No Responses to “Vacuum Tubes for Amps Tube Mfgr Codes”

1. André in Canada says:

   October 20, 2006 at 10:06 pm

   Nice sound Keith. What kind of delay pedal are you using? Also what is the speaker in the premier? An old Jensen Alnico or a ceramic?

   Reply
2. Keith says:

   October 20, 2006 at 10:40 pm

   Carlos is using a Boss DM-2, I think.

   The speaker was not original, it was a Jensen special design, but not the big one – it was alnico not the ceramic.

   Reply
3. Anonymous says:

   November 2, 2006 at 5:29 pm

   I suspect that this amp is a fake. The tweed on the back panel looks too new for the tweed on the outer to be old. What was it stained with, tree sap and HD30 motor oil? It looks to me as if it was over relic’d. Especially the top. I can see a few drag marks and dings…maybe even a few drops, but this is way too over done!

   If you’re going to relic a cab, remember one thing…less is more!

   Reply
4. Ken Oettinger says:

   November 10, 2006 at 10:57 pm

   Keith,
   I’d love to play through that amp when you’re done. Should I pray for rain?
   Hope all is well with you.

   Ken Oettinger

   Reply
5. Anonymous says:

   November 13, 2006 at 2:38 pm

   Very nice. I’ll be monitoring your progress. What’s the plan for speakers or are you going to make this into a head?

   Reply
6. Keith says:

   November 13, 2006 at 3:19 pm

   I am not as picky about speakers as some people. I will use cheap speakers. If the amp sounds good enough, I will look around for some high end speakers.

   As far as configuration, the output transformer has taps for 4,8, and 16 ohms. I can do just about anything. The Super used one 12 and the pro used two 12s, but 2-12s are heavy. I might set it up with 4-8s so that it is light. The 4-8s would move the same air as about 1-1/2 12s.

   I am putting it into an ugly utility chassis and will build a combo around the chassis out of plywood.

   I expect to get some time over Thanksgiving to make the chassis and test the circuit.

   Reply
7. Robert says:

   November 19, 2006 at 3:26 pm

   Great stuff! What a great amp and at $250 you got a steal. I paid $500 CDN for mine.

   Reply
8. Anonymous says:

   December 12, 2006 at 11:43 pm

   Keith, I used to own THIS amp… sold it to this same guy that just re-sold it on ebay… silly me… he got a LOT more for it than i did! but man… it STANK of cigarettes and beer! like keith richards armpits i guess…

   Reply
9. Anonymous says:

   December 13, 2006 at 2:59 pm

   Did you get a chance to finish the amp and test it out? If so, how’d it sound? Would you mind sharing how you made up the tag board and cicuit diagram? Thanks!

   Reply
10. Keith says:

    December 13, 2006 at 3:12 pm

    It’s still sitting on my workbench. I am hung up on what to use as a chassis.

    I bought some steel studs used in commercial construction that looked the right size, but they are too flimsy. I am ordering a sheet metal bending brake ($39.95 at harbor freight), but I can’t buy it until after Christmas bills are paid off. I will make a chassis out of sheet metal scraps with the brake.

    I have the tube sockets, tubes, and transformers that I’ve robbed from various flea market amps. I also have a set of Bassman reissue transformers that I picked up cheap off of eBay that I might use. I have the on-off switch and a fuse socket.

    I have several empty amp cabinets that I’ve picked up, including a 12 inch Fender solid state without the chassis and a premier 120 cab with no chassis.

    All that is holding me up is the lack of free time and a chassis.

    When I am done, I will publish an improved layout. I have a fender style layout for the Premier twin-8 which I might do also as a beginner kit.

    My goal is to have the complete instructions, graphics and parts lists as a web page each time I finish an amp.

    Reply
11. Anonymous says:

    December 21, 2006 at 5:57 am

    Hi Keith!
    I’m an amateur harp player and I’ve built (DIY) a few tube amps for myself.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/38383652@N00/
    Next on my to do list is 6L6 push-pull amp, precisely speaking 5D4 or 5D5. I have Ted Weber’s 4k/4 Ohm OT but I don’t know which impedance to shot for 5D4 or 5D5 (8k with 8 Ohm speaker – which I have or 4k with 4 Ohm speaker – which I’ll have to buy).
    Voltages on 5D5 (5D4) layout suggests Class AB1 with 8K load but I’m not sure. The problem is my salvaged PT (350V-0-350V; 125 mA). PT could only fit Class AB1 (380V on plates, 270V on screens, 250 Ohm cathode resistor, max plates and screens current < 120mA and 9k load).
    Is 8k impedance I should go for in 5D5?

    One suggestion: You might try to replace 56k resistor with pot as Gerald Weber suggests in his article Harp Amp Secrets.

    Thanks

    Branislav

    Reply
12. Anonymous says:

    December 21, 2006 at 6:02 am

    Hi Keith!
    I’m an amateur harp player and I’ve built (DIY) a few tube amps for myself.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/38383652@N00/
    Next on my to do list is 6L6 push-pull amp, precisely speaking 5D4 or 5D5. I have Ted Weber’s 4k/4 Ohm OT but I don’t know which impedance to shot for 5D4 or 5D5 (8k with 8 Ohm speaker – which I have or 4k with 4 Ohm speaker – which I’ll have to buy).
    Voltages on 5D5 (5D4) layout suggests Class AB1 with 8K load but I’m not sure. The problem is my salvaged PT (350V-0-350V; 125 mA). PT could only fit Class AB1 (380V on plates, 270V on screens, 250 Ohm cath. res. and max plates and screens current < 120mA and 9k load).
    Is 8k impedance I should go for in 5D5?

    One suggestion: You might try to replace 56k with pot as Gerald Weber suggests in his article Harp Amp Seckrets.

