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Post by johnreardon on Dec 30, 2020 19:10:52 GMT
Never tried one, so not sure. Here's some clips of a show we did in Cardiff, back in 2018. I used my Trussart and a Les Paul without changing controls
Yours is point to point = hardwired with no pcb! Correct. I'm not electronic or technical in that way. He designs the prototypes on some sort of temporary layout board and when I'm happy with the sound, he then hardwires everything, usually making it neater.
It's nothing like those mass produced things you get on cheaper amps
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Post by zontar on Dec 30, 2020 21:41:39 GMT
I like the look but I am not familiar with the amp Any details? It's made by a good friend of mine. I have been working with him for a few years developing prototypes. He doesn't play guitar, hence my involvement
Basically it's a 36w head, all hand-wired.
Mine has 4 EL34 valves and forget what the preamp ones are. During lockdown, he added a switch so I can knock 2 valves out, but still keep them turned on. This effectively knocks it down to 18w if I want. The amp can be quite loud, so useful at small pubs
He is quite secretive about what his 'Boost' thing is. I know it's something to do with the way the transformers interact, but that's the limit of my tech ability.
Like a lot of businesses, he struggles to get it up and running. He's not that marketing aware, so I've been helping him with that as well. We were taking one of his amps round to jams to generate interest, but obviously that's been curtailed for the moment.
OK you could say I am biased, but it's the best amp I have ever used and I have had a few. I can switch between a Les Paul and my Trussart Steelcaster without changing any of the EQ controls. The Trussart is essentially a steel bodied Tele, I could never do that with my Mesa Boogie's. I don't use pedals either, which to me, makes it more impressive.
He really needs investment
No PCBs and this is just a prototype. When he finishes them, he effectively rewires everything just a lot neater
Thanks for all the info Good story for that amp And to have it work for two different guitars without changing settings is cool I definitely need to change the switching between my Mustang & anything else Not a problem for me but to not have to is better
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Post by Die Bullen on Dec 30, 2020 22:24:53 GMT
Here's an amp I think is cool, and it is a favourite of mine.. 1973 Ampeg V4 in a custom built case with matching cab
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Post by infant on Dec 31, 2020 1:20:13 GMT
It looks like he’s using a turret board...just a fibre board with metal turrets to accept the leads. It’s pretty much point to point but much neater.
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Post by johnreardon on Dec 31, 2020 9:30:49 GMT
It looks like he’s using a turret board...just a fibre board with metal turrets to accept the leads. It’s pretty much point to point but much neater. That's it. He did tell me. He only uses that for prototypes. It enables him to do quick changes when I'm testing the stuff
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Post by infant on Dec 31, 2020 13:13:26 GMT
It looks like he’s using a turret board...just a fibre board with metal turrets to accept the leads. It’s pretty much point to point but much neater. That's it. He did tell me. He only uses that for prototypes. It enables him to do quick changes when I'm testing the stuff So once he has everything set, he takes it all apart and solders everything together separately? I would think that he would just solder the components to the turret board once everything is worked out. That way any changes or repairs later on would be very easy to do. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the inside of an actual point to point amp, it’s quite a “rats nest” of wires. That turret board is very clean and neat.
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Post by johnreardon on Dec 31, 2020 13:50:12 GMT
That's it. He did tell me. He only uses that for prototypes. It enables him to do quick changes when I'm testing the stuff So once he has everything set, he takes it all apart and solders everything together separately? I would think that he would just solder the components to the turret board once everything is worked out. That way any changes or repairs later on would be very easy to do. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the inside of an actual point to point amp, it’s quite a “rats nest” of wires. That turret board is very clean and neat. The turret boards he uses seem to have screw on things that he undoes a bit like the things in the link. He is a bit funny about neatness. When we are allowed to meet up, I'll ask him. Don't forget that amp is a prototype, not the inside of my amp.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 4, 2021 1:12:37 GMT
I'll throw another cool amp of mine. 1958 Ampeg New Yorker. 2 channels, 35 watts, which was quite powerful. So powerful that they had to use voltage regulator tubes, which constantly pulse a cool florescent purple. The circuitry is very complicated, employing a split chassis design. 2x EL34's. I really dig the splatter grill pattern, which was really common in the late 1950's
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Post by Bill h on Jan 9, 2021 17:01:04 GMT
My first marshall was a jcm-900 50w dual reverb, it had a couple el-34s. It only hung around for a couple years.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 9, 2021 21:51:04 GMT
My first marshall was a jcm-900 50w dual reverb, it had a couple el-34s. It only hung around for a couple years. Luckily they have reissued those tubes as they are not a direct swap for the 6L6 from what I've been told.
