"Sound" Amplifiers?

[boobtube21]

Anybody ever heard of these? There's one for sale locally, and I can't help but be intrigued by the 15" speaker, chic vintage looks, and the prospect of owning something that virtually no one else probably has. I'm hoping this could be the end of my quest for a good pedal steel amp, as I'm ready to settle for a SS Peavey (the staple steel amp), but if there's a cool looking vintage tube amp available that sounds good, why not, you know?

Thing is, I need high wattage, and I have no idea what the wattage of this thing is. No one I've talked to at the store knows anything about it. I did a Google search and didn't find much, other than a post by a guy at the TDPRI who couldn't find any info on them either. Here's a pic:



The model is an "X305R". Does anyone know what amp I'm talking about? How is the sound/construction in your opinion? Is it a rare and valuable gem? Or should I run far away?

Thanks in advance.

[Kap'n]

Never heard of it.

However, if you can get a picture of the back side, and let us know the tubes, I'm sure we could come up with an estimate of how much power it should put out.

[boobtube21]

Apparently they were made in NY by a couple of guys that left Ampeg in the 60's, but they didn't last long. That's all I know about them.

I'll take a look tonight, and try to snap a pic of the back while I'm there. Thanks Kap.

[boobtube21]

A guy selling one on Ampage last year lists the tubes as:

(2)7c68 (6)12ax7

I've never heard of a 7c68. Is this perhaps a similar setup to the old Ampegs?

[Kap'n]

There's a 7868.

It's a power tube with a nine-pin socket, like a preamp tube.

Expect around 20-25W for a pair.

[NeoFauve]

It bears some resemblance to the mid/late 60's Univox and Lafayette amps.

[stratcat55]

It bears some resemblance to the mid/late 60's Univox and Lafayette amps.

Sure does. I remember Lafayette Radio Electronics. A a young kid around 10 years old, I always had my eye on some green guitar thay sold in the catalog that had a lot of switches and pickups on it. I don't know if Teisco made them or not.

[NeoFauve]

It might prove to be a very interesting amp, but $599 is pretty high for something so obscure.
GC asking prices on "vintage" amps is always high.
For something odd like that there may be a fair bit of haggling room.

I got them to knock around $100 off the price on the Univox amp in this phtot.
I like interesting, oddball stuff, and I fell for its sweet tremolo. The funky vertical reverb is pretty cool too, and it did come with a nice old Jensen 15".

The size of the cabinet makes me curious about the origin of that amp. Not $599 curious , but if it's near you, it'd be cool to check out.

[stratcat55]

NeoFauve, Very cool. I like the Dano too. I have a 57 U1 that a friend of mine found in the trash years ago and gave to me. It's pretty Mojo'd. He didn't know it was a 57 I don't think he'd care. I did a lot of research on it and all the numbers add up. The only thing it's missing is the cover on the back. Very fun guitars.

[NeoFauve]

The reason the bridge is off of the Dano is, I'm making a brass saddle for it. Just tinkering, trying to brighten it up some.
But somebody swiped the hunk of brass that was lingering on the workbench.
I may just eventually upgrade the bridge p'up too. It's noticeably weaker than the neck p'up, which I love. The combined sound kicks booty.

A really fun instrument.

[boobtube21]

Well, I passed on the Sound Amp. I think you're right Kap'n, it did feel close to 40-50 watts. It started breaking up at about the same volume my HRDx did. No bueno for the steel.

I lugged the pedal steel into GC, cardboard shipping box and all, and they set me up in the acoustic room with it. It sounded pretty cool, and was loaded with old RCA tubes, but I think they may have been on their way out. A steel will "find" a bad tube if you play way up high and start pushing pedals. With one note going up and down a whole or half step, and the other note staying where it is, it makes a sound very similar to Stratitis.

It does look a look like your Univox, Neo. The current price tag was only $300, though. That's another thing that drew me to it, I'm a cheap bastard. I figured with the 20% off card this Friday, it would have only been $240, not bad for a vintage tube amp with a 15". In the end though, if that 'stratitis' noise is a problem deeper than a bad tube, I don't know where I could get a schematic for it, the local amp tech probably wouldn't know what to do with it, and should I decide to sell it, I'd most lkely have a problem unloading it. If anyone else is interested in a unique vintage tube amp for $240, it's at GC in Fountain Valley.

I did try out a REALLY beat up SF Twin though, and it sounding freakin' amazing so I bought it. $500 OTD. Now the SF Vibro Champ I bought the other night is probably going to have to go back on Ebay, as the wife is starting to ask questions like, "So, you sold one amp, and bought two??"

BTW I sold the HRDx too the other night, for $350

Some Brazilian guy and his girlfriend came and picked it up. He didn't even want to try it out, he just took one look at it and started digging in his pockets for the cash. His girlfriend told me that in Brazil the HRDx is very expensive, and it is THE amp to have. That might have just been some bullshit he fed her though so she would let him get it.

[stratcat55]

boobtube21
You can't beat a Twin for pedal steel. Super clean tones, ear splitting volume when you need it. Congrats.

[boobtube21]

Thanks stratcat, I'm pretty stoked on it.

The pull boost/master volume thing doesn't sound all that hot, but I still prefer its cut over the dark mush of the HRDx.

The Twin's cleans are definitely unbeatable though.

[stratcat55]

Mine had the pull boost. I only used it once. You really don't need it anyway. Have fun.