    Thanks Branislav

    Reply
13. Keith says:

    December 21, 2006 at 9:29 am

    The 5D4 used one 8 ohm speaker and the 5D5 used two 10 inch 8 ohm speakers in parallel (4 ohms). I don’t remember where I read this, though. They are the same amp except for the transformer.

    This is what I did on the last 5D4 that I made. I used a bassman reissue power transformer and the blues-deluxe output transformer with the 5d4 circuit. I replace the 56k resistor with a 10k resistor in series with a 100k pot. I labeled it “mojo”, but I found that fiddling with the mojo control made no big difference in tone or feedback. I replaced the 12ax7 on one channel with a 12au7. The amp, probably because the power transformer was higher voltage than spec, was very loud. It had a buttery smooth tone without much distortion. Everyone complained that my harp playing was too loud – heaven!
    The only negative was that heater wiring was a mess and I didn’t know that you should twist them. All the wires were too long because I used an old chassis with the tubes in the wrong places. It hummed, but not too badly.

    I bought the Blues-Deluxe fender transformer from Angela.com because it has taps for 4 and 8 ohms at a lower primary impedance (like a tweed amp) and it only costs 38 dollars. They rape you on shipping, though.

    Reply
14. Anonymous says:

    January 20, 2007 at 7:08 pm

    I wonder how it sounds in front of a 59 Bassman repro. (or a reissue)

    Reply
15. Anonymous says:

    February 3, 2007 at 8:34 pm

    How does it sound in front of a 59 Bassman? Like stereo — in reverse.

    Reply
16. Anonymous says:

    March 13, 2007 at 1:22 am

    I’m too lazy to download the video but looking forward for those pictures.

    Great site you have here!

    Reply
17. Brian P says:

    March 15, 2007 at 3:20 pm

    Great site man. I am looking forward the the pics. Charlie Musselwhite just started playing my amp ( HarpGear) lately and it is good to see him in a video with it. Thanks for all the work you do here.

    BrianP

    Reply
18. Anonymous says:

    May 14, 2007 at 1:15 pm

    Yep – vintage stuff by it’s nature is always going to go up in price. Thank you though for spreading the news about Premier’s – I got a beatup Model 120 two years ago and it’s my favorite guitar amp. Wonderful low volmue juicy tone – all for $300!!

    Reply
19. Joe says:

    June 18, 2007 at 7:15 pm

    No offense. This thing belongs in the trash, but you’re right, it will probaby sell for hundreds.

    Reply
20. Keith says:

    June 18, 2007 at 8:39 pm

    Yeah, there’s not much left of it. I think that it could be the start of a good project, though.

    Reply
21. Greg says:

    July 8, 2007 at 10:58 pm

    I have had several speakers reconed by them. mostly jensens. They do an incredably nice job of reconing. Since I live relativly close I usually drop off and pick up at their business. Real nice people to deal with and real knowledgable.

    Reply
22. Anonymous says:

    August 25, 2007 at 12:12 am

    I don’t know where else to ask this question so I apologize if this is the wrong place.

    I have a mid 70′s SF Fender Pro Reverb that I’d like to try the DR. Z Amp Mod on to see how it sounds but I’m not sure what to do do about the following:

    (I don’t know where this resistor is because I’m pretty new to tube amps and I don’t know what 25/25 means.)
    3) replace the 1.5K cathode res. with a 2.7K, and leave the 25/25 bipass
    cap in place.

    (I don’t know what this means.)
    4) decouple the stage with a .047 uF.
    5) decrease slope res. from 100K to 56K

    (What is a dropping resistor and where does it go?)
    8) here comes the BIG one install 6V6′s to replace the 6L6′s, and install
    a dropping res. of high wattage to lower the screen voltage, say 500 ohm
    10 watt.

    You can contact me at mark@bowling123.com. This stuff is very interesting to me but I’m a novice with a lot of time on my hands right now. Thanks

    Reply
23. Mark says:

    August 25, 2007 at 12:12 am

    I don’t know where else to ask this question so I apologize if this is the wrong place.

    I have a mid 70′s SF Fender Pro Reverb that I’d like to try the DR. Z Amp Mod on to see how it sounds but I’m not sure what to do do about the following:

    (I don’t know where this resistor is because I’m pretty new to tube amps and I don’t know what 25/25 means.)
    3) replace the 1.5K cathode res. with a 2.7K, and leave the 25/25 bipass
    cap in place.

    (I don’t know what this means.)
    4) decouple the stage with a .047 uF.
    5) decrease slope res. from 100K to 56K

    (What is a dropping resistor and where does it go?)
    8) here comes the BIG one install 6V6′s to replace the 6L6′s, and install
    a dropping res. of high wattage to lower the screen voltage, say 500 ohm
    10 watt.

    You can contact me at mark@bowling123.com. This stuff is very interesting to me but I’m a novice with a lot of time on my hands right now. Thanks

    Reply
24. Rob...aka "Buffalo Bob" says:

    September 6, 2007 at 5:38 am

    I have improved my harp amp design by adopting the 6au6/12au6 pentode preamp tube. This little tube is found in some of the Kay, Alamo and Harmony practice amps. After experimenting and adjusting the circuit design to blend into my existing circuit, I found this little tiny pentode to have a HUGE tone that’s just fat, fat, fat with more dB too! So basically, you get two different amps in one.

    The preamp tube line up is now 6au6/12au6, 12ay7, 6sL7 (or 6sn7 for lower amp gain) and your choice of 6v6′s or 6L6′s.

    This amp sounds great and with my “Inca face” semi closed back, feedback is reduced too. This is great harp friendly amp for you harp heads out there looking for more tone than what’s out there.

    Visit http://www.buffaloamps.com to learn more and send me an email for more details. I make your custom harp amp the way you want it!

    Reply
25. Anonymous says:

    October 27, 2007 at 10:27 am

    Did you have the chance to try this out yet? I’m thinking of using one with my other effects and running it straight into my small J Turser amp or directly through the PA. Let me know. mikel-lee at comcast dot net.

