Who has a Valco amplifier? You know the ones I’m talking about. Valco, Supro, Gretsch, National, Oahu, Airline, etc. These are cool old amps but have their challenges with servicing them. I had two different people bring me 3 Supro amps each on the same day to the 300guitars Shop. I also have a 1950’s tweed Supro model that my man Joey DeMaio from Shorefire Studios upstairs gave me to re-cap…7 pieces of Supro gear in one shot. In all my years I have never had this many in one place at one time..!!
As I was saying these are cool old amps and have their own unique vibe to them. They record really well from what I’m told. In fact 3 of the amps belong to Monster Magnet guitarist Phil Caivano. He lives nearby and used his Supro’s for much of the album recorded at Shorefire Studios.
But with their unique vibe comes a price. That price my friends is actually a few things; They were built “on the cheap”, designs were changed often and existing schematics do not reflect the changes, some parts are impossible to source and there is not a lot of information available about them as compared to say Fender or Marshall.
One of the pieces I’m working on is an Airline Reverb Unit. The reverb effect is just not working and I have narrowed down the issue to the actual reverb tank’s input side transducer. The coil part is reading at about 1M and if I compare it to Caivano’s matching reverb tank from his Supro Tremo Verb the input side reads about 2.7 ohms and works like a charm with both his amp and this old reverb unit. My questions are; What was the original impedance supposed to read? (many of these values drift over time), What was the original gauge wire used to wind the transducer coil? Who made this Flintstone’s looking unit? Are there any parts at all available for it? Is there a modern reverb tank such as an Accutronics or perhaps a MOD tank from Amplified Parts that would be a suitable replacement? Lot’s of questions..!!
My first call was to the “kings of all things transformer” Mercury Magnetics. Paul and Patrick both told me that the little bugger could probably be re-wound but before I got too deep I should contact “Mr. Valco”, Terry Dobbs. Who even knew that there was a guy so into these old more obscure brands and was actually dubbed with one of the brand names! Calling Terry was the best move of my day. He is a great source of information and a super nice guy to boot..!! I got most of my questions answered and because of him I have a few avenues to check out so I can get this old Airline “reverbing” again.
So if any of you guys have an old Valco or associated brand of amplifier that I mentioned earlier in this post visit Terry’s site valcoamp.com. There is a bunch of information there and even more from the man himself. He repairs and restores these old gems and check out his tagline: “The Place to be when you’ve got a Valco, or just gotta get one”! Thanks Terry..!!!
Click here to visit Terry Dobbs valcoamp.com.
My shop is located at 1 Executive Dr Unit L Toms River, NJ 08755
Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or are in need of some tech work.
- Monday: 10am - 5pm
- Tuesday: 10am - 5pm
- Wednesday: Closed
- Thursday: 10am - 5pm
- Friday: 10am - 5pm
- Saturday 10am - 2pm. (I am in every other Saturday).
I am also an Eminence, Mercury Magnetics, Mojo Musical Supply dealer.
I do all the tech work myself so you deal directly with me. I am a one man shop and my hours can vary so please contact me to confirm that I will be open.
Email me: billy@300guitars.com
Call or text me: 848-218-0362
Shipping Info for all repair work:
Please ship all repairs to: 1 Executive Dr Unit L Toms River, NJ 08755
I am currently offering all phases of guitar work which includes:
- Set-ups
- Fret dressing
- Re-fretting
- New hand cut custom bone nuts & saddles
- Electronics work
And amplifier work which includes:
- Basic maintenance
- Bias adjustment
- Repairs and restorations
- Modifications
- And more....
Testimonials:
David Nicholas - The 20watt amp is sounding fantastic! Delivered the goods at the gig and I'm finding cool tones all over the place with it. Love the cab w Emenince Tonkerlites too- perfect for my sounds! Makes the 12 string sound like a grand piano!
Peter Lacis - I had an audition for something recently that was all about Led Zeppelin I -- my custom Pennalizer BLEW THE MINDS of the guys I was playing with. They couldn't believe the sounds coming out of that amp. That album was never in my mind when I came up with the idea....so that's yet another testament to the amazing work that you do.
Scott Goldberg - I am very satisfied with the set-up, and the fast turn around. With the "lower" action it feels easier to play. I will definitely spread the word.