Ampeg SS-35

dklsplace

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Just cruised through our local junk...er...pawn shop. Been looking for info & pictures to post but not much other than other forums brief mention of them & no pics. Anyway, there's an Ampeg SS-35 with $100 on it. I didn't test it, but I'm tempted to see how low I can get them to go.
 

capnjuan

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Googled the model; several copies scattered on line - all asking +/- $200
 

dklsplace

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Brought home the SS-35 this afternoon, along with a much older no-name tube amp of sorts. Took some pictures, but the USB cable for the camera is in my wife's brief case at work. :?

As an added bonus, I talked him into throwing in a bench top Craftsman scroll saw. Nice 3 for 1 deal I think. So my project list just grew a tad.
 

Jeff

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What's with the Alpha dog, goes out & scores some cool stuff & no pictures.


No USB chord indeed.
 

dklsplace

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Here we go. There's also what appears to be a pickup with a volume control attached on about a 10' cable with simple RCA plug. Not pictured.
 

capnjuan

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dklsplace said:
Here we go. There's also what appears to be a pickup with a volume control attached on about a 10' cable with simple RCA plug. Not pictured.
interesting; I like those transformers. Also note that very early pieces typically have 'field coil' speakers where the OT is mounted on the speaker frame; in this amp, the OT is chassis-mounted. Might be an old organ amp, especially w/ the RCA inputs, mated w/ a pretty grill and assembled in a home-brew cabinet ..... I think I hear tone possibilities :D cj
 

dklsplace

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Speaker is fully enclosed so I have no idea what it is. My '49 Bell & Howell had a field coil originally. Pretty interesting stuff.

Here's the pickup.
 

dklsplace

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Oh Yeah, since the title of the thread is the Ampeg, here's a pic. It's in working condition. Scratchy pots, missing/loose knobs. Reverb working as is the lead channel, but the eq controls seem to be out of the loop. No footswitch so I'll have to dig one out to see if those are functional.
 

dklsplace

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Definitely a home brew, but I'm impressed with the design & build. It powers up & I get sound from the pickup, but plenty of scratchy stuff, static, & ground buzzing going on. Couldn't find any info on the speaker code, 122. however.

Unfortunately, it's time to go clean the garage so this will all have to sit.
 

capnjuan

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Hi Don: some notes; hope they help. Assuming the amp itself works, the only bugaboo I see is messing with that pickup; gonna need Kap'n or default to chime in but I think the operative principle is impedance matching; how much resistance does the p/u element provide v. how much total impedance the circuit offers; not sure I said that just right but an instrument cable can have an adapter to get to RCA but that's the easy part. Looks like a fun project!

Pickup: if you can open this and put a VOM on it, you can measure the resistance across the element, see how it compares to guitar pickups.

Chassis views top/bottom; encouraging that it isn’t rusted, trashed, or scorched anywhere. All the pieces and parts in plain view are commonly available in the aftermarket; especially the caps and resistors. The can cap can looks like 4-section. Depending on … these can be a nuisance … for lesser men. It will help if unit in there is 1 3/8” dia.; Most 4-section caps are 1 3/8” avoiding punching new holes or mounting loose sections on wiring strips – can be done but a little luck would avoid the need.

Speaker; two voice coils? Must have a crossover in it; Weber has a 6” ceramic in either 4 or 8 ohms; about $30 plus ship. Be nice if an 8” would fit; not sure of out-to-out dimensions for either 6” or 8” Webers.

Switches; lower left in pic looks like turn on for power + volume? contacts in back and pot in front. Center tone? Upper left is interesting; split shaft? The back ½ looks like the body of a slide switch, front like any other pot… ???

The lowest effort / some money / highest chance of success a/k/a not having to tear it apart is cleaning pots (they tell on themselves if they don’t come ‘clean’), fresh tubes, and a new speaker. Everything else requires time…

cj
 
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