Ok before your tell me "this is the FENDER forum", I want to tell you I do own other fender products and don't wish to join another forum just to ask one question. I got a G50-112 off ebay for $100 total. Problem is the pots are really scratchy and have a mind of their own when it comes to volume level. How hard is it to fix this and is there anything i should watch out for in this very early 80's amp?
Hi,
I'm familiar with amps other then Fenders, but not this one.
It might be the pots need to be cleaned
It might mean they need to be replaced.
One of those could be a five minute job.
The other could be a several hour job.
The amp could also have bad tubes, if, in fact it has tubes.
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
Hello Jonnda,
This area is for all amplifier discussion, not just Fenders. I doubt anyone here will give you grief about the amp being a Yamaha.
Like the Kap'n says, that's pots are either dirty or bad. That's a solid state smp, so there are no tubes to worry about.
yeah this Fifty112 has no tubes and smells like it was kept in a smokey bar for five years, then in a garage of a smoker for another five. I cleaned the pots and so far they are "repaired". if the fix will last i do not know, now I just need to figure out how to get it a good jazz tone out of it along with that genuine vintage smell, or will that reduce the value? heh heh.
I want to do what i dig, but the Kimberly (teisco) guitar tone isn't exactly what my jazz band teacher digs, so i think i need a cheap hollow body like a Douglas SH-90NA to do what he digs and then do what i dig when i record a demo, dig?
Given that description, you may need to go back and clean them again, but they shouldn't be worn out. Good deal!Originally Posted by Jonnda
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
Really, those things excel at the solid state jazz tone, in fact they're very much like a Polytone.
Jonnda,
If your looking for a cheap archtop, consider the Ibanez artcore, AF-75 I think is the model.
Well here is the thing,
the Af75 costs 317.49 at musiciansfriend.com not a bad price i agree and i have heard good things about the artcore serise and i certainly would pick it over a Dot any day. However my current income is $0 not counting the $20 i got for watching my guitar teachers cats while he went to play in the MennoFolk music festival. I might get a job next semester, but even so it would be a small paycheck. I don't want to ask my parents to pay for more gear (they got me the $100 amp), so i was looking at http://www.rondomusic.net/sh90na.html
which saves me $100 or so and thus it would be easyer to save up for. Both guiatrs got good (and similer) reviews on harmonycentral.com
Is the ibanez worth the extra cash?
WHat i ment by trying to get a good jazz sound out of it was that the amp can be really bright if you have the bright knob past two. the knobs certanly do as labeled! The other part is I am playing my Kimberly which has two single coil "gold foil" pups. Very warm compaired to a strat (my other guitar is a modified all black bullet) but the conductor still said it was a bit twangy for him. any eq suggestions? i have no clue what jazz cats generally do with their E.Q. lots of mids? I got four amp tone knobs to play with!
Hi Jonnda,
The guitar you show looks like a Gibson 335 copy, which is semi-hollow. I've got an Ibanez AS-73 essentially the same which I got for about $220. Though not quite as "jazzy" as a full hollowbody it gets a good jazz sound with the neck p'up and slightly roll off the tone control (I roll back the volume too so I'm not slamming the amps front end so much). I'm impressed how good some of the lesser expensive guitars are these days, not really a match for my Gibsons, but you cant beat the bang for buck. With your current setup try backing the tone off more on the guitar, leave the bright off on the amp. I played in a college stage band with the same exact amp you have now (but with an archtop) it's been too many years to recall how it was setup but it is a good amp for jazz tones. Keep experimenting!
The stuff from Rondo can be pretty good. The Agile brand is their "flagship" line. The Douglas and SX are the low end stuff, and might require some tweakage. The thing is you can't try 'em (any Rondo stuff) out w/o ordering one.
Things to consider.
Unless you really want larger jazzbox body style, there are smaller thinline Artcores also.
All really good players that won't be too twangy for your teacher, and I think they're priced below the AF75.
