Vintage Tube Amp

Vintage Challenger Model CH30 tube amplifier from 1940′s. Originally designed as public address pa system amplifier.

I’m letting go of a few things from from my collection, including this Masco MA35 vintage tube amplifier project. These make killer guitar amps! As you can see, the amp has been updated and converted for guitar use, but it is untested by me, though in the same condition as acquired – needs typical updates like new.

This is a1960s SOUND ELECTRONICS Corp VINTAGE Bass X-202 Tube AMPLIFIER. Serial #21121 Made in Mineola, NY, USA. I’ve had this underrated amp for almost 25 years. It was in very sorry shape when I got it. The grey Tolex was a mess and the bottom of the case was beat up. I stripped it, filled the holes, and painted it flat ink blue with variegated gold leaf flames for a blues hot rod look to go with my playing blues standards. It would not cost you much to recover it with Tolex if you want the original look. It has the original exterior hardware and speaker cloth but I added a pair of rails to the bottom to keep it off the floor. The Jensen 15 speaker came from CAE in San Mateo, CA as the original was torn. I replaced some resistors, diodes and capacitors. The power cord is probably not original. All the controls appear original: On/Off, Bass, Treble, Volume, Polarity, plus 3 inputs and one external output. And the little blue power indicator works. And it has an internal fuse. I made the schematic of the amp circuitry that I will include. It weighs 42 pounds and is approximately 28x20x11. I read that Sound Amps were made in Mineola Long Island NY in the 1960s by John Dougherty, a former Ampeg employee, who later went on to run Marlboro amps, made by MICA (Musical Instrument Corporation of America) in Syosett. The Sound amps were made really well & used similar circuits to Ampeg & Oliver units. Dougherty also invented and patented the Quadra-Sound Blender, an outboard effect, which combined tremolo, vibrato and reverb, to produce a couple of unique surf-like effects.

For sale is this rare vintage Webster Electric Type 81B15 Amplifier from circa 1951. This was checked for basic signs of life using a Variac to help preserve the tubes & capacitors after sitting safely in climate controlled storage for many years. The unit powers on great and the tubes glow healthy although no further testing has been done. An interesting note on this amp, it is covered in porcelain and has chrome plated handles. I happen to have some extra matching tubes for the unit lying around that I will include as well. The cord does have some beginning signs of dry rot but is still functional. If you have any questions please reach out and I will do my best to answer in a timely manner.

Vintage UTC Linear Standard MLF tube amplifier, manufactured circa 1954 by United Transformer Corporation (UTC). This is an extremely rare mid-century hi-fi amplifier built during UTC’s golden era and designed around original UTC transformers throughout. Units like this rarely come up for sale in complete form and are highly sought after by collectors, restorers, and transformer enthusiasts. I do not have the proper equipment to safely power or test vintage tube electronics, and no attempt has been made to plug this unit in. Due to its age, please assume it will require service, restoration, or parts replacement before use. No guarantees are made regarding functionality. Cosmetically, the unit shows normal age-appropriate wear and patina consistent with a 1950s amplifier. There is no obvious major damage visible. Please refer to the photos carefully, as they are considered part of the description and show the exact condition of the item. This model is documented on Radiomuseum and recognized as a high-quality Linear Standard / Williamson-style hi-fi amplifier built to showcase UTC transformer technology. Additional reference information can be found here. Serious buyers who are familiar with UTC gear will appreciate what this is.

This amplifier powers on and looks good. There is a little wear and discoloration of the case.

Beautiful 1961 Bogen Challenger CHA-10 Vintage amplifier. Completely restored plug and play ready! Glorious single ended 6L6 sound! Think way louder Fender Princeton. Amp is mostly stock with a few useful mods. The tone switch has been changed to way more useful tweed Fender tone pot circuit. The phono pot is now a master volume. 1/4 input and speaker out jacks. 4, 8 and 16 ohm outputs. I added a 3 prong power cord and fuse for safety. Still has the original hang tag from the power cord! All original high testing Bogen tubes-6AV6 (Blackburn Mullard), 6AU6 (RCA), 6L6GC (GE) and EZ81 (Blackburn Mullard). I haven’t done one of these for awhile, so video is of one I did while ago the same way so you can hear how it sounds.

Please note there are minor scratches and marks due to age. Please note that it is a used item. Kindly refer to the product description for more details. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Is what it is. We used to see these all the time in the pawn shops back in the late 80′s early 90′s and as guitar players we loved the fact that you could get them cheap. This one has the original 15 speaker which… Man has to be pushing 60 years old. The head comes out and must have a speaker cable (I think this is a mod from the original). All i know is that if you want a Nirvana sound… If you want loud tube crunch this can’t be beat.