1963 Lesmann "Echo" Amp......No More Polkas for this Bad Boy
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Recently, a generous viewer donated this amp to our channel as a video feature. Although a completely unfamiliar brand, it is a very unusual and well-made amp, intended for use with accordions. Several mysteries arose upon inspection: 1.) No input jack.....how did it ever communicate with an instrument? 2.) A mysterious UTC line-matching transformer 3.) The letters "VIB" and "TREM" on one control.....could it have both effects? 4.) The presence of the word "Echo" as part of its name......does this imply reverb? And more......that you'll have to watch to find out ;)
If these mysteries interest you, then please join us as we convert this very unusual old gem into a rocking guitar amp......with a killer tremolo. In addition, we will open a shipment containing another very unusual amplifier, sent by a viewer as material for a future video.
If you enjoy advertising-free videos like this, then please subscribe to our channel and consider becoming a Patreon patron at: / uncledougsvintageamps or making a PayPal donation to: dldcam@aol.com. We rely entirely on the support of viewers, not advertisers, and would appreciate your help. Also, like the viewers in the video, you can support us by donating vintage tube gear and components to be used in future videos. Thanks for watching !!!
NOTE: As a viewer noted, the tremolo seemed to overdrive the output tube(s) a bit. As a result, I increased the value of the resistor between the oscillator and grid from 100K to 220K. Problem solved :)
Whoa UD! The guitar fairy dropped a Legend Rock n Roll 50 on your doorstep!! That's the amp Billy Gibbons used to record ZZ Top Eliminator! Careful, that is one LOUD amp 📢🔊
Life is good 😎👍🏼
@@kickinvideo333 It is indeed, KV.....and it is truly LOUD !!
After watching one of your educational videos I understand why the vibrato did not work when connected to the grids of both output tubes.
The push pull circuitry cancelled it out!
When you moved the tremolo to only one output tube grid there was no cancellation.
@@Dennis-mq6or Thanks for the helpful input, Dennis :)
Even with the sampling and/or compression artifacts in the audio, the Lesmann is one of the best-sounding amps you’ve had on the bench. This one is a keeper and your mods made it so.
Wow, thanks so much, Hub :)
bump :)
+500 points for using "WFO" - cheers!
It came my old motorcycle days, Chris, but still seems appropriate :)
That amp is SICK! Bright, but with a full low end. And dem cats can Really Play!
Thanks, Dave. That's exactly what I aim for in voicing an amp.....and Jack & Ollie do the rest :)
From Leo: My mother's accordion had a magnetic attached microphone that was hard wired into a long lead cable. A low Z microphone could explain that 600 ohm input. Nice work.
Thanks, Barb. I agree.
Barb Melle, it's interesting to note how many amplifier manufacturers in the late 50s and early 1960s were manufacturing amplifiers with labeled accordion inputs, amps that were marketed to accordion players. This includes Ampeg, Sano, Magnatone and all the various rebranded "Maggie's" such as Panaramic, Titanio, Giuletti and others. And yet, the actual pickups or microphone assemblies that would have been attached or fastened to the accordions themselves are virtually nowhere to be seen. I've bought a lot of vintage microphones at flea markets and ham radio Fest in past years, and although I would see lots of accordions at the flea markets they never had pickups attached.
@@goodun6081 I wonder why?
@@donaldheitger6731 , like I said, it's a perplexing question. Perhaps the inclusion of accordion inputs on all those amplifiers was merely being hopeful on the part of the amp manufacturers, that they would be used for something other than loud rock and roll guitars. Certainly Ampeg founder Everett Hall detested rock and roll, and made every effort to *not* accommodate rock and rollers or anybody with long hair, any bands that were coming through the area and might have been interested in visiting the factory, and so on. This definitely put a dent in Ampeg's sales figures, until Hull was finally put out to pasture in the late 60s. Anyway, perhaps the anticipated, hoped-for (chuckle) glut of pickup-equipped accordions just never materialized. The old- guard musical equipment manufacturers we're slow to see that the rules of the game, indeed the entire game, had changed. And then the music market got really soft around 1969 and a whole bunch of manufacturers went bankrupt.
@@goodun6081 I have a Farfisa "Transicord" amp (Solid state, sadly) with an accordion input. The connection looks a bit like a tube socket, actually.
Bless you Uncle Doug for sharing your wisdom with us!!! Our family loves your videos!
You're quite welcome, F1. Regards to you all.
Incredible Job in all respects. I learn more watching you than any other electronics teacher on the web, no kidding. I think it's your background teaching to young persons, who seldom brook messy explanations without eye rolls ;) You talk slow with well chosen words..they sink in: thank you. The pets breaks are hilarious. You inform, you inspire, you amuse.....Uncle Doug you rule!
Wow.....thanks so much, Uhoh. I really appreciate your kind analysis and comments.
This is certainly the best amp I've heard you build, the distorted character with the nice full treble and bass. It's everything you'd want, thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Jules. It had exceptional tone.
I’m always waiting for your next tube amp extravaganza!!!
Thanks my friend!
You're welcome, Bill. This one features a rare gem, for sure :)
that's gotta be one of the very best sounding amps that you have had on your channel, thank you for doing your thing!
Thanks so much, PS.....glad you liked it :)
Outstanding workmanship. Circuit and cabinet!
Thank you very much :)
Thant was a super cool trouble shooting video! Thanks for taking us along in such detail..can't wait for the next one!
You're welcome, DY. I hope you enjoyed the trip.
I'd be "less of a man" for not watching this Lesmann amp video. Thanks Uncle Doug.
Thank heavens you watched, ¿. You're welcome.
@@UncleDoug what's the best way to contact you to donate hardware? I'm considering getting some reissues of 1965 Fender guitar amps but not sure how they stack up to the originals. I hear they make them in Mexico now. Not sure whether to get a Princeton or Deluxe Reverb. What do you recommend?
Is that a ‘ Nes Lesmann ‘ or a ‘ Les Nessman ‘ amp?
If I were you, I would find a nice Silverface Princeton or Deluxe Reverb from the late 60's, early 70's. Their circuit is virtually identical to the Blackface versions, yet the price is about the same or lower than a reissue.....which will have PCB's, 1/4W resistors, and all sorts of corners cut to keep cost down. Give me your e-mail address and I'll contact you directly.....but make it a fresh comment. This one is buried too deep to find tomorrow.
@@UncleDoug your recommendation is much appreciated Uncle Doug, and this leads me to ask, if the price is nearly the same, and the circuit also nearly identical, then why not opt to buy a new reissue which has the added benefit of tubes that have not depleted any of their life cycle? Not questioning your wisdom, just trying to understand where you're coming from. Admittedly, I'm partial to the aesthetics of some of the reissues currently available in some of their limited edition versions.
I preferred the amps they used on WKRP- The Les Nessman ; )
LOL, I think their bestseller was the Jennifer Marlowe amp, :)
I wonder if Les ever played the accordion? Jennifer probably couldn't reach the keyboard and buttons.
@@Bigjoedo66 Can't deny the quality of those power tubes. ;-)
I think those were covered in Band-Aids
Now, ..that’s funny!
Thank you. A good video.
Knowing electronics and knowing audio amps seems, at least sometimes, two separate areas of understanding.
Thank you, again.
I would say that tube circuits are a somewhat arcane but still popular sub-category of electronics, Glen.
The Lesmann rocks ! Great project, totally enjoyed the video. Thanks, Pedro.
You are quite welcome, Pedro. Thanks so much !!!
Aluminum is difficult to drill because of it ductility and softness causes a constant contact with the cutting edge of the drill face. Probably to save on drill bits during manufacturing.
Check out Mr Carlson's Lab he gives good servicing advice for the hybrid Legend amps the semiconductors are easily destroyed, good advice for anyone not used to working on this type of amp
I am not strongly inclined to work on the hybrid circuit, John, but if I do, I will keep your suggestion in mind.
The upshot was, don’t go around with your probe AC-coupled in the high voltage bits and then zap the SS bits with the charge still stored in the probe’s or scope’s coupling cap.
Correct being unaware of this hazard could end in tears
@@hubbsllc , and although it's not a hot chassis, transformerless amplifier, an isolation Transformer on either the amplifier's power cord or the oscilloscope's power cord might be a good idea.
Fantastic work again Uncle.