    Thanks!

    Reply
26. Keith says:

    October 27, 2007 at 10:41 am

    I tried it at a music store. It’s like a tube screamer. It just makes you a little louder with some hiss and makes you feed back. Good for guitar but useless for harp. It might be good for the PA, but the guitar amp I tried it though already had too much gain for harp.

    Keith

    Reply
27. Anonymous says:

    October 30, 2007 at 3:10 pm

    No hiss on H4? Like all digital recorders, unless you use 24bit resolution – if you don’t get the levels spot-on correct at source – you’ll get surprising amounts of hiss on normalising. At 24-bit it’s a winner, though! H2 as well I have no doubt.

    Reply
28. Buffaloamps says:

    October 31, 2007 at 8:24 pm

    Although I didn’t originally offer the EF86 preamp tube nor is it on my website just yet, I can however customize the preamp circuit if needed for this particular pentode tube. Another great pentode preamp tube is the 5879. Unfortunately the 5879 is only available as a NOS tube. I hope that one day JJ, EH or Tung Sol will bring this tube back into production.
    The 5879 is what voices the more familiar Gibson GA40 and GA90 amplifiers. Both of these amps are monster harp amps! Contact me at my home page of Buffaloamps.com and I’ll be happy to discuss with you on building a customized amp I have to offer.

    Reply
29. Buffaloamps says:

    October 31, 2007 at 8:29 pm

    Although I didn’t originally offer the EF86 preamp tube nor is it on my website just yet, I can however customize the preamp circuit if needed for this particular pentode tube. Another great pentode preamp tube is the 5879. Unfortunately the 5879 is only available as a NOS tube. I hope that one day JJ, EH or Tung Sol will bring this tube back into production.
    The 5879 is what voices the more familiar Gibson GA40 and GA90 amplifiers. Both of these amps are monster harp amps! Contact me at my home page of Buffaloamps.com and I’ll be happy to discuss with you on building a customized amp I have to offer.

    Reply
30. Buffaloamps says:

    November 1, 2007 at 7:26 am

    Oh….I forgot to mention. I’m now offering optional reverb on the ‘Labtone amps. Prices vary.

    Reply
31. dennis says:

    November 23, 2007 at 12:23 pm

    Thanks for the helpful post. I’m still researching an environment that will support this event. d My home email for any concrete suggestions is dmoriarty@nyc.rr.com Happy holidays!

    Reply
32. Anonymous says:

    February 22, 2008 at 1:22 am

    Does anyone know what has happened to Rob from Buffalo ? I ordered an amp in May 2007, paid a 30% deposit and all that’s happened since is some intermittent email traffic back and forth where he apologizes and says it will be “just a little longer”. Now even that has stopped, he’s not responding to me. His blog hasn’t been updated for a while either.

    I’m live in Australia so it’s really frustrating, can anyone shed any light ?

    Reply
33. Anonymous says:

    May 12, 2008 at 1:18 am

    slim harpo had tremolo, or isn’t that bluesy enough for you?

    Reply
34. Joe says:

    May 29, 2008 at 9:58 am

    I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about his products. The only downside is shipping costs to the US is expensive.

    Reply
35. Keith says:

    May 29, 2008 at 10:43 am

    The Shipping cost everywhere – even in the US – is expensive. I’ve been buying things on the internet to save gas and I’ve noticed lately that $10 is the starting cost for things, even as light as an ounce or two.

    Reply
36. Anonymous says:

    May 30, 2008 at 10:51 am

    It’s not as bad as you might think — and Ceriatone makes quality products and uses high-quality parts. I have a 5E3 chassis that they built for me. It sounds great!

    Check the prices for completely built chassis. It’s often only $100 or so over the cost of the kit — and you’ll get some of the neatest wiring you’ll ever see, and a chassis that is tested and working. Unless you have a deep and abiding love of chasing hum (or worse), this is a mighty fine option.

    You can also get the chassis assembled sans transformers, which will save you a chunk of shipping costs (because that’s where the weight is).

    The only knock I have on my Ceriatone is that the power cord is too short, but I just use an extension cord when necessary.

    Reply
37. Anonymous says:

    June 26, 2008 at 9:42 pm

    If you’re going to do a blog on harp amps, learn something about amps.

    “It uses relatively low voltage power tubes, which means it might be good for harp. Lower power means sweeter tone and less feed back.”

    It’s a low-wattage amp, which is not the same thing as a low-voltage amp. Learn the difference. And the first thing the author states is that this is a high-gain amp (i.e., a lot of pre-amp gain), which is bad for harp and generally triggers feedback.

    “It may be just as easy to build a deluxe or bassman clone (I suggest looking at a tweed Fender Super Amp).”

    Do you have any idea at all how amps are built? A four-input amp with a midrange and presence control (i.e., a Bassman) is going to be harder to build simply because you’ve got to string wiring to all of those jacks and pots. The tweed Super is very similar. The tweed Deluxe is simpler — it uses a single tone control and two volumes. Don’t even get started on blackfaces with reverb and tremolo circuits.

    You really need to bone up on some amp primers if you’re going to dish advice.

    Reply
38. Anonymous says:

    June 26, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    Pay attention to what I wrote. The amp in the project uses 6DG6 tubes and the power transformer puts out only 200 volts. That’s low voltage for a guitar amp. The preamp stage is high enough gain for a guitar amp, but a harp player would put in lower mu tubes.

    I’ve built many bassmans and the stringing all the wires is not a big deal. It just takes a little longer. I’ve wired a bassman in about an hour.

    Why would you post like this if you haven’t read the article and obviously don’t know about amps?

