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Topic: Emmons PP pics with Emmons amplifier circa 1973 |
Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 15 Jul 2015 7:12 pm |
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Here's a circa 1973 pic of me playing a used Emmons push pull guitar that I bought for $975 from Marrs Music in Maryland along with a new Emmons transistor amp behind me, partially obscured. I remember a brand new Emmons costing only $1200 but the used one was so smooth I couldn't see buying a new one. The serial number I think was 2779P. I could have had a brand new Twin with JBL's for a lot lesss $$ than the emmons amp but I wanted another piece of gear with the Emmons decal on it.
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Jim Hinds
From:
Gallatin, TN USA
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Posted 15 Jul 2015 7:37 pm
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Cool picture Greg.
How did the amp sound? |
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Willis Vanderberg
From:
Petoskey Mi
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Posted 16 Jul 2015 12:53 am
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| I had one of those amps,it was very heavy,close to or more than my Peavey 500 but it had a great sound. |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 16 Jul 2015 4:00 am
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| The amp blew up after a few months. Emmons could not get it repaired and the dealer traded me for a brand new Fender Twin with 12" JBL's. The amp was not good for guitar but sounded a bit like a Standel for steel except for the tinny and weak sounding reverb. If any of you have ever had any of the early transistor amps designed from the infamously innaccurate RCA transistor manual then you know about their early life failures. |
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Shorty Smith
From:
Columbus, Georgia, USA
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Posted 16 Jul 2015 12:50 pm
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| That is a very nice steel, I bought my Emmons in July 1973, brand new from Emmons D10, $1200.00, steel, case, volume pedal, set of cords and a set of extra strings, the serial number was 1745D |
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Shorty Smith
From:
Columbus, Georgia, USA
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Posted 16 Jul 2015 1:04 pm 1973 Emmons
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Tiny Olson
From:
Mohawk River Valley, Upstate NY
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Posted 16 Jul 2015 4:36 pm
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Hey Greg:
Very cool pic. Thanks for posting this.
Our guitar player with Commander Cody has one of the early 70s, Emmons amps which still works. Your description of the tone (Standel & reverb) is pretty much spot-on. He doesn't use it but bought it from Scotty some years back as a collectable. I tried it out before a gig one night while I was working with Cody... then I played the gig through my Stereo Steel Rig.
Hope you're well Greg and it sure would be good to see again sometime.
Sincerely,
Chris "Tiny" O. |
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steve takacs
From:
beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)
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Posted 17 Jul 2015 7:18 pm Inflation Calculator
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According to Inflation Calculator that used Emmons would cost: $5240.36 today. Cumulative rate of inflation since 1973 would have been 437.5%. See:
http://www.usinflationcalculator.com
Nice photo, Greg.
stevet |
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Walter Bowden
From:
Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 17 Jul 2015 8:17 pm
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Hi Greg. Interesting guitars the other guys are playing. Fender Coronado, Mosrite and a Hagstrom bass I believe.
One other question; are those vests made out of vinyl?
Best wishes, Walter
_________________
Emmons S10, p/p, Nashville 112, Zion 50 tele style guitar, Gibson LP Classic w/Vox AC30, Fender Deluxe De Ville and a Rawdon-Hall classical |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 18 Jul 2015 7:51 am
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Tiny, the Walker SS rig always blows me away when I hear it live. Sounds as good on the stage as it does in the basement studio.
The vests were vinyl! I bought that Mosrite from the lead player (Jim ????). He was a Chet Atkins style player. The action on that guitar was unbelievable low and the neck as narrow and thin as a toothpick. |
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Emmett Roch
From:
Texas Hill Country
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Posted 19 Jul 2015 9:53 am
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I had an Emmons LeGrande amp. The power department was built by TubeWorks, the pre-amp was designed by Ron Lashley, and it was perfectly EQ'd for steel.
