SciFi Amp ...by Guitar Bob Ohsiek

SciFi Amp

...by Guitar Bob Ohsiek

Another pair [that has gotten away]. I answered a want ad for a broken Super Reverb some years back but just missed it. The guy felt bad and let me have this pyramid-shaped Yamaha amp for $25.

It matched up w/ a Yamaha guitar I'd also scored. Not a Surf rig as much as a 'Gozira' rig.

The reverb springs were broken, it had great tremelo, about 30 watts of transistor power.

These amps came with an oddly shaped large speaker w/ a styrofoam cone [same spkrs are in Fender Bantam Bass amps].

[back of Bantam Bass amp]

Fender Bantam Bass Amp with a styrofoam cone

Great look. I'd love to have it, but you can't keep 'em all.

Not a bad solid state sound, great Surf n Spy tremolo. The speakers though became notorious for warping, burning out, etc. Sure enough: this one made a scratchy racket as soon as I plugged it in.

I unscrewed the lid on the magnet [see pic] and found an out-of-round blistered area rt. on the voice coil which responded pretty well to my hi-tech tool: the back of a teaspoon [probably not a long-lasting fix].

I read that owners of the Fender Bantam Bass amps love those and usually make a new baffle board w/ a round cutout for a better speaker. Nice little low-powered tube amp, good for guitar [certainly not gutsy enough for bass anyway].

...and look at this Yamaha 'Leslie' speaker, inc. another foam speaker in a rectangular shape.

Yamaha 'Leslie' foam speaker