Garage Sale Treasure (LAFAYETTE LA-150)

[4Banger4]

A buddy likes to go to garage sales to find junk he doesn't need (lucky for me ). Last week he said he found a vintage stereo amp he was using for his turntable. I had never heard of it. He told me it was a LAFAYETTE LA-150 160 WATT STEREO INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER. So I looked it up online and saw it had 2 1/4" inputs for mics or instruments. I had him bring it over and plugged my bass into it and used the headphone jack. WOW!!!! This thing has AWESOME tone. The lady he bought it from must have kept it in a box and never used it. The manual and electrical schematic looked brand new. It's a 1974. I gave my buddy $10 for it and I am happy as can be. I really like trying to incorporate various vintage and new components into my sound to see what I come up with.

Anyhow, anyone else ever hear of these or any other rare-ities you use?

I think I might have to start stopping in on some garage sales myself.

- Cheers

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Garage sales can indeed be succesful treasure hunting grounds, but the opposite can be true as well.

I'm a bit (okay, a lot) of a junkyard rat, and going to garage sales falls in line pretty nicely.

Back in the day we used to buy old tube radios and convert them to guitar amps, but nowadays I rather lef them for the enthusiasts, partly because of the price-hike, partly because I don't want to hog all the stuff someone might want/need more than me.

In fact, I passed an old ASA tube amp for that latter reason just a few days back. Bought a 40MHz dual trace o'scope for 10€ though .

Generally, IME, garage sales are just as bad as auctions and swap meets though, stuff is grossly overpriced and the real gems are very hard to find.

PierreN, You're funny .

Regards
Sam

[Joe Nerve]

Didn't get it at a garage sale, but I have a technics stereo tuner (I think that was Radio Shacks brand) from about 1975 that I still use, and still sounds great. I inherited it from my brother when I was in my late teens. Products back then weren't designed to break so you'd have to buy new ones a few years down the line.

I'd love to find me a lafayette bass, simply because I used to drool over them in the catalog when I was a kid, and my parents either couldn't afford to get one for me, or were too cheap. I think that's why I now own about 2o basses. I can buy em, so I do.

[Thor]

I picked up a decent deal at a local church thrift store. I am almost embarassed to say what I paid, but it was a
Marantz 2175 Stereo Receiver/amplifier in perfect working order for under $10. I have made an appt to have it totally refurbished by a guy who does only Marantz that I found on Audiokarma.com . The waiting list is only 3 years.

Recapped and everything back to original factory spec except LED fro the blue lights.

[s_mcsleazy]

can we see this amp?

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

Didn't get it at a garage sale, but I have a technics stereo tuner (I think that was Radio Shacks brand)

Technics

[Thor]

Originally Posted by s_mcsleazy

can we see this amp?

I can find you an internet pic, haven't bothered to photograph it as they all look the same.

Oops, it was a 2275, sorry about that.

Here you go:




These came with our without a wooden enclosure. Mine is without. Thing must weigh in a 40 lbs at least.
Details are here:

classicaudio.com..... Valuation..... Marantz 2275

[spufman]

Always liked that Marantz tuning wheel. One brother had an old Marantz, another had (and still has) and old Pioneer. Mine was a slightly newer Nikko, being the youngest in the family. For bass content: I've never been tempted to play a bass through one of my stereos, though I did play through my Dad's long long ago (a Realistic which was Radio Shack's brand - Technics was independent, seen then as a small cut below Pioneer/Marantz and the like). Sounded okay, I didn't blow the speakers. I'm getting old!

[beans-on-toast]

I like those Marantz receivers. I've got a 2252 that I've been using without any problems since I bought it in the 70's.

I use it to drive a pair of EV cabs when I'm not using them for bass.

[Spinal Tapper]

SO COOL!

[Thor]

Originally Posted by spufman

Always liked that Marantz tuning wheel. One brother had an old Marantz, another had (and still has) and old Pioneer. Mine was a slightly newer Nikko, being the youngest in the family. For bass content: I've never been tempted to play a bass through one of my stereos, though I did play through my Dad's long long ago (a Realistic which was Radio Shack's brand - Technics was independent, seen then as a small cut below Pioneer/Marantz and the like). Sounded okay, I didn't blow the speakers. I'm getting old!

I have a Nikko in the basement. I have been meaning to take it out and get it redone. The knobs all crackle and need a dose of the de-oxit I have somewhere. I'd have to look at the model number, but I recall buying it in 1977. I got what I could afford at the time. I took it home and realized it was underpowered and took it back and swapped it for the biggest one I couldn't afford.

That amp treated me pretty well, which is why I didn't get rid of it.

I still have my original EPI speakers. Unfortunately, when the surrounds rotted, I replaced them with inferior ratshack replacements and didn't save the original baskets. If I only knew then what I know now. That is another project, to restore those to something like factory specs.

It took me a while to place the Lafayette name. Google helped. My dad had built a radio receiver kit that was a Lafayette, mono AM box. I am not sure where I lost that in my travels, I don't recall discarding it, but I am missing a couple of electronic amps from waaaay back when including a mono Heathkit tube amplifier I'd love to have today.

(Yeah, I am old too).

[AciDBatH666]

I'm only in here because I'm from Lafayette, LA and wondered what the hell was going on in here. LOL

[staindbass]

i collect those old amps. neat stuff ! fine for playing around the house. they sound as nice or nicer as anything modern. my oldest is a 1930's theatre amplifier, with 2a3 tubes. johnny a.