JT ([info]jtgotsjets) wrote in [info]guitargeek,
2006-04-15 11:56:00
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antique store find

I don't expect anyone to know the exact amp I'm talking about (I could only find one mention of it on google after two days of looking, and he doesn't seem to know much about it), but hopefully you can give me an educated guess as to whether I'm getting a good deal or getting ripped off.

So this antique store has an old Kay tube amp for sale for $350 dollars. I'm going to try and haggle them down a little bit, but we'll see. I don't know much about it, except that it looks ancient (and very cool). If it's still there by the end of this week, when I get paid, I'm going to bring a guitar in to play it, though from what I've heard (the above link and from one other correspondence he forwarded me), it sounds pretty good, and I'm sure it sounds better than any of my current amps (a tiny peavy solid state practice amp and a behringer solid state digital effects amp).






So what do you guys say? Is $350 a decent deal?

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  • 25 comments

[info]frompoison2hell

April 15 2006, 17:15:32 UTC 6 years ago

see with old amps your taking a huge risk of it breaking down.

also how many watts is it??

See if they are selling this old TUBE amp for that cheap, than there is a flaw in it somewhere. Id be reeeeal careful unless you know that it works and that you wont have to put 1000+ dollars worth of work in it.

[info]doingtheunstuck

April 15 2006, 17:32:39 UTC 6 years ago

I don't know this particular amp, but most products marketed as Kay/Silvertone/etc should not be put at too high of a price point. Not that there isn't some gems, just that they were, for the most part, not expensive things at all when they first came out either.

To the original poster, any clue what kind of tubes are in it? The poster above is right about one thing though and that is that you are taking somewhat of a risk, but knowing that, you might also be able to argue them down lower. Somehow, I doubt it's had much in the way of maintenance work in its lifetime, much less recently. Depending on the person you are dealing with in the shop, you might be able to use that to your advantage to get the price down. Tube amps not only need tube replacements, but a big one is that most will need to be looked at and have caps replaced once in a long while. Mention that kind of stuff when you're trying to wheel'em down.

Still, if it sounds nice, $350 isn't a lot for a decent tube amp in general, IMO.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 15 2006, 17:59:15 UTC 6 years ago

any other specific things i should mention when trying to bring them down on price? i know next to nothing about tube amps except what i've picked up here.

i don't have any idea what tubes are in it right now.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 15 2006, 17:53:10 UTC 6 years ago

i believe it is 15 watts with a 12" speaker.

like i said, i fully plan on bringing a guitar with me when i go to buy it to make sure it works and sounds decent. i'll also probably take it to an amp tech immediately.

[info]precisionauto

April 15 2006, 19:31:06 UTC 6 years ago

where are you getting this stuff?

unless they're made by Fender (name recognition) or Supro (Jimmy Page cachet) tube amps in this style from this era are not worth a whole lot. it's not to say they aren't good amps, that would have superb natural breakup. Generally, amps of this style were designed for pedal steel primarily. Jimmy Page used something very similar for all of Led Zep 1... and those tones are amazing, to say the least.

chances are the above is among the simplest tube designs ever concieved, would therefore not be taking much risk of breaking down, and worse came to worse, could practically be rebuilt for far, far less than a thousand dollars.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 15 2006, 19:59:26 UTC 6 years ago

thats definitely reassuring. what are your opinions on the price?

[info]precisionauto

April 15 2006, 20:05:55 UTC 6 years ago

pretty fair, assuming it works. i wouldn't consider it overpriced really. it's definitely alot fancier than most similar amps.

thing is, i mean, do you gig at all? based on your other amps it might not be the right amp for you at this stage- the Kay would be ideal for studio recording, and will most definitely be a one trick pony. for the same coin you could get say, a Classic 30- more power, more flexibility (distortion, midboost, reverb, eq etc), more durability etc.

then again if you're in love with a pushed bluesy sound, a Jack White kinda thing, the Kay is going to nail it and the Classic (or whatever) won't.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 15 2006, 20:29:06 UTC 6 years ago

at this point, i am not gigging at all. almost everything i do is home recording on my laptop and jams with friends. since i don't gig and i live in an apartment, one requirement of any amp i get right now is that it get the tones i want at low volumes. i've been looking at moving up to a tube amp for awhile now, mostly just waiting for opportunity and cash to synchronize.

