Guitars and Amps

[ray_]

Stay... "tuned"?

 

😁😁😁

[zinz]

"The Ultimate Playing Machine"

 

They give no props to the M Sport stripes, nor do they give us the signal chain, but it sounds good

 

 

[zinz]

Princeton update…plus another one

 

Got the Princeton back and it looks phenomenal; unfortunately, the speaker needs to be re-coned. It sound lush at lower volumes, though. Ray’s gonna loan me an 10” Alnico while I send this one off to Weber. 
 

 

I couldn’t resist and put a low bid on a ‘68 Fender Bassman. The description said it wouldn’t power on, prolly why I got it on the cheap. Found that the 2 amp fuse had blown... I'm certain Ray can sort that out.

 

Though it’s a silverface, it’s early enough that it has the AB-165 circuit from the Blackface era. Awesome. Ray is gonna mod the bass side with a Dumble-style tone stack, and massage the normal channel, too. It’s rated at 50 watts. I bought a Burgera attenuator so I can play this and the Pro Reverb without disturbing the neighbors. Pretty excited to get this one back. 

 

 

Ed Z

Edited November 30, 2023 by zinz

[ray_]

Looking forward to watching you perform your cover of "Dirty Water!"

 

[saaron]

OMG that Princeton!  That is amazing.  It looks great.  I bet it sounds amazing.  I put an Eminence speaker in my PR…more on that later.  Here’s my amp odyssey.

 

Started with a silver face VibroChamp.  It is 100% stock.  It sounds great.  It might be my all time fave.  It records really well.  I played it on our albums.  

 

Then I bought a silver face Princeton Reverb - purchased from a pawn shop in Florida in the early days of the internet.  It is rough cosmetically - it was a house amp in a bar.  Took it to David Allen (of Allen amps).  He did some work on it, and replaced the speaker with the Eminence (Eminence is just down in Kentucky).  It sounds awesome.  I let one of my friends borrow it early on, and it was gone for almost a year!  A few artists have borrowed it over time, and they are like “that little thing is incredible”.  I do love it.  It’s great.

 

Then, I got a call from a former co worker - she and her husband were cleaning out her husband’s mother’s house, and they found his old “silver Fender things - boxes - do you want them?”  It turns out the silver boxes were a ‘69 Fender Twin Reverb w/factory gold foil JBLs, and a Vibratone, which is a re-branded Leslie of sorts.  Again, David Allen went through the TR and said it was mostly a blackface circuit, and it had the better built cabinet.  It sounds great, but it is way too much amp for what I do.  I got a Jet City attenuator so it can breathe a little.  

 

I will keep the two smaller ones and sell off the Vibratone and TR.  There’s a small Dr Z I’d like to get, and a small Vox I’d like to get.  Playing the long game on those, and enjoying what I have.  

 

Hopefully I didn’t post this stuff in this thread already, lol.  I probably did…

Allen Amplification - Quality Tube Guitar Amps, Kit, Parts, and Repairs

WWW.ALLENAMPS.COM

 

[zinz]

On 1/15/2024 at 7:54 AM, saaron said:

do you want them?”

Luckiest day ever!!!  Wow…

 

The Vibratone is so flipping cool. 😎 

 

I love of those!

 

I just went to the Allen Amplification website you posted.  His 10w Chihuahua amp looks a lot like the Tuxedo Princeton! 

 

Ed Z

Edited January 17 by zinz

[Vicleonardo1]

I have to go cheaper because, well I suck....

Epiphone Black Les Paul Traditional Pro

Bugera hybrid tube amp. 

Behringer Vintage tube monster pedal. (perhaps the most legal fun I have had for $50). 

When I got the amp, wife simply stated. "Now that we can hear you play, we all realize you are not really that good. Please turn it down"......

Edited April 24 by Vicleonardo1

[zinz]

Found this filthy Champ at an estate sale. 

 

Brought it home. Took it apart and cleaned everything. Contact cleaner in the pots and took a look around. It’s got some transient noises, so it’ll need a tech check the components. 