    Reply
39. ResoJoe says:

    October 21, 2008 at 3:20 pm

    Hi Keith,
    I have a lens (that’s what a webpage is called on Sqidoo) with free blues harp lessons and some blues harp videos on Squidoo.
    The page is called”Blues Harp Fun”
    http://www.squidoo.com/bluesharp
    Jam On!
    Joe

    Reply
40. Tom m says:

    January 3, 2009 at 3:55 pm

    your post Re the Stromberg-Carlson AU-57 has inspired me to dust off an old amp a trash picked ( I think its tyhe same one ) and try to restore it any tips for a beginner?

    Reply
41. Kevin says:

    February 13, 2009 at 11:46 pm

    I play harp through a 1948 Masco ME27. I have a Palomino (Crate) extension cabinet and replaced the two 80W Celestions with the 12″ speakers (Jensens?) that came with the Masco PA in 1948. I’m playing 50′s-60′s Chicago blues, so it’s the right vintage, and people love the tone. Just the needed power to cut through guitars at a jam session. I “adopted” the PA and speakers from a lodge hall where it was forgotten in a storage closet, replaced by a shiny, new Radio Shack PA. Glad I took the time to clean out the closet for them – they were glad to also have me “haul away” an Elvis style mic, a 30 watt, 1950′s Challenger amp and an Astatic JT30 mic. A week in the shop, and Skip Simmons of Skip Simmons Tube Amp Service handed me a brand new, 60-year old amp!

    Reply
42. jbs5280 says:

    April 11, 2009 at 5:39 pm

    Good to hear Kevin. They are great amps. I use them for acoustic and electric guitar mostly and have now 3 Mascos. I just emailed Keith on the site with pix of this brand new, out of the box ME-18P. I’m trading for it with the owner of the oldest electronics shop in Denver and although I thought the turntable on top was funky, it’s actually pretty cool primarily since this thing was delivered to their store from Masco on Nov. 1, 1957 and had never been out of the box. I just soldered in a 1/4″ connector for the speaker out so I could test it and it was beautiful with my Seagull acoustic. It’s 18watts and there was more volume available than I could do in my music room. I’m anxious to try it out with one of my 4×12 Marshall cabs and my PRS. Thanks for the post. If you want to see an orig, new M-18P, jump back to harpamps in a day or so and it should be there. take it easy and jam on bro! jerry

    Reply
43. jbs5280 says:

    April 11, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    Tom, go for it man. I have almost set up my Marshalls and Fenders as collectibles only and been playing these things for the past couple of years. I just got a Masco ME-18P that I sent Keith pictures of a little while ago and will post it on the site in the next day or so.

    As far as tips, I would get it to someone who is a good tube amp tech. They should bring it up on a variac so you don’t blow trannys etc. It’s likely caps are bad in some areas but that depends a bit on usage although just sitting without being turned on from time to time is actually more harmful to these amps because of the type of caps used. I’m pretty sure I have a schematic for the AU-57 if you need it. I may have actually sent that to Keith too for posting on harpamps. Let me know man but get that Stromberg hummin’.

    Reply
44. jbs5280 says:

    April 11, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    P.S. to last Kevin, I think mine has been retrofitted with that toggle switch for off/on. Possibly that part of the orig. switch went out. That switch is still in the amp however and is operational as I recall. Have fun, jerry

    Reply
45. Triller says:

    June 6, 2009 at 1:33 am

    Getting this same amp at the local pawn shop. Has a suitcase enclosure with two speakers, one on each side of enclosure. Does yours have that setup? What kind of speakers do you recommend for this unit, as I'm sure I could get an even better sound with Weber or Jensen ceramic. The unit is still in the 30 day waiting period, so I'm just waiting to pick it up. Any info you can provide on the E-25 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

    Triller

    Reply
    • Triller says:

      January 24, 2012 at 6:04 am

      Got the E-25. Looking for schematic so I can modify the amp with capacitors that will pass the lower frequencies as per typical harp amp mod. Mine is clean too. Different speakers provide different effects, though I got a great sound in the pawn shop with original speakers.

      Reply
46. danny says:

    January 13, 2010 at 11:31 am

    Dear jerry,

    my name is Daniele and I am an Italian hobbyst harp player. I have read with great interest your post about the Masco since I have a working Italian Radio FM/ phono/ turntable dated 1957 which looks very similar to your Masco and through which i would like to try to play amplified harp. How can I do ? Where/how to create an imput for an HI-Z Mic ? Any suggestion would be really appreciated !

    Ciao,

    Daniele, Florence, Italy

    Reply
47. harpster says:

    March 16, 2010 at 12:37 pm

    The masco you looked at is an amplifier. Does your model have any imput jacks for a microphone?There might be some threaded looking things on the side maybe? If you send me some picture I will see if I can help.
    Thank you,
    Duane
    email to t_fisherman@yahoo.com
    I just got a masco MA-25P today and there are 3 mic inputs on the side. I will be trying it out soon.

    Reply
48. raph says:

    November 9, 2010 at 4:17 am

    You’re right, looks like but is possibly someone’s homebrew for organ as I Don’t think filtering corresponds to Guitar frequencies.
    If you want to use it for harp or guitar, I recommend to rewire something similar to Gibson GA16T as most of the components are there + good amp for both…
    Beware of High voltages and get sure capacitors are discharged before using this. (standby switch would be appreciable).
    I can help if you need.

    Reply
49. Joey "Brasso" Welsh says:

    December 27, 2010 at 11:32 pm

    If you look in the upper left corner you will see ( MA-4) That is the numbering sequence that Masco used. My guess is that it is a Masco Amp. The 4 would be an earlier unit. Plus that
    circuitry would fit what they used as well.

    Keep On Harpin
    Joey “Brasso” Welsh

    Reply
50. Michael Lopuch says:

    May 5, 2011 at 12:23 pm

    Hello:
    I have inherited my father’s 1960′s tube Premier 71, and by chance have a friend who repairs old tube amps. It needs cap work. The leather handle is destroyed. Do you know of where I may find a leather handle that closely matches the original? I have seen the vintage Fenders, but was wondering if there is anything closer.
    Thanks,
    Mike L.

