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Question for the vintage amp gurus.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 5:52 pm
by pjr
I've just come across this Selmer 30SS solid state amp amongst the huge amount of gear I have to dispose of for someone.
After a small repair on its preamp board it is working as it should be.
I've never been a fan of solid state guitar amps but to be honest I can't quite believe just how good this thing sounds!
Perhaps some of the sound is due to the different pairing of the 10" speakers that it contains.
I don't ever recall seeing one of these in the old Bell's catalogues that I used to drool over as a spotty teenager and I can't seem to find much about it on the web - although strangely I did manage to find a circuit diagram.
Was this made with these speakers as stock or are they retro fits I wonder?
Any info would be appreciated especially as to the possible monetary value as it will be for sale.

Cheers,

Pete
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Re: Question for the vintage amp gurus.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 2:10 am
by JimN
You can find a wealth of information on Selmer, Truvoice and Kelly amplifiers as a part of the Vintage Hofner website.

The main URL for the site is http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk,

but there is a direct link to Selmer amplifiers at:

http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/gallery/gallery3/selm.html

and even more remarkably, one direct to your amplifier model at:

http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/selmer/black/sel8.html.

Value?

Difficult to say, but really not much.

The solid state amps just don't have the well-deserved reputation of the Zodiac, Thunderbird, Treble'n'Bass, etc. By the time of the SS amps, Selmer had lost the driving force of their main gurus (who left and started the spin-off Kelly all-valve brand)

Re: Question for the vintage amp gurus.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:27 pm
by pjr
Thanks for that useful info Jim - there's some really interesting stuff there.
I'm still very curious about the speakers though. I can't see why Selmer would put in 2 speakers from different manafacturers
which makes me think they are probably retro fits.
But as I said previously they do sound bloody good:)


Cheers,

Pete

Re: Question for the vintage amp gurus.

PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:47 am
by RayL
A good clue for identifying 'retro fits' is to look at the solder joints. Normally a manufacturer will ensure that the joint is strong mechanically as well as electrically. The wire will go through the tag and be looped back, and the solder joint will be smooth and have that patina that tin/lead solder acquires over time.

In this case, having two different speakers is a dead giveaway - one of them is very unlikely to be an original.

Re: Question for the vintage amp gurus.

PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 12:40 pm
by pjr
Thanks Ray. I understand and agree with what you're saying.
Out of interest, I've attached a closer view of the connections which are coincidently both of the screw type not soldered.
Anyway as I said before it works fine,sounds really good and it's up for grabs. The big question is the moneteary value of such a thing.
As Jim said it's nowhere near the value of the valve models.

Cheers,

Pete

Re: Question for the vintage amp gurus.

PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 2:25 pm
by JimN
Steve Russell (who runs the Selmer and related websites cited above) might be interested in that amp. He's always on the lookout for Selmer oddballs!

I think you can contact him on steve@vintagehofner.co.uk

Hope this helps.

Re: Question for the vintage amp gurus.

PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:40 pm
by pjr
Thanks Jim


Pete

Re: Question for the vintage amp gurus.

PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 3:41 pm
by cockroach
I don't think there's much wrong with many transistor amps- they've been very good since the mid'70's IMHO...

As long as the 'valve amps are superior to tranny amps' snobbery continues, at least the tranny amps will remain more affordable!

On the grounds of light weight, rugged build and reliability alone, they are worth considering...and many tranny amps sound very good indeed and have been used by many professional and respected players..

I've owned and been gigging and recording with tranny amps for about 40 years now..The Yamaha, Roland, Peavey and Marshall solid state jobs which I've used and/or owned in that time are fine by me..