 

 

Sounds pretty unbelievable for a little 5 watt amp. Then I remembered that folks like Clapton and Joe Walsh recorded with these. It’s freaking cool. 
 

So, now I’ve got something to keep the Princeton company 😁

 

Ed Z

[ray_]

1 hour ago, zinz said:

Found this filthy Champ at an estate sale. 

 

Brought it home. Took it apart and cleaned everything. Contact cleaner in the pots and took a look around. It’s got some transient noises, so it’ll need a tech check the components. 

 

 

Sounds pretty unbelievable for a little 5 watt amp. Then I remembered that folks like Clapton and Joe Walsh recorded with these. It’s freaking cool. 
 

So, now I’ve got something to keep the Princeton company 😁

 

Ed Z

We take you now, to a garage in Canoga Park
(It makes it's own sauce if you add water)

It wasn't very large
There was just enough room to cram the drums
In the corner over by the Dodge
It was a '54 with a mashed up door
And a cheesy little amp
With a sign on the front said "Fender Champ"
And a second hand guitar
It was a Stratocaster with a whammy bar

We could jam in Joe's Garage
His mama was screamin', his dad was mad
We was playin' the same old song
In the afternoon, and sometimes we would play it all night long
It was all we knew, and easy too
So we wouldn't get it wrong
All we did was bend the string like

Hey!
Down in Joe's Garage
We didn't have no dope or LSD
But a coupla quartsa beer
Would fix it so the intonation
Would not offend yer ear
And the same old chords goin' over an' over
Became a symphony
We could play it again and again and again
'Cause it sounded good to me
(One more time)

We could jam in Joe's Garage
His mama was screamin' "Turn it down!"
We was playing' the same old song
In the afternoon, and sometimes we would play it all night long
It was all we knew, and easy too
So we wouldn't get it wrong
Even if you played it on a saxophone

We thought we was pretty good
We talked about keepin' the band together
And we figured that we should
'Cause about this time we was gettin' the eye
From the girls in the neighborhood
They'd all come over and dance around, like

So we picked out a stupid name
Had some cards printed up for a coupla bucks
'N' we was on our way to fame
Got matching suits and beatle boots
And a sign on the back of the car
And we was ready to work in a Go-Go Bar
One, two, three, four
Let's see if you've got some more

People seemed to like our song
They got up and danced and made a lotta noise
An' it wasn't 'fore very long
A guy from a company we can't name
Said we oughta take his pen
And sign on the line for a real good time
But he didn't tell us when
These "good times" would be somethin' that was really happenin'
So the band broke up
And it looks like
We will never play again

Guess you only get one chance in life
To play a song that goes like

Turn it down!
Turn it down!
I have children sleeping here
Don't you boys know any nice songs?

Well, the years was rollin' by, yeah
Heavy metal and glitter rock had caught the public eye, yeah
Snotty boys with lipstick on was really flyin' high, yeah
And then they got that disco thing, and new wave came along
And all of a sudden I thought the time had come for that old song
We used to play in Joe's Garage
And if I am not wrong, you will soon be dancin' to

The white zone is for loading and unloading only
If you gotta load or unload go to the white zone

I said, the years was rollin' by, yeah
The years was rollin' by (I'm calling the police)
So the years was rollin' by (I did it)
The years was rollin' by (they'll be here shortly)

By, by, the years was rollin' by (this is the police) I'm not joking around anymore
We have the garage surrounded
The years was rollin' by (give yourself up we will not harm you or hurt you neither)
This is the police, give yourself up

The years was rollin' by (we will not harm you, this is the police)
Listen to that mess, would you!
Give yourself up, we have the garage surrounded
We will not harm you or maim you
(SWAT Team 4, move in!)
He used to cut my grass, he was a very nice boy

This is the Central Scrutinizer
That was Joe's first confrontation with the law
Naturally, we were easy on him
One of our friendly counselors gave him a do-nut
And told him to stick closer to church-oriented social activities

[visionaut]

On 7/13/2024 at 6:12 PM, ray_ said:

We could jam in Joe's Garage

 

Zappa rules!