    Reply
    • admin says:

      May 5, 2011 at 12:55 pm

      http://www.tubesandmore.com or http://www.angela.com are sites that specialize in restoring old tube amps. They have several different styles of the old “Dog Bone” leather handles.

      Keith

      Reply
    • ZSeth says:

      September 8, 2011 at 4:50 am

      Where are you?? I can get some handles and may have a Premier handle kicking around. If it is the leather one that goes under two metal cover caps take the old pieces to a boot and shoe repair shop. They can approximate the shape from the rotted leather (maybe) and cut two or three pieces and stitch them together into a thicker piece I have had to do this myself and use a Mexican shoe repair shop. I am within 3 hours of Mexico in sunny hot (will it ever cool off hottest August and July ever) Phoenix Az. As for the cap job, if you were close or willing to ship I can only say ask around your area. Find some old burnt out musicians that have been there a while like myself who know some of the shop and repair people’s history. I am an anal SOB who would look at what caps are bad check the rest, and try to find a cap that preserves the original sound. Most techs just stick either orange drops or what they can get cheap in an amp. Most techs do not have 2/3rds of Mc Intosh’s Danish audio analyzer console and $10,K in other sound and distortion analyzing instrument on their bench either. Hopefully you might be OK with just the filter caps swapped out, and make sure nothing else is too leaky. Some of those caps that leak a tad, but not enough to cause any real problems can make for an awesome blues guitar or harp amp sound. I finally put aluminum foil and paper with bee’s wax caps in my mom’s old Supro 1624. The Q was not audiophool stupid high, and they do not dry out. They are the low end cap in the Amp Ohm Cap line. The sell silver foil, or copper foil in oil with paper, and silver leads. (STUPID MONEY EXPENSIVE) Best wishes, and I hope you get it back to a better state than it is now.

      Reply
    • ZSeth says:

      September 8, 2011 at 1:52 pm

      I still say boot and shoe repair shop. You will get new leather, and they have sewing machines that will sew it into the layers. An old leather handle found on line will likely look good then crumble away in short order, unless it comes from one of the miracle climate areas in the country. I tried luggage repair, but it was very expensive, and they had no real interest in doing the work right. The population of Mexican immigrants here keeps cowboy boot repair as well as normal shoe and boot repair shops alive, so there is enough competition they gladly make any leather handle shape I need for around $25. Tubesandmore is across town in Tempe Az. It is about a 20 minute drive. They only do will call order pick up from 3:00-4:30 PM but ship world wide every day. Angelina or Angela has more of the Fender stuff and is pretty pricey. Premier was a neat company. I have one or two of their amps, and a snare drum the marketed under the name Olympic. Tubesandmore essentially has what Angela has but you pay less for it. They are also a great place to buy new old stock USA, UK, German,, or Holland made tubes. They also sell the new Russian, Slovak, and Chinese stuff. Oh yeah Groove Tubes makes a 6L6GC in the USA now from roughly 80% USA parts.

      Reply
    • dc says:

      January 6, 2012 at 10:37 pm

      You’ve probably replaced yours by now, but if anyone else needs a handle, contact Bob Schell at http://www.brookwoodleather.com/

      He made a dead-on copy for my ’50s Premier 71 handle (with the arrow-shaped ends). Super fast service, and reasonably priced. His work is amazing.

      dc

      Reply
51. J Nugent says:

    July 2, 2011 at 7:46 am

    Just picked one up for $10 bucks ant a tag sale…….can’t wait to hear my Les through it!!

    Reply
52. Robert smith says:

    July 9, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    I have one im looking to sell needs some work alil to up apolstry breakup alot when played cuts out. How much could i sell it for on ebay??? Thanks for the help

    Reply
53. Frankie G says:

    August 14, 2011 at 8:15 pm

    What’s a fair price for a DuKane in better-than-average condition?
    Not sure if it’s working or not….

    Reply
54. Steve porter says:

    September 20, 2011 at 5:54 pm

    I don’t think so. I’ve got one that’s real and the tweed is aged very dark like this. Other tweeds can age very light. Always different

    Reply
55. JAnderson says:

    November 17, 2011 at 8:16 am

    Looking for some insight into an old Japanese build amp and its applicability to being used with GB mic. Its Teisco Melody using 6AU6 drivers and 6RA5 outputs with a small 6 inch speaker. Very little info on the web, and a total nob on these tubes. I won’t have a chance to test this item out before purchasing due to meeting the owner some several hours drive at a Timmy’s.

    Reply
    • admin says:

      November 17, 2011 at 9:25 am

      I don’t know about the 6RA5. I am assuming that the tubes are about what you’d find in a radio (Teisco made radios), so the power output will be low, just enough to drive the 6 inch amp.

      It will probably start out clean and get dirty as you turn up the volume. It is most likely a neat practice amp and will work well with the GB.

      If you like the sound you can mic it through the PA and the amp becomes a neat little effects box to give you some tube overdrive and a little protection from feedback by tweaking the volume controls on the amp and the PA.

      Keith

      Reply
56. JAnderson says:

    November 18, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    Picked up the Teisco Melody last night and unfortunately one of the axial caps (a 80MFD x 150WV) is broken right at the cap (unable to solder back on), so the task of trying to track down replacements is on. There’s nothing in Vancouver, BC that I can purchase from local suppliers (with the exception of a couple of radial 100MFD x 160WV or 100MFD x 250V).

    Any advice on where I can buy replacements would be most welcome as I can put in the radials now to get the amp up and running but would like to get axials as they look more like stock units.

