Small Tube Amp?

Jahn

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See? Now I'm getting excited! It should be here by the end of next week, whee!
 

coastie99

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FNG said:
coastie...

Check out the video...nice Little Walter!

http://www.twincitiesblues.com/

Aw FNG !

Now look whatcha done !

I'm going to have to spend most of the (Satur)day now, looking all over this site and it's links.

Which means that, at some stage, poor Mrs Coastie is going to have to go out in the cold to get more beer !

Walter Horton's my harp main-man.
 

jp

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FNG,

If you're thinking 5 watts for not a whole lot of money ($129 new online), the new Epiphone Valve Junior is a great deal. Even cheaper used if you check out CL. Also it comes as a separate head for use with a speaker cab. These little amps have gained a bit of a cult following because they're cheap, basic, and easy to mod. Google "epiphone valve junior mods" and you'll get a ton of hits. Very fun if you ever get the gumption to pick up the soldering gun.

I also forgot to mention one of my all-time favorite amp brands, Ampeg. The little Ampeg Jet comes in vintage and reissue versions, with and without reveb and tremelo. I think the best deal is the reissue Ampeg Jet J-12T, 15-watt, Class A, tube amp, 12" speaker, tremelo, and spring reverb. Easily obtainable for under $350 on ebay. Awesome-sounding and versatile!
 

FNG

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jp said:
FNG,

If you're thinking 5 watts for not a whole lot of money ($129 new online), the new Epiphone Valve Junior is a great deal. Even cheaper used if you check out CL. Also it comes as a separate head for use with a speaker cab. These little amps have gained a bit of a cult following because they're cheap, basic, and easy to mod. Google "epiphone valve junior mods" and you'll get a ton of hits. Very fun if you ever get the gumption to pick up the soldering gun.

I also forgot to mention one of my all-time favorite amp brands, Ampeg. The little Ampeg Jet comes in vintage and reissue versions, with and without reveb and tremelo. I think the best deal is the reissue Ampeg Jet J-12T, 15-watt, Class A, tube amp, 12" speaker, tremelo, and spring reverb. Easily obtainable for under $350 on ebay. Awesome-sounding and versatile!

The Epiphone is on the short list.
 

capnjuan

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Hi FNG: please note the details in JP's sig; this is a man who knows his cheese. However, if you wind up with an early model Ampeg that uses a 6U10, you will be unhappy. If you get an Ampeg on the radar screen and are unsure, post up; the penalty is owning an amp, which if it worked, would sound great .....
 

FNG

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A vintage amp or 12 sounds so interesting, but I don't think there is a good tech around these parts. And I am a little hesitant to mess around with trons.

Do you guys do your own work? When I go to different websites, it would seem that an interest in vintage amps is worse than guitars. :lol: :lol: Folks ate up with that stuff!! 8)

You want to know something that bums me out in retrospect? My old man was an electronics freak, RIP. He was a serious ham radio operator in the 60s, and would build serious tube radios from scratch, from the chassis up. I used to sit at night and he would turn on the big radios, and I would twirl the dial and listen to stations from around the world. He tried to get me interested, but I never could get into the little color codes on transistors. I can't even imagine the number of tubes I shot with a BB gun. He had boxes of that stuff. Wish the old cuss was around and healthy, I would have him build me an amp.
 

jp

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Hi FNG,

Nowadays, there are amp techs everywhere, that is unless you're in the uppermost reaches of the Arctic, or in the middle of a tropical rain forest! You'd be surprised. The thing is, once you get it serviced tip top, and you're not playing out three nights a week (do you?), you won't have to mess with again for a few years, unless you turn it up to "11" for 3 hours every day.

I'm really jealous that your dad was that way. My dad didn't teach me anything. I was so hungry to learn too. In fact, my junk reading is "how-to" books, magazines, websites, etc.

If you only knew the prices asked for vintage tubes nowadays you woulda turned that Red Raider or Crosman on yourself. Most are $35-50, but they can sometimes fetch as much as $200 a piece.
 

coastie99

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jp said:
Hi FNG,

Nowadays, there are amp techs everywhere, that is unless you're in the uppermost reaches of the Arctic, or in the middle of a tropical rain forest! You'd be surprised. The thing is, once you get it serviced tip top, and you're not playing out three nights a week (do you?), you won't have to mess with again for a few years, unless you turn it up to "11" for 3 hours every day.