I had a Minerva 415W tube radio from 1940s, once belonging to my grandparents. It was sort of working while I was at high school, some 35 years ago, with a beautiful warm sound, but then ceased to work, thanks to my stupid uncle for leaving it under a dripping roof. I am a bit electronics hobbyist, but these tube setups were like Chinese to me. After watching you videos and digesting the information you provide with that friendly and couraging voice, they are not total aliens to me anymore. My first project now is to bring that beast into life again, hoping to find proper replacements for her already too old and beaten tubes of course. Thank you again for sharing loads of information with us.
You're quite welcome, LS. We're glad the videos are helpful and wish you the best with your project. Be careful !!!
Wow, that amp sounds great. Probably one of my favourites. Thanks, Doug.
You're welcome, Andrew. Thanks !!!
Nice job. The mystery transformer is in the anode circuit of V1B. It is therefore an _output,_ providing two isolated secondaries: 25K at the same level as the primary, probably a few volts, perhaps to drive a slave power amp, and 600 ohms to drive a studio mixing desk directly. Or maybe they are the send and return to and from the missing echo unit? Both are tapped off before the volume control of course. It is a feature, not an anachronism, and IMHO you should leave it wired in. Anyway the primary is part of that anode load and can't be removed without shifting the operating point of V1B. The 25,000 and 600 ohms are impedances, not DC resistances, and 600 ohms was a common standard for audio back in the day. I still have some 600 ohm stuff from the 1980s.
The amp is overloading far too early. I would increase the 56K grid input resistor to say 100K, or maybe raise the cathode resistors to 4K7. At least you should remove that resistor you put across the 25K primary.
The Echo and VIB remain mysteries. VIB must mean vibrato, but you need severe phase shifting to even approximate that. What was switched differently in the VIB and TREM positions?
Thanks for all your helpful comments and suggestions, EJ. I will definitely keep them in mind.
Uncle Doug The more I think about this the more I think it must be the echo send/return. It fits right in with the current-drive current-out nature of reverb springs (=> high source impedance, low target impedance), and it provides gain (sqrt(25,000/600)) to compensate for the lossy transducers.
Lolol “I’m going to wait till the 4th of July to plug this thing in” 😂😂😂.
Glad you liked it, Dean :)
Uncle Doug Yes I did, like your sense of humor. Good to see you back! I’m a electrical nit wit but am fascinated with old tube radios and amps. I love learning about them and your vids are the best. Really love your tutorials, you make them fun and very understandable even for the electrically challenged!
Thanks, Dean. We appreciate your time and interest.
Afraid
Just amazing! Wow what you can do ! Thank you !
You're welcome, Curtis. Thanks !!!
Nice job Doug those wiring alterations certainly paid off and we learnt a bit from you, thank you............................................Berni
You're welcome, Berni :)
This amp sounds so genderfluid. You should add a switch to select the adequate pronoun.
HAHA!(8-). Glad I didn't just take a swig of coffee. I'd have blown it all over the monitor.
True, it's a hybrid - why force an arbitrary decision? Maybe a "metro intensity" control - leans this way, then that way. =)
I'm shopping for a 68-position switch to allow for all possibilities, Λογος :)
@@PipeCat1965 , "leans this way, then leans that way"..... sounds like a definition of vibrato to me. I remember this line from a blues song, "She got Elgin movements from her head down to her toes / she rakes in a dollar most anywhere she goes / she's got it, Elgin movements from her head down to her toes / she rakes in on a dollar, most anywhere she goes......"
And if you know what's meant by "Elgin movements", you're showing your age.
@@goodun6081 All I wanna know is, was the crown set of lever set? Beyond that, I've had to put up with "Inca block" movements most of my life...
And spectacular certainly describes the tone you are receiving
Thanks, David. That's our goal :)
What a great amp! Well done Uncle Doug.
beautiful work as usual Doug . love the way you share you experimenations.
Thanks, Barry :)
Ya know, Doug...its surprising how much difference just having clean, proper power supplied to the amplifier(& fx) makes. I bought a 3-light outlet tester and it showed the outlets I use had live & neutral swapped.
So I swapped them to their correct spots on the outlet and buttoned it back up. I swear to you that killed 90% of my hum issues. I couldn't believe how much hum I was getting.
First, I was getting hum from the outlet itself due to the backwards live & neutral. Then I was getting EMI hum from it when I got anywhere close to it with a guitar. Finally, I was also getting hum from my cheap pedal power supply.