One day, the pre-amp stopped working...I talked to someone at Emmons, who said he did have a copy of the schematics, but they were blurred and basically useless. Talking to the folks at TubeWorks wasn't helpful at all, they said they didn't know anything about the pre-amp part.
_________________
On Earth, as it is in Texas |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 1:01 pm
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Another pic of the same Emmons amp i owned but this one played by a very famous picker!:
Last edited by Greg Cutshaw on 3 Nov 2015 5:48 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 1:39 pm
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| And coily cords all over the place! |
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Skip Edwards
From:
LA,CA
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 5:28 pm
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Whoa... and a Fender Coronado, Standel Amp, I see a Vox head, a Mosrite and a Guild Starfire bass...
And is that a Shure mini-mixer? Cool pic... a time capsule of some vintage gear. |
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Bob Ricker
From:
Nashville Tn
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 5:52 pm
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| A lot of great bands used Vox Super Beatle heads for PA amps back then! |
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John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2015 6:16 pm
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I've still got my old Standel amp. Still works rxcept the tremolo. Original speaker too. Prolly should sell it.
Super cool picture Greg.
_________________
Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
.................................. |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2015 5:43 am
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| You guys are pretty sharp. I'd forgotten that we had a Standel amp and back then it really wasn't a big deal to see one. Shure Vocal Master PA system and mixers were king back then before the monster systems that we have today. Great dynamics in this band. You could hear every nuance of the pedal steel sound. I bought that steel used at Marrs Music in Maryland, $975 and another $225 for the amp. The bar we played at also had a camp back in the woods where they made White Lightning and had a full complement of Las Vegas machines. We played all day/night gigs there a few times a year. My dad made two extra knee levers for me using machines at the furniture plant he worked at. Dad also had a deal with the Tommy Edwards Record Shop in Cleveland where we got LP's and 45's hot off the presses including most every steel album and a lot of rare promos. |
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Butch Pytko
From:
Orlando, Florida, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2015 3:34 pm
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I also had an Emmons PP Black Mica, D-10, 8 X 4, with an Emmons Amp. I sold the guitar in 1977, but still have the amp.
I'm the 3rd owner of the Emmons Amp, and the story I got from the 2nd owner was that some road steel player, who bought it new, used it for a short time, then sold it to the 2nd owner, who had it for a year or so, who then sold it to me. This happened at about 1973-1975. I had it worked on once, but can't remember what was done. I used it up till I went to the Session 400 in the early 80's. It's in excellent condition. I used it for years as a practice amp, as it had really great tone at low volume levels, but I always felt
it lacked the power/punch I wanted. I've kept it as a great nostalgia/collector momento.
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John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2015 4:01 pm
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Who actually made these Emmons amps?
_________________
Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
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Ernie Renn
From:
Brainerd, Minnesota USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2015 11:34 pm
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I think Standel made the ones like Butch posted a picture of.
It'd be nice to find one for sale at a reasonable price. (These days for me that means cheap...)
_________________
My best,
Ernie
www.BuddyEmmons.com |
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Jack Strayhorn
From:
Winston-Salem, NC
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Posted 4 Nov 2015 4:30 pm
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| Ernie is correct! |
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Jack Strayhorn
From:
Winston-Salem, NC
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Posted 4 Nov 2015 4:45 pm
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Emmett, Tubeworks manufactured the entire LeGrande amp. Mine and Ron's involvement was basically telling them what we wanted as they tweaked the preamp to our liking. Ron was very involved in selecting the speaker used. We tested numerous samples. Sometime after Ron had the amps built Tubeworks sold out. The new owners knew nothing about the amp built for us, nor did they seem to care. It was unfortunate but out of our control.
I loved the sound of the amp but not quite enough power. I disliked the cabinet design, which I believe hurt its acceptance. This project was personally funded by Ron and the company acted as sales rep. Ron entered into this project after a rejection of the new Evans ownership which without would have never happened. Ron had always been an avid Evans supporter. |
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John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2015 6:20 pm
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Great info Jack
Thanks !
JB
_________________
Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
.................................. |
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