Lets see all them Amplifiers!
- Thread starter byoungman1
- Start date
ooba tooba
Super Member
Yeah it's very nice. Got my heart set on that bassman though. Friend of a friend has one and it's got tone I could live with forever
Mystic
We're all born mad
I have a '59 GA-40 LP amp (the tweed-covered version). Wish I had a '59 example of "the guitar" @ which it was paired.
Mystic
We're all born mad
Well it wasn't to be, sadly. I was pretty excited to see all the toobs, original Jenson speaker and mahogany foot switch...1000 price tag
Just couldn't swing it. Guy said he had received a dozen calls about the amp, and emails from 500 miles west asking for a buy it now price so he did some homework on it. I really have my sights set on a bassman 6g6b blond bassman piggyback so...
But I would have loved to record something with that original sounding tremolo.
USD $1G for the GA-40? Was it in that fine of condition or is that where 55-59 GA-40s are priced @ 2016?
ooba tooba
Super Member
Well from my research, this was the first Les Paul g40 52-55 or 6 before the circuit was upgraded (in most folks opinions). Only about 3200 of them made. Usually the plastic "LP" is broken, or completely missing, tolex ripped up pretty good or recovered completely... This example had the original Jensen, mahogany foot switch, instructions, and the rare dust cover. I went back Sunday to see if it was there still (half price day) with 5 bills to plunk down, but was told a lady from 3 states over called at the very end of Saturday and bought it for 750 for her husband. What a gal.
Mystic
We're all born mad
Nice array, and a couple of Gretsch geetars. I don't recall seein' too many of those "shared" @ this thread. I used to own a mid '50s Duo-Jet. Loved the sound I got from the PUPs (flitertrons) on that one.
Funky54
Super Member
Left to right
67 BFSR, 62 Country, 60-61 Double Anny, 65 AC30 TB ST, 54 Paul Custom (I know, pic ups and harness are from a 61 LP / SG) 49 Triumph Regent Prototype
Mystic
We're all born mad
You may have turned your '54 into a '56 or later LPC, but PUPs from a '61 LP/SG are very desirable.
Funky54
Super Member
I purchased already altered. It's a refin too. I gigged with it a lot and have had it over 25 years.
It gets worse... The previous owner tapped the neck pickup and used a push/pull and I don't have the one original pot either.
Mystic
We're all born mad
Hey man, you have a cool geetar that you can play out and not confine to the case, another 'vintage" trailer queen. Good show. I'll bet it sounds great.
Funky54
Super Member
I purchased already altered. It's a refin too. I gigged with it a lot and have had it over 25 years.
Ive tried replacing it and just can't. I love the feel of the neck shape and more importantly the sound of the guitar. The draw back is some of the early 54 not only had a slightly thicker body but the neck set angle is just a tine bit less than what they truly ended up with. So there is this slight fatigue due to it being so straight. Not like a 52 or anything but enough to notice after a while. I've had really good vintage guys tell me that's impossible but I've had a few say they have seen it too.
Mystic
We're all born mad
I've also seen/experienced (felt, really) that "less-angled" neckset on a number of '53-'55 Lesters. In fact, I sorta preferred the "less-angled" sets as one of the reasons, try as I might to find and stick w/ a "standard" or "custom" model LP, I returned to LP Specials and SGs is the "no angle" neck set. The "more correct" the neckset angle of a LP, the more I had the sensation of playing "two geetars": the body of one, the neck of another. Things just didn't fit right for me. But I still loved the sound and the weight and the mojo of those mid (and late) '50s LP standards & customs. My brother had a sweet & all-original '54 Custom that sounded so damned good through my HIWATT rigs, but it was such a chore to play that thing and be comfortable whilst doing so. I'd invariably return to one of the SG Cpecials, a LP Jr, or a LP Special, so that I could maintain the P90 vibe but do so w/ comfort and confidence.
Funky54
Super Member
Three sets with a 9 lb guitar is manly. Being tall weight hanging on a two back surgery spine becomes brutal. I really wanted to like a new lighter one.. I'm sure I would if I kept looking but I'm picky. An SG is tempting. I don't drag the AC30 or Super that's now sold out. I switched to a Marshall 18 watt clone and a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue. Gotta play stereo. Can't get rid of that AC30. Just too awesome.
Mystic
We're all born mad
Three sets with a 9 lb guitar is manly. Being tall weight hanging on a two back surgery spine becomes brutal. I really wanted to like a new lighter one.. I'm sure I would if I kept looking but I'm picky. An SG is tempting. I don't drag the AC30 or Super that's now sold out. I switched to a Marshall 18 watt clone and a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue. Gotta play stereo. Can't get rid of that AC30. Just too awesome.
SG is the way to go if you wanna stand, else you can always 'Go Fripp' and sit during your performances. Heck, he's been sittin' @ stools on stage since he was in his 20s.
Hey, how do you like the sound/effect of the "Dirty Little Secret" box?
Funky54
Super Member
LOVE IT! It's not great with every combo or mix of gear... Very few are. But with the Vox or Deluxe Reverb and a him bucket it's Thin Lizzy to ACDC. I'm not a fan with it with 10" speakers or single coils. The Butah is amazing with any amp and z him bucket. Great rhythm crunch. I scroll through a looper between either Butah or either Fuzz or my Queen in a box pedal. The itch is also fantastic for driving Phase, flange, Leslie sim or delay. The other pedals are too much.
I was a big nerd when I bought pedals. I had a $2500 kitty and I just bought used and tried them side by side for weeks until I settled on what you see.
valvenator
curious bystander, serious procrastinator
All this talk about LP Jr"s and Specials got me thinking how much I liked the no frills look of those guitars vs the LP's with the fancy binding and such.
Got me looking on the web and found the well reviewed Epiphone LP Special II on sale just about everywhere for a measly $129.
I haven't stepped into a music store in ages. Maybe now's a good time.
marqueemoon
Gimme indie rock!
That Vox is awesome. Love the baby Marshall clone too. 18 watt Marshall and a Deluxe sounds like a pretty ideal two amp setup. I tried the stereo thing for a while with two Thomas Organ-era Vox Cambridges but ultimately decided I didn't care that much and traded away the one I liked less.
I had a 90's reissue LP Special for a while and it was a total turd. It had those dumb P100 pickups, crappy modern tuners, and a finish an inch thick. A real LP Junior or Special is a magical thing, but that wasn't it.
My LP is a 1984 Studio Custom like this one. I highly recommend it if you can find one. No maple top, so it's kind of in the middle ground sonically and weight-wise between a regular Paul and an SG. Not quite as cheap looking as a regular Studio :/
I had a 90's reissue LP Special for a while and it was a total turd. It had those dumb P100 pickups, crappy modern tuners, and a finish an inch thick. A real LP Junior or Special is a magical thing, but that wasn't it.
My LP is a 1984 Studio Custom like this one. I highly recommend it if you can find one. No maple top, so it's kind of in the middle ground sonically and weight-wise between a regular Paul and an SG. Not quite as cheap looking as a regular Studio :/
Mystic
We're all born mad
I love 'em, esp. the Jr model, though I prefer the single cutaway version and, for some reason, always had best luck re: sound and weight and feel w/ examples produced in '56.
ooba tooba
Super Member
Hand wired beauty out of Nashville. Time to save some pennies. Was considering an old Bassman, then became intrigued with Vox...