[info]doingtheunstuck

April 15 2006, 20:37:06 UTC 6 years ago

Keep in mind: a 15 watt tube amp is LOUD. Hell, even that little 5 watt Epiphone Junior is too loud to crank in an apartment without an attenuator.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 15 2006, 23:09:30 UTC 6 years ago

not the apartments i live in.

[info]doingtheunstuck

April 16 2006, 00:41:22 UTC 6 years ago

Lucky.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 16 2006, 02:28:30 UTC 6 years ago

or not. parties here last till like 5 am.

[info]precisionauto

April 15 2006, 20:38:44 UTC 6 years ago

yeeah, what unstuck said. especially a single-ended amp like what i'm guessing this is. i use a 30 watt class a amp, through a 4x12 on 4 it is as loud as a 100 watt jcm-900 on 4.

[info]captainkiwi

April 15 2006, 17:27:40 UTC 6 years ago

it's pretty damn cool, but as someone who owns WAAAAAAY too many little old tube amps, I wouldn't spend more than $200 on that in perfect condition. I'd say that amp's worth about $175, actually.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 15 2006, 17:47:43 UTC 6 years ago

that isn't the exact amp in question. the one in the antique store is significantly less beat up, if my memory serves me.

[info]circumambulate

April 15 2006, 19:57:05 UTC 6 years ago

I agree with the $200 max, and also agree that it's not going to be good for much other than home use, or recording.

[info]rathavensmiff

April 15 2006, 17:32:41 UTC 6 years ago


Kay amps were not known for being that great though it probably has some worth due to age and tubes (especially if good). You really don't get amps looking like this anymore.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 15 2006, 18:01:31 UTC 6 years ago

i'd be lying if i said the looks weren't what first caught my eye. i thought it was some old radio at first, it was only till i saw the back that i realized it was an amp.

[info]rathavensmiff

April 15 2006, 20:01:40 UTC 6 years ago


It's so nice - it's almost like it was meant to be a piece of furniture rather than musical equipment.

[info]rathavensmiff

April 15 2006, 20:05:37 UTC 6 years ago


That looks like a Rola speaker - check out the type, if your lucky it may be an alnico or greenback or something. Be a nice bonus - some of those have quite a value on their own.

[info]precisionauto

April 15 2006, 20:07:52 UTC 6 years ago

def not a greenback, but i had the same thoughts re: the Rola tag. it looks to have a square back, which would remind me of the orig. speakers in say, old Fender tweed amps.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 15 2006, 20:33:46 UTC 6 years ago

the speaker in that picture is definitely a rola, according to the guy that sent it to me, but like i said, that is not the exact amp i'm buying, just the same(/similar?) model. i'll check next time i'm at the antique store what the speaker is and fill everyone in on all the details i can find.

[info]gravitee

April 16 2006, 14:18:00 UTC 6 years ago

Judging by the back of that speaker it IS a Rola and an Alnico one as well. Assuming the one in the shop has the same speaker, I'd say its gonna have a very sweet sounding tone and breakup.

[info]jacflash

April 15 2006, 18:43:14 UTC 6 years ago

If it sounds good to you and has value to you as a decorative object from another era, as a conversation piece, or for recording, I say make an offer on it. I wouldn't dream of gigging with something like that, though -- it may not be reliable and it definitely won't be rugged.

[info]jtgotsjets

April 15 2006, 19:56:56 UTC 6 years ago

definitely not planning on taking it to gigs if i end up with it. thats what the crappy amps are for.
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