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Post by infant on Jan 10, 2021 1:18:50 GMT
I believe most tube manufacturers have continued building the standard tubes used in most tube amps today. EL34, EL84, 6L6 and 6V6 tubes are used in most old and new Marshall and Fenders are quite easy to find.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 10, 2021 1:33:07 GMT
I believe most tube manufacturers have continued building the standard tubes used in most tube amps today. EL34, EL84, 6L6 and 6V6 tubes are used in most old and new Marshall and Fenders are quite easy to find. Although my Reverberocket had 7591 power tubes, which are impossible to find.... I'd heard that for some time modern manufacturers were selling 6L6 tubes as a suitable replacement for EL34, but my amp tech was Adament that they were not good substitutes without making electronics mods (resistors? ). Admittedly, I'm out of my depths on that assertion so I can only relay what was told to me.,
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2021 22:23:24 GMT
Not too hard for me to pick, since I'm down to three amps now. Nothing special about my Ampeg BA-108 or Rumble 150 bass amps, so I guess it would have to be my 1970 Twin Reverb. It's a raw chassis I bought on eBay, enclosed in an Atlantic Coastal Designs head cabinet. A few small upgrades, such as new blackface control panel and new knobs, a three-prong convenience jack, new Accoutronics long-decay three-spring reverb tank with a new Fender reverb bag and Dual Showman braided reverb cables custom-made by Vintage Jon. When it travels, it's enclosed in a padded D2F custom cover.I spent lots of dough having JC Maillet of vivaAnalog doing a recap, three wire power cord, removal of the death cap, undoing some questionable mods, tidying up the wire looming to make it quieter, and changing all the preamp tubes to vintage glass. I run a Rogers 12AY7 low gain tube in V2 and two of the four T.A.D.output tubes pulled to tame the volume down. It's the best-sounding Twin I've ever heard.
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Post by infant on Jan 15, 2021 23:41:27 GMT
Not too hard for me to pick, since I'm down to three amps now. Nothing special about my Ampeg BA-108 or Rumble 150 bass amps, so I guess it would have to be my 1970 Twin Reverb. It's a raw chassis I bought on eBay, enclosed in an Atlantic Coastal Designs head cabinet. A few small upgrades, such as new blackface control panel and new knobs, a three-prong convenience jack, new Accoutronics long-decay three-spring reverb tank with a new Fender reverb bag and Dual Showman braided reverb cables custom-made by Vintage Jon. When it travels, it's enclosed in a padded D2F custom cover.I spent lots of dough having JC Maillet of vivaAnalog doing a recap, three wire power cord, removal of the death cap, undoing some questionable mods, tidying up the wire looming to make it quieter, and changing all the preamp tubes to vintage glass. I run a Rogers 12AY7 low gain tube in V2 and two of the four T.A.D.output tubes pulled to tame the volume down. It's the best-sounding Twin I've ever heard. that is gorgeous Ken! Looks like it just came out of the showroom! Where did you get the blackface panel? I’d love to put a new silverface or blackface panel on my Deluxe Reverb as the silverface one currently on there is oxidized and has a couple of minor dents on the edge.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 16, 2021 0:17:11 GMT
Not too hard for me to pick, since I'm down to three amps now. Nothing special about my Ampeg BA-108 or Rumble 150 bass amps, so I guess it would have to be my 1970 Twin Reverb. It's a raw chassis I bought on eBay, enclosed in an Atlantic Coastal Designs head cabinet. A few small upgrades, such as new blackface control panel and new knobs, a three-prong convenience jack, new Accoutronics long-decay three-spring reverb tank with a new Fender reverb bag and Dual Showman braided reverb cables custom-made by Vintage Jon. When it travels, it's enclosed in a padded D2F custom cover.I spent lots of dough having JC Maillet of vivaAnalog doing a recap, three wire power cord, removal of the death cap, undoing some questionable mods, tidying up the wire looming to make it quieter, and changing all the preamp tubes to vintage glass. I run a Rogers 12AY7 low gain tube in V2 and two of the four T.A.D.output tubes pulled to tame the volume down. It's the best-sounding Twin I've ever heard. That is quite a beaut!