So I fixed the outlet and that killed the power hum and the EMI hum. Replacing the power supply got rid of that hum/buzz, as well(and the last 10% of excessive hum). I honestly couldn't believe how much buzzing & humming I had prior to fixing the outlets.
Now, it's quiet as a mouse. I can crank the amp up 100%(gain & volume maxed) and it hums less than it did at even 25% before. When I plugged in after fixing it all, I was ecstatic, to say the least. 👍
That's great news, JC. Thanks for sharing :)
Great video Doug. Worth the wait for sure. Hope you and the gang are all well.
Thanks, Rob. Never better !! You too, I hope.
Doug, I really appreciate that you don't get mired down in the theory when deciding to do some mods & are not 'afraid' to just launch in with the knowledge & experience you have and do the good ole trial and error method. It makes it easier for us others to understand that you don't have have a road map, just some common sense. tube circuits are very forgiving so even if you make a 'mistake' most tubes will recover...even red-plating output tubes as long as you don't leave them that way for too long.
Thanks, Glen. I encourage all budding techs to use trial and error at every opportunity. Once you gain experience and knowledge, the trials get better and the errors become much less frequent :)
I once bought a Cordovox accordion from strangely enough, a woman named Maggie. This thing was massive. It had an amplifier unit like this one, mounted in a cab. along with 2 x12" Fender speakers and a twin cab. which housed a huge point to point wired chassis with hundreds of caps and resistors. Each note played on the accordion itself had a dedicated circuit. There was a large umbilical cable that ran from the Accordion to the circuit board that also housed a ton of 6X8s , it also included a volume pedal. So, there you go.
That sounds like a huge amount of circuitry and equipment......for an accordion, Tim.
Jack's playing is really coming along. He Shook Us All Night Long!
He and Ollie have been jamming a bit......on the back fence at midnight :)
I want more man! Great video!
Thanks, FW :)
Ach, now I see. What we here we is the newest of all tube biasing technologies. Bluetooth cathode biassing of the second triode :)
Excellent work and great result. That amplifier was not just saved but it was reinvented.
Thanks, 9W :)
Just an awesome resurrection Uncle Doug!! That’s a real nice natural breakup in the LesMann!! I like it when a plan comes together..
Thanks, Luth. So do we :)
Man that sounds good. Well done uncle Doug!
Thanks, Angelo.
Great troubleshooting & mods UD sounds top notch! Thanks for sharing that was very entertaining!
You're welcome, James......glad you liked it :)
Great Job Uncle Doug!!!!! Sounds Great!!
Thanks, R1.
So glad you are still doing repairs and posting videos! This is one of your best, all are your best!! The Tolex reminds me of the 60s Valco-Supro amps! The Gibson Crestline models also used similar Tolex. The cab reminds me of a 90s Fender Blues Jr.. someone at Fender must have known of this amp. You enlighten everyone of just how many unusual amps were made and still exist. To mod this vintage jewel was no mistake! You brought it to a wonderful condition for playing. It sounds great! Thanxz
Wow, thanks so much for all your very nice comments, ATL. We really appreciate them.
Nice work 🎉
Thanks :)
WOW sounds great UD
Thanks, Mr. T :)
Great work on the additional circuits. I really like Simple green for cleaning and it leaves a nice shine that is not glossy
A little late,,,but,,,, I know there is a tear running down the cheek of some old squeeze box player but gotta say the re-du on this one came out just great. Nice job pal.
Thanks so much, Carl :) One man's loss is everyone else's gain......
Great Job Uncle Doug! I think it sounds great converted to a guitar amp. I knew if anyone could make sense of that beast it was you. I like your showing your thought process and experimentation with the circuit. I never would have figured it out. BTW I did send the tubes it had in it, They were wrapped in some white foam padding and taped inside the cab. hope they didn't get tossed.
BiogDave
Thanks so much, Big Dave, both for your nice comments and your donation of the Lesmann amp. Yes, all of the tubes you sent were used in it.
I love the breakup in that amp! Nicely done!
Thanks, Matt :)
I am glad I found you Uncle Doug. You have taught me so much. I can't thank you enough. Thanks to Rusty too!
We're glad too, VW. Welcome to our channel. We hope you feel at home here.
Great Video Uncle Doug!! I like the sound of this amp better than the last one!!