The AM 73 is a little smaller than the 335 body style. Sweet.
http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/guitar.asp?model=AM73
http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/guitar.asp?model=AXD82P
The FWD60 is about the least expensive Artcore. Flat top semihollow in kind of a Stratish shape.
http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/guitar.asp?model=FWD60
At this pricepoint $100 -/+ can make a big difference in hassles.
I've seen pretty good deals on some used ones here in CT, putting them in the Douglas range.
You've made it this long w/the Kimberly, why go hastey for something you can't try first?
FTR- No afffiliation with Ibanez.
"Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello
About Kims tone knob, it doesn't do a thing until you hit 1.5 and then it is too senitive, it sweeps through its range so quick it is hard to use. i think i need diferent pot there.
Dang you NeoFauve, now i have a crush on that AXD82P. the am 73 is cheeper though and not bad lookin ether. plus i remember now that when i tried a dot, i thought it was a bit big for what i am used to. as for the FWD60, i think it is a little too funky for me.
Yeah the jazz band guy has tolerated Kim alot more then my bullet (on which i added a tbh 60 to the neck, changed out the awful bridge with it's buzzy saddels, and a tone for the stock bridge PU). he sat me down one day and gave me a talk about it. "see it is really more of a strat sound, which can be nice for some things but uhh do you have a tone knob on that guitar?..."
till then
I am still trieng to eq a more jazz sound on the yamaha fifty112.
anyone want to give me their art core for x-mas?
I don't know any place that sells art core guitars in the real world near me.
: (
Last edited by Jonnda; 11-07-2005 at 01:17 PM.
guess i could check out guitar center when i go home near chicago. right now i am in bluffton ohio with a bike as my main transportation
Use your neck pickup only and dial the volume knob back around 5. Don't worry about the tone control on the guitar. Adjust your amp to get a warm, un-twangy sound. It's in there, you just have to look for it...
Hey thanks fezz, i'll try that right now.
It has been hard to know what he (representing band jazz really) considers twangy, espeacially since i am very new to this jazz guitar thang and was quite content playing the bullet till he gently told me to change my tone. yeah so any tips like that are greatly appreciated.
By the way, i put d'addario .11 chormes on it and that helped a little, i do kind of miss the other sound it got so i'll stop using them when school is out.
I just picked up a Yamaha G100-112 used at Music-Go-Round, and it sounds fantastic for that kind of stuff. Fezz is right, it does the Polytone thing to a tee, and with the parametric EQ controls, you can get that Pearce sound too. I love this amp. Especially the "pull-fat" knob on the master volume. Yaow.
It's also about 20 pounds heavier than my Fender Blues Deluxe, despite being in a smaller chassis. Go figure.
One thing I can't figure out though. The on/off switch has three positions: middle is off, and then 'on' is either up or down. Is there any difference in these two positions? I was thinking maybe one was a half-power setting (since mine is 100 watts), but I can't hear a difference in output between the two. I can't find any reference to this online, and naturally it didn't come with a manual.
Anyway, your question was pretty well answered, but when I got mine, I just took the knobs off the front and sprayed each pot with a little CTC cleaner, and any scratchiness in mine went away. :yay
And... one more thing re Jazz: I play my Ibanez AS-73 through it and roll off the neck tone to about 7. Jazz heaven.
pc,
The different on positions on the Yamaha are like the two ground positions on some Fender amps. Kinda sillly with a 3 prong cord though.
I'll start saving my pennies for that as-73 or am 73. Yes the knobs are still no longer scratchy after the spraying i did last week and from the way it was sounding i don't blame the prior owner for selling it dirt cheep.
I'm glad it sounds like another (better? more respected?) amp, I've never heard of polytone but then again i bet there is allot i haven't heard of.
What is this "pull fat" knob of which you write? it sounds like a cool feature to have! If you ever figure out what the reason is for the three way power switch please email me or start a thread stating your revelation. I plan to take it home over christmas break and have my dad give it an electrical check up, maybe i can have him figure that one out.
I'm gonna ask a question, please answer if you can, I want somebody to tell me: what is the diffence between the 2 input jacks one labled "high" and the other "low". does that refer to volume or tone?
I have a very early model incase this helps.
