I'm trying to stimulate some lively posts here. Back in the 50's, Fender was just one of dozens of new companies trying to find a market in the
fledgling world of electric music. There were lots of amp companies, many using the same, or similar, circuitry. Most failed or limped along as the industry
became more robust. As we all know, Fender emerged as the big dog in the US, and those vintage Fenders have become collectable and carry high price tags.
However, there are also many amps from the 50's by forgotten companies that probably sound just as good as their Fender counterparts. Oh, and they are so
much cheaper to buy now, but don't have the "brand cache".
So, let's see what kind of vintage amps we all have from this "oddball and rarity" perspective.
I'll start. I have an early 50's Alamo model 6A. This is built on the same circuitry as the comparable Fender Bassman. It has four inputs with two volume controls (one per two inputs), a kinda odd/kinda cool 5-button tone selector and tremolo, all controls top mounted (again like the Bassman). Powered by 2 6L6's, it pumps a mind numbing 25 watts into a 15" original Jensen. The coolest part- the birch wood cabinet with the art-deco stylized A over the grill, and the refrigerator door handle on top. The 6A was the top of the line model for Alamo, a company out of San Antonio, TX (duh) that specialized in the southern country, mexican markets. their smaller amps often were used by harmonica players.
This amp is so rich in tone that you don't even notice it doesn't have reverb. It is gorgeous sounding, as great as any Fender of that era, but no one knows about Alamo.
So, why did Alamo fail? Two reasons. According to Skip Simmons, who cleaned up my baby, the circuit layout and design of the amp makes it really hard to work on. So, the design wasn't user friendly. Also, in the early 60's, Alamo bet that solid state was "the future" and switched its line completely to solid state. That was the wrong move, and the company faded into oblivion. You can still find some of their 60's solid state amps around, and on a few rare occasions, one of these 50's era tube amps.
So, who's next?
So, let's see what kind of vintage amps we all have from this "oddball and rarity" perspective.
I'll start. I have an early 50's Alamo model 6A. This is built on the same circuitry as the comparable Fender Bassman. It has four inputs with two volume controls (one per two inputs), a kinda odd/kinda cool 5-button tone selector and tremolo, all controls top mounted (again like the Bassman). Powered by 2 6L6's, it pumps a mind numbing 25 watts into a 15" original Jensen. The coolest part- the birch wood cabinet with the art-deco stylized A over the grill, and the refrigerator door handle on top. The 6A was the top of the line model for Alamo, a company out of San Antonio, TX (duh) that specialized in the southern country, mexican markets. their smaller amps often were used by harmonica players.
This amp is so rich in tone that you don't even notice it doesn't have reverb. It is gorgeous sounding, as great as any Fender of that era, but no one knows about Alamo.
So, why did Alamo fail? Two reasons. According to Skip Simmons, who cleaned up my baby, the circuit layout and design of the amp makes it really hard to work on. So, the design wasn't user friendly. Also, in the early 60's, Alamo bet that solid state was "the future" and switched its line completely to solid state. That was the wrong move, and the company faded into oblivion. You can still find some of their 60's solid state amps around, and on a few rare occasions, one of these 50's era tube amps.
So, who's next?
