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NAD - 1971 Sears 60 BXL Combo

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by Oren Hudson, Nov 5, 2017.

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  1. Nov 5, 2017 #1
    Oren Hudson

    Oren Hudson

    Dec 25, 2007
    Gastonia, NC
    I've finally finished this combo after working on and mostly off for a year and a half. It has 60 watts with 1x15. The original speaker is a Quam Nichols (I'd never heard of prior to this) that I had rebuilt and had the amp gone through too. For unknown reasons, the rear panel was not made to cover the entire back opening. After doing a little experimenting, I discovered that it sounded much better with a completely closed back, so I made a panel to close up the back and added some insulation. Sounds decent for what it is, particularly with an active bass. It was in good physical shape and turned out nice with a good cleaning and rehab.
    IMG_1521.JPG IMG_1520.JPG IMG_1524.JPG IMG_1525.JPG IMG_1526.JPG IMG_1531.JPG IMG_1528.JPG
     
    GreaserMatt, blacktocomm, OldFenderPlayer and 7 others like this.
  2. Nov 5, 2017 #2
    zon6c-f

    zon6c-f

    Jun 9, 2007
    Metro Atlanta, Ga.
    Must show pics!

    I recall in my adolescence;growing up on wrong side of the tracks in mid 60s that amps affordable to us were Sears Silvertone, Fender And Kustom

    Sounds like a great find Oren and you brought it back to life!
     
  3. Nov 5, 2017 #3
    donahue

    donahue Supporting Member

    Jun 10, 2015
    Oregon
    Nice!! I have a '69 Sears 60XL guitar version with reverb and tremolo. It has 4 EL84 and 3 12ax7. It looks almost identical to yours but it has a single 12. The reverb and trem are pretty meh but the amp sounds good on guitar. Never tried it on bass.
     
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  4. Nov 5, 2017 #4
    zon6c-f

    zon6c-f

    Jun 9, 2007
    Metro Atlanta, Ga.
    I see pix now

    Nice!
     
  5. Nov 5, 2017 #5
    Ampslut

    Ampslut

    May 15, 2017
    Barrackville WV
    Sweet :)
     
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  6. Nov 5, 2017 #6
    Oren Hudson

    Oren Hudson

    Dec 25, 2007
    Gastonia, NC
    The mid 60s Silvertone's had some good non-Fender reverb. My cousin still has his with 6x10 Jensens. I still love the reverb on that one.

    Love to see pics of yours.
     
  7. Nov 5, 2017 #7
    Oren Hudson

    Oren Hudson

    Dec 25, 2007
    Gastonia, NC
    Thanks Ga. dude. Won't knock down the walls like some other gear, but it sounds decent for what it is, and you how I love doing rehabs. Glad you saw the pics.
     
  8. Nov 5, 2017 #8
    jastacey

    jastacey

    Feb 8, 2009
    Houston,Tx
    Had one of those, first amp for me
     
  9. Nov 5, 2017 #9
    Oren Hudson

    Oren Hudson

    Dec 25, 2007
    Gastonia, NC
    Cool. :thumbsup:
     
  10. Nov 5, 2017 #10
    laughing house

    laughing house

    Apr 13, 2011
    Martin, Georgia
    View attachment 2804769 At one time in my life, I loved these amps. I first fell in love with the Sears 200 BXL when a kid at school got one. When I heard it, my young mind was blown. An amplifier from Sears wasn't supposed to sound that good. It had two 15" speakers and two 12" speakers and it was 100 watts RMS. Latter I discovered the Sears 60 BXL which was 30 watts into a single 15" speaker. I found that the chassis of a 200 BXL would slide into the cabinet of the 60 BXL and become a really impressive combo amp. I then started building a monolith of these amps. I was really on to something. Using these amps and a Univox Super Fuzz I created a unique sound, but it was not to be. These amps are very fragile. They can't handle the rigours of the road. They started going down pretty quickly and in two years time I got over it and moved on. Your amp looks really nice. Contact me if you need any parts.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Nov 6, 2017
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  11. Nov 6, 2017 #11
    Oren Hudson

    Oren Hudson

    Dec 25, 2007
    Gastonia, NC
    Great story and innovative ideas. Thanks for the parts offer!
     
  12. Nov 8, 2017 #12
    donahue

    donahue Supporting Member

    Jun 10, 2015
    Oregon
    Here are some pics. I didn't want to lame out and not post any pics. The amp has been out of rotation so I had it buried in a closet. And I was mistaken about a couple things. It is a 40xl with 2 EL84s. I have the original preamp tubes pulled out and bubble wrapped. They are old made in Holland ones and sound amazing.

    laughing house, do you happen to have one knob like the ones on there? Not to hi jack, but worth a shot.

    20171108_182418.jpg 20171108_182435.jpg 20171108_182455.jpg
     
  13. Nov 8, 2017 #13
    Oren Hudson

    Oren Hudson

    Dec 25, 2007
    Gastonia, NC
    Looks like you have a nice "stack." ;)
     
  14. Jun 22, 2020 #14
    SpencerKil

    SpencerKil

    Jun 22, 2020
    Hi Oren, did you ever come across a schematic for this amp?
     
  15. Jun 22, 2020 #15
    solodb

    solodb

    Jun 3, 2011
    British Columbia
    IIRC , one of the early Sears BXL amps ( possibly the 200 ? ) was designed by David Nordschow ? Can anyone confirm ?
     
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  16. Jun 22, 2020 #16
    Oren Hudson

    Oren Hudson

    Dec 25, 2007
    Gastonia, NC
    Hello SpencerKil - I never did find them, but my repair guy ended up not needing.
     
  17. Jun 22, 2020 #17
    Oren Hudson

    Oren Hudson

    Dec 25, 2007
    Gastonia, NC
    Never did. My repair guy ended up not needing to get it going. I'd still like to have some for possible future issues.
     
  18. Aug 7, 2021 #18
    DennisM

    DennisM

    Dec 28, 2018
    Had a 200 bxl amp for years. I loved it. Blew a few speakers,but was a great amp
     
    laughing house likes this.