My amps through the years
• My first amp was actually a Pilot tube amp used for a record player. It only had RCA inputs, so I got a 1/4″ to RCA adapter and plugged my guitar in. The speaker was something my dad built into a cabinet for his hifi, I think it was a 12″ speaker. The amp has two 6v6 tubes, so it’s similar to a Fender Deluxe reverb. I still have the amp, but the speaker is long gone !
• Next up was a Danelectro DM 25 “piggyback”, which I think had the same tube configuration as the Pilot. The head fit into the back of the 12″ speaker cabinet, I just saw one somewhere after many years.
• I found a blackface Fender Deluxe Reverb in the want ads, and bought it for $75 in Tarrytown NY. Of course I wish I still had it!
• Bought a blackface Fender Bassman amp with matching cabinet. It had JBL D120 Speakers. I had it right up until 2013.
• Silverface Fender Bassman with matching cabinet. Pretty sure it had JBL D120 speakers also.
• Marshall 100 watt Plexi. Bought this along with a bunch of cables and mics from the Alice Cooper Band. They were cleaning house. Awesome amp, but too loud for the little clubs we were playing. Yeah, I could use it now.
• Mesa Boogie. Serial number 301. Saw Santana using one, so I had to have it. It was exciting to have the same amp that Santana had and it was great for a while, but it had the wrong speaker in it; a Gauss 12″. My ear was developing at this time, so I became aware that my Fenders sounded better. If it had an EVM 12L in it, it would probably still be in service. It was a tidy little rig with a genuine Anvil case, but very heavy.
• Marshall 4-12″ cab. Rescued it from a pile of wood in a rental house in Ithaca NY. Put a 12″ greenback in it and blocked up the other three holes. Ended up putting the other three greenbacks in it.
• Marshall 50 watt combo with 2-12″ greenbacks and 2104 head.
• Marshall 50 watt head (early 70’s vintage, small script logo)
• Marshall 50 watt head (early 70’s vintage, small script logo) with matching 4-12 slant cab.
• Lab Series L5 100 watt solid state amp.
• Fender Red Knob “The Twin” amp. Great-sounding amp.
• Naylor Super Drive 60 with 2-12 cab loaded with Vintage 30’s.
• Naylor 2-12 cab loaded with Naylor speakers.
• Naylor Super Club 38 with 1-12 100 watt Naylor speaker. This is still my main amp, but with different speakers over the years!
• Sewell Custom 50 watt with 12″ Altec 417 8c.
• Roland Cube 60 with stock 12″ speaker. I still use this as a spare.
• 1957 Fender Pro amp with 1-15 Jensen. The holy grail.
• Kendrick K15. Very similar to the Fender Pro, and sounds amazing. Sold it, as it was similar to the “57 Pro.
• Naylor Super Club 38- ungraded speaker to an old EVM12S. Kicked it up a notch!
• Black Star St. James 1-12″ combo-, Finally, a 50 watt tube amp that is light! This thing rocks and it only weighs 23 pounds. I lied the weight, but it quit on me on a gig, and I can’t trust it.
• Marshall 1960A 4 x 12″ cabinet with Greenbacks. Sold
• Marshall 1960B 4 x 12″ cabinet with Vintage 30’s. Sold
• Frenzel Retro Super Bassman 100 Amp Head. Amazing 100 watt amp with EL 84’s and 19 lbs.!
• Fender Blues Junior- A great little studio amp with a Jensen 12” and EL84 tubes.
So, my main amp is still the Naylor Super Club 38 after all these years. I still have the Pilot amp, but haven’t plugged it in in years. I use the Roland as a spare, and the Tweed Pro in the studio. The Black Star let me down on its maiden voyage, so it’s gone. The Marshall cabinets were great for the AC/DC sets and the Frenzell gives me the headroom I need to play the Malcolm Young guitar parts.
