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Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Mine was a two-tone Gibson Les Paul GA-40 with his initials built into the speaker grill. I played a small scale ES-125 with it, and had absolutely no idea who Les Paul was. The year was about 1959 or 1960, and the guitar was mid-50's, so I presume the amp was of the same vintage. The amp and guitat were loaned to me by a truck-driving country music loving neighbor who I saw only about once every two or three months. I kept it about 10 years and finally gave it back to him when I moved out on my own.
I remember this amp had a powerful tremolo, but no reverb, and since I was really into surf music, I very much longed for a reverb amp like the Fender models that my friends had. On a very memorable occasion, I lugged this amp about a mile to my girl friend’s house, then played Tommy James’ Hanky Panky as loud as I could from the living room while my girlfriend ate dinner with her Mom and Dad. Bad decision. She came out after awhile and asked if I could turn down the amp and maybe play something else. |
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December 2001
Posts: 7233
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I didn't know much about what an electric guitar amp was or how to use one so I had a few experiments. Started with a re purposed Lafayette PA amp then a Tiesco from Sears. First "real" amp i bought was a Crate I around 1978. It wasn't until I was stationed in Hawaii and picked up my first Roland Bolt 60 (around '81) that I started to realize how important the amp was. |
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January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | Funny. When I read the thread title, I thought "there's no way I'm gonna remember the brand name of my first amp." Then Miles posted "Lafayette", and that was it. I think I got it at a combo home improvement/ electronics store. |
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December 2009
Posts: 686
Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Mine was a Baldwin that I used as a bass amp. I remember it being very heavy and didn't look near as cool as the rhythm player's Kustom amp, but I was quite proud of it at the time. |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Kustom III Lead with matching 4x10 cab |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | 64 fender black face princeton reverb
that was the only way they came back then.
still got it |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Sweet Amp Al!
Mine was a Kalamazoo II. |
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November 2008
Posts: 400
Location: Northwest Arkansas | Fender Princeton Reverb. Man I miss that amp. I had a '63 Fender 4-10 Concert. I miss it too. A L-9 Lab Series (Great compressor). |
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November 2005
Posts: 4832
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | First one I 'remember' was the Vox Essex 'Beatle Bass' amp.
I don't think there was one before that. The first electric was
a Japanese guitar with endless mojo switches, a 4' speaker built in to the body, and ran on 8 AA batteries. (though we called them 'penlight' batteries back then.) So who needed and amp? :-) |
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December 2006
Posts: 6995
Location: Jet City | It was the coolest little practice amp ever. It was rechargable or ran on AC power and was called "The Mouse"
[img:left]http://www.bazaar-world.com/uploads/amp/34/120139627062-1.jpg">
Wish I still had one.
My first full blown amp was a Peavey Renown Solo Series. I had it for more than 25 years and just sold it off about 2 years ago. I think it's still the loudest amp I've ever owned.
[img:left]http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g70/freakingsmurf/1a.jpg"> |
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August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Fender Vibrolux Reverb. I still wish I had that one. |
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April 2010
Posts: 1227
Location: Connersville, Indiana | 70's Crate, back when they had the wood trim around the corners of the Amp, Still playing Crates GFX 2/12
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October 2008
Posts: 639
Location: NW of Philadelphia | My first was... get this...
~1971 Alamo Dart. |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | alpep wrote:
64 fender black face princeton reverb
that was the only way they came back then.
This is the amp several of my friends had, and the one I wanted. |
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November 2008
Posts: 400
Location: Northwest Arkansas | Several studio players in LA and NY use Princeton reverbs. Those amps rock. I may buy another. |
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November 2011
Posts: 741
Location: Fort Worth, TX | For Christmas in 1964 I wanted a movie screen and projector for 8mm movies - I had plans on being a filmmaker. The long flat box under the tree I was convinced was my screen, and the squarish box had to be the projector. I was so excited my dad decided I could open them on Christmas eve. I was shocked to find in my screen box a new Gibson Melody Maker electric guitar and in the other box a small Gibson practice amp. This was all my dad's idea - I had never considered being a guitar picker - but my world then was all about the Beatles. Very soon I had a pair of Beatles boots and was always in trouble at school because my hair came down to the top of my collar. Best Christmas ever - changed my life from that point on. |
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January 2009
Posts: 1249
Location: Texas | Silvertone, from Sears. Probably 1970. We were poor...but I was in high cotton after that. I rocked the basement and looking back it probably had no more than 5 watts...my mom was certain I would go deaf.
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | jay wrote:
I rocked the basement and...my mom was certain I would go deaf.
So did mine, and I pretty much did. |
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January 2009
Posts: 1249
Location: Texas | Huh? |
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January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | I pretty much have always played acoustic. I can hear a gnat crawling on the wall. |
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February 2012
Posts: 58
Location: Triangle area, NC | Man, Had to think about this. 19yrs old in my dormatory rocking a Kramer of some kind out of a 50watt Gorilla I found in the dining hall collecting dust. Thought I was Sambora! Man, how things change!!
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October 2008
Posts: 639
Location: NW of Philadelphia | jay wrote:
Silvertone, from Sears. Probably 1970.
