 60 Alnico.

........ and so on.....



* = Still got it.

Wow. Lots have gone now.

Still got Super Bass of course. Along with its 1960B G12H-30 cab.
Jansen IA715 head and it's DC Cab 2x12 with ancient Goodmans alnicos.
Ryan built studio amp. Decided to keep my second DC/Goodmans cab for that and mini stackage.

[crushing day]

did you keep the JC120 Capt?

[jimi]

I must have missed this thread 1st time round. fortunately its been a slow evolution

Piggy SS 10w amp - really a guitar amp, didnt survive being a bass practice amp
Jansen SS 60w bass amp - sold
Fender BXR100 bass amp - sold
Laney HCM120 guitar amp - sold
Laney RB something 120w bass amp - sold
Marshall TSL601 - still have
Ampeg SVT3Pro - still have
- w Trace Elliot 15" cab - sold
- w Ampeg SVT810 cab - sold
- w Ampeg B410 cab - still have
Laney LC15 - sold
Greenstone Bellbird - still have

Despite the influence of this forum, my Amp GAS has managed to be relatively restrained. Bass amp upgrades were a necessity of gigging, with a downsize when I stopped. It's pretty much an ornament at home atm, but hanging on to it incase another opportunity to play some bass comes up.
The 1st valve amp I bought (Marshall TSL) covered all the bases I need for guitar - it has a warm clean channel, takes pedals well, loud enough to gig, and doesnt sound crap at low volume. The Bellbird is a bit of a luxury really, but fuck it, theres got to be some advantages to being a DINKY.

[calling card]

First amp: Holden, orange SS combo thing that stood about waist high, just one big transister & a few components & wires, large speaker with little magnet of local manufacture. POS.

The 'Marshall lunchbox' - a car valve radio and four car speakers all jammed into a box, I'll never forget those days at lunchtime on an orchard with that thing sitting on the car bonnet. My LP burst copy plugged in, how that thing howled...untill the end.

Rockit SS combo, black with checkered yellow grill cloth, can't remember model, reliable thing but thirsting for valve tone.

Marshall 4010 50w combo 1987, first valve amp, how disappointing when first plugged in - I still sounded like me!, learnt how to find the 'tone'. I loved this amp...untill the end.

Unplugged 1990 - 2007

Langcaster 30w head & 1x12"1x15" cab, Oh well guess I stumbled into the world of 'hey joh', it has withstood 18 months under the hammer & now my son uses it. Monster big clean, dirt is brown as in shit, great for pedals, innards look as complex as a tv, must have some protection devices there too, my son was complaining that he had no sound. I checked & found a wire loose at the cab & all volumes set to amaggedon but the smoke did'nt come out & it still goes.

Ceriatone Marshall 2204 head & Splawn cab, what can I say?...I found my true love.

A ZT lunchbox in 09, strangely this thing hinted of the tweed ghost in the machine.
2010 dawned along with a 5E3 from Ryan's institute of amp R&D.
2011 a Tweed Twin odyssey 5E8-A, again one of Ryan's builds. The most beautiful thing I ever plugged a strat into.
____________________________
Future dreaming... Bassman, Ampeg VT22, Marshall JMP50 and 65amps Stone Pony