    Jim

    Reply
57. Jonathan says:

    December 6, 2011 at 10:22 am

    I replying to your wanting more info about Multi vox amps. I purchased a “lot” of vacuum tubes and radios from an old guy that’s giving up the hobby. Within the lot I purchased is a Multi Vox P.A. Single ended push pull with 2 7591′s and 3 12ax7′s (tubes are labeled Multi Vox with what I think is Sylvaina’s yellow stamp). It has a Mic “Z” adaptor, hum balance and bias adjustment.

    Outputs are 2,4,8,16 ohm’s and 70 volts, 35 Watts R.M.S. Inputs are Tuner, Phono, P.A. and Mic.

    Model EA35-6 Made in Montreal, Canada. I have put the bottom cover back on yet there is at least 10 Mullard mustard .022 tuning caps dated 1965 within.

    Jonathan

    Reply
58. gary says:

    January 5, 2012 at 6:13 am

    i have a premier twin 8 “widow’s peak” version with the gold foil grill and i’m trying to find the gold foil grill any info will help thanks
    gary

    Reply
    • admin says:

      January 5, 2012 at 9:06 am

      Art stores have metallic sheets for use in art projects. If you can find a gold colored one that is the right size, it will look like the original. You can try the big online art supply houses, but there is so much stuff on these sites that I could not find anything quickly for you.

      Keith

      Reply
59. James Wilson says:

    January 11, 2012 at 3:49 pm

    I’m searching for both a working SG Systems 212 amp and the schematic that goes with it. Any leads would be appreciated.

    JW

    Reply
60. Ron Thomas says:

    January 20, 2012 at 10:11 am

    Hi,
    Could you tell me how to contact Mic Kaczmarczik?
    I have an amp repair service shop in Edmond and
    would really like to ask him some questions.
    Thank you for your time.
    Best Regards
    Ron Thomas
    Edmond, OK

    Reply
    • admin says:

      January 20, 2012 at 10:51 am

      I only communicated with Mic once many years ago about using his usenet archives. I found his email through his university job, but I don’t know if he is still there.

      Keith

      Reply
61. Jim Zintz says:

    January 20, 2012 at 4:44 pm

    Help, Picked up premier model 88N. Someone cut all the wires out of the audio output transformer. I know there is not a schematic. But if I could get some close up pictures it would help ALOT. Thanks guys for any help. I don’t know why someone would do this. Jim

    Reply
62. david vincent says:

    January 31, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    i love my amp,a”4-10 deluxe” by Blues Pearl but i need a back up. i’ve been doing some research and it seems most people would agree 8in. speekers work best to achieve a great blues sound but it’s a pain to always have to mike it.i’ve seen amps with 2,3,6 and 8 8in.configureations but no 4′s.it seems to me (for my purposes)4 8′s,2 6v6′s and a weak preamp would be ideal.there must a good reason why even boutique harp amp manufacturers and kit cos.don’t offer such a set up.i’m considering having one built or modding an old ampeg gemini two but before i do i’d like to know why it might not be such a good idea.any thoughts?

    Reply
    • admin says:

      January 31, 2012 at 1:56 pm

      There is an old Valco, Silvertone, or Danelectro (can’t remember which) that had eight 8-inch speakers. It came apart like a suitcase with 4 in each half. There is a legend that it was Little Walter’s favorite amp. The Gibson GA-90 had six 8-inch speakers, and is supposed to be a great harp amp.

      Keith

      Reply
63. david vincent says:

    February 1, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    i appreciate your speedy reply! i spoke with a buddy (bass player not harp) who insisted that with 8in. speakers,i would no doubt get the tone i want but they have no business on stage as no matter how many speakers in the cab.,i’d still have to mike it or go direct.something about limited power to smaller speakers.i’m still on the fence about this…as you know (as a working musician)TONE is the priority not convenience or practicality.i have also heard those silvertones and valcos make great harp amps but might need some reenforcent even in small to medium rooms.maybe i’ll save my dimes a little longer and buy a boutique harp amp with a 12 and two eights?…man that a lotta dimes…a lotta cheap gigs…yeah, i said it!

    Reply
64. paul mohney says:

    February 10, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    it’s the “Holy Grail” or “Magic Bullet”
    People will buy things that will hopefully fill in their short comings and make them James Harman overnight, without any of that nasty practicing stuff.
    There will always be people willing to take advantage of them to.
    Like the Magic Bullet Astatic, the Mullard tubes, .
    I know guys that have so much tone coming out of their head and hands, that they could play through a soupcan on a string,and sound like the angels are crying.
    Thanks for the articles

    Reply
65. John Fields says:

    March 3, 2012 at 10:58 am

    I have read a lot of good reviews of VHT tube amps. I want to buy a new amp that I can get a dirty sound from. There is a VHT special 6 1×10 guitar combo amp for $229 and a VHT special 6 1×12 guitar combo amp for $329. Which is the better harmonica amp? Is the 1×12 worth the xtra $100 dollars. Should I get a delay pedal also or is it unnecessary? Let me know of any better alternatives in this price range. Thanks

    Reply
66. Captain Ogre says:

    March 24, 2012 at 12:39 am

    On the MASCO gallery:

    “The MA-60 had four 6L6′s four 6J7′s one 6sj7 two 6sc7′s and two 5v4 rectifiers.”

    I think you might have slipped a digit on this amp. I have a 1951 MA-60, and the tube layout is four 6J7′s at the input, 6SC7, 6SJ7, 6SL7GT, 6SN7GT, two 807 power tubes, and two different rectifiers- 5Y3GT and 5R4GY. It has four inputs, a phono input, and a booster jack in the back.

    And yes, I have a TON of pics, in case anyone is interested in seeing this amp. Also, I’m wondering if this amp is an anomaly or something, because I’m finding very little info on it. I can find plenty on the MA-17, 25, 35, and 50, but next to nothing on the MA-60.

