Anyone have any experience w/ Magnatone amps ? (not the new ones)

[Midnight Toker]

I know several of the vintage ones are highly regarded for their clean tones....and especially for their innovative pitch shifting vibrato (unlike volume shifting tremolo most amp makers called vibrato!) . One model I'm interested in in particular is the 260. I've done some research and these beloved 2x12 30 watt amps rarely come up, but when they do, they in good working order can easily fetch upwards of $1600-2200. The reason I am asking is because I recently found out that in the very early 70's, when Magnatone were being greatly overshadowed by all the obvious popular amp companies at the time, in an attempt to stay afloat, they liscenced out their amp designs to a few small electronics companies which built and sold them locally. All of which are basically under the radar, are exact clones of (in some cases even improvements as far as overall cabinet quality), have the true Magnatone vibrato, and might just be a VERY cost friendly sleeper of a world class amp. I just happened upon TWO of such amps in an estate auction (both owned by the same person). I only am interested in maybe obtaining one of these amps (I need another amp like I need a hole in the head!) and they are not listed w/ any Magnatone reference, so they could possibly stay under the radar as some weird unheard of amp brand. Current high bid (of just 2 bids) is $15.

This is the Magnatone 260. 2 channels. (Some 260 variant models w/ 2 chevrons on the grill cloth also had a stereo input which combined both channels)

The clone I am looking at is identical to ^ in every way except it's in black, has a different brand name on it, and is 12 years newer than the above 1959 model.

Any thoughts? Experiences w/ Magnatone? Do they take pedals well? (I hear older models are hard to get to break up when just guitar>amp, but the clean is stunning!)

Also, it just might be the perfect match for my T100d when plugged straight in. That guitar begs for a 12", which I currently don't have.

 

[Default]

Maggie's were made under a number of names for different retailers, but they are the same amps. A lot of undocumented running changes, like another brand I know of...

 

[GGJaguar]

I had a 450. The vibrato was the best feature, for sure. The clean tones were nice, but somewhat neutral and non-descript to my ears. It took pedals well. The other thing of note was the weirdo tube complement. Some aren't so easy to get these days. And I'm not sure if replacement varistors for the vibrato are available. I never really bonded with it and only kept it a year or so.

 

[Walter Broes]

What Default said. The amps you're looking at might very well be Magnatone-built.
I don't know of a single tech who enjoys working on those big ones, and they supposedly have somewhat undersized power transformers which can be problematic, but that Vibrato is to die for.

A good friend of mine has two of those smaller 1x12 dual 6v6 ones. (213?)
While the vibrato is a little less complex (still pitch vib, but single stage - it's double stage on the big amps), the amp more than makes up for that and has everything the bigger ones lack : it goes from fat blues to Link Wray to full-on glorious hard rock. I want one pretty bad actually.

 

[Midnight Toker]

What Default said. The amps you're looking at might very well be Magnatone-built.
I don't know of a single tech who enjoys working on those big ones, and they supposedly have somewhat undersized power transformers which can be problematic, but that Vibrato is to die for.

A good friend of mine has two of those smaller 1x12 dual 6v6 ones. (213?)
While the vibrato is a little less complex (still pitch vib, but single stage - it's double stage on the big amps), the amp more than makes up for that and has everything the bigger ones lack : it goes from fat blues to Link Wray to full-on glorious hard rock. I want one pretty bad actually.

The ones I'm looking at are made by Laub Engineering "Unique model 26" out of Northfield Illinois, liscenced by Magnatone.

Some info w/ more pics I found.

Unique amplifiers by Laub Engineering

According to a sale item at reverb.com "The laub "Unique" is a licensed version of the the revered Magnatone 260/ 460 custom with space age pitch shifting vibrato AND reverb. Magna electronics of California licensed their amplifiers to a number of labels, including Davinci, Panaramic, Estey...

jedistar.com

 

[Default]

I disagree with that website. Estey was the owner of Magnatone In the sixties until it went under. I have an Estey Magnatone T-32 with reverb, vibrato, trem and reverb. In the sixties, they went to particle board, the Laub the guy references looks to be a fifties model...

 

[Midnight Toker]

I disagree with that website. Estey was the owner of Magnatone In the sixties until it went under. I have an Estey Magnatone T-32 with reverb, vibrato, trem and reverb. In the sixties, they went to particle board, the Laub the guy references looks to be a fifties model...

Fifties model, sure, but all the Laub Unique 26's I've found on the web (mostly past listings) were listed as being built in the 70's.

 

[Midnight Toker]

And....the more I look at that whacked out tube compliment, the more I'm scared to pursue this thing. (Unless I can get it for under $40, then I can just tear out the chassis and make a closed 2x12 extension cab out of it! )
Some of those tubes....I've NEVER heard of!

