SG System Amps
ILMarchChamp
quite a few years ago. The Brand I talk about is SG System. I have two
of these amps, a 1965 half stack and a 1973 half stack. I have to
admit, these are my favorite brand of amps ever. Some people think
that you can't push the amp to the brink, but I disagree, I can push
it as far as I need. My 1965 is my favorite one of the two. It has two
independant input channels, one with wave form (which I will talk
about in a little bit), and one purely clean channel.
The wave form was a distortion effect that SG System designed and put
on many if not all of their amps. This effect had many different
distortion effects that was supposed to mimic the distortion from many
of the amps of the time. The wave form doesn't necessarily mimic the
amps, but it does provide many different low gain distortions. There
is a footswitch that will turn on and off the wave form, so you can
operate the amp with great ease.
I unlike many others for reason unknown, have been able to pump this
amp to both tens (the amp has a volume for each channel and a master
volume). So if you are an avid guitarist who loves collecting relics
from the past, or if you are someone in a band looking for a great
stack. Find and buy and SG System. They are totally worth it. Plus,
they go great with effects boards and seperate distortions while still
maintaining the warm sound of an all tube amp.
Ken Empson
just pushed it out to the curb as trash. It's a 6x12, if I remember
correctly. It works, but has some shorts in it, as you can get a really
nasty shock if you use it. Thought they were tube/ss hybrids. ???
--
Ken Empson
Peculiar Sound Studio
http://www.cdinc.net/~eriador
http://samhillband.com
"ILMarchChamp" <fende...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:cb2c72d.03081...@posting.google.com...
Lord Valve
Lord Valve
Expert
Lord Valve
nonetheless.
Lord Valve
SG-hater
Mike Schway
Lord Valve <detr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Wait'll this dude finds out what 8417s cost...
>
> Lord Valve
> Expert
But they're easily enough <g> rewired for 6CA7/EL34. I bet those big
bottle 6CA7EH would be just the ticket. The $$ savings for the first
set would more than pay for the mod.
Love the control panel on the SGs. Reminds me of a 70s vintage Kenmore
range (and about as heavy too).
--Mike
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Schway | [Picture your favorite quote here]
msc...@nas.com |
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Lord Valve
supply is the trick. You can't screw with the exisiting neg
supply, it runs the SS front end. I've had decent results
with taking a feed from the HV secondary on the power
tranny and knocking it down with a resistor prior to the
bias diode. I prefer to use 6550s in the SGs, they seem
to sound more like the original 8417s. BTW, I had to do
the same thing on Derek's Super Six, as the Axiom series
power trannies from Mercury have no bias tap. Grrrrrr!
BTW, Derek's new album "Soul Serenade" is just out.
(About a week ago.) I have a copy on the way. Google
my review of Derek's last Denver gig regarding the
title cut. ;-)
Lord Valve
Technically Proficient Rightwing Asshole
Mike Schway
Lord Valve <detr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Rewiring the sockets is easy enough, but deriving a new bias
> supply is the trick. You can't screw with the exisiting neg
> supply, it runs the SS front end. I've had decent results
> with taking a feed from the HV secondary on the power
> tranny and knocking it down with a resistor prior to the
> bias diode. I prefer to use 6550s in the SGs, they seem
> to sound more like the original 8417s. BTW, I had to do
> the same thing on Derek's Super Six, as the Axiom series
> power trannies from Mercury have no bias tap. Grrrrrr!
No bias tap???? Grrrr indeed!!! I thought they were supposed to be
dead-on clones of the originals.
I remember doing an EL34 conversion on an SG a couple of years back and
I don't believe I had any problems with the LV power supply. I don't
recall having to use the HV secondary, but I've done it with other amps.
I guess it all depends on where and how much you increase the bias
range. 6550s, OTOH, require a much higher (i.e. more negative) bias
voltage than 34s and I can see where there would be problems.
Ken Empson
they came off of an industrial oven. :-) Had a built in phase shifter, tho'.
--
Ken Empson
Peculiar Sound Studio
http://www.cdinc.net/~eriador
http://samhillband.com
"Lord Valve" <detr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:3F3D2B18...@ix.netcom.com...
John King
To the Original Poster on this thread:
No need to "defend" what hasn't been attacked!
I think you'll find that most folks around here
have no problem with the old SG Systems amps,
other than the obvious (i.e.; expensive power tubes
and heavy cabinet). They were built tough and
had useful features.
I've mentioned it before on here, but it is my
understanding that the SG Systems amps were somehow
connected to Gibson, don't know if it was CMI, or
Norlin though. And there also was some association
with Bob Moog. They may even have been built in his
factory... Does any of this sound familiar to
anyone?
John King
Smak186..
Were those amps made from 65 to 73?
Outt..
Jeff.
Mike Schway
John King <kin...@swbell.net> wrote:
> I've mentioned it before on here, but it is my
> understanding that the SG Systems amps were somehow
> connected to Gibson, don't know if it was CMI, or
> Norlin though. And there also was some association
> with Bob Moog. They may even have been built in his
> factory... Does any of this sound familiar to
> anyone?
