Keep it in the family

[azatplayer]

A guy at one of the panel shops i work in, rang me today to say he had come in to an old tube amp. He went on to tell me that it was his grandfathers amp originally and had been a long time in storage in his uncles shed.
I was immediately interested.
This buddy is one of those guys who works hard, with his hands, and means well, has a great heart, but is fighting to get above his circumstances.
We call them battlers here in Aus. Real Aussie battler. Great bloke. Wife and kid, happy but broke.
Hes been learning bass for about a year now, and has a 60 dollar guitar, off the bay and a 80 dollar little amp from our version of radio shack.
Anyways, back to the amp..
Turns out to be an older Australian made in melbourne, tube PA, i think PA.
Has a pair of KT88's in it, my eyes lit up. As he was telling me, i was googling and found it straight away. Looks to be late 60's early 70's.
http://ozvalveamps.elands.com/maxim.htm#kt88head
The amp is dead mint condition, his pop used to play the accordian thru it!
I reckon its gonna make a better bass rig than the shack one hes got.. has a matching 1x15 cab with it too!
I couldnt help but feel really happy as he told me about it. Aussie battler gets a win! Ive told him to bring it to me as soon as, so i can do the caps and give it some love, and just check it out!
Best part is, its skipped a generation of non interested family and ended up where it will be appreciated the most. Brilliant!
[img484]http://ozvalveamps.elands.com/maxim/max ... ndersk.jpg[/img]

[nickm57]

Last year I was teaching the grandson of the maker of Moody amps, his widow is still alive, she gave her grandson his Gibson SG.
Interesting amps as some of these amps are odd compared to the standard Fender thing...

You in Oz i gather, if so where?
Nick

[azatplayer]

Hey Nick, im in Melbourne. Man there were quite a lot of amps being made here, see them come up all the time. When i was 14, my Dad bought be a Burns electric guitar and a 50 watt eminar pa head on top of a wasp quad box loaded with plesseys. Man that was a loud rig. Remember fondly blowing the drummer out often Got sacked from a pub band when i was 15 and a half for playing too loud.. the three others called me from a phone box to sack me, they were all a few years older. I got a call a week later to ask me back..

Ive been looking for that eminar head since. Sold it when iwas about 25. That was nearly 20 years ago. Came across a clean one at a piano store here in Ringwood 6 months ago. The owner has all but 3 of the entire hammond organ line. He has a desire to setup a museum. Lo and behold when i was in his storeroom, there was this familiar old head setting on its end on the floor, with the matching 4 x 12 columns. Very cool.

Man was hot here today..43..

[eri77]

I love my old Aussie amps, Goldentone etc...got a couple of old Phillips pa amps and a AWA that has some strange design features, still trying to nut it out but lets just say it has the preamp heaters connected to the cathode of the power valves