    Reply
67. Don says:

    April 7, 2012 at 11:41 pm

    Anyone know the correct ohms of the 3-inch Jensen P3VH speakers/tweeters used in the Premier Model 71 amps from the mid-1950s? Any schematics showed up for one of these amps? Thanks.

    Reply
68. Ken Hatley says:

    April 15, 2012 at 11:56 pm

    YOu are so right about playing out of a can. I play and have played with a lot of major artist, including Lester Chambers, who is a harp master himself, and was taught by Sonny Boy Williams, and we did a few albums. If the the harp player does not have the tone to begin with, they will never understand the mics, it is like recording,m it is not the latest gadgets, latest greatest gotta have pluyg ins, it is what the engineer can do with anything.I am glad you pointed that out, especially to players coming up and young harp players.

    Reply
69. randy herron says:

    May 22, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    Anyone tried the new 2-6V6 Fender Pawn Shop amps for Harp??Like to hear informed opinions. thanks, randy

    Reply
70. ken says:

    June 21, 2012 at 5:37 pm

    Need help- playing through a sonny jr 4-10 and getting a clicking noise when i really tweek a note. I’m going through a reverb pedal and a shure 707A. What’s up. thanks

    Reply
71. Hawkeye says:

    June 29, 2012 at 12:22 pm

    I’m geared up to try one. Only shop in my town who’s carrying them is still awaiting delivery of them. But he HAS gotten the Greta desktop amp in, and I tried that. I’m seriously considering getting one to use like a preamp head on my Kalamazoo Model 2.

    Reply
72. Ron Thomas says:

    August 9, 2012 at 8:47 am

    Hi,
    Am I right in assuming that most of your site is related to harp and guitar amps?
    I am a bass player and have an amp repair and service business here in Edmond,OK.
    I had a customer bring in 3 old vintage Fender amps which I serviced and did any needed repairs and got him going very well. One of his amps was a 59′ Blonde Bandmaster that was immaculate. He has taken care of these jewels.
    Anyway, he gave me a 67′ SF Bassman with the AB165 circuit. I did a cap job, replaced all three transformers with new Mercury Mag trannys and modded the hum balance as a true bias. I tested and kept the original pre amp tubes and installed a pair of Winged C 6L6′s. Right now I play it thru my old SVT 8-10.
    This cab I removed and plan on having the originals 10′s re coned thru Ted Weber Company. The tens in it now are cheap cast speakers and my SVT head really did a job on them. Learned my lesson about the stuff sold by some eBay sellers. At low volume they sound good but the coils are slapping here and there with amp at 4 and my bass up pretty loud. Anyway I have acquired to old Eminence 15s and I’m going to build my own cab just for this bassman.I had read that the AB165 wasn’t really liked as a bass amp. My BF in 65 with 2-12 cabs was incredible. So why the dislike as a bass amp for the AB165?
    Also what circuit are you referring to when doing a bias mod on these to be like the 63 bassman? I have looked a the 6G6′s and I see no bias control pot.
    Can you set me straight on this mod?
    Thanks much for a very informative site.
    Regards
    Ron Thomas
    Edmond, OK

    Reply
73. Robert says:

    October 20, 2012 at 12:01 pm

    Hi, I inherited an old Peavey Classic 30 tube amp. I have ordered a green bullet mic, will this work well together?
    Thanks for your help

    Reply
    • admin says:

      October 20, 2012 at 2:46 pm

      It should work well. There are some Shure bullets that are low impedance that might not work. If it has a guitar type plug then it would work fine. The tube Peaveys are underrated. I think they have a good sound. They might have too much gain for a microphone, but you can swap out the 12AX7 tubes for 12AU7 tubes and lower the gain and get a nice response out of it.

      Reply
74. Hawkeye says:

    October 22, 2012 at 9:50 am

    I agree! Peavey Classics are some of my favorite amps. I’ve been craving a Delta Blues 115 or 210. To me, those are the best in the line for harp. They’re still gainy, but like you said, the preamp tubes can be swapped.

    Reply
75. Mike B says:

    October 25, 2012 at 7:36 am

    I have a premier model50 I am thinking of adding
    a line out to it. Anybody know how to wire resistors
    to output jack? I would like to be able to keep
    the speaker functioning to use as a monitor.
    Thanks,
    Mike B

    Reply
76. Jim Buoy says:

    November 13, 2012 at 12:33 am

    I have a old Magnavox tube amp that I am trying to make into a harp amp it has a 12AX7,2 6v6,s and a 5Y3 tube I am willing to do what ever it takes to make this the best it can be for a harp amp anything I can do to improve it the reason I bought this amp is that I have read in different articals that these are very good tube displacement to use on harp amps I have not tried it out yet to see what it sounds like the way it is,because I am new to all this and need to install an input jack,I am not sure where it would wire in? I have a book about old tube amps it has a schematic of a Fender Princeton 5F2 it is spot on down to every resistor cap everything looks the same wired the same,anything I can do to improve this amp?

    Reply
    • admin says:

      November 13, 2012 at 10:00 am

      Try swapping the 12AX7 tubes with 12AU7 tubes. This will mellow it down and help fight feedback. You will get a smoother sound with less distortion, which may sound better with harp.

      Keith

      Reply
    • kirb says:

      November 13, 2012 at 1:38 pm

      You might want to try some lower values instead of 68k for those series input resistors . I’ve had good luck with 10k and 33k at #1 and #2 input jacks . This puts a bit of drive on the pre-amp tubes that’s lost with the 68k ones . I use a large 1 or 2 watt carbon type for the sound quality I prefer , but you should experiment with your own ears . I’ve seen people use no resistor here at all also . Very spanky with a weaker mike . Try one of each you have around with strong clips and then you can solder in what you land on as the best one for you and your mics !

      Reply
77. Jim Buoy says:

    November 13, 2012 at 11:11 am

    ok I will but does,nt that swap make the amp allot more quiet? it only has one 12AX7 tube do you think I should wire in 1 more so each 6V6 tube has a seperate preamp?