IIRC, the SGs were CMI. Lab Series made by Norlin. I know Moog did at
least the PCBs for the Lab Series amps. Dunno if they had anything to
do with the CMI amps, tho.
Ken Empson
info received was that they were built in the old Standel plant. A CMI
manual was offered for perusal at the time.
--
Ken Empson
Peculiar Sound Studio
http://www.cdinc.net/~eriador
http://samhillband.com
"John King" <kin...@swbell.net> wrote in message
news:3F3D4980...@swbell.net...
Lord Valve
stood for "Standel/Gibson." Anyone?
LV
Mike Schway
Lord Valve <detr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> My understanding (could be wrong) was that "SG"
> stood for "Standel/Gibson." Anyone?
Maybe it meant Seriously Gargantuan (referring to the control panel and
cabinet, I suppose)
John King
Lord Valve wrote:
>
> My understanding (could be wrong) was that "SG"
> stood for "Standel/Gibson." Anyone?
> LV
>
> Ken Empson wrote:
>
> > I posted about these amps back in May when I first saw my nephew's 6x10. The
> > info received was that they were built in the old Standel plant. A CMI
> > manual was offered for perusal at the time.
> >
> > --
> > Ken Empson
Yeah, I've come across the info that CMI (Gibsons parent company) bought
Standell from owner/engineer/amp designer Bob Crooks in the early 1970's.
It seems that Mr. Crooks bought some bad parts for there new SS designs,
and field failures were sinking them fast. Although they had a sterling
reputation up to that time, once word got out about the failures, business
went bad fast. He ended up working for CMI for a couple of years, as
the story goes... Somewhere in that, the SG Systems amps were designed
and built.
From what I've found so far, Bob Moog had nothing to do with them.
I could swear I remember some connection about Bob Moog and *some*
line of the Gibson amps though... Or maybe I'm just getting my "Bobs"
mixed up ;=].
John King
ILMarchChamp
> In article <3F3D5FDA...@ix.netcom.com>,
> Lord Valve <detr...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
> > My understanding (could be wrong) was that "SG"
> > stood for "Standel/Gibson." Anyone?
>
> Maybe it meant Seriously Gargantuan (referring to the control panel and
> cabinet, I suppose)
I love these amps, but yeah, I would have to agree about the panels
being huge. But I don't mind, makes it easier to turn the knobs with
your elbow while playing. And I know that it wasn't really being
attacked by you people in particular in recent, but a few people
slammed them a long time ago (around 1997) in this forum, and if
anybody where to find those articles, I wanted to put those
misconceptions down. But hey, I bet some of you enjoyed putting your
two cents in on these old folks amps.
Lord Valve
John King wrote:
Moog Music was owned by Norlin, parent company of Gibson.
For awhile, anyway...
Lord Valve
Old
Jeff Engelmann
>From: John King kin...@swbell.net
>From what I've found so far, Bob Moog had nothing to do with them.
>I could swear I remember some connection about Bob Moog and *some*
>line of the Gibson amps though... Or maybe I'm just getting my "Bobs"
>mixed up ;=].
>
Back in the early 80's I contacted Gibson for a schematic for my Skylark (still
got it :-)) and they referred me to Moog. They were very helpful over the
phone w/ my newbie questions.
Jeff
Yet Another Phil
> Yeah, I've come across the info that CMI (Gibsons parent company) bought
> Standell from owner/engineer/amp designer Bob Crooks in the early 1970's.
> It seems that Mr. Crooks bought some bad parts for there new SS designs,
> and field failures were sinking them fast. Although they had a sterling
> reputation up to that time, once word got out about the failures, business
> went bad fast. He ended up working for CMI for a couple of years, as
> the story goes... Somewhere in that, the SG Systems amps were designed
> and built.
Yeah, that was a shame. I haven't played any, myself,
but I know Sonny Lollerstedt (sp?) - amazing guitarist
almost nobody has heard of - loved them (at least the
bass amps). I once heard him play a random guitar he
picked up through a Standel bass amp, doing everything
from jazz to Hendrix, and it all sounded great. Blew
me away - but he always did.
I think the SG moniker was also a tie-in to their SG
guitar line. Gibson always liked doing things like that.
> From what I've found so far, Bob Moog had nothing to do with them.
> I could swear I remember some connection about Bob Moog and *some*
> line of the Gibson amps though... Or maybe I'm just getting my "Bobs"
> mixed up ;=].
The Lab Series amps heavily involved Moog. IIRC,
there were also some effects pedals that had Norlin-
Moog involvement.
Smak186..
> The Lab Series amps heavily involved Moog. IIRC,
> there were also some effects pedals that had Norlin-
> Moog involvement.
I believe they also had a hand in some on board tone/preamp things in
some Gibson guitars. Some of the RD guitars and maybe one Les Paul..
Outt..
Jeff.