Thanks, Big Joe.
What a great sound she makes. Great job and the echo section sounds excellent too. If only the Lesmann crew knew what was going on in post accordian USA.
Thanks so much, James. Little did they know :)
I'm late again thanks to a big storm Sunday, just got internet service back. Interesting amp and repair solutions. Great sound.
Sorry to hear of your problems, Andrew, but glad you liked the video. Thanks !!
Great job! You turned landifill into a fantastic sounding amp!
Wow.....thanks, John.
Fascinating unit you got there. I introduced a friend from university to your channel a couple days back and now he's a huge fan of yours. He wants us to build an amp someday.
Greetings and keep up the good work.
At 18:00, looking at your simple hand drawn output circuit, there's no negative feedback? I would have thought they'd want a cleaner sound for an accordion. Since you're going to be modifying this unit anyway, you could put in a switchable negative feedback circuit, also known as a presence control. Maybe you could even use the rotary 3-way switch for that function.
Thanks so much, Mr. TM. Our best to you both.
That's a good idea, GU. Thanks !!
@@UncleDoug , you'd also have to experiment to see which way the negative feedback gets hooked up without causing a feedback squeal, from positive regeneration or oscillation. That might be fun to show people in a TH-cam video! Good for peoples learning curve.....
I think most of us have heard what a positive feedback loop sounds like, GU. It would make a memorable and informative video segment.
Great video Doug.. You have a lot of tube Amp knowledge. I’m quite envious my friend!
Thanks, Tony. Don't be envious. If I can do it, so can you,
Not sure about that Doug! I’d love to have your knowledge my friend..
Great tone !
Thanks, SP.
very cool mods and a nice tone to match the cab :)
Thanks, PN :)
Great video again. Can’t get enough of it. Thank you so much.
You're welcome, III.
I miss Rusty. It was so fun to watch him act as your foil. He was a good dog.
He was indeed, Matthew. We miss him a lot.
I Really like the sound of this amp Top Notch
Thanks, Jim !!
Im quite sure that speaker is glad to be rescued from polkaland to rockland,great vid and sounds awesome!
I have a feeling you're right, Ted. Thanks.
Damnit, now I have to go listen to More Than A Feelin' by Boston! Nice work, Doug- you really know how this stuff works!!
There are worst things to listen to, Laura. Thanks so much :)
Nice job! I really like the breakup the amp has.
Thanks, Larry :)
Nice job, good gritty breakup! I like it, cool sounding trem.
Thanks, Ron :)
Very Thorough.
Another fine job and example for us amateurs.
Thanks, Evan.
Uncle Doug , AGAIN... you amaze me! You are TRULY a great teacher and builder! By the way , the logo on that amp kinda looks like the one on the Stage Right Amp.
Thanks, Wayne. I think the logo is the only similarity :)
That Sounds totally Awe Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!... Nice going Doug :)
Thanks, Terence :)
Great stuff as always!
Glad you enjoy it, Amo :)
I’m glad you inspect your amps before plugging them in and turning them on!!! As usual, a fun video.
Thanks, AB :)
WOW @15:15 !!! It's GREAT to see Aerovox Caps , as I worked at Aerovox around 1998. Also my mom worked there for over 15years 🌴😎👍
They were a commonly used cap back in the day :)
Ripping good stuff as always. You'll be happy to know that I repaired a Fender Deluxe Reissue amp this morning. Just a couple bad solder joints on the primary 12AX7, but it's my first tube amp repair. ( Oh the braggin' there'll be)
Thanks, Mr. CC. Congratulations on a successful repair :)
A lot of great troubleshooting and a great restoration. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome, Larry.
Superb job !
Thanks, Mr. O.
Love your show, Uncle Doug! The amp sounds great after your skilled care.
Thanks, OS :)
I just brought home my second Lesmann amp today from Minneapolis and the previous owner still had the accordio-organ that came with it. I got a demonstration of how it works. The accordion is likely an import that Lesmann added their patented electronics to. There's a hefty interconnect cable and the tone is quite pleasant-not the cheesetone you'd get from a Farfisa or a Vox organ. It is in very nice condition and had been owned at one time by a person who used it for his performances of Persian folk music. I suppose that there had to be some sort of power supply to run the electronics so I'll have to see if the mic plug has any live pins.
