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What was your first amp (old guys only)

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#481
lowfreek said:
Jeez, I remember when I turned 16 (1982) my dad wanted to buy me a new shotgun, but we already had a few of those in the house, so I told him I'd rather have a bass. A few days later, I had a new Peavey T-40, but alas, no amp. I ripped two 15" speakers out of a big old TV/stereo console (remember those?) and built a "215" out of plywood, and ran it through the aux channel of my stereo (impedence matching? what's that?). Good old American ingenuity... Shortly thereafter, I saved up enough money to buy a Peavey TKO-80 combo.

What fond memories.
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VERY ingenius! I applaud your tenacity. Great story. :p
 
#482
Remember those first Crate amps that actually looked like wooden crates? I had the 12" combo. I think the cab was pine and it was stained brown like a shipping crate. I think I got it in 1978. Got rid of it in the early 80's. I feel old now.
 
#485
My first amp was a tiny Marlboro combo with an 8" speaker and it was kind of crappy. Eventually I bought a neighbors Ampeg B-25 Head (I think thats the model, it looked like a smaller version of the SVT) My friends and I used old plywood from a construction site to build a speaker cabinet and I loaded it with two Radio Shack 15" speakers. That head sounded great but that cabinet made me sound like I was playing the tuba.
 
#487
Mine was actually a very old panasonic reel to reel tape recorder (for 5" reels) that my mother had, and which I set on record and pause so that it would monitor.... and I got an old 8 inch speaker cab and this was connected to the mono earphone output socket. I think it was 1 watt max. Used to use this to practice when starting out, and it was great for guitar too... turn up the input and distort the signal, great distortion sound.
 
#489
First one was a Harmony (don't remember the model #) that had a massive 15" speaker and I think "50 watts RMS" ;)

Then I wanted to be a Beatle and got the Vox Westminister with the 18" speaker cab that weighed a gazillion pounds but had that neat aluminum (pronounced 'al-you-mini-um') stand.

When I started playing in a REAL band (four nights a week!) got a Dual Showman with the 2-15" JBLs. Wish I still had that baby :bawl:
 
#492
It was a Fender Concert w/ 4-10"s bought new in '60. My cousin and I shared it, he played piano through it via a sound board contact mike and I played my first bass through it, a Danelectro double cutaway.

George
 
#493
Anders Östberg;716921 said:
ca 1985, a used Peavey something (TNT?) I think it was 120 or 150 Watts and had a 15" speaker. I remember it was heavy as h*ll, I had to lug it up and down a narrow spiral staircase every time at out first rehearsal place.
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Thats a Peavey TNT 130. I bought that amp in '83. I still have it in the back of my attic but it hasn't been used in about 12 years. :bassist:
 
#497
mine was a fender tremolux 40 watts, it was the first fender amp to
have a built in effect, tremolo , crimson and clover anyone!!!
damn i wish i had it it now$$$$$$ all the best steve.
 
#498
bought in 1978:
Music Man 130HD Reverb

It was a guitar amp but I had channel one modded into a bass amp.

I never knew what the tech did for me when he modded it.....I was only 16 years old and not asking questions. :D

But, I loved that amp.
 
#500
whoa .. takes me back ...

1. 1968. Tandy 25w tube stereo amp and Jensen 2 10" speakers. My Dad and I built this from a kit. Actually sounded ok, but obviously was not very giggable.

2. 1969. Baldwin 2x12 combo. far out man. metal construction, said 100w but was probably more like 50 or so. colored plastic push button "tone" selectors. Worked well enough to do VFW dances and high school dances.

3. 1971. Kustom (100w ?.. maybe 200, don't remember) head and 2x15 cab in blue sparkle vinyl. really rocked pretty hard for the day. Friend had another 2x15 extension for bigger gigs, or when I wanted to feel like Mel Schacher of Grand Funk.

4. 1973. Fender Bassman 70 with 2 JBL D-140 loaded folded horn cabs. That was the s**t as far as I was concerned. Best tone from the past that I can remember.

5. 1978. Acoustic 370 with the above JBL boxes.

and all of this was before 1980. geez, I need to go take a nap :cool:
 
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