fdesalvo
Hero Member
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- 3,609
With limited time and even more limited space to play guitar, I have found myself right in the middle of the micro amp demographic. Throw some batteries in 'em and go play in the backyard. I landed on one that's arriving today and I'm really excited about it. In fact, I'm going to build a little collection of these things. Leads me to a tale of woe and regret.
When I was living off Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood I met a cool cat while I was jogging in the hills. He was an older guy that has been there since the 60s. He tried his hand at guitar and decided it just wasn't for him long ago. During that time, Pignose was making amps in the neighborhood, so he bought one and kept it in the original box, which sat in his closet for 30+ years - until he met me. He gifted it to me and kicked off a great friendship that would last through the years.
It was in MINT condition - even the box was mint. I used it for a few gigs, where I ran an SG through it. What a nasty little beast! I ended up selling it after some hard times, but I made $300+ off of it, so it carried me through the day.
So fast FW to current times. My home studio is beside the room my baby sleeps in and by the time I'm done with my work day, I return home and spend time with him and the wife, then I have 4 hours of baby related prep work to do for the following day. By the time I'm free, it's 10:30 PM and I'm BEAT down. No way I can play upstairs. So after some research, I found this little 2x3 stereo nugget:
It's got a 3w x 2 stereo power section driving 3" speakers. Great tones with delay on board!
This situation also inspired me to go on a SS combo treasure hunt at some local pawnshops - something I haven't done in years. The nostalgic allure of suddenly happening upon a dusty old Blackface or MKI Boogie quickly faded as I hit the second shop over my lunch break, only to find a ratty Valvestate siting within a ruinous heap of forgotten lawn equipment. The odds of finding what I was after were slim and I knew it, but nostalgia had the best of me and I was determined to continue my search from the comfort of my laptop.
Yes, a blue stripe, late 80's/early 90's Peavey 210 Stereo Chorus. YES. Back in 1989 when I was just a year into my guitar journey, the local music store, "Wurlein's", carried the full range of Peavey products- from guitars to amps to PA gear, they had the entire product line. The store was incredibly well laid out, if not on the smaller side, and the staff were extremely patient and forgiving of me.
I used to go there whenever I could and would plug into this little 210 combo for hours on end playing the same Maiden guitar solos. They never kicked me out or harassed me. I was so hooked on the amp because it nailed Maiden's "Somewhere in Time" and "Seventh Son" lead tones, which I recently discovered were all GK SS stereo amps.
I actually found this amp on the musicgoround.com website for $99 in full working condition (no scratchy pots, noises, input issues, etc) WITH original foot switch and cable in great cosmetic condition. I'm beyond excited for this to arrive. If everything is as described, I'll rip the popcorn tolex off of it and have the thing recovered. It'll live downstairs in the garage, well away from the baby's room, and will receive some midnight lovin' on the regular.
Cheers,
When I was living off Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood I met a cool cat while I was jogging in the hills. He was an older guy that has been there since the 60s. He tried his hand at guitar and decided it just wasn't for him long ago. During that time, Pignose was making amps in the neighborhood, so he bought one and kept it in the original box, which sat in his closet for 30+ years - until he met me. He gifted it to me and kicked off a great friendship that would last through the years.
It was in MINT condition - even the box was mint. I used it for a few gigs, where I ran an SG through it. What a nasty little beast! I ended up selling it after some hard times, but I made $300+ off of it, so it carried me through the day.
So fast FW to current times. My home studio is beside the room my baby sleeps in and by the time I'm done with my work day, I return home and spend time with him and the wife, then I have 4 hours of baby related prep work to do for the following day. By the time I'm free, it's 10:30 PM and I'm BEAT down. No way I can play upstairs. So after some research, I found this little 2x3 stereo nugget:
It's got a 3w x 2 stereo power section driving 3" speakers. Great tones with delay on board!
This situation also inspired me to go on a SS combo treasure hunt at some local pawnshops - something I haven't done in years. The nostalgic allure of suddenly happening upon a dusty old Blackface or MKI Boogie quickly faded as I hit the second shop over my lunch break, only to find a ratty Valvestate siting within a ruinous heap of forgotten lawn equipment. The odds of finding what I was after were slim and I knew it, but nostalgia had the best of me and I was determined to continue my search from the comfort of my laptop.
Yes, a blue stripe, late 80's/early 90's Peavey 210 Stereo Chorus. YES. Back in 1989 when I was just a year into my guitar journey, the local music store, "Wurlein's", carried the full range of Peavey products- from guitars to amps to PA gear, they had the entire product line. The store was incredibly well laid out, if not on the smaller side, and the staff were extremely patient and forgiving of me.
I used to go there whenever I could and would plug into this little 210 combo for hours on end playing the same Maiden guitar solos. They never kicked me out or harassed me. I was so hooked on the amp because it nailed Maiden's "Somewhere in Time" and "Seventh Son" lead tones, which I recently discovered were all GK SS stereo amps.
I actually found this amp on the musicgoround.com website for $99 in full working condition (no scratchy pots, noises, input issues, etc) WITH original foot switch and cable in great cosmetic condition. I'm beyond excited for this to arrive. If everything is as described, I'll rip the popcorn tolex off of it and have the thing recovered. It'll live downstairs in the garage, well away from the baby's room, and will receive some midnight lovin' on the regular.
Cheers,
