Gut and refurb old ss combo

[einstein magoo]

My Ampeg Reverberocket has a guitar input and an accordion input. I always assumed the accordion input would be low gain because an accordion must have some sort of preamp in it that would overdrive the guitar input?

[Lt. Bob]

My Ampeg Reverberocket has a guitar input and an accordion input. I always assumed the accordion input would be low gain because an accordion must have some sort of preamp in it that would overdrive the guitar input?

or possibly the opposite too.
maybe accordion p'ups were weak back then.
Try it ..... if it's softer then it's low gain

[Greg_L]

My Ampeg Reverberocket has a guitar input and an accordion input. I always assumed the accordion input would be low gain because an accordion must have some sort of preamp in it that would overdrive the guitar input?

It's possible. I don't know how an accordion sends a signal out or what's special about an accordion input. It might be a stronger signal than a guitar, might be less. I don't know. Plug your guitar into it and see what happens. You won't hurt anything. It'll sound good, sound like shit, or sound the same.

Very generally it goes:
Mic level - the weakest signal, low impedance, balanced, can withstand long cable runs, needs the most gain
Instrument level - medium signal, high impedance, unbalanced, long cable runs can degrade signal, needs moderate gain to amplify
Line level - the hottest, usually low impedance, balanced, can withstand long cable runs, will easily overdrive mic/instrument inputs

This is why you usually would want to use a Reamp box when reamping guitar signal from an interface/mixer. You can send a line level signal into a guitar amp but it will blast through the gain stages and come out way way hotter than you might want. Often a line level output straight into a guitar amp input will have the same result as like five overdrive pedals in series jamming the signal through the gain stages. Maybe you like this sound, but you probably usually want the amp to behave normally. Also the impedance won't be the same as what you get from a guitar pickup. Reamp boxes can bring the signal down to instrument level and also convert the low impedance line signal back to an unbalanced high impedance signal at the proper level so the amp behaves as if an actual guitar is plugged into it.

[einstein magoo]

Good info @Greg_L and @Lt. Bob
Yeah, I have tried both inputs. To my old ass ears they sound identical.
Thankfully I don't have an accordion! Though I do enjoy a squeeze box from time to time!

[Greg_L]

Slight update on this snail-paced project....

I've ordered the last batch of parts I'll hopefully need. I'm going with new but period-correct components. Polyester caps, ceramic disc caps, and carbon film resistors. I should be using carbon comp resistors, but they're kind of janky. Carbon film will be a good enough approximation for the original type and sound...and more dependable. This should be really damn close to an authentic early 60s Blonde Bassman....but better!

And now with most of my previous and existing projects done and dusted, I can get started on this one.

[rayc]

It has been a while - I've been looking forward to this AND Uncle Doug's not exactly prolific.

[Greg_L]

It has been a while - I've been looking forward to this AND Uncle Doug's not exactly prolific.

I've been doing so much other amp work since the collarbone incident. I wanted to get all that caught up before getting to this one. This one is not a kit so I'm having to source every little bit and piece and come up with a plan. First thing I know I gotta do is hack up the chassis for transformer and tube socket holes. So time to dig out the stepper bits and cutoff wheels.

[WhiskeyJack]

Slick!!!

[Greg_L]

Been measuring and marking up and chopping up this chassis. It aint pretty but it's gonna get smoothed out and covered with new front and rear panels anyway. I just needed to hog out space for the jacks and pots and switches, etc. And make the power transformer hole on the bottom. All of this will get de-burred, tidied up, covered, and painted fresh.

Also I'm gonna try to fit almost everything on the front. I don't like the Fender way of reaching around back for the power/standby switches. If I can, I'm gonna put all that on the front.

It'll be from left to right...jack, jack, volume, treble, bass - little space here - jack, jack, volume, treble, bass, presence, PPIMV, standby, power, pilot light.

The rear will be the power cord, fuse holder, 4/8/16 ohm individual speaker jacks...and lots of room for maybe an fx loop later. That's it.

[WhiskeyJack]

wear gloves and don't hack up your knuckles!!!!!

Looks like it'll be a lot going on in a little space.

[Greg_L]

wear gloves and don't hack up your knuckles!!!!!

Looks like it'll be a lot going on in a little space.

I'm gonna deburr it and smooth it out. It'll be ok.....and covered up.

[rayc]

& so it begins...cool.

[Lt. Bob]

better have a Fender style light with extra jewel colors ,,,





















but seriously .....

[Greg_L]

better have a Fender style light with extra jewel colors ,,,





















but seriously .....

I do! The jewel will be blue, but I think I have reds and greens too.

[Greg_L]

I need to settle on some knobs. I'm thinking something simple but not the usual amp knobs.

I think I'm gonna go with these....or something similar. Pedal knobs.

[WhiskeyJack]

I need to settle on some knobs. I'm thinking something simple but not the usual amp knobs.

I think I'm gonna go with these....or something similar. Pedal knobs.

Man i don't know why you try to track down some mosrite style knobs whatever they are called. I mean these amps are an extension of you and i think a lot of people that know you well enough, associate you with Mosrite fandom so why not? There's no rules. It would be super different and cool looking, and very much a Greg kind of aesthetic?

I don't know where you would start looking for that but i think the chase would 100% be worth it.

[Greg_L]

hey greg ... you seen these?

I'm not suggesting you change them out but personally I'm gonna put these in all my guitars.

Looks like a freakin' great idea .... no more staticky loose fitting plug ins

https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/com ... 20Products

Hey Boob a friend of mine gave me one of these jacks. He thinks they sound great and are the cat's ass. I put it in my LP Custom. The verdict....it's a jack. Does it grab hold a little better? Maybe. I never had problems with cables falling out so I can't really say. Does it sound better? Fuck no. It's a jack. Neat idea though.

[Greg_L]

Man i don't know why you try to track down some mosrite style knobs whatever they are called. I mean these amps are an extension of you and i think a lot of people that know you well enough, associate you with Mosrite fandom so why not? There's no rules. It would be super different and cool looking, and very much a Greg kind of aesthetic?

I don't know where you would start looking for that but i think the chase would 100% be worth it.

Well a few things...for one, actual Mosrite knobs are like gold. They're rare and expensive. For two, Mosrite style knobs are chrome and that doesn't fit the look of what I'm going for. And 3rdth, they're all push-on type knobs and I need set-screw knobs.

But I'm not opposed to smooth knobs with no markings. And my faceplate idea aesthetic will be minimal. I've talked about this with people and they're all like "how will you know where your controls are set?" My answer is "I fucking have ears". I don't care about lines or numbers or knowing that my bass knob is exactly on 4.7 or whatever. I turn things until I like the sound. I can hear what I want more or less of and I can guesstimate where the controls are set.

Couple things I do want from my knobs...I'd like them to be roughly Fender-sized - about 1 inch diameter. Big-ish knobs. They need to be set-screw. Some type of dot or pointer line is ok but not crucial. And they need to be blue. Blue is important for my color plans.

I have considered Gretsch knobs though. They have a "G" embossed on them....G for Greg. That's pretty slick.

[WhiskeyJack]

Man i don't know why you try to track down some mosrite style knobs whatever they are called. I mean these amps are an extension of you and i think a lot of people that know you well enough, associate you with Mosrite fandom so why not? There's no rules. It would be super different and cool looking, and very much a Greg kind of aesthetic?

I don't know where you would start looking for that but i think the chase would 100% be worth it.

Well a few things...for one, actual Mosrite knobs are like gold. They're rare and expensive. For two, Mosrite style knobs are chrome and that doesn't fit the look of what I'm going for. And 3rdth, they're all push-on type knobs and I need set-screw knobs.

But I'm not opposed to smooth knobs with no markings. And my faceplate idea aesthetic will be minimal. I've talked about this with people and they're all like "how will you know where your controls are set?" My answer is "I fucking have ears". I don't care about lines or numbers or knowing that my bass knob is exactly on 4.7 or whatever. I turn things until I like the sound. I can hear what I want more or less of and I can guesstimate where the controls are set.

Couple things I do want from my knobs...I'd like them to be roughly Fender-sized - about 1 inch diameter. Big-ish knobs. They need to be set-screw. Some type of dot or pointer line is ok but not crucial. And they need to be blue. Blue is important for my color plans.

I have considered Gretsch knobs though. They have a "G" embossed on them....G for Greg. That's pretty slick.

All good buddy. It'll be badass anyways. Stoked to hear it.

[Greg_L]

Ok well forget Gretsch knobs. No way I'm paying that much for knobs just so I have a "G" on them.

These are another option.


Those are actually Bassman looking knobs, but I can get them in blue. 65 cents a piece.