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Post by zontar on Jan 16, 2021 0:47:48 GMT
Most Fenders look cool too
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 16, 2021 1:06:58 GMT
Most Fenders look cool too Definitely an iconic look. Interestingly, I've never actually owned a fender amp- but for no particular reason
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Post by zontar on Jan 16, 2021 1:10:18 GMT
I have the G-Dec Jr and the Rumble40
But I would like a Blues Jr or one of their smaller tube amps
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 16, 2021 1:25:58 GMT
I have the G-Dec Jr and the Rumble40 But I would like a Blues Jr or one of their smaller tube amps Personally I wasn't a fan of the blues jr. I tried because I couldn't get a good clean tone at performance volume, but I'm sure it fits other people's needs. Unless something was wrong with the one I tried
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2021 18:23:18 GMT
I don't know what to think about the Blues Junior.....I initially thought it was an entry-level tube amp with all the compromises you'd expect from something that's primarily built-to-a-price. For quite a while, there seemed to be bunches of mods that could be done....I kept hearing about a guy named Bill M. on TDPRI who apparently had some fixes for chronic problems in the Blues Junior. (I understand Bill M. has passed now) Not long ago, somewhere I read a story from someone who was bitter about the Type 3 Blues Junior and said it was one of the worst amps he'd ever had. I've also heard people say it was boxy-sounding and that it benefited from different cabinets and larger speakers. In my experience, amps that seem to only become acceptable by changing cabinets or speakers, or doing circuitry mods, are generally not a good product out of the box and I'd probably run the other way.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 16, 2021 18:50:34 GMT
I don't know what to think about the Blues Junior.....I initially thought it was an entry-level tube amp with all the compromises you'd expect from something that's primarily built-to-a-price. For quite a while, there seemed to be bunches of mods that could be done....I kept hearing about a guy named Bill M. on TDPRI who apparently had some fixes for chronic problems in the Blues Junior. (I understand Bill M. has passed now) Not long ago, somewhere I read a story from someone who was bitter about the Type 3 Blues Junior and said it was one of the worst amps he'd ever had. I've also heard people say it was boxy-sounding and that it benefited from different cabinets and larger speakers. In my experience, amps that seem to only become acceptable by changing cabinets or speakers, or doing circuitry mods, are generally not a good product out of the box and I'd probably run the other way. Hey like I said, for some it might be a great fit for some. But who am I to talk? People trash the peavey classic 30 all over the place and I found the amp to be pretty good sounding, especially when the speaker is replaced
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Post by johnreardon on Jan 16, 2021 19:28:04 GMT
I don't know what to think about the Blues Junior.....I initially thought it was an entry-level tube amp with all the compromises you'd expect from something that's primarily built-to-a-price. For quite a while, there seemed to be bunches of mods that could be done....I kept hearing about a guy named Bill M. on TDPRI who apparently had some fixes for chronic problems in the Blues Junior. (I understand Bill M. has passed now) Not long ago, somewhere I read a story from someone who was bitter about the Type 3 Blues Junior and said it was one of the worst amps he'd ever had. I've also heard people say it was boxy-sounding and that it benefited from different cabinets and larger speakers. In my experience, amps that seem to only become acceptable by changing cabinets or speakers, or doing circuitry mods, are generally not a good product out of the box and I'd probably run the other way. I used to have a Blues Junior many years ago in the 90s. For me back then it was superb as I played with a folk band and I could easily carry the amp and guitar in and out of places. When I started playing with bands, it was a bit under powered, bearing in mind not many places over here mic you up.
I went to a music show, nearby, in the early 2000s and there was a bloke selling cabinets he made for various amps, in solid wood (mahogany). I asked him to put the Blues Junior into a cabinet with 2x10 speakers. I popped home and got the Blues Junior for him. Very trusting I let him take it away and arranged to see him at another music show about 80 miles away in a couple of months. Went and got the cabinet back, with the Blues Junior installed and the 2x10 speakers. It was superbly made and at home sounded fabulous. However, the only downside was the weight. No way could I carry that to jams or gigs
The chap who was making them was from California, but lived in Scotland. I think he may have gone home now as his business doesn't seem to be around.
I eventually sold it to a friend.
Unfortunately I didn't keep the pics, but just done a google and noticed my friend tried to sell it in 2018, so took the image links off his ad.
