• From: The Land Of Song
  • Registered: 2007-12-10
  • Posts: 5,704

Topic: first amp?

after the acoustic v electric i got to thinking about the first amp i bought. god, i haven't thought about it for a good 40 years! as i mentioned before, i bought this crappy little zenta electric and my father tried to rig it up to an old radio, didn't work. anyway i was walking past this 2nd hand shop when i saw this selmer 5 watt amp and mic and stand. the guitar cost me £15 the amp cost me another £5, so i was rolling.

at 16 years old i had to have it up full volume, which made it distort rather badly, which is a major contributor to my dislike of distortion of any kind, unless i want it, which is why i have a fuzz pedal.

i later bought a WEM (watkins electrical music) which i think was a 25 watt. then i got a job that payed money so i bought a sound city 100 watt amp and cab. then various others till i came to the peavy i'm playing at present.

that's mine, what's yours?

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Phill Williams's Website

2 Reply by beamer (edited by beamer 2013-02-06 20:06:52)

  • beamer
  • beamer
  • THE METALIZER. Naughty Rocker Boy.
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  • From: WASHINGTON ST
  • Registered: 2006-07-29
  • Posts: 2,811

Re: first amp?

Firt amp I had was strung together by my friend who was teaching me. He had some kind of amp head. not very powerful, but we then took normal electrical wire form somewhere and ran it to a 12 inch speaker, sat that right on the open top rim of my round hamper.  (Now that was GHETTO!)

After that I saved up for a amp I wish I had kept.  it was one of the early CRATE amps. still had the orange crate construction.  it had two volume controls and bass mid treble.  Due to it being very clean,  http://www.jedistar.com/images/crate_amp.jpg  My face plate was green but this was it. LOLOL bought it at a pawn shop.  I also bought my very first two stomps.  both by ROSS (now long gone) a Ross dist. and a Ross chorus. both analog.  Here is a link to a Ross v/s Boss test.  Keep in mind the Ross stuff was priced around 30 to 40 bucks or so.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq90AWunLBU  and this was the dist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqBIqD8zqy4

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)
  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: first amp?

My first two were a 5-watt and soon a 20-watt unit ... some no-name brand;

I decided to put to the two together, and crammed both speakers into the bigger amp's cabinet. Next, I ran the output wires from the 5-watt into the Input Jack of the 20-watt, and plugged in. I never heard such distortion in my life!!! If I played a barre chord, you couldn't tell what key it was, but just got hit by a bunch of fuzz. It burned out in a few weeks, but we had fun trying to do some Hendrix. As I recall, his "Star Spangled Banner" actually sounded half decent from it ... but at 12 years old or so, what wouldn't?

Good thing no one got electrocuted .................

  • Registered: 2012-11-23
  • Posts: 215

Re: first amp?

Bought mine January 2 a used Laneny LG 35 R I can make the dogs hide

Let no talents go unused
  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,865

Re: first amp?

I went to see Lonnie Mack play at a downtown club when I was around 23 and he used a Magnatone the same amp he recorded the instrumental version of Memphis and I found one in a pawn shop I had it for many years till it was stolen along with my two Pevey musician amps and effects when my van was taken in San Francisco never could find another one there rare birds.

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website

  • From: massachusetts
  • Registered: 2010-10-18
  • Posts: 1,674

Re: first amp?

My first amp was a GAX practice amp. Then I bought an acoustic model 115. 50 watts. I miss that one. Then my 3rd was a Gibson Falcon which I still use to this day. I paid 85.00 for it back in 1984. I`m glad I kept it. One like it was featured in Vintage Guitar magazine last year. Turns out they only made 204 of that particular one. (1961). I`m glad I kept it and didn`t paint the cabinet red like I wanted to.

Enjoy Every Sandwich
Nothing In Moderation  -- Live Fast. Love Hard. Die Young And Leave A Beautiful Corpse. -- Buy It Today. Cry About It Tomorrow.
  • From: Alabama Gulf Coast
  • Registered: 2008-06-24
  • Posts: 1,819

Re: first amp?

My first amp was a 100 watt Fender Twin Reverb that was way too loud.It sounded great but not until the main volume was above 4.
After ten years standing in front of it, my hearing is damaged for life.

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

tubatooter1940's Website

  • From: California
  • Registered: 2013-01-13
  • Posts: 8

Re: first amp?

Yamaha 30 watt, solid state.

I love the blues, and 70's rock, and can dig the new stuff. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page being my top three, I also enjoy Richie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher, and Santana (got my picture with him).