First amps?

[Capt. Black]

Jansen SM55 combo then a Jansen Bassman 75 head into a 212 cab with Philips 12" speakers.

Ooof! Those SM55s were a soulless affront to music.

Nagged my dad in the 70s until he bought me a Diplomat guitar (of some vague description rhyming with awful) and a Tiny Maranucci combo amp. Possibly with a tube or two in it. Cousin built me a zena diode based fuzz which I used flat out until the guts of amp literally melted.

Jansen 50 after that.

[MikeC]

Jansen SM55 combo then a Jansen Bassman 75 head into a 212 cab with Philips 12" speakers.

Ooof! Those SM55s were a soulless affront to music.

And a gutless one at that!

[Bg]

I destroyed the family music centre speakers - a Sanyo - by plugging into the mic socket. Kay guitar and colorsound fuzz/phase.



Moved onto some sort of 10 watt shit practice amp that we destroyed during an energetic practise, think we were playing Anarchy or Bodies or something.

Next moved onto a Calsboro Cobra which was surprisingly excellent considering ss.

[Reg18]

Peavey Rage 158 for me, then onto Fender Deluxe 112 SS, then briefly a Peavey 2x10 chorus, then a Crate 112 combo before finally getting my first tube amp. Peavey Classic 50 combo.

[Dharmajester]

Next moved onto a Calsboro Cobra which was surprisingly excellent considering ss.

There was a period around 1980 when I had a small Carlsbro ss combo ( little tune up amp ) and used it driven by a Coloursound Overdriver on numerous sessions. Sounded f'in great in a track... Blindfold test you'd swear it was a M half stck..

[Slowy]

Next moved onto a Calsboro Cobra which was surprisingly excellent considering ss.

There was a period around 1980 when I had a small Carlsbro ss combo ( little tune up amp ) and used it driven by a Coloursound Overdriver on numerous sessions. Sounded f'in great in a track... Blindfold test you'd swear it was a M half stck..

I have a friend with a 100w Calsboro head. It really is glorious.

[Slowy]

Jansen SM55 combo then a Jansen Bassman 75 head into a 212 cab with Philips 12" speakers.

Ooof! Those SM55s were a soulless affront to music.

And a gutless one at that!

I had one. Years later, the guy who sold it to me apologised.
It was between the Coffin and the Princeton Chorus. The day I dropped it at the tip, I felt very good about myself.

[Bg]

Next moved onto a Calsboro Cobra which was surprisingly excellent considering ss.

There was a period around 1980 when I had a small Carlsbro ss combo ( little tune up amp ) and used it driven by a Coloursound Overdriver on numerous sessions. Sounded f'in great in a track... Blindfold test you'd swear it was a M half stck..

I moved up to the stingray which as 100 or 150 watt iirc, the cobra was 60.

The cobra was way better. Can’t remember where it went, think it went in part ex for a wem 15 watt head and speaker, valve at least! Should have kept the cobra.

[Sleep]

So much love for the Rage, mine looked like this one, I think I kept it up until the early 2000s... but hadn't played it since the 80s...

Ooohhh yeah.. thats the stuff Dreams are made of

[HackSaw]

I had a no-name 10w solid state thing in ‘86 (ish), so shite. Played a black Hondo strat. Next was a Yamaha RGX312 into a Peavey Triumph 60 head and vertical 2x12 - I have pangs of nostalgia for that setup. Especially the amp, when I got my Jackson (that I still have) in ‘90-‘91, that’s the most rock’n’roll my life has ever been.

[jeremyb]

I had a no-name 10w solid state thing in ‘86 (ish), so shite. Played a black Hondo strat. Next was a Yamaha RGX312 into a Peavey Triumph 60 head and vertical 2x12 - I have pangs of nostalgia for that setup. Especially the amp, when I got my Jackson (that I still have) in ‘90-‘91, that’s the most rock’n’roll my life has ever been.

Go the black Hondo strat! That was my first guitar!

[olegmcnoleg]

I had a no-name 10w solid state thing in ‘86 (ish), so shite. Played a black Hondo strat. Next was a Yamaha RGX312 into a Peavey Triumph 60 head and vertical 2x12 - I have pangs of nostalgia for that setup. Especially the amp, when I got my Jackson (that I still have) in ‘90-‘91, that’s the most rock’n’roll my life has ever been.

I had one of those Triumph amps too. It was surprisingly good for the time, and the price. I wanted a Boogie, but they were silly money. Sold it and bought an Ampeg, can’t remember the model but it was glorious. Really nice clean tones from chimey to smooth.

[Shimmer]

First 'amp' was plugging into the parents stereo with the tape player on record/pause - good times!
First 'proper' amp was a 90s era Samick combo - 60watts rings a bell. No idea of the model, but it did have reverb. Might have been a 60RC, but I don't recall it having chorus...

[kdawg2a]

I borrowed various weird, solid state Jansens at the start.
First amp I bought was a silver face Fender Twin Reverb in 1993.
It was the heaviest thing on earth.

A little more context or story telling to my last post....
I got my first guitar in 1988 (a red Hondo strat!) when I had my first dreams of becoming a Rockstar. Unfortunately, at that stage of my life, there wasn't a lot of commitment to pursue those dreams so the Hondo ended up spending most of its time leaning up against my bedroom wall.
At the end of 1992 I wandered into Go West music in Henderson and saw a 1972 Fender Mustang hanging on the wall for $500. I was smitten! After a week of obsessing about it I got my parents to go guarantor on it so I could buy it on HP.
Having this cool instrument really got me into playing guitar.
The next year I started polytechnic and I also started playing in my first originals band. I needed an amp so I bought the previously mentioned 70s Fender twin Reverb out of the Trade and Exchange for $400.
I needed a distortion pedal too so I picked up a 70s MXR Distortion + for well under $100.
I paid for all of this with the first installment of my student loan!
That was my first real setup, Mustang - MXR - Twin Reverb. I was 17 years old and it sounded glorious!
Once my band started gigging mid 1993 I realized I needed a backup guitar so I bought a second 72 Mustang in sunburst also for $500. I eventually added some more pedals, chorus, delay etc mostly Boss stuff.

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I still have the Mustangs and the MXR. I'd love to try them again through a TR to see if the sound I remember is in anyway realistic! Tastes change over time and I've gone through a lot of different guitar and amp types since the 90s, would the original rig hold up? It will be one of my missions to find out.

[jimi]

Had a 10w ss practice amp, piggy brand, $80 from the trade and exchange. Playing bass through it ruined the speaker trying to keep up with a drummer.

It was rubbish, No nostalgia at all for my early gear.