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Topic: New Magnatones... Absolutely Fabulous! |
Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2013 2:00 pm |
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Just got in from the Arlington Guitar Show... saw lots of cool stuff, but the big standout for me was the new Magnatone amps. I got to play through the small one for the most time... the Varsity? I believe... very impressive for a dual-EL84 amp, the switchable NFB was lots of fun, although I like it more with it off. The big stereo one was to die for... I'll be selling gear to get one. The vibrato is their specialty, of course... but I was surprised at how much I liked the small one without it. We're talking a price spread (list) from about $1500 to $3000 here, so prepare for sticker shock.
Got to meet Obeid Khan, the designer... super nice guy, let me play his personal Strat (crazy old, beater)... some kinda sound coming out. Turns out he's a buddy of Brad Sarno... and is familiar with the Forum, Scotty, etc... he used to work for SLM (Crate) out of St. Louis. They've really hit one out of the park with the new Magnatones... I'm hooked.
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New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2013 3:12 pm
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2013 5:05 pm Obeid Kahn
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| Obeid Khan designed the revived Jet, Reverberocket, and Super Jet blue check Ampeg amps for St. Louis Music. He also consulted with Jess Oliver for the reissue of B-15R Portaflex bass amp. |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2013 1:01 pm
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Nice amps, but $4,500 for a 2x12 45 watt amp??..
oy vey... A little too rich for my blood.. bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2013 2:38 pm
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| Bob Carlucci wrote: |
Nice amps, but $4,500 for a 2x12 45 watt amp??..
oy vey... A little too rich for my blood.. bob |
Like I said... you really have play one. I'm hooked, and I'll be spending lots of money on one soon.
They've probably got the extra special speakers (Celestion Gold/Blue)... that would explain some of what I was hearing. That would add another 200$ to the cost of the smaller one, or double that for the 2x12.
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New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2013 2:47 pm
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SC,
The Celestion Blues are such an outstanding speaker! I remember the Guitar Player 12" speaker shootout. Their conclusion was, "Well, there are Celestion Blues, then there's everything else." When I ordered my Dr. Z Prescription, I had Mike wait another couple months until I had the extra moolah to pay for the Blues. BTW, I've been bugging Mike for years to make a steel guitar amp. He just thinks the market is too small to make it worthwhile for him. Too bad! Cuz he'd make a killer amp! |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2013 6:46 pm
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Yeah, John... I've been wanting to get a 12" Blue for one of my Fenders for a while... I'm pretty sure it would really be nice in my brown Princeton (with a repro 12" baffle, of course)... I've seen them pop up on CL once in a while, but I just can't bring myself to buy a used one... I would not trust that it had not been crispied, they don't take more than 15watts *at all*.
Maybe that little project could temporarily stave off the GAS attack I'm having for a Magnatone... the nearest dealer is in Wimberly, a fair piece away. I'll call my buddy Will Dyke at Armadillo Amp Works and see what he'd take to do the baffle.
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New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 21 Oct 2013 2:49 am
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SC,
I tried one in my '72 Princeton, and didn't like it too much. Ended up with a G12H80 instead. I think that's the model #. But that amp is crazy modified, so you might have better luck. Doc put a Blue in my Maz Jr, 18 strong watts. He said "No problem, they're rated conservatively." It's been hammered on by the likes of Neil Zaza with no problems.
JB |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 21 Oct 2013 11:50 am
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I've got G12K80's in my Marshall Club&Country and my Carvin Vintage16... they're great speakers, but I'm looking for a more lively sound at lower power... what I was hearing was awesome. I've got a Weber 12A125 in my '61 Falcon, that's a great match. I might play with the Weber for a while before I spend $250 on a Blue.
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New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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Len Amaral
From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
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Posted 21 Oct 2013 1:45 pm
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Hey Stephan:
When you get the new Magnatone you will have another piece of gear you won't be able to list 
Seriously, would love to hear the amp. |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 22 Oct 2013 5:03 pm
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These new Magnatones are just amazing amp's. They're new designs that are partially authentic but with some modern improvements and ideas. Designer Obeid Khan was chief tube amp designer for Ampeg/Crate for years. He's an old friend of mine and my #1 guru when it comes to guitar audio electronics. He's made some great designs for Ampeg and Crate and more recently for Reason Amp's. And now his focus is on Magnatone which is owned by the previous owner of Ampeg/Crate (St. Louis Music).
I had the good fortune to observe some of these Maggie designs as they were developing and evolving over the past 3 years, and I gotta say, they're just fantastic sounding amp's with some truly brilliant ideas and innovations inside. The authentic ANALOG true STEREO vibrato that made Magnatone famous is all there and better than ever. Their sales manager and also owner of Killer Vintage Guitars here in St. Louis has the whole line of Magnatones on his floor, so I get to play with them on a weekly basis when my daughter is over there taking her bass lessons. These amps are special. I think Obeid out-did himself with these things. Just a gorgeous, musical, lush, magical amp sound. I can't say enough about them.
They are pricey, but I understand why. They're orders of magnitude more complex and parts & labor intensive than say a Little Walter or other similarly priced amps. Hand built in the USA, quality parts, great cabinet work, etc. Compared to the market, they're priced quite fairly as I see it.
I have no idea how they'd be for pedal steel, but as a guitar amp... wow...
B |
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MIchael Bean
From:
North Of Boston
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Posted 27 Oct 2013 1:33 pm
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| I have an original Magnatone 260 with the real vibrato. Great guitar amp although I have not gigged with it for the PSG. |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 17 Jan 2014 4:39 pm
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| Khan is obviously an amp guru and the main reason why my CRATE Vintage Club 30 2x12 sounds so good. Glad to hear he's behind the Mags! |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 17 Jan 2014 10:04 pm
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Not only is Obeid Khan an amp genius, he's also a St. Louis legend as a killer guitarist, the real deal.
B |
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Michael Pierce
From:
Madison, CT
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Posted 18 Jan 2014 10:53 am
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| I'm planning a trip down to Rudy's in NYC in the near future to check out the single speaker Twilighter amp. One piece of information I haven't been able to source is what these weigh -- I've seen them referred to as "heavy," but have no idea what that means vis-a-vis, for example, a Deluxe Reverb. Has anyone who's tried this amp gotten a notion of what they weigh? If I've missed the specs somwhere, feel free to point me in the right direction. Thanks. |
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Mitch Druckman
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 18 Jan 2014 1:42 pm
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| The Twilighter is slightly heavier than a Fender Deluxe Reverb. I think I read that it weighs 42 lbs. |
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