That was my second amp. Found it at a yard sale. Still kicking myself for tossing it when the tubes went. replacing them was expensive back then. Now... not so much. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | Damon67 wrote:
It was the coolest little practice amp ever. It was rechargable or ran on AC power and was called "The Mouse"
[img:left]http://www.bazaar-world.com/uploads/amp/34/120139627062-1.jpg">
Wish I still had one.
My first full blown amp was a Peavey Renown Solo Series. I had it for more than 25 years and just sold it off about 2 years ago. I think it's still the loudest amp I've ever owned.
[img:left]http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g70/freakingsmurf/1a.jpg">
if you really want a mouse I think I may still have one around here somewhere |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | CrimsonLake wrote:
Fender Vibrolux Reverb. I still wish I had that one.
twin 10's great amp
I still have mine |
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September 2011
Posts: 260
Location: Spain | I've enjoyed reading this thread, some of you blokes bought amps before I was even born, never mind before I started playing guitar!!
I've never had an amp. |
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May 2003
Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | Mine was an Ampeg VT22 combo. Must have been around 1975. It was huge, as I recall it had two 12" speakers and 4 big power tubes. I also recall it weighed about 4000 pounds. My back still aches thinking about toting that thing up and down all those basement stairs. In my neck of the woods we always seemed to practice in someone's basement.
I think the VT22 may have been better suited as a base amp.
I am told now that this thing was a great amp but at the time I was too inexperienced to know what to do with the darn thing, and somewhere along the line I sold it. |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | yamaha jx30 purchased at sam ash in or about 1980 ... it still works! (though I occasioanlly have to give it a knock to get the reverb to work)
http://api.ning.com/files/AEA0GAGnm-XFH5RVHn5ieD9xFyDSD22xSfvx77p4L... |
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December 2005
Posts: 247
Location: Seacoast NH | A Gallien Krueger 250ml I got off an older cousin when I was about 10. Used it for years. Guys would laugh when I showed up at jams with an amp slightly larger than a loaf of bread. Their jaws would drop when I fired it up though...and when I added an old Peavey cab it was just a massive sound. Sold it in my late teens so I could move to Colorado with my girlfriend -- wish I never had, don't see too many of these around anymore.
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December 2004
Posts: 1673
Location: SoCal | I couldn't afford an amp back in high school. I was very lucky to have a musician neighbor who would let me use either his Bassman-15 or 4x10. I did not appreciate them for what they were. I was a kid and wanted a new amp that was unreachable (not an amp that he always described as being older than me). I took care of them when in my possession. Around graduation time, he passed away. His family said just keep the amps if I wanted. The only thing I could think about at that time was graduating and spending time out West mountain climbing. They got boxed-up and stored at my brother's printshop.
I think the first amp that I actually purchased was a Gallien Krueger 206MLE... bought it new just for practice at home, but realized it had more to offer. Stereo, effects loop, built-in compressor, chorus, reverb, aux. stereo in, stereo balanced/unbalanced outs, foot control for all major functions, left/right speaker outs and internal speaker on/off, 2x60watts. On electric guitar, it is the solid-state sound from its Day. Works great for rhythm. It also does acoustic very well. GK also made the smallest 4x12 Celestion-loaded wood cab. I'd leave the 4x12 cab where we practiced or lugged it to jams, but always went home with the 206MLE (my lunchbox). I still have the rig. The 4x12 is in a closet right now, but the 206MLE sits right on my bench where it is the first thing a guitar gets plugged into when it arrives. I am just getting into the vast world of pedals, and the 206MLE is right there helping me learn. I don't think I have any photos, so here's something from the net.
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December 2005
Posts: 247
Location: Seacoast NH | Now that's a nice GK! Yup, guess I have to add one to my growing wish list... |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | When I bought a Univox for $35, I didn't know that the Fender Twin for $65 was the best part of the deal. I think it was a twin, but I didn't play guitar, so I passed on the deal and played the Univox through the auxiliary jack of my Sansui receiver through speakers I got from our old Firestone TV and some matching radio. Red velvet covers on them.
That served the purpose, which was primarily to turn up against the wall and make awful noises to drown out the guy in the dorm room next door when he'd sing along with Helen Reddy to "I Am Woman". I liked to roar on cue.
30 years later I got a little bass practice amp to use with an acoustic. Never used it so I gave it to my brother. |
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February 2008
Posts: 747
| Mine was a used Supro and it had a 12 inch speaker - I traded a shotgun for it. |
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December 2009
Posts: 686
Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Joe Rotax wrote:
Mine was a used Supro and it had a 12 inch speaker - I traded a shotgun for it.
The shotgun didn't give you the sound you wanted? |
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April 2010
Posts: 823
Location: sitting at my computer | Shotguns don't have much volume control... and they tend to thin out the audience.
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February 2008
Posts: 747
| Single shot 12 gauge - big sound but limited creativity with having to reload all the time...lol |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Mine was a quarter inch jack mounted in the side of a wooden tabletop B&W Zenith TV & wired into the TV's amp circuit. That was about 1957. |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Mine was an Ampeg reel-to-reel with a blown motor. Circa 1968. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Correction: Waskel just reminded me that I had a Sony reel-to-reel circa 1965 that I used before I got the Sansui. Just sold the Sony last year. |
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Can you remember your first amp?