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Post new topic Just picked this up; anyone here use one of these for steel?
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Author Topic:  Just picked this up; anyone here use one of these for steel?
Rich Upright


From:
Florida, USA
Post  Posted 30 Jul 2017 1:10 pm    
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Just picked up this 1965 Ampeg Gemini II for a song...100% original,even has the original Jensen speaker,amp dolly, & footswitch. Almost mint condition. The guitar tone is to DIE for; as good any any boutique amp I have ever played,and the reverb & tremolo are like no other amp made on the planet. Think Dick Dale meets The Ventures. Haven't tried it for steel yet, but the clean headroom & 15" speaker sound so awesome, it's gotta satisfy my need for a great steel & guitar amp combined.

Anyone else have one?

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Steven Paris

 

From:
Los Angeles
Post  Posted 30 Jul 2017 2:44 pm    
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http://www.vintageguitar.com/23412/ampeg-gemini-ii-g-15/
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 30 Jul 2017 3:23 pm    
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They are great amps.. However for me they aren't really a steel amp,, Kind of "tanky or tubby" sounding.. Hard to put my finger on what I didn't like, but put it this way.. they aren't anywhere close to as good for steel as a Fender.

that being said, the times I tried them were in live performance venues, with full bands, full sound system mic'd amps.... Love them however, and maybe with a quiet band on the right stage with the right steel, I might change my mind.. I have had several Ampeg Gemini models including I II and VI and a Reverberocket,, all really cool, but not really voiced for pedal steel.. They are clean amps, but IMHO, the pre amps were not designed for the input signal a hot steel pickup delivers. Kind of a nasty, unmusical breakup. Its just not a sweet sound, at least at live performance volumes... bob
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Randy Owens


From:
West Central Indiana, USA
Post  Posted 31 Jul 2017 12:56 am    
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I bought one almost exactly like it back last winter. I'm still a beginner when it comes to PSG and I don't play outside of my practice room. With that said, I really enjoy playing through my G15 the way it is configured now. I made a series wiring harness so that I could use the two JBL D-130s from my Stereo Steel. On the input side, I have a Holy Grail Nano reverb pedal and a DD3 delay pedal that I picked up used. With the pedals and the speakers, it sounds as good or better than my Session 400 along with the bonus tubey warmth. It puts out a lot of heat so it isn't seeing much use in my upstairs practice room this summer!

With the stock single speaker, it does seem to be missing something with PSG that I can't put my finger on. It's great with my Tele just the way it is and the onboard reverb is very good. It's fine for me as a PSG practice amp in stock form. The fliptops.net Ampeg site is a good resource for parts and information.
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Chris Boyd

 

From:
Leonia,N.J./Charlestown,R.I.
Post  Posted 1 Aug 2017 4:12 am    
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I have 4 mid 60's Ampegs and love them for guitars...the best one for pedal steel to my ears is the B12XT.. 2x12 portaflex,60 watts... a huge beast ! I've gigged a bunch with a Gemini II,and a Reverberocket II (EV SRO !) I'll bet your Gemini II sounds terrific with the D130's...
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Tony Prior


From:
Charlotte NC
Post  Posted 2 Aug 2017 1:33 am    
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who cares if it's perfect for Steel or not, enjoy it ! Smile

It LOOKS kool ! Laughing
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Stephen Williams

 

From:
from Wales now in Berkeley,Ca, USA
Post  Posted 2 Aug 2017 6:15 pm    
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I saw one at guitar centre used for $200 and knew nothing about them. Played it and was very impressed. Went back a day later and it was gone. Grrr

I assume on could pad down the input of the steel and turn the amp up if it's breaking up.
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Rich Upright


From:
Florida, USA
Post  Posted 2 Aug 2017 7:44 pm    
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Shoulda bought it right then...One for sale on Reverb for $1549.00 right now.
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 2 Aug 2017 10:05 pm    
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We ran the whole band through one when I was a kid.
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Randy Owens


From:
West Central Indiana, USA
Post  Posted 3 Aug 2017 12:32 am    
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Rich, You may have already found out but if you decide to remove the chassis, it works best to push it out from the front. The angle of the front panel will cause it to stand up and dig into the heat shield if you try to pull it out from the back. I'm also curious about your output tubes. My tube chart was changed and now shows 6L6 outputs but it actually has 7027s in it. Most of the G15s had 7591s in them.

One feature that is not obvious is the treble boost. Turn the Treble 1 or Treble 2 knob all the way to the right and it will click. What you get is nothing but treble. I don't know why I'd need that but it's not a good sound Laughing
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Bill Sinclair


From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
Post  Posted 3 Aug 2017 5:01 am    
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I've got one that isn't quite as clean as Rich's but still pretty cool. It's not very loud though so I guess I need to go through it. Mine has the 7951 output tubes that show a bit weak when tested. Anyone have a brand preference on the reissue tubes? The Gemini is a couple projects back in the que though: I've got a couple lap steels to clean up and an old car to get running. One of these days I'll buy something that isn't a project!
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 3 Aug 2017 5:39 am    
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I played through one on a recording session a few years ago. It was the studio's amp and I was skeptical at first, but what a cool vintage tone from that amp! And the reverb was to die for. It sounded good in the final mix too. The amp isn't loud enough for the bandstand but it's great for home and studio use.
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Chris Boyd

 

From:
Leonia,N.J./Charlestown,R.I.
Post  Posted 3 Aug 2017 5:45 am    
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Bill... I've tried EH 7951's and have a pair of NOS Sylvania's and truly could not tell the difference in tone which surprised me.. As an aside, I have a Gemini Vl that runs on 6L6's...a bit beefier tone for guitars...blackplate RCA's...
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Len Amaral

 

From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
Post  Posted 3 Aug 2017 12:49 pm    
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I don't know what model it was but as a teenager I had a small Ampeg combo with a single 12" speaker. It was a tube amp but can't remember how many watts, etc. Another one that got away:(
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