bolero Posted October 29, 2012 Posted October 29, 2012 this weekend I managed to acquire an amp I have been searching for for quite some time. They are pretty hard to come by; not only because of the rarity, but also because they sound so good ( apparently ) they were built by legendary amp designer Gar Gillies. inventor of the infamous Herzog, and the stupendous BTO 100w monster tube amp ( Big Time Operator ). he had always used his own unique designs, not copying Fender or Marshall. indeed he started building amps around the same time as the Guv'nor...approx 1963 ( well, the guys in the Marshall shop who did the actual R&D and design work ) eventually he relented & made a circuit similar to a plexi. but he added a central input that internally ties the 2 front channels together....the "mix" input. no need for a daisy chain cable!! pretty neat I'm hoping it sounds something akin to a 50w plexi this one was "dead", but my attitude is....if it's an old handmade tube amp, it will be robust & possible to fix.....worst case: blown trannies. Maestro, don't get all excited, I am talking electrical components here chassis pic: so I got it home, pulled it apart & inspected with my rudimentary knowledge....a bright light revealed no burn marks on anything, or obvious leaking caps. lets check the internals fuses...hmmm. smokey glass on one, not sure about the other but it looks broken. so definitely 1 or 2 blown internal fuses next I pulled the main fuse on the front of the amp...blown too!! it's pretty clear why the amp won't power up ...so the big question is: why did all these fuses blow?? I will be dropping it off with my amp tech this week, to give it a once over. I hope the transformers are ok, my gut feeling says power tube but I have my fingers crossed. oh, speaking of power tubes, I can just make out the remnants of lettering that said "Mullard 6CA7 made in great Britain" woot!!
bolero Posted October 29, 2012 Author Posted October 29, 2012 I think I found the culprit....there is a cracked resistor in where one of the PT leads hooks up to the rectifier diode area ( it's barely visible as it looks like a color band ) anyway I will drop it off & get a bill of health before I plug it in
DetroitBlues Posted October 29, 2012 Posted October 29, 2012 Nice! Let us know how it. Vintage stuff is awesome when given a clean bill of health.
212Mavguy Posted October 29, 2012 Posted October 29, 2012 You did far better than most members here on your NAD with that amp not even working! Gar Gillies was pretty cool. And this is a monster compared to the vast majority of Garnet amps out there. Good eye!
schundog Posted October 30, 2012 Posted October 30, 2012 I dig it, Chris! Hopefully your guy can troubleshoot it easily. On a much more important note, however, what are you going to name this deputy? Three names stick out to me as frontrunners. 1. Barney 2. Festus 3. Enos Please let us know your answer to this burning question....
bolero Posted October 30, 2012 Author Posted October 30, 2012 ha...well considering the shape it's in, maybe Rusty Dusty do need to clean it up a bit...vacuum out all the cobwebs & dead insects: there was a spider living in there at some point, who was quite well fed!! actually found his carcass in there too
koula901 Posted October 30, 2012 Posted October 30, 2012 How about: My Kickass Amp, because that's what it'll be when you're through with it! ; )
FredZepp Posted October 30, 2012 Posted October 30, 2012 Dang... that amp seems like it has a lot of potential. Good luck.. hopefully it's that resistor. It's been duly deputized for rockin' ... rock on.
PunkKitty Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 That's a great amp. Let us know how it sounds after you get it repaired.
JackBaruth Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 Now you can sell me that little amp we used in the studio!
bolero Posted October 31, 2012 Author Posted October 31, 2012 ha!! that is a keeper, but I will keep my eyes out for another, if you want it's a great little powerhouse, sleeper as well...
bolero Posted November 10, 2012 Author Posted November 10, 2012 update: picked it up from the tech last night, plugged it in for the first time today..holy hell this thing is LOUD!! I only had the volume on about 5 & it was "as crunchy as a lorry running over a hedgehog" as Doyle would say I stuck my trusty Roland R05 out in the other room...here's a clip. it is definitely right in the marshall territory. anything loose lying around was rattling like crazy http://bolero.comyr.com/misc/r05/deputy.mp3 running through an '80s JCM800 cab loaded with scumback M75's, gtr was the H157 loaded with Throbak's here it is atop it's cousin: the Marshall & the Deputy
DetroitBlues Posted November 11, 2012 Posted November 11, 2012 You sure can rock it out Chris! Looks great. That Marshall is cool too!
schundog Posted November 11, 2012 Posted November 11, 2012 You sure can rock it out Chris! Looks great. That Marshall is cool too! +1 on all points! Very cool, brother.
bolero Posted November 11, 2012 Author Posted November 11, 2012 thx I'll try to record something decent with it, I was just goofing around & couldn't really think of anything to play
bolero Posted November 13, 2012 Author Posted November 13, 2012 heh, maybe I'll haul it to PSI VI & we can demo it I still have great memories of cranking your plexi 50w!! it was far too short, however. something like that should be savoured & enjoyed like a fine wine, really....not rushed
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