I'm really jealous that your dad was that way. My dad didn't teach me anything. I was so hungry to learn too. In fact, my junk reading is "how-to" books, magazines, websites, etc.

If you only knew the prices asked for vintage tubes nowadays you woulda turned that Red Raider or Crosman on yourself. Most are $35-50, but they can sometimes fetch as much as $200 a piece.

Try some of the "common" guitar amp. valves here..............

https://www.tubeworld.com/index_high.htm

This'll get your eyes watering !!
 

capnjuan

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FNG said:
Do you guys do your own work?
I got started with vacuum tube stereo in the 80s; I started tinkering with older gear and and stayed with it. I do maintenance, repairs, and re-hab but have never messed with scratch-building.

cj
 

capnjuan

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Bump; Guitar site with a Gibson GA19 Falcon for sale; has sort of gushy comments about the amp because he is selling it. Dirty and pretty expensive reflecting a 20 or 25% commission on the deal one third or so of the way down the page

http://www.chrisguitars.com/

He also has a 1996 JF55, clean enough, HSC for 1,100 or so further down the page.
 

Jahn

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The epiphone amp is here but arrived dead as a doornail. I took all the tubes out and it looks like the EL84 is toast. I ordered one for 20 bucks from Brent Jesse Recordings, here's hoping that's the only reason nothing fired up!
 

FNG

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Jahn said:
The epiphone amp is here but arrived dead as a doornail. I took all the tubes out and it looks like the EL84 is toast. I ordered one for 20 bucks from Brent Jesse Recordings, here's hoping that's the only reason nothing fired up!

What Epi amp did you get Jahn?
 

Jahn

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FNG said:
Jahn said:
The epiphone amp is here but arrived dead as a doornail. I took all the tubes out and it looks like the EL84 is toast. I ordered one for 20 bucks from Brent Jesse Recordings, here's hoping that's the only reason nothing fired up!

What Epi amp did you get Jahn?

I got this one! Believe it or not it has NO model number on it, argh!

Jahn said:
You guys drew me in! I decided that the blue guitar coming needed a blue amp to go with it, so after consultation with the knowledgable Cap'n, I scored an Epi version of the Gibson GA-5T Skylark. Paired with the ES135, should be fun!

[IMG:599:800]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/jahn0603/Electric/es135fullfront.jpg[/img]
[IMG:800:600]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/jahn0603/Electric/87ff_3.jpg[/img]

Hold on, there is a schematic in the amp. Hard to see without taking the panel off, but it says "Epiphone 101, Kalamazoo Mich. Made in USA" And the back of the speaker says "Epiphone Model 2793" - that help any?
 

capnjuan

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FNG said:
What Epi amp did you get Jahn?
Hi FNG: Based on the seller's and Jahn's descriptions, the closest Gibson equivalent is a later variant of the GA5 but single-ended with a 6BQ5/EL84 output, 6CA4 rectifier, and either/both 12AX7 or 6EU7 in the preamp. The web doesn't return a schematic for an Epi 2793; just going by it's cabinet and cosmetics, I'd guess late 60s.

Possible Maybe Schematic Here

cj
 

Jahn

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capnjuan said:
FNG said:
What Epi amp did you get Jahn?
Hi FNG: Based on the seller's and Jahn's descriptions, the closest Gibson equivalent is a later variant of the GA5 but single-ended with a 6BQ5/EL84 output, 6CA4 rectifier, and either/both 12AX7 or 6EU7 in the preamp. The web doesn't return a schematic for an Epi 2793; just going by it's cabinet and cosmetics, I'd guess late 60s.

Possible Maybe Schematic Here

cj

Ayep the tubes in it are a 6BQ5, a 6X4, and two 12AX7.
 

capnjuan

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Jahn said:
Ayep the tubes in it are a 6BQ5, a 6X4, and two 12AX7.
As the Les Francais would say, a soupcon of good luck here. The 12AX7s are much quieter than 6EU7s, but if the amp no work, I guess a 6EU7 can be just as quiet .... :shock:
 
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