Very interesting, Robert. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing sounding amp. That's the sound EVERYONE is looking for!
Wow......high praise indeed, George. When I "voice" an amp, this is the tone I seek, and I'm so glad that you like it too. Thanks !!!
that echo sounds really good!...
Thanks, YR :)
I find myself replying when Uncle Doug says things like "Tell me what you think about that?" I'm working on a guitar on my bench saying things like "oh yeah, that's much better." HAHA! Great video as usual.
We really appreciate audience participation, Matthew.
Got to love TH-cam, I had.to research you again even as a subscriber.
Thanks again Big Dave. Nice rewiring Uncle Doug. Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome, Daniel.
Hi Doug, If I remember correctly..... That sealed 600 ohm transformer was used in some class-C radio transmitters, military, broadcast and ham ! Maybe as far back as the late 30's !!
So ex surplus stock, so much built in UK from military teardowns
Seems like the tremolo has a sympathetic oscillation about 1/3rd as fast superimposed which I find sounds both cool and unique... oh and your wife's toothbrush really cleaned things up beautifully. Les Nesmond would be proud! ...also your wonderful dry amp comedy... Zachary looks sideways at me and says 'Instead of laughing at your computer could you please feed me ?' (or sumpin like that) actually, if I seem like I'm deviating too far away from the subject at hand (food, always food) he likes to hop up into my lap and sock me right on the cheek (with nails retracted, fortunately) Thanx Uncle Doug for yet another most entertaining video. Always a high point in/at my PC gazing session. and... cheers
Thanks so much for all your comments and observations, Jonny. Regards to Zach :)
Hey Uncle Doug! Now you have two hybrid amps! The Legend and the Alamo. Maybe you could combine the two and make an Alamo Legend!! Great video as always and thanks to the viewer that sent the legend!!
Thanks so much, Jack. That's a great suggestion......I'll get out the old chainsaw and prune the SS parts off each chassis, then combine the rest :)
@@UncleDoug LOL, sounds great!!
This episode is just like a detective story. Everything works fine. You have made a great job. A++++++++++++
Thanks, Stefan. All's well that ends well :)
Yay! ANOTHER great video of suffering, toiling, cracking wise, and excelling! Thanks Uncle Doug!!!!
You're welcome, Brad. Just another day at the office :)
@@UncleDoug I guess that one of the reasons the low end sound is so pleasing is that being an amp designed for an accordion, as is the case of an electric piano, you have to amplify the lower octaves.... Does the circuitry reflect that Uncle Doug? Or are we talking serendipity Do Dah Day! ? ! :)
Just as I was starting to get 'amateur amp tech' withdrawal symptoms , there you were with another page turner of a video. A real deep delve into the eccentricity of the accordion amp designer and ghosts of the Mr, (or Ms, Miss, Mrs) Bodge-Up's that subsequently abused his brilliant, but quite insane mind with their ineptitudal dastardliness ! Uncle Doug to the rescue and all was well in the black arts of tubetremvibfiddling .. When you plugged in the guitar at the end , my reaction was ..."Holy C..p ..That has the potential to shatter the glass in your windows ". Reminded me of the sound of a Mk 3, 15 watt WEM Dominator made by Charlie Watkins here in the UK. Thanks again Doug, look forward to the next one..
You're welcome, Pete. Thanks for all the nice comments.
These amps were used in Polka bands with accordians. Owners father lived in Minnesota or Wisconsin Polka was really big in that region. I examined one several years ago much bigger in size. It appeared that each key was individually amplified from accordian signal. There was a myriad of wires running all over top to bottom connections so numerous it looked like a science fiction movie prop.. It also had two other sealed cabinets I guess were speakers but had large multi pin cable connectors. These do show up on E*ay from time to time. Doug good luck on this one. However it is in the right rescue clinic.
Sorry but i did not mean owners father of your amp. The one I looked at owners lived in Polka land
Thanks for your confidence in my efforts, SG. It did turn out quite well.
I'm thinking the Lessman amp may have been born in a garage as a venture by Searles and Studeman that never fully took off. If it had, or if they had focused on guitar amps instead of organ amps, we might be coveting vintage Lessmans as much as vintage Fenders. That strong bottom and clear top end give it a tonal quality that anyone would envy. I'd have one in a nanosecond, but only after it had gone through Rusty's workshop first.