He even still had the cover I bought
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 16, 2021 21:29:40 GMT
I don't know what to think about the Blues Junior.....I initially thought it was an entry-level tube amp with all the compromises you'd expect from something that's primarily built-to-a-price. For quite a while, there seemed to be bunches of mods that could be done....I kept hearing about a guy named Bill M. on TDPRI who apparently had some fixes for chronic problems in the Blues Junior. (I understand Bill M. has passed now) Not long ago, somewhere I read a story from someone who was bitter about the Type 3 Blues Junior and said it was one of the worst amps he'd ever had. I've also heard people say it was boxy-sounding and that it benefited from different cabinets and larger speakers. In my experience, amps that seem to only become acceptable by changing cabinets or speakers, or doing circuitry mods, are generally not a good product out of the box and I'd probably run the other way. I used to have a Blues Junior many years ago in the 90s. For me back then it was superb as I played with a folk band and I could easily carry the amp and guitar in and out of places. When I started playing with bands, it was a bit under powered, bearing in mind not many places over here mic you up.
I went to a music show, nearby, in the early 2000s and there was a bloke selling cabinets he made for various amps, in solid wood (mahogany). I asked him to put the Blues Junior into a cabinet with 2x10 speakers. I popped home and got the Blues Junior for him. Very trusting I let him take it away and arranged to see him at another music show about 80 miles away in a couple of months. Went and got the cabinet back, with the Blues Junior installed and the 2x10 speakers. It was superbly made and at home sounded fabulous. However, the only downside was the weight. No way could I carry that to jams or gigs
The chap who was making them was from California, but lived in Scotland. I think he may have gone home now as his business doesn't seem to be around.
I eventually sold it to a friend.
Unfortunately I didn't keep the pics, but just done a google and noticed my friend tried to sell it in 2018, so took the image links off his ad.
He even still had the cover I bought
Looks beautiful! I think the weight thing starts to get at us all eventually, but the cab is stunning
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Post by Sgt Rock on Jan 17, 2021 0:47:14 GMT
I don't know what to think about the Blues Junior.....I initially thought it was an entry-level tube amp with all the compromises you'd expect from something that's primarily built-to-a-price. For quite a while, there seemed to be bunches of mods that could be done....I kept hearing about a guy named Bill M. on TDPRI who apparently had some fixes for chronic problems in the Blues Junior. (I understand Bill M. has passed now) Not long ago, somewhere I read a story from someone who was bitter about the Type 3 Blues Junior and said it was one of the worst amps he'd ever had. I've also heard people say it was boxy-sounding and that it benefited from different cabinets and larger speakers. In my experience, amps that seem to only become acceptable by changing cabinets or speakers, or doing circuitry mods, are generally not a good product out of the box and I'd probably run the other way. I used to have a Blues Junior many years ago in the 90s. For me back then it was superb as I played with a folk band and I could easily carry the amp and guitar in and out of places. When I started playing with bands, it was a bit under powered, bearing in mind not many places over here mic you up.
I went to a music show, nearby, in the early 2000s and there was a bloke selling cabinets he made for various amps, in solid wood (mahogany). I asked him to put the Blues Junior into a cabinet with 2x10 speakers. I popped home and got the Blues Junior for him. Very trusting I let him take it away and arranged to see him at another music show about 80 miles away in a couple of months. Went and got the cabinet back, with the Blues Junior installed and the 2x10 speakers. It was superbly made and at home sounded fabulous. However, the only downside was the weight. No way could I carry that to jams or gigs
The chap who was making them was from California, but lived in Scotland. I think he may have gone home now as his business doesn't seem to be around.
I eventually sold it to a friend.
Unfortunately I didn't keep the pics, but just done a google and noticed my friend tried to sell it in 2018, so took the image links off his ad.
He even still had the cover I bought
that's a nice looking amo, John. I like that wood finish.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2021 4:47:49 GMT
Yeah, I have to admit, the wood makes for a really rich, deluxe finish. The cover's obviously an important part of keeping it looking great. When I was trying to swap from my JBL K140's into a different, smaller bass cabinet, one of the pieces I was offered was a cabinet called an Olde Crowe. They were built in Vancouver by a company that's since gone out of business. They used an Italian-made speaker from the same manufacturer who puts out the newer Jensen products. I was told by some guys on TDPRI that the quality of the drivers was decent, but the reaction of most poeople was the same as mine.....Without a high quality cover, you know the cabinet would look beaten to ratshxt in a very short time. I turned my nose up to it because I didn't want to own something that looked like it had been through a great war after it had been gigged. I think the guy that wanted to trade it to me was miffed, but he admitted it had only sat in their practice room since he got it and it had never seen any real world action. I can't imagine why a manufacturer would built a musical instrument cabinet with those sharp un-routed edges anyway. I actually owned one amp that was natural wood....Kind of a funny thing, that I thnk was probably built by the same manufacturer who made the Gorilla amplifiers. It was blond wood with proper jointed edges and actually looked pretty trick when it was new. It was a Woolworth's amplifier and not the best quality....It had pre- and post- gain controls, two tone controls and reverb with an 8" speaker. I lent it to the lead guitar player in a band until he could afford his Twin Reverb and it did the job. But, it looked like a rescue amp by the time we'd gigged with it a few times. Almost as bad as this picture I found of the same amplifier online...