Jonnda,
Does your amp have a single knob for distortion or does it have the 3 knob parametric equalizer? I've had both versions and even though they're both great amps I feel the early ones had a better jazz sound while the later ones were leaning more toward a "Fender" (same tone stack) sound.
Yeah Jonnda, the very first knob on the left (Master volume of the clean channel) has a "pull-fat" function. I'll try to take a pic of this amp later on and post it here.
JAM, thanks for the info on the switch. That makes a lot of sense, but you're right, I wouldn't have expected it on a three-prong plug amp. Still--very cool, especially since I'm now using it in a stereo rig, so if I get a ground loop thing going, I'll try to flip the switch and see if it helps. So far (knock wood) I haven't had that problem with this rig.
pc,
I've still got a copy of the service manual for these amps if you're interested.
JAM, the answer to your question i think is yes and no. Yes it has one distortion knob and no it doesn't just have three knobs for EQ but it has four.
PC could you scan and post some of the manual?
if i can i will record a clip of my current setup and post a link, tell me what you think of the tone so i can adjust it after i post it.
Jonnda, I'm not the one with the manual, JAM is. But I too would like to see it. JAM, email me if you think there's a convenient way for you to copy it and ship, and I'll pay shipping. BUT--DEFINITELY don't worry about it if that's in any way a pain in the butt. I'll just fire questions at you if they come up. :)
Here's mine:
Jonnda,
The service manual I have is for the Yamaha amp series like the one pc has. You must have the earlier version.
pc, it's no hassle at all - I'll send you an e-mail.
this a picture of my amp from the ebay auction. http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2.../1600/ca_1.jpg
if that don't work....
http://myhumblemusing.blogspot.com/
The second link worked. Very interesting to see the differences.
Please feel free to post a clip, I'd love to hear it.
JAM, thanks again man. I sent you back a reply. :yay
No problem pc, glad to do it.
a site will only my short sample so far, maybe if i figure it out this web page maker thing will be a real site one day. I am playing my teisco/kimberly though the Yamaha Fifty112 miked with a logitech usb noise canceling mike recorded by my mac mini with Audacity.
http://www.geocities.com/mg_midget_6...?1131426377226
pardon my simple riffs, I'm just starting to learn jazz.
oh yeah and it might be on the quiet side, so crank it if you don't hear anything.
Last edited by Jonnda; 11-08-2005 at 06:48 AM.
So what do you think? jazzy enough? is it possible to get close to a hollow body sound with this setup until i can afford an Artcore?
Dial some of the treble off and increase the bass. Where is the volume on your guitar set? It should be set about halfway down. You are getting very close...
That doesn't sound half bad at all, Jonnda.
If you're getting that sound now, from a Tiesco, your teacher really ought to cut you some slack.:yay IMO
Ditto what fezz says, + Slide your picking hand forward, more toward the neck/neck p'up, and use the neck P'up only, if you aren't doing these things already.
Sounds good.:yay
"Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello
+1 on that...
the volume is about half way, and the tone is ambiguously set to one or two but basically the tone pot just started to take effect there. i try to play towards the neck but if i don't it is because either i forgot to or I keep touching the pickup. If you listen for a sound like tapping a guitar pick on the metal screen of a sure sm58, that is me accidentally touching the pup as i pick, though practice i usually can control this but i slip up sometimes.
the bridge PU was off on the volume but on with the slide switch. I do this because the slide switches are cheap, cranky and old and work the way they want to when they want to if you move them around.
controls: PU1 on off, PU on off, PU1 volume, PU2 volume, master tone knob.
Part of the reason the pickups (made around 1970) sound the way they do is that they are slightly microphonic, and if the gain is up and if you put your mouth right over the pup and yell then you will faintly hear yourself through the amp. in fact tap any thing on the pick guard and it will make a little sound or a lot depending on what you touch.
My teacher has not heard my new improved tone yet, the last time he heard me i just got the pots cleaned after getting it a few days prior. So i hadn't had your help yet with finding the jazz in it. It is way more appropriate for the job then my bullet.