Thanks so much, Randy. I understand that the Lesmann company was a successful and well-known accordion manufacturer, so their production of amps like this was intentional, rather than misguided foolishness ;) Now that Jack and Ollie have demonstrated its excellent guitar-related qualities, however, it does appear that they missed the boat......since accordions, like dinosaurs, faced merciful (for us) extinction, while guitars lived on.
Glad you made a great amp out of that beast. It sounded great on that first tune by the Jazz Kats but I didn't like the vibrato on my speakers at home! If you say it sounded great then it sounded great, keep up the fantastic work we appreciate it. Watching your videos is my entertainment between custom amp builds and local amp repairs. Mark
Thanks so much, Mark. The "vibrato" was simply a marketing ploy......only the tremolo actually worked.
Man that amp turned out fantastic!
Thanks, Dean. It's one of the best sounding "off brands" in recent memory.
@@UncleDoug This is kinda off base but what does something like rhis cost to repair? And is the legend Amp on video yet?
@@ezdno It depends on what it needs, Dean. Probably around $250 for labor plus parts and return shipping. The Legend amp was a Part 2 feature in one of my earlier videos.
What a great video
Thanks, Eliot.
Nice work Doug looks/sounds great! That thing is as old as me omg!
Thanks, HS :) Talk about old.....I was a senior in high school when it was built.
I'm aspiring to do my own electronics, and you are such a treasure of knowledge Uncle D...
Wonderful stuff, even if I don't fully understand, I will always finish your vids. They make me/ us feel good.
My girlfriend just loves to listen to you, and she doesn't care about electronics unless it about the oldskool ways.
Please , don't save up too much of those hernia's. TH-cam is so less fun with out our uncle. :)
Thanks so much for your very nice comments, PJ, and regards to your girlfriend.
Uncle Doug I played about 1000 bar gigs in the 80s using a Legend 50 - same amp as you have there. It was.a small company in Syracuse NY. They had no idea how to price their product and went belly-up. I have a schematic I can send you it has a foot-switchable clean/dirt channels and some other useful features like a line out. Mine does not have a reverb tank. It is insanely loud. Mine has been sitting in my garage for 20 yrs.
I have a schematic, TF, but thanks for the offer. The amp seems to work just fine, and is indeed horrendously loud......louder than either of the 50W Marshall amps featured in recent videos. I will be including an audio test demonstrating its remarkable volume and tone in a future video. It has no effects other than an effects loop with volume controls.
The advantage to cutting the corners on the control panel over drilling is not having to set up the drill press or a punch and simply shearing the corners off as you shear each panel in the same session at the same station. It also lessens the chance of snagging those corners on the cabinet vinyl when the chassis is installed, and peeling them up or gouging the vinyl.
Thanks for the explanation, TN.
What a transformation! If I had a grumbly- dirty old man sounding amp back when I paid $125 for my Super -Reverb (guess when that was), I might still have good hearing. I love it !
What's that???......I can't hear you. Thanks, Griffin :)
Another fun and educational video Uncle Doug! The final product sounds fantastic! My girlfriend now asks me if there are kitties in the videos since I told her the wonderful story about KC. I also bought her cat the same A frame house with heated pad as a present. Neither of our cats like the house, but the heated pad is a hit with the fur balls
Thanks, Andy. KC sends her regards. She is probably too fat to fit in the little A-frame house now.....but she loved it back when she was starving and otherwise homeless.
@@UncleDoug You're a good man, truly. Beyond all the amazing educational things you share with us, how a person treats the little critters says a lot about a person.
Seems to sound really good with lots of crunch
Thanks, JB :)
Nice to see a craftsman at work.
Thanks, Clive :)
The first thing that crossed my mind was that Richard Sanders had a side project, and the name was a contraction of his stage name, LES NessMAN(N)! OK....maybe too much of a stretch! LOL Great video, as always! Following you through the experimental stages, along with your explanations of same, are both jogging my memory and teaching me many things I'm not sure I ever knew to begin with!! Thanks so much! :-)
You're welcome, Norm. I always preach "experimentation" and I really feel it is the best way to achieve circuit and tone success.
Great work sir! Love your informative videos and your keen insight.
Glad you like them, David.
Also, that amp probably has never sounded better in all it's life, well done!
Thanks, Astro :)