New (to me): Kelly 50w valve head

[JimN]

I've been looking around for a medium-power amp head for some time. It's needed for playing at jams and I wanted it in head format so that it can be used with a relatively light Carvin 1x12 cabinet without requiring a roadie.

No luck (at a price I wanted to pay, anyway) until last week, when a SMSE member told me that a neighbour was selling a Kelly 50w valve head. I remember the brand quite well - it was something of an offshoot of Selmer (very late 60s and early 70s), owing not a little to the design of the T'n'B 50 but with a definite touch of Hiwatt about the appointments. I thought it would suit me fine. And it was at the right price - £50, complete with a large 2x12" speaker cabinet (wider than a standard 2x12 - looking like a T60 on its side). So, it's mine. And I've just had it checked over and PAT tested - with several important safety-related repairs and mods, including a mains-filter IEC connector installed - and all that for £45.

Here's a pic:

Kelly 50w - front view.JPG

(345.03 KiB) Downloaded 4822 times

Many thanks to Dave from SMSE. I can't wait to try it out...

JN

[ecca]

Looks great.

[Didier]

Never heard of Kelly amps before, but some people did : http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/selmer/kelly/kel.html

Didier

[JimN]

Hi, Didier,

I was already aware of the Kelly section on the Selmer amplifier (& Hofner guitar) website. I am acquainted with Steve and Tim and in fact, I have provided them with several illustrations of rare items from 1960s Selmer brochures for that site!

Best wishes,

JN

[geoff1711]

Hi Jim

if you got a Kelly for fifty quid on it's own let alone speakers you got a very good deal.

I've been using these for around 10 or 12 years and had a remote family connection with John Kelly so I've later found out.

If in good nick will give you very loud clean headroom, link the two channels with a patch lead together for maximum tonal spread.

But If your any good with a hammer and chisel ( well screws and resin W probably ) they can be made into a 2 X 12 with top mounted amp like VOX.

The currently are fetching up to £400 on ebay.

An excellent amp for using with an effects unit because it doesn't try to impose it's own sound over that of those being modelled, it's basically a warm sounding amp with a wide tonal range and loads of b**ll*cks.

all the best

Geoff M

[geoff1711]

Oh yes the family connection:

John Kelly left Selmer sometime in the mid to late 60's and set up in business on Holloway Road next door but a couple from an inlaw of my cousin who had a radio and TV shop, in fact it's still there but moved up the road and up the price range considerably since then!!

John Kelly, it would seem, was not top dog when it came to soldering so those amps which didn't work or sounded bad got sent up the road to my distant inlaw, George, who used to sort out all of the dry joints.

They were in production until around the late 70's although the business moved to Rheidol Terrace / Mews in Islington and remained there with his son taking over general repairs until fairly recently.

The reason they fetched such low prices until recent times is they had a poor reputation for reliability and had no bells and whistles, but those dodgy ones have all long since either been put right or gone to landfill, and as I said plain amps handle modelled effects much better than say a Marshall that wants to stamp Marshall over whatever you're putting in.

I have a spare which needs re-valving and whilst I'd move it on for the right price it'd be a lot more than 50quid!!

Geoff M

[JimN]

Hi Jim

if you got a Kelly for fifty quid on it's own let alone speakers you got a very good deal.

Oh, I was aware of that, Geoff. I've been following the secondhand valve head market for some time.

I've been using these for around 10 or 12 years and had a remote family connection with John Kelly so I've later found out. If in good nick will give you very loud clean headroom, link the two channels with a patch lead together for maximum tonal spread. But If your any good with a hammer and chisel ( well screws and resin W probably ) they can be made into a 2 X 12 with top mounted amp like VOX. The currently are fetching up to £400 on ebay. An excellent amp for using with an effects unit because it doesn't try to impose it's own sound over that of those being modelled, it's basically a warm sounding amp with a wide tonal range and loads of b**ll*cks.
all the best
Geoff M

I certainly respect your opinion on that, Geoff.

JN

PS: When will we see you at the Temple Farm club?