1957 Magnatone Troubadour 213 - $765 (Anchorage)

Jeff

Enlightened Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2006
Messages
5,990
Reaction score
4
Location
seattle
Hmmm, this thing does run on toobs, correct? Mebbe I'll run up for the weekend & plug my SF in, just for fun.

http://anchorage.craigslist.org/msg/900063578.html

1121f31g7ZZZZZZZZZ8au07d7d7a0d0991923.jpg
 

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
Hi Jeff: yes, it's a tuber ... three 12AX7s, one 12AU7, twin 6V6s out, and a 5V4 rectifier. Schematic below; I call your attention to the red box and the two vaguely semaphor gadgets; they are varistors and they are responsible for the legendary Maggie vibrato:

Mag213a.jpg



The seller sez the vibrato doesn't work ... except he sunk some money into sending it to Kendrick at least for cosmetics and presumably electronic fix-'em-up but it came back with no signature vibrato ... the good news is that the footswitch is included. Wired correctly, you might be able to use it to dim the indicator light.

In the Kingdom of Widgetz, there are no varistors to replace the ones in this amp. I'd have to think that's the reason it could come back from Kendrick with the vibrato not working and I thought his explanation "...I don't use it ..." a little blithe ... I guess not ... since it doesn't work ... the inference being at one time it did. Despite having spent some cash on it, without the vibrato, it almost isn't a Maggie. Doesn't mean it can't have killer tone; not at all.

An analogy might be with the '63 Studebaker Golden Hawk factory-fitted with a knock-off 327 Corvette engine and a Judson supercharger producing 425 hp .... except without the supercharger but priced as if it was there:

Seller: "Yeah man, get yourself a supercharger and you have the real deal."
Jeff: "Well, what do I have if I can't find a supercharger?"
Seller: "A nice sporty '63 Studebaker.'

Assuming no price concessions, for what he's asking you could have this Tweed Gibson GA18. Go listen but be sure to ask how come no vibrato. CJ
 

Jeff

Enlightened Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2006
Messages
5,990
Reaction score
4
Location
seattle
capnjuan said:
Hi Jeff: yes, it's a tuber ... three 12AX7s, one 12AU7, twin 6V6s out, and a 5V4 rectifier.

The seller sez the vibrato doesn't work ... except he sunk some money into sending it to Kendrick ......In the Kingdom of Widgetz, there are no varistors to replace the ones in this amp. I'd have to think that's the reason it could come back from Kendrick with the vibrato not working and I thought his explanation "...I don't use it ..." a little blithe ...
Assuming no price concessions, for what he's asking you could have this Tweed Gibson GA18. Go listen but be sure to ask how come no vibrato. CJ


CJ,

Posted the ad merely because it's a bit out of the ordinary, I suspected the verbiage ref the vibrato was code for "Busted & Unrepairable". Too danged cold in Alaska this time of year anyway, ice fishing is not my bag.
 

capnjuan

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
4
Location
FL
Jeff said:
Too danged cold in Alaska this time of year anyway, ice fishing is not my bag...
I see your point; 'out of area' hardly begins to describes it. Must be a shortage of upholsterers in AK; that's a long way to ship an amp - if he really shipped it - just for new skin. CJ
 

Default

Super Moderator
Platinum Supporting
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
13,596
Reaction score
3,008
Location
Philly, or thereabouts
Guild Total
11
Also, Kendrick is the land of Fender tweed snobs. When they opened it up, they probably sh*t themselves.
A very common cause of vibrato not working is the propensity of people to put 12ax7's in every socket and maggies are insistent on proper retubing. If it calls for a 12au7, it better have one in the socket, or vibrato isn't going to work.

I've seen better and I've seen cheaper, but that is the model to get as far as easy to get retubing.
 
Top