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Post by infant on Jan 17, 2021 5:14:00 GMT
That amp is gorgeous John. I don’t think it was meant to be used at gigs as it looks like a piece of furniture. When Fender put out my ‘72 Thinline FSR, they also put out a Pro Junior with a wood cabinet and matching finish. They looked beautiful together. I kept searching for one and I finally saw one on Kijiji. However,,the guy was asking more than double the price of the original amp and I wasn’t gonna pay that. I’m still looking because I wouldn’t mind having the matching set. Speaking of wooden cabinets, do you guys remember Legend Amplifiers? Tube preamp, SS power amp. Came as combos or piggyback. I’ve only seen a handful of these over the years.
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Post by zontar on Jan 17, 2021 7:56:53 GMT
I don't know what to think about the Blues Junior.....I initially thought it was an entry-level tube amp with all the compromises you'd expect from something that's primarily built-to-a-price. For quite a while, there seemed to be bunches of mods that could be done....I kept hearing about a guy named Bill M. on TDPRI who apparently had some fixes for chronic problems in the Blues Junior. (I understand Bill M. has passed now) Not long ago, somewhere I read a story from someone who was bitter about the Type 3 Blues Junior and said it was one of the worst amps he'd ever had. I've also heard people say it was boxy-sounding and that it benefited from different cabinets and larger speakers. In my experience, amps that seem to only become acceptable by changing cabinets or speakers, or doing circuitry mods, are generally not a good product out of the box and I'd probably run the other way. Hey like I said, for some it might be a great fit for some. But who am I to talk? People trash the peavey classic 30 all over the place and I found the amp to be pretty good sounding, especially when the speaker is replaced I love the Blues Jrs I've tried. But yeah--I may be going for a different sound. I'd also like a Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister. Those are even nicer--but a fair bit pricier, even used.
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Post by zontar on Jan 17, 2021 8:03:09 GMT
That amp is gorgeous John. I don’t think it was meant to be used at gigs as it looks like a piece of furniture. When Fender put out my ‘72 Thinline FSR, they also put out a Pro Junior with a wood cabinet and matching finish. They looked beautiful together. I kept searching for one and I finally saw one on Kijiji. However,,the guy was asking more than double the price of the original amp and I wasn’t gonna pay that. I’m still looking because I wouldn’t mind having the matching set. Speaking of wooden cabinets, do you guys remember Legend Amplifiers? Tube preamp, SS power amp. Came as combos or piggyback. I’ve only seen a handful of these over the years. View AttachmentAt one time a Legend 50 was my dream amp--this was after they stopped making them--so you could only get a used one. And they were not easily found. Every time I saw one for sale (2 or 3 times) it sold before I could get together the cash for it (or work out a trade) After that I last saw one in 2019 at a guitar show--I tried to lift it, and I could--but I no longer have the same desire for one. Heavy guitars don't typically bother me--if they're nicely balanced, at least. But I just can't get past a heavy amp. (Although if someone gifted me with one--I'd learn to deal with it.) And one I saw came with a flight case with locking casters--so it wasn't too bad to move around once it was in the room or on stage.
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Post by johnreardon on Jan 17, 2021 9:31:48 GMT
That amp is gorgeous John. I don’t think it was meant to be used at gigs as it looks like a piece of furniture. When Fender put out my ‘72 Thinline FSR, they also put out a Pro Junior with a wood cabinet and matching finish. They looked beautiful together. I kept searching for one and I finally saw one on Kijiji. However,,the guy was asking more than double the price of the original amp and I wasn’t gonna pay that. I’m still looking because I wouldn’t mind having the matching set. Speaking of wooden cabinets, do you guys remember Legend Amplifiers? Tube preamp, SS power amp. Came as combos or piggyback. I’ve only seen a handful of these over the years. View AttachmentIt was Rob. I would have kept it, but to be honest at the time I had 26 guitars plus 3 of my sons in my loft music room. More than a bit tight, so it had to go. 14 of the guitars have gone as well
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 17, 2021 16:28:42 GMT
That amp is gorgeous John. I don’t think it was meant to be used at gigs as it looks like a piece of furniture. View AttachmentThat's exactly what I was thinking
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