    Reply
78. Jim Buoy says:

    November 13, 2012 at 11:55 am

    this amp only has one 12AX7 two 6V6,s and one 5y3 I have read that it is really good for a harp amp the chasis has pleny of room to add another tube or tubes one thing I am wondering is if this amp has a self balancing phase inverter also is the 5Y3 tube the rectifier and can it be swapped out for a GZ34 rectifier tube I read they are the best for harp

    Reply
79. Jim Buoy says:

    November 13, 2012 at 2:15 pm

    I will try that soon as I get the input jacks installed thanks

    Reply
80. Jim Buoy says:

    November 15, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    hi again I am working on a different amp now it is a Electromuse Model 10A It has a strange tube line up they are 6F6GT,then it has a 8 pin tube that does not have the letters/numbers then it has a 6F6,and a 5Y3Gt question is this a model 10a and what tubes interchange with the ones I listed here. All the schematics I can find don,t have these tubes in them. so I am wondering if this is a different model or these tubes will interchange like the 6F6 is it the same as a 6V6 same with the 6F6GT is it the same as 6L6GT I am trying to get this amp working again the tubes light up but it has a loud buzz (might be a multi cap?)any advice?

    Reply
81. admin says:

    November 15, 2012 at 12:49 pm

    Jim,

    I saw your posts at one of the forums. The Magnavox turned out to be a puzzle.

    The 6F6 is a like an older version of the 6V6. Push comes to shove you could use a 6v6. The 6F6 was probably a metal can. The GT just means Glass Tube, so they are the same tube.

    The strange tube is probably a 6sl7, 6sj7, 6sn7 or something like that. These are old style preamp tubes with a sweet sound, but without much gain. Probably a 6SJ7 tube. Look at the oldest champ circuits.

    Buzz is 99.9% electrolytic cap. This amp is old enough that the caps all have to be dried out so change all the big caps. It can sometimes (rarely) be one of the fat cement style resistors or very fat resistor with high watt and low value. These resistors sometimes crack or change their value over the years. It is cheap and never hurts to change these resistors to get the amp back into spec.

    Reply
82. Jim Buoy says:

    November 15, 2012 at 11:43 pm

    I found a schematic for this electromuse as it turns out they were made by Valco the ones with the electromuse name did not have model numbers on them but i think it is same as a Valco model ,10A anyway the tubes in the schematic are the one by the output transformer by it,s self is a 6J5GT,labeled preamp 2 on schematic mine is a 6F6GT the next one below that tube in the schematic is a 6SH7GT, labeled preamp 1. mine has a tube without markings,but I think I see a 7 on it,so it is probably a 6SH7GT, the next tube is a 6V6GT,in the schematic,labeled power amp,mine has a metal 6F6 tube. the last one in the schematic is a 6X5GT,labeled rectifier,mine has a 5Y3 in that place. I guess my question is are the tubes in my amp interchangeable with the ones in the schematic. do the tubes in the schematic do the same function as the tubes that are in my amp?

    Reply
83. admin says:

    November 16, 2012 at 11:36 am

    I could be just random tubes that someone plugged in and the amp never worked with them. The 6F6 would not be any kind of replacement for the 6J5. The 5Y3 and the 6X5 are both similar kinds of rectifiers, although I don’t remember if the pins correspond.

    I doesn’t look like the tubs would match. Check the circuit underneath the chassis and see if the wiring looks the same as the schematic to make suer that you indeed have the same amp.

    Keith

    Reply
84. Wammo says:

    December 2, 2012 at 2:53 pm

    I bought one of these on eBay a while back. I’d it has a Premier 110 amp in the back w/ brown and orange chicken head nobs. I’m trying to find out if it’s the original head.

    Reply
    • kpgraham says:

      December 2, 2012 at 3:45 pm

      I’d have to see the picture, but the chicken head knobs are wrong. People take off the knobs because you can get $50 a piece for them on eBay.

      If it is real it will say Premier on the chassis (or multivox or the earliest say Sorkin.)

      The older 110 amps sat on the bottom of the cabinet, not like Fender which hung from the top.

      The earliest ones had only a volume knob, then later they had a tone knob and after that a tremolo knob.

      Keith

      Reply
85. TONY says:

    January 26, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    the AMP with two speckers showing i’ve seen with yellow leather body and black endcaps how .much does one cost an were do i get one

    Reply
86. Jesse says:

    February 1, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    hello

    What modifications have you done to convert it to a guitar amp!?

    Also own a Dukane 1U460A … I’m thinking of converting it!

    (sorry for my bad english). Thank you very much

    Reply
87. Bill Kossuth says:

    February 19, 2013 at 10:52 pm

    Any luck on finding a B 160 schematic? I’ve seen 6l6 around but not much about the ones that have 7591′s.
    Thanks.

    Reply
88. Eddie Baker says:

    April 23, 2013 at 7:43 am

    I am just starting out, having alot of fun, looking for that sound ! I inherited a Fender Blues Deluxe from my son; I think it’s from the 90′s. Someone has suggested swapping the pre-amp tubes, and getting a Weber smooth cone, Signature series Speaker. The tube swap looks pretty straightforward, but the special Weber Harp Speaker is 6″, and the Fender it’s replacing is 12″. Also , the Fender is 40 or 50 Watts, and the Weber is 15 Watts.
    There is a Weber 12″ Speaker, also smooth cone, for 25 Watts. What would work ?
    Should I just buy a lower Watt Amp made for Harp ?
    Any suggestions for me ?
    Thanks,
    Eddie

    Reply
89. Kramocker says:

    June 8, 2013 at 4:34 pm

    Hi,

    I have a real nice Premier 120. It was gone through several years ago at Cowtown in Las Veags. I wonder if you can help me figure out what year it was made, if I send pic’s and the serial number?

    Cheers,

    Reply

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