Standel Amp Clone

thumbpicker

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Wondering if anybody knows of an amp that would have that clean Standel sound. I have a Music Man RD100 with a 15" altec lansing speaker that is clean with sweet highs and a thumping bass. My X700 with P90's sounds terrific. Only problem is that it weighs 75Lbs. and the old back can't haul it around much anymore. I like a 15" speaker unless there is a 12" that is comparable. You get on Harmony Central and everybody wants distortion, metal or an amp that breaks up. If I want that racket I can bang some kitchen pots around. Where I live there is 8 or 10 music stores that are owned by the same company that have the same products. The only difference is the face behind the counter. Just thought some of the board members have tried different amps out there with our great Guild archtops. That's my rant for the beginning of 2009.
 

Frosty

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Thumbpicker, I have never played through a Standel amp but I sure do know the name - was one of Chet Atkins' favorite amps. I have heard some Chet-style pickers favor the Peavey Delta Blues, with a certain JBL speaker. You might try asking the question over at chetboard.com.
 

thumbpicker

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Thanks Frosty,
I've read on the chetboard that some of the guys use a Peavy Delta Blues. It has a Blue Marvel 15" speaker in it. They change the speaker to a JBL D130 like the Standels have. The 15" JBL's are really hard to find and very, very hard to find without having to recone them. The Delta Blues is a fairly heavy amp also. Most guys can't justify the $3500 for a reissue Standel. Thanks for the input.
 

mad dog

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Thumbpicker: There's a guy here in NJ making a sort of homage to the original Standel. The "Invicta Cascade". I keep meaning to try this amp out:

http://invictainstruments.com/cascade.html

He sometimes has clips of it up on youtube. Owen is clearly a great fan of Chet. What's most intriguing is that this fellow (as O.C. Duff), is better known as a pickup winder, mostly for the tele crowd.

MD
 

Walter Broes

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Hey Thumbpicker,
Standels are rare and expensive (and always have been), and I think relatively few people have ever even played through one, I know I haven't.
Maybe Billy D.Light will chime in, he's got a couple of originals.

There was this announcement on Weber's page (Weber ---> speakers, amp kits and parts) a couple of months ago about an amp kit that's supposed to come out soon, so if you're very friendly with a good tech with some time on his hands.......

"JP25 --- This is based on the original Standel 25L15. 807's on the output, same type of cabinet with the amp on the floor and the remote control panel up top. Choice of AlNiCo California 15 or NEO 15. "
 

Walter Broes

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Refreshing to read Billy say he needs fifty watts - I actually hàd been wondering about the 25 watt rating on those amps.
 

capnjuan

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Hi W: You yourself have said many times that volume isn't just a matter of raw power; loudness is a function of how hot the pickups are, whether the tone stack wastes signal, and the efficiency of the speakers. Pretty rare; might only see 4 - 5 of them in a year on US-eBay. J
 

Walter Broes

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Oh, absolutely, numbers often don't have that much to do with actual power, but I have to admit I hàd been wondering about a two-power tube/cathode biased amp with one speaker being loud enough for a rocking band with a semi-heavy handed drummer.

I realise JBL's are seriously efficient speakers, and Standels are supposed to have huge output iron, but still....and Billy's comment kind of confirmed what I was thinking.

And I realise they're rare - they were the 50's C&W equivalent of Dumbles and trainwrecks - expensive custom amps made to order, usually for "stars".
 

capnjuan

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I see your point; better to be turning an amp that's too loud down instead of relentlessly playing one that lacks volume full up ... at maximum mush factor and under life-shortening circumstances.
 

Walter Broes

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capnjuan said:
I see your point; better to be turning an amp that's too loud down instead of relentlessly playing one that lacks volume full up ... at maximum mush factor and under life-shortening circumstances.
well, yes, kinda - and with the big hollowbodies amps do tend to get mushy a little faster. It's a matter of finding something that works "in most rooms" with the given band and style of music - as no two rooms are the same, of course. (and keeping in mind I don't like master volume amps or overdrive pedals much, which seems to be more and more "hopelessly old school" or something like that..)

And one of my pet peeves with "iconic vintage gear" is people tend to hear and read about them more than experience them (Standels, sunburst Les Pauls, prewar Martins, etc...), and the gear tends to get a mythical status that isn't all that firmly rooted in reality any more.

What I'm getting at is some unsuspecting Rockabilly or Honky Tonk or Pedal Steel enthousiast saving up his hard-earned cash to get one of those mystical/mythical Standel 25L15's only to find out it doesn't cut it onstage - doesn't seem like too far fetched a scenario, for example.
 

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What about the solid state Standels? With the understanding that the operative word is "clean". :oops: I think there is one on the 'bay....
 

Walter Broes

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Default said:
What about the solid state Standels?
Those supposedly have modular circuits with the different modules color coded and molded in epoxy or plastic - which makes them literally impossible to repair.

That said, some of them sell ultra cheap on Ebay and are worth getting for the speakers in them - ceramic Jensens, and I think some of them still even have D-series JBL's.
 

thumbpicker

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Hey guys, good feedback. I have been looking into two amps on the net. The Lindy Fralin Model and the Invicta Cascade. They could be just the ticket. Anyone have any experience with these.

Thumbpicker
 

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Walter Broes said:
Default said:
What about the solid state Standels?
Those supposedly have modular circuits with the different modules color coded and molded in epoxy or plastic - which makes them literally impossible to repair.

That said, some of them sell ultra cheap on Ebay and are worth getting for the speakers in them - ceramic Jensens, and I think some of them still even have D-series JBL's.
That's what killed Standel, if internet rumors are correct. Supposedly he shipped out a bunch where the modules failed and that was that. I knew a guy who had a Gibson 330 (hollowbody with p-90's) and a ss Standell. At the time, it didn't make much of an impact on me.
 

capnjuan

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Walter Broes said:
Those supposedly have modular circuits with the different modules color coded and molded in epoxy or plastic - which makes them literally impossible to repair.
Hi Walter; earlier version of that approach here Here: Martin/Dearmond. Good for noise suppression ...
 

mad dog

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thumbpicker said:
Hey guys, good feedback. I have been looking into two amps on the net. The Lindy Fralin Model and the Invicta Cascade. They could be just the ticket. Anyone have any experience with these.

Thumbpicker

Thumb: I have plugged into the Lindy Fralin amp, not yet on the Cascade. Never having tried the original Standel, my opinion may be suspect. Still, the Fralin VVT struck me as more on the tweed pro side, more in the neighborhood of a few worthy Victoria variations on that theme, the Regal and the Victorilux 1x15. Tried all these when I was looking for a tweed pro. The VVT showed promise, but seemed a bit on the boxy side, a relatively constricted cabinet. Ended up grabbing a used Sewell Wampus Cat (a real find), and much later, a Victoria tweed pro.

At least from the description, the Cascade would seem to be different tonally, designed more for the mostly-clean style Chet favored. The only reason I haven't gone down there and checked it out (the maker is 30 miles south) is that I might be powerless to resist, and could act foolishly ...
 
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