Baldwin Amps

Jim Saunders · From: Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

Back in the 60's, I worked part-time in a music store in Houston and they sold the Baldwin amps and guitars. And, Paul Buskirk worked there too. He was a friend of Willy Nelson, and I think co-wrote Night Life. Anyway, the Baldwin amps didn't sell well, but I think they were very good amps. I noticed Willy using one on a recent concert. They may have been a clone of the Fender Twin? Anyone have any experience with them?

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

My first steel amp was a Baldwin Eliminator. I bought the chassis (used from a classified ad) and built a cab for it with a 12" Altec Lansing speaker. For some reason I also replaced the output transistors. I was a crazy kid! Laughing

The unique thing, besides the colored tone switches, was the reverb tank. It was short, about 6" long, and the spring was wider it the middle that it was at the ends. Very unique. Like this: http://www.zerotronics.com/mini-le/mini-se.html

As for tone, I had nothing to compare it with. I was playing a Sho~Bud 6139, and I'm sure I was not getting a typical Sho~Bud sound. It was loud and clean, though, and that's all I cared about at the time.
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Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

I believe Willie has been using them for many years.

Who knows how much of the original parts are left inside.

At one time, he used a Baldwin guitar, before he got the Martin.

ajm · From: Los Angeles

Around 1972 or so (I was about 15) I needed an amp to play my new guitar through (a Ventura "335 with Bigsby" copy).
I saw an ad in the local paper for an amp a guy was selling.
I went over to his house.
He played in one of the better known up and coming local "combos".
His new amp was a shiny Baldwin with the colored push buttons and the works. I was in awe.

I ended up buying the amp that he was selling.
A Heathkit 2x12 two channel solid state combo with reverb and tremolo.
I though it was the greatest thing ever.
I beat the crap out of that thing and it never flinched.

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

I own one of the matched sets, the Baldwin electric classical guitar with the "legendary" Prismatone pickup, and the amp to go with it. The guitar is a student-grade Harmony, rebranded, and with the Prismatone installed. Baldwin did not have the ability to build acoustic guitars at that time. These were expensive new. "Legit" classical guitarists just didn't "get it" so the market was mostly the Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed type of country player. A small market. Most Baldwin guitars and amplifiers were sold through Baldwin piano and organ dealers. So you were dealing with really "square" old guys in suits, in a carpeted mall store, and they didn't want kids and such dirtying up the floor and making noise. That and selling at full retail meant not a lot of units moved. And they got into the game late. If you believe internet BS there's a market for Prismatone units at $500+ but anything online dealing with the Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Willie Nelson, and rockabilly cult fetishists ends up being a waste of time for me. When Selmer came out with the "Varitone Electric Attachment" the setup came with a low powered amp that had a single 12" speaker. The "Soul-Jazz" players who used them experimented with other amps to get more volume and different sounds, the Baldwin amps were used by a number of them and I know a couple guys who still use them today. I will ask you in a civil way to NOT contact me trying to buy the whole setup or the Prismatone alone. At this time I am NOT selling it. In whole or in part. I'm serious as a heart attack here, I will NOT respond to you.
MLA

Jim Saunders · From: Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

The amps were colorful, but not gawdy looking. I liked the look. The e.q. was a bit complicated, but they did have a great sound for guitar. I wasn't playing steel back then, so I never tried one on steel. Since posting this, I found several for sale on internet sites for around $600.00. And, I see they are solid state, not tube amps. The store I worked in was a piano/organ store, but they did stock guitars. I got a Gibson L7 there and had the factory install a Johnnie Smith pickup. I was dumb for ever selling that guitar. And, I should have bought a Baldwin amp.

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