Guest Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 I have had an extremely GASeous week......I found items on the Swedish E-Bay "Blocket" I just could not pass up. I would like to present my new amp Epiphone Pacemaker Tremelo 1963 sn 840002 made in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Drove to Stockholm with my wife this morning and took my stock 1989 Sheraton along for the ride. I have been playing that guitar quite a bit on my Peavey Valveking 112. So I could get a gauge of how the new amp sounded. When I arrived at the guys home first thing he said was "Where are you from?" "Liverpool" I replied. "I am flying over to Liverpool in a couple of weeks" he says as I am looking around the room Beatles posters everywhere. He shows me a stunning vintage Fender Jaguar and a couple of beautiful Bass guitars. I said "You must have a Casino" then I look in the corner and no Casino just a beautiful Gibson 339, beautiful dinky little thing. "No I like that one" he said. So he plugged into the Pacemaker and it sounded really sweet. I plugged in my stock 1989 Samick Sheraton and it sounded beautiful. The only word to describe it after plugging into the Peavey is "organic" it is somehow richer, fuller, warmer. The Peavey is a good amp, but I am very happy with the Pacemaker, an authentic, organic, blues amp. I learned something today, my 1989 stock Sheraton sounds great through this amp............. The amp is light, around 20lbs. My wife fell in love with the vintage look. I turned the volume on the amp to full, just one knob and then just adjusted with the volume and tone on the guitar, then tweaked the volume on the amp to a nice sweet, full, chimey, bluesy, sound, I have wanted to hear since I started playing electrics in August last year, and I can get an ideal room level from the 12 watts. It suits me, right down to the ground....I am very happy with this amp. I will put the other three guitars through it over the weekend. My wife was funny when I was testing out the tremelo (which I'll use very seldomly)...she shouted in from the other room "Oh, very Pulp Fiction".... I think I got a bargain as well. It is in very good order, the previous two owners have cherished it. It has an ac-ac external converter that feeds output to the amp of AC 110v 300w from an input of 230v-50hv from the Swedish electrical system, that was included in the price, one of those would alone would cost around 500sek-US$70. The Amp cost me US$550 which I am happy to pay for a beautiful vintage amp like this. Another big bonus was me and Stu sort of hit a chord together and he has invited back to his sometime, for a jam, and chew the cud over guitars. Finally found myself a guitar buddy here in Sweden...... The sun is shining outside, and tonight I am off out to celebrate my Irish roots with my wife, and drink a few pints of Guinness and a few Whiskey's, life is sweet.... A big thanks to Musikron and Carverman for all your help in the lead up to buying this amp....I will raise a glass to you both tonight.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 HNAD!! Glad it worked out for you, enjoy! You now have the coolest Epiphone amp on the forum. VJRs be damned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smips65 Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 [biggrin] Smoking deal Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrw1960 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Congrats to you. Excellent shape! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Congrats on the Pacemaker. Vintage looks and looks good next to the Sheraton. Glad you liked the tone from it. I guess there is something to be said about the old vintage Alnico speakers. Hard to find those now, as pretty much all the modern day speakers are ceramic..and we know how ceramic pickups sound in guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share Posted March 27, 2010 Congrats on the Pacemaker. Vintage looks and looks good next to the Sheraton. Glad you liked the tone from it. I guess there is something to be said about the old vintage Alnico speakers. Hard to find those now' date=' as pretty much all the modern day speakers are ceramic..and we know how ceramic pickups sound in guitars. [/quote'] Thanks Carverman... There are many variables but I think the Pacemaker just suits my needs. 10/12 watts, I like the simplicity, I am just after a nice clean blues tone and it is nice to just dial in a "loudness" and then use the volume and tone to pick something sweet. It has been looked after and the guys who have owned it got a special power supply for it. You will specifically know why but I aint go a clue about things electrical, they just said it should be that way.... here is the power supply that converts from the Swedish sockets... I also unscrewed the back to have a look in and after 47 years this is what it looks like inside. I know you guys love your amps and like looking inside. Also because this is an Epiphone people might be curious to have a peek in I will try and find someone who really knows about vintage amps in my vicinity who can give it a service, to make sure all is well and firing OK, and the old cabling is safe. If I go past 8 on the "Loudness" you get a slight hum but I find my sweet spot is around 7 then control up and down with the volume on the guitar and set the tone as I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smips65 Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Very nice Joe. Not that I am any expert, but shouldn't the lead wires to the speaker not be so close to the actual tube? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share Posted March 27, 2010 Very nice Joe. Not that I am any expert' date=' but shouldn't the lead wires to the speaker not be so close to the actual tube? [/quote'] Looks a lot closer in the photo at that angle than actually is, it is certainly not touching the tube, but any suggestions as to where the wire should be and how to ensure it does not come into contact with the tube is welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smips65 Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Again, by no means am I any expert, but the screw that holds everything to the speaker itself looks to me that it could be loosened a bit, adjust the whole assembly to the right a bit, and re-tightened. That should give the wires extra room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 I really like that amp.congrats! my fave finish on the sheri, too.. though I have a natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share Posted March 27, 2010 Again' date=' by no means am I any expert, but the screw that holds everything to the speaker itself looks to me that it could be loosened a bit, adjust the whole assembly to the right a bit, and re-tightened. That should give the wires extra room. [/quote'] Smips, I agree it seems the common sense thing to do give the wire a bit more distance from the valve/tube I really like that amp.congrats! my fave finish on the sheri' date=' too.. though I have a natural. [/quote'] Thanks TWANG, I could not let this amp pass me by when I seen it advertised. Just felt it was right to go and bring it home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Very nice! I'm somewhat envious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuse Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 What a beautiful looking amp, would love to see some gut shots. Have you tried running it through a "real" speaker(s).? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Thanks Carverman... It has been looked after and the guys who have owned it got a special power supply for it. You will specifically know why but I aint go a clue about things electrical' date=' they just said it should be that way.... [/quote'] The original USA designed/built amps from Kalamazoo used 110v 6oHz power transformers. In order to get the same voltages out of 220/50hz, not only do you need a stepdown transformer but a special one that will work on 50hz in the European countries. Most 60hz power transformers do not have enough laminations in the iron core to provide the proper voltages if they are run on 110v 50hz, so that is why this amp needs a special AC converter, which is probably a solid state converter of some sort. I also unscrewed the back to have a look in and after 47 years this is what it looks like inside. I know you guys love your amps and like looking inside. Also because this is an Epiphone people might be curious to have a peek in looks nice and clean..this is a Gibson produce amp after all. I will try and find someone who really knows about vintage amps in my vicinity who can give it a service, to make sure all is well and firing OK, and the old cabling is safe. If I go past 8 on the "Loudness" you get a slight hum but I find my sweet spot is around 7 then control up and down with the volume on the guitar and set the tone as I like it. From your description of the "hum" sounds like the power filter caps may need replacement after 40 yrs or so, but it also may depend on how clean the a/c waveform is from your A/C to A/C converter. I don't remember if the earlier versions of these amps used DC on the filaments to reduce hum, so if the preamp (with the shield) is running on a/c heater PT winding, the hum could be coming from that..or maybe the old filter caps are not capable of filtering out all of the 120hz present from the SS bridge rectifier these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 Thanks Carverman I am going to have to sit down and get into electrical matters, as it is an area I have never invested any thought, because I have never needed to. Great that is lots to learn, I will set to the task of doing that. Thanks for your guidance and experience. In the meanwhile I will get someone with the relevant experience to give the amp a once over. I think it would be worthwhile if not just prolong the longevity of this amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 What a beautiful looking amp' date=' would love to see some gut shots.[cool'] Have you tried running it through a "real" speaker(s).? Hi billm I have been told the speaker is a Jensen and I think the original that came with the amp. It suits me fine for the situation I am in. I am aware you amp modding guys are always searching for the ideal speaker. I just like the thought of keeping this amp as "stock" as possible but with replacements for anything that may be failing due to age. I don't think that applies the speaker on this amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 Though I would like to find a product for vintage amps for cleaning control panel. As you often get with many older electrical item there are tiny corrosion spots. I would like a product that would clean up and protect the control panel. Overall though the amp is in amazing condition for its age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Hi billm I have been told the speaker is a Jensen and I think the original that came with the amp. It suits me fine for the situation I am in. I am aware you amp modding guys are always searching for the ideal speaker. I just like the thought of keeping this amp as "stock" as possible but with replacements for anything that may be failing due to age. I don't think that applies the speaker on this amp. Speakers and O/P tubes are the "holy grail" of guitar amps..much like pickups and tone caps on guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
templeton Rat Posted April 27, 2010 Share Posted April 27, 2010 Just bought a 60's Epiphone EA-50 Pacemaker. It's really in good shape and more importanly, sounds amazing. Seems I'm having a hard time playing my "go to" Retro King Amp after hearing this little amp sing. I know I'll need a new speaker, the original is coming apart. I also believe I'll need to replace the power cord with a 3 prong/grounded cord. I'm thinking of a Weber. This model just has the volume and on off... perhaps a 64 model? Just thought I join in on this conversation. Templeton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 27, 2010 Author Share Posted April 27, 2010 Welcome TR I have PM'd you.......post some pics man...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
templeton Rat Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 Just installed a Jensen CR10 speaker in my Epi Pacemaker... really happy with the tone as of today. My QUESTION: I need to ground the amp, with a 3 prong electric cord. Is this a specific cord I need to buy or can I just use an old cord, cut the end and go from there... Is this something I can do myself? Any suggestions? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshw Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 hey everyone, new to the forum and happy that my recent trade brings me here. I just picked up a '62 1x10 non tremelo Pacemaker in good condition via a craigslist trade. I traded an Ornage crush 30r ( which I paid 80 usd for). I think i came out ahead. I think I will just leave everything as is ( as i am not an expert in amp repair) until something goes bad down the road and do a full resto at that time. But in the meantime i would like to clean it up a bit. What would some of you reccomend for cleaning the face plate and tolex ( or whatever this particular material is called) off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.