Had a lot of Ampegs. They made a neat-sounding little 15" portable bass amp with a bare tube chassis that folded up and sat on top of the cabinet. Their V4 stack was even favored over Marshalls by many for concert work.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Very Cool picture A.J., all I have are acoustic no electric stuff. My Grandpa's cousin started Ampeg, which later became AudioVox Corp. His name was Everette Hull. He used to put on a family "Party" every year usually during New Years and would have some pretty intesting people show up to play. I recall Laurence Welk and some of his guys being there. They always did big band music pretty much.

                                                     

Michael

Sandy Valley, NV

Good Stuff Mark!  I've been into tubes most of my life (My uncle was a radio man in WWII and got me into the old radios and amps when I was a kid.)  I met Gerald Weber a few years ago just after buying my first Kendrick Texas Crude amp second hand.  He's a hell of a guy, very polite and just a wealth of info on the "old ways" of amp building.  The tone I got out of that first Kendrick was so good,  I've since bought a second one!  I don't think there's an amp that sounds better with single coils.  Plus that retro style looks very cool sitting next to my old tweed Tele case in the back of my Ranch Wagon when I roll up to a gig!    

A.J.

South Jersey

SMSgt USAF Retired 
1955 Ford Ranch Wagon & a couple of old guitars...Life's Good!

Building amps... what a trip!  I began doing this about 3 years ago.  Came across Kendrick and Gerald, built some amps, putting the restoration of my 57 Fairlane on hold...

long story short, the Mrs said "finish the car before you build any more amps..."

so, the car is finally running and mostly back together, awaiting the interior as the most daunting thing left to do...

maybe I will get back to amps sometime within the year! 

Built plastic car models as a kid, starting playing guitar when I could still stand up in the back seat of the family car, and learned the love of cars from Dad and my older brothers (Fords and Mercs mostly)...

and proud to say, my 14 year old has helped me on the 57 ever since he could hold a wrench!!  he will probably be the only one in the family with the desire to drive a "3-on-the-tree" machine!

six strings and 8 cylinders... it doesn't get any better, does it??!!

Mark

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

Mark,



Right! Gerald Weber. Been out of the loop so long, I spaced out. His "Texas Tone" deal of using multiple amp brands simultaneously was a real innovation.



"Harmony Played HERE", also (can't afford anything else these days).

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Wow,  I need to visit this "street" section more often.  I too like the strats.  The white body/white metalflake pic guard is a later Mexican model, but it's a player.  The only "real" one I had was a 69 sunburst.  I haven't played in a performing band since the 60's (three cord rock and roll star!).  I used my first 57 F-100 312/3 speed to haul the equipment around.

I drag out the equipment from time to time to amuse myself.  I like to play the oldies (what else can you play with only three cords?).  We did some remodeling and made an entertainment center.  On the right side my wife got a china cabinet, on the left I got room for my "stuff".  I use a Music Man amp.  I don't know if I have my story right, but I think Leo Fender had a hand in making them after he sold out.  In the case is a Takamine for a little unplugged fun.  Still learning the keyboard.

Charlie Burns Laton, Ca (South of Fresno)







BurnsRacing981@gmail.com

not to be picky but just to give him his props, Gerald Weber is the man behind the Kendrick empire... a real Texas original!  Read his books if you want to get to know your tube amps...

Fender and Harmony player here... Silvertone amps and "homebrews"...

Yeah, cars and guitars... hobbies that not so much collide but serve to compliment each other, I think.

"How many guitar players does it take to screw in a light bulb?"

Answer: "Four... one to put it in, and three to brag about how much better they could have done it!"

Mark

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

That guy Kendrick was a real character (used to run into him at guitar shows), but seemed knowledgeable. Never tried any of his amps (he was SUCH a hard-sell hustler).



If you like a super-bright, hard biting tone, early-mid 70s Strats had it in spades!



If I had kept every old guitar I ever owned, I would be on the the "vintage Ferrari" forum instead (proceeds from all the L.P. sunbursts alone would guarantee me a "high roller" front row seat at the Scottsdale auctions). In the early 70s, 50s Strats were $150-200, and I NEVER paid a premium for custom colors. My favorite maple neck was a '56 Fiesta red that had faded to salmon pink.



Late 50s tweed Fender Deluxes/Tremoluxes had the best tone (6Y6s), but '59 Bassman was the best club amp.

Since my tastes (old age) have drifted to 40s jazz/jump blues, I now favor arch-tops and 50s Gibson amps. If I could ever figure out how to use the Photobucket software again, I would post a photo of my rig, but if interested, I COULD always eMail you one?




6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Daniel,

  The Tele is a '52 Reissue and The Strat is a newer '57 American Vintage model.  I've never been lucky enough to own a real 50s guitar.  Heck, at current vintage prices,  I could sell my Wagon and my Fairlane and still not have enough to get a genuine 50s or 60s Fender!  The only true "vintage" Strat I own is a '75.  I bought it new with what I earned from my first summer job and I've had it ever since.  Massive body, thick poly finish and giant headstock...probably not Fender's best work but I love it!  The Tele is my favorite though, there's just something cool about a slab butterscotch body with a black pickguard.  As for amps, I'm a big fan of the Kendrick Texas Crude amps.  30 Watts of serious hotrodded '50s Fender sound in a sweet tweed cabinet!    

 

A.J.

South Jersey

SMSgt USAF Retired 
1955 Ford Ranch Wagon & a couple of old guitars...Life's Good!

A.J.,



What years? I owned about a dozen of every year 50s Strats over time (and a bunch of black-gard teles), but never came across anything to match the slab-board '59s. They were ALL great, and the more beat they were, the better they sounded!



P.S. What kind of amps do you favor?

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA