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First Bass Amp you ever had?

#62
My first amp was a no name bass amp purchased from "Two Guys from Harrison" department store here in NJ, circa 1966. Purchased with money I had made mowing lawns, washing cars, paper route etc. I think it was supposed to be 50 watts, but no mention of RMS, peak, THD etc. Not that I knew what any of that meant. Anyway, I blew the speaker in 3 of them trying to play with one guitarist and a drumer who had only a snare and a high hat. This was playing in the guitarist's basemant while his parents were home, i.e. not loud at all. I kept returning it until finally the salesman admitted to my father that every single last one of them that they had sold had been returned for the same thing. He gave me my money back.

Saved up some more and bought an Ampeg SB12 in 1967. Nice little amp whih I still have and occasionaly use at home.

Cheers,
Dennis
 
#64
One of these:

3483463451_f1ca3e242f_o.jpg


driving an old PA speaker pulled from a skip.

The original head is long gone - it got used as an emergency replacement for the blown left channel of a PA at a venue* I was DJing, then I got so "distracted" at the end of the night I forgot to take it back with me.

I found one going on eBay a little bit back and had to grab it for nostalgia's sake. It still has the awesome green EL backlight.

* The Swinging Sporran pub in Manchester, on Sackville St, if it's even there any more.
 
#65
R-o-D- said:
Dad's circa 1975 altec-lansing home stereo (15 /w horn) paired with an old SS home theatre amp!
Click to expand...

Your post made me realize that the first thing I had available to amplify my bass wasn't my Peavey Mark IV head but this:

Hammond125200.jpg


Dad bought it brand-new in 1979. It has one 12" speaker plus one 8" for rotating Leslie baffle. Rated 12 Watts. I've just scanned the picture from the original manual. It isn't mentioned, but along with the headphone output there's an auxiliary input that I used to plug my Peavey T-40. I still have that organ (mom used to have it at home but sent it to me when she moved to a smaller place), but unfortunately not all of its features are working thanks to house mice. I remember finding chicken bones inside when the technician removed the back cover to find why some features stopped working. It was never fixed because of the high costs involved.
 
#68
My first amp was a combo from Sears in the early 60's. Sold as Silvertone I beleive. It was tube and had a single 15" speaker if I remember correctly. Heavy little sucker.

A year later or two later I bought a Traynor Bass Master tube head and 2x15 cabinet.

In the mid 70's I bought a 1964 Ampeg B15NC which I still have. I only used it once for gigging and found it wasn't big enough to stand alone and not many PA systems were big enough to handle bass at that time. About the same time I bought a Fender Bassman Head and used it with a homemade 1x15 speaker cab with a massive 15" speaker (HH Electronics) in it. Used that in the late 70's early 80's.
 
#69
pnut166 said:
Still have it? I`ll give you $100 for it ! My first amp was a RMS brand 45W w/ 1x8. Bought new around `95 for $99. Still have it.
Click to expand...

My B12 (only 50w) wasn't loud enough for the clubs we were playing so in 1966 I traded it in (plus cash) for a slightly used 1965 Fender Bassman (100w head, 2x12 cab). At the end of 1966 I got drafted so I sold the Bassman :crying: (I was convinced I was gonna get killed in Viet Nam).

Now, I wish I had kept both amps. I wouldn't sell them. I'd keep them as collector's items.
 
#70
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.;9133221 said:
...not all of its features are working thanks to house mice. I remember finding chicken bones inside when the technician removed the back cover
Click to expand...

coffeescreen.gif


My mind is working on a cartoon image of a bunch of Stuart Little rodents burping in front of a bucket of KFC, while you're playin' your T-40...
 
#74
This was actually my guitarist's rig but I dragged it around and played it like it was mine. All tube, great sound. The speakers all tilted in - one at the top of the cab, one on the bottom and other two on each side. Sound guys not using a DI seemed to think it was an interesting set up. The cab was big and I wanted something more portable (45lb ampeg head and cab?). The thing souned great but the only way I could cut through the lead and rhythym guitar was with volume, then it got boomy. Maybe that was the point. My buddy sold it on conignment and I wonder where it is today.
 

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