Versatone Bass Amp sells on eBay for $5500...

[Yggdrasil]

Wow - I thought they were dreaming when they first posted it:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150725069918?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[mgod]

Probably fake. The images are.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Well, I defer to your judgment on that, Dan.

This sparked a vague memory - Anyone remember someone on the old Dudepit forum who was planning to do a reissue clone of the Versatone? - Sort of a Dark Star project?

 

[MARICOPAA]

Interestingly that VERSATONE BASS AMP on Ebay was real...beautiful condition and it sold...pictures are real. One of the forte's of the seller is he takes great picture essays of the gear he sells for all his auctions.

With reference to the question: "This sparked a vague memory - Anyone remember someone on the old Dudepit forum who was planning to do a reissue clone of the Versatone? - Sort of a Dark Star project?":

The answer is 'YES'. I ( and my two partners) ended up making six handwired duplicates of Carol Kaye's single 12" VERSATONE BASS AMP...a kind of high end boutique recording bass amp if you will. Three have sold.

I bought a VERSATONE BASS AMP (single 12" version) from Ms. Kaye in 1978 while recording in Hollywood. She was moving to Denver to open a jazz label and was selling much of her equipment...The Recycler if you can believe that...'tis true ;-)) I purchased it from her and it has been one of my favorite amps ever since. She kindly introduced me to Bob hall. i never spoke with Don Bonham but Mr. Hall was the pitch man...the marketing guy. he could talk ;-)) I used that amp on many projects...and when it came to making these amps...her's was the obvious choice for a role model. I have probably 30 old Audio Guild Amps (guitar & bass) in all kinds of configurations I've collected over the years. I prefer the single 12" version for bass simply because it's a single point source for a mic to deal with...although there are different advantages to the 12" + 8" version as well. Depends on your wants/needs/preferences.

What's the "best" bass amp for recording or gigging? I think it's all subjective. What ever makes you smile...or grit your teeth or grumble as you rip out a cool bass line...that's the one for you. The Versatone Bass Amp, as a tool to help express what you want to say or record with your bass, is in my mind one of the best there is or was...I love'm and so forged forward to make a few. It really records amazingly well with a wonderful balance between power, punch, clearity and growl if you want it...push these amps a little and it's nice gritty overtones from just a slight dusting of grit to all out cool rich sustain ala Mr. Casady if you push'em hard.

Building these six amps was incredibly expensive and time consuming to do right and so only six were built. You haven't lived until you've fired up two or three daisy chained together ;-)))

Anyway... an inquiring mind wanted to know...there you have it.

 

[Happy Face]

Well, if anyone wants one, keep a really close eye on Ebay. A high-priced sale like that usually teases out some inventory. (Note the current supply of M-85s)

 

[Happy Face]

Building these six amps was incredibly expensive and time consuming to do right and so only six were built. You haven't lived until you've fired up two or three daisy chained together ;-)))

Anyway... an inquiring mind wanted to know...there you have it.

OK, I'll bite. What price are you offering them at?

 

[bklynbass]

Were there Audio Guild branded amps that were essentially the same as the Versatones?

I saw this one called an "Ultraflex" that went for only $500 on ebay a while ago.....two speakers, two channels, very similar to the ones I've seen that Carol Kaye supposedly played through.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... true&rt=nc

 

[mgod]

That's a guitar model. I've got one out in the garage. Doesn't sound similar, but has a great tremelo/vibrato circuit.

I have one of Carol's old dual speaker Versatones. The smaller driver is in its own box, within the main cabinet, not above and open-backed like this one.

FWIW, I've got 3 Versatones for which I paid $250, $500 and $750 respectively. So they are creeping up, like gas and food. The most recent one I bought maybe 3 years ago. Beware of auctions like the one above. People use ebay in all sorts of "interesting" ways, as many reputable dealers are aware.

 

[mellowgerman]

That is a crazy price. But in all honesty, if I could afford it... I would have snagged it too.
The way I'm seeing it at this moment (good mood, after a few rum and cokes), my parents are average working lower-middle-class people, yet my dad still owns 2 Harleys. He has a good amount of money invested in them, far more than what this amp cost. I'd probably get a similar amount of joy out of having my bass plugged into that amp on a regular basis as he gets out of riding those bikes... so why not?
At the same time though, it's a crazy price.
Gorgeous specimen though :mrgreen:

 

[bklynbass]

I have one of Carol's old dual speaker Versatones. The smaller driver is in its own box, within the main cabinet, not above and open-backed like this one.

A few years ago I emailed carol to ask about which amp she used on this fantastic cut:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0Y0O6-TzJw

and this was her response:

"Versatone amp on the Ray Brown stuff, that's the only amp I used in the late 1960s into the 1970s....had 4 of them that the cartage co. would cart around every day since I was doing 3-4-5 dates a day back then."

She also offered a lot of thoughts on music, pedagogy and some of her past students...very generous and gracious person.

 

[Default]

I've always lusted after an Audio Guild, particularly the two 7591output tube model. I have a seven watt Estey amp with reverb, and switchable between vibrato and tremelo. Always thought that it would be really sweet if it was a bit louder.

 

[MARICOPAA]

That is an auction for an Audio Guild guitar amp. Circuit is different than the bass amps and, as such, sound pretty much entirely different. I call the ones with the 8" speaker up top in an 'open back' configuration a 'TALL BOY'. Two pairs of 7591's. Audio Guild also made what I call a 'SMALL BOY'...single 12" guitar amp with only a pair of 7591's. Then there are the guitar amps with a 12" & 8" both enclosed. The smaller speaker actually being in a chamber within the hemholtz resonator portion of the cab...chamber within a chamber. mgod is right...the trem and vibrato are pretty cool but as for being bass amps...doesn't work.

 

[Default]

I play 99% guitar, so I've been curious about them, due to the Magnatone association.

 

[MARICOPAA]

The "Magnatone connection" is the pitch shifting Vibrato designed for both companies by Don Bonham...uses a component called a 'varistor'. Nice guitar amps!

 

[Default]

I've been subscribed to the yahoo valco/maggie list for abot 7 years now. Alway wanted to own one of the 6v6 amps but it's never been the right time.