Hello friends,
And here’s Gertrude, the new member of the family.
I’m naming her after Ma Rainey.
She’s a late 1970s Guild Model Three amplifier and I put in a brand new Jensen 15 inch speaker.
This amp is incredibly loud and clean!
I know a very well respected vintage amp tech who put in the 50 ohm driver. I have not heard the 220 ohm version yet, I also bought that speaker.
Just a recap on the project, I had him clean up the electronics and install a bypass jack so I can choose to use it simply as a passive speaker for my ZT Jazz Club combo amp.
The ZT 220 W amp does not pair well with this speaker so I won’t be using it as a head. Instead I’m going to play both amps simultaneously in stereo. This way I have a second gain stage with the Guild for presence and bottom end and the ZT cuts through on the top and has a full warm mid range.
The Guild is so loud with the Jensen speaker that I’m only putting the volume around 40% and it’s filling the room with my sound. My new set up with both amps will work great for outdoor jazz festivals as well as clubs like Blue Note, Chris’s, etc.
Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice. I will keep you posted on upcoming itinerary for anyone in the NYC, Philadellhia, Boston areas. We have gigs booked starting in the spring.