 

[Guildedagain]

I had a Maganatone 280, not sure if you could make an amp more complicated?

Picked it up from some old man that had an old boat gas can on Craigs, asked if he had any guitars stuff and we went in the garage and he had the Maganatone in there with a cover, $75.

I remember having to tinker with it, still have pics in fact, real pics in a photo album.

Tonewise it wasn't for me. I need amps that can do overdrive really well, so I hardly even payed it and I peddled it, while it still ran, and that's a big thing with a lot of these older amps, they could fry something at any time and experience with the limited availability of amp tech here, and the cost of repair, sometimes it's best to let go sooner rather than later.

Nowadays, any old tube amp is like gold, I'd have have it just as furniture, like most my tube amps, but they always fire up.

My Marshall 18W 2x12 combo is in an unheated outside music shack 24/7/365. Always runs, during the summer. Probably the worst thing I could to to it is bring it in the house right now, the condensation would be pretty fierce.

 

[Walter Broes]

I'd be very surpised if that amp in the pic wasn't built by Magnatone. Licensing a circuit is one thing, but why go through the trouble of copying the chassis and cabinet exactly? Not buying that.

 

[Midnight Toker]

I'd be very surpised if that amp in the pic wasn't built by Magnatone. Licensing a circuit is one thing, but why go through the trouble of copying the chassis and cabinet exactly? Not buying that.

From what I've read while researching this amp, Magnatone shut down in 68-69 and sold off all their parts and products to the public. Being that these Laub Engineering amps were definitely made in the 70's, maybe they purchased chassis frames and other various parts, but had no option but to liscence the design....being in that deep already. ??? Who knows. They definitely weren't wired/assembled/enclosed by Magnatone.

 

[Default]

And Nobles were made by Ampeg, Magnatone and Sano. It's a brand name where the owner contracted the amps out.

 

[Default]

And....the more I look at that whacked out tube compliment, the more I'm scared to pursue this thing. (Unless I can get it for under $40, then I can just tear out the chassis and make a closed 2x12 extension cab out of it! )
Some of those tubes....I've NEVER heard of!

What are they?

 

[Default]

Chances are that they are common tubes types. I see nothing usual. Maybe they have military version tubes. Those go by a four digit number.

 

[GGJaguar]

I think the only "odd" tube in the Model 260 is a 6CG7. I think JJ and Sovtek make them, but I don't know about their reliability, microphonics, etc.

 

[Midnight Toker]

schematic w/ tubes shown on the bottom left. (granted, I'm used to all your standard run of the mill fender/marshall tubes, so most of these sound foreign to me) And thanks all for your knowledge and input!

http://vibroworld.net/gifbank/sc26R.gif

edit: Oops, Sorry...that ^ schematic was for the Model 26r (reverb that has two extra tubes (send/return) ...the regular model 26 doesn't sound as bad afterall. Tubes are 3 x 12AX7 for preamp/phase inverter, 2 x 6CG7 for Vibrato, 2 x 6L6 for power. Like Jag said, the 2x 6CG7 is really the only non common tube.


also, here's a past Reverb listing for one w/ more info.

Laub Engineering Unique Model 26 Guitar Amplifier | Reverb

Price reduced to fund yet another vintage gear purchase!Very clean and rare 1973 Laub Engineering Unique Model 26 guitar amplifier. Essentially a Magnatone 260 with different cosmetics, the amp has two channels and puts out about 30 watts from a pair of 6L6 power tubes into two 12" ceramic ...

reverb.com

 

[Default]

It's not being used for audio. Chances are, if the vibrato doesn't work, it's a cap and not the tube.

 

[KuuKOO]

I had a 460 about ten years ago. I played it at ONE show-- SO heavy and zapped myself pretty good before I put a three prong in. The original cabinet was some kind of plywood or particle board thing too-- those copies look much sturdier.

I didn't really know what I was doing with it at the time but both the vibrato and the reverb were amazing. The power section was underwhelming from what I recall but I played with a pretty loud band.

I traded it for something-- bad bad bad idea. The guy who got it was a studio guy who looked like he had won the lottery.

 

[Rocky]

6CG7 is used in Ampeg Gemini amps, IIRC as the reverb driver. NOS ones are fairly cheap.

 

[Midnight Toker]

btw, the auction wound up getting in the $500 range, and without knowing if it's even in fully functioning shape...plus the sheer cost of shipping a hefty 2x12 amp. (another $200+ easy!) It was already going way over the total price I'd be willing to pay for it. Oh well.