The kimberly line was upper mid range quality as far as i can tell, so it is far better then most given to kids under the xmas tree as student guitars.
Really not too bad. Maybe a bit bright, but with the whole band blowing some extra highs can help cut without having to turn up the amp so much.
Well they are single coil pick ups so they tend to be a little brighter, i will role off the highs a smidgin though.
thanks for all you help, glad you liked the clip.
Last edited by Jonnda; 11-08-2005 at 04:32 PM.
Are you using flatwound strings?
When you said you had a Teisco I was picturing a Jetson's looking deal with switches all over it.
Ah but seriously, maybe a set of flats will get you that much closer to jazziness, since the Kimberly's a hollowbody.
Swapping out the p'up for a Johnny Smith type in the neck spot is an idea too.
I'll take back the Artcore suggestions for now. Your Kimberly has WAY more charm. If you're physically comfy playing it, you've got something unique to build upon. A good setup, flats, and maybe a pickup down the road and you'll be swinging.
Artcores are fine, but pretty generic by comparison.
Save your money.
Get a vintage suit at a consignment shop, a tube of Brylcream, start growing a sleazy loking pencil moustache and keep the Teisco.:yay
"Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello
:ahem no it is a solid body and it does have D'Addario chromes on it, in fact they are .11 guage. It does how ever have a slight hollow body sound to it because the cavity under the electronics. I used to think it must be quite big under there but when i popped her open i found there wasn't much there, but the pick-guard still vibrates like the top of an acoustic guitar and sounds twice as loud unplugged then my squire bullet.
for a picture of a twin of Kim of off ebay (I found mine in a guitar store), see my blog and scroll down. it is the red one.
Yes I picked her up one day when wasting time at a guitar store till a restaurant opened one sunday afternoon, I played some classics and oddities even one with a aluminum neck. But i took one look at this thing and said "what the heck is that!", so i asked to be plugged in and the put me thought their most expensive fender amp. the neck felt like an old friend and it sounded wonderful. I had no job at that point and it was $211, so I begged borrowed and used my tax return and payed what ever i could each week. I was a little disappointed that it did not sound the same though my Crate 15MXR, but still Kim has much more low end mids then my dual humbucker Bullet and it was still nice to be able to have a choice of tone. Plus it kicks ass for surf rock. The Fifty-112 is way helped return that nice sound i heard in the store, but the crate has better distortion and it is a bit warmer with no eq.
I am afraid i cannot change the pick ups, they are sort of the main reason people still play these things and it would only hurt it's already meager and sensitive value, heck I'm scared to change the cheapo tuners. Heck, it is the only stock guitar I have not counting the 66 red-burst stella exorcize machine. If i did get the art core it might wind up with some changes to make it just a tad different.
I have seen similar pickups go for more then the guitar they were on because people like to put them on their strats or what have you, but not too many people have the guts to rip them off the old guitar.
Yes teisco made jetsons guitars but they also dabbled in pretty normal but different stylings.
http://www.vintaxe.com/guitars_japanese.htm
Charm: yes ;)
Looks more pricey then it is: Yes (other people thought it was in the high hundereds)
Charicter: heck yeah
And no one else sounds like me. could be a bad thing or a good thing, but whatever. If i ever become famous (which i wont) people would look for this tone and i wouldn't have to look for the admittedly nice hollow body sound.
remember go to my blog and have a look at her, she aint no jetsons hollowbody. (just kiddin)
http://myhumblemusing.blogspot.com/
Last edited by Jonnda; 11-09-2005 at 12:28 AM.
I knew several folks who had those back in the day. They played 'em through crap amps, and thought the guitars sounded bad.:lol Ry Cooder swears by those pickups.
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
My only complaint is a lack of sustain past the 15th fret or so. My experience is that it sounds like crap though crap amps, and when played though a new $1000 fender black twin reverb amp (like in the store i got it from) the guitar sounds like $1000.
Jonnda,
Do you have an idea about when your 'Kim' was made? Looking at the photo reminds me of a guitar my brother got for Christmas (sometime around 1966).
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