| Author |
Topic: 1940 Epiphone Electar Zephyr Amp |
Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 17 Sep 2018 5:00 pm |
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Have ordered one of Todd's new Fry Pans a few weeks ago that will be ready by the time I get back to the US around Christmas.
Have been using an older Danelectro Nifty Seventy (Solid State Amp) for my lap & console steels... For a $60.00 amp from craigslist it has great tone and is good enough to take to jam sessions, but was thinking that the new Fry Pan would deserve a better older tube amp to get the very best tone.
After reading an old post from Mike Neer about these Epiphone Electar Zephyr amps it seemed to be just the kind of amp I'd like for my lap & console steels.
Short story is I spent some time searching for one in decent condition at a reasonable price. The fellow had it on craigs list and reverb and wanted more, but we settled on $600.00 plus shipping. It arrived at my son's house in Oregon last Friday well packed. He even bubble wrapped the tubes.
The amp is seven years older than me!
There is a little missing veneer but that is something I have experience repairing so not a big deal. The seller was a guy into Jazz and old archtop guitars who was nice to deal with. Seemed honest. 
So here it is.... Can't wait to get there and try it out;
I expect it will take me some time to get used to the complex controls!  The knobs are even the same style as those Todd puts on his Fry Pans.
Some nice old stuff from the past... The girls go crazy for guys with these amps as you can see;
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 17 Sep 2018 5:44 pm
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| She's a real beauty! Looks like most of the veneer loss is in the back so you're good there. Love the flamed maple. What's the tube layout and speaker size? The original speaker would likely be field coil rather than permanent magnet. Looking forward to hearing more when you're stateside. |
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Jon Zimmerman
From:
California, USA
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 10:55 am
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| Ditto what Bill sez. Very lucky find. And...a Clinesmith fry OTW? An arranged marriage we all must hear..here! Here, here, Andy. 😠|
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 11:14 am
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A nice fresh coat of paint and you're all set!
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Scott Thomas
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 11:23 am
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| Those are the best looking amps. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 1:51 pm
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| Those are beautiful amps !! Quite rare too ! |
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Rick Barnhart
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 2:08 pm
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Nice, it looks like the amp knobs are gonna match your frypan. I have my order in, too. Can’t wait.
_________________
Clinesmith consoles D-8/6 5 pedal, D-8 3 pedal & A25 Frypan, Pettingill Teardrop, & P8 Deluxe. |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 3:09 pm Thanks...
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Thanks for the comments.
Yes it really is a cool looking amp.
For me the main thing was the way Mike described the tone which is exactly the kind I like. Warm full tone, no brittle edges. 
Really looking forward to playing through it.
That raggedy looking pile next to it is the cover. I can get that copied here to try to keep it looking as good as possible.
Best wishes,
Andy
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 3:37 pm
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| Who’s the guy playing the D’Angelico in the last photo? |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 3:41 pm Not sure?
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Not sure who he is, but I do love those D'Angelico's. Great style.
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 4:11 pm
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Great amps! I’ve owned 3 of them, wish I could find the pics. Rick Aiello has the smaller version that I owned also. Jeremy Wakefield also has one of these.
When I had my Rick Frypan, I took it on a Moonlighters gig once with the Electar Zephyr. My god, the sound was amazing. I was really feeling the magic. Old school heaven!
_________________
http://www.steelinstruction.com/
http://mikeneer.com |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 7:34 pm Good to know
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| Mike Neer wrote: |
Great amps! I’ve owned 3 of them, wish I could find the pics. Rick Aiello has the smaller version that I owned also. Jeremy Wakefield also has one of these.
When I had my Rick Frypan, I took it on a Moonlighters gig once with the Electar Zephyr. My god, the sound was amazing. I was really feeling the magic. Old school heaven! |
Thanks Mike,
Good to know I've picked well. It was that old post of yours that made me decide that may be the perfect amp for that tone I like so much.
The fellow I bought it from said it works well, all original except the power cord...
He thought it a good idea to have all the electronics checked out by an expert before using it a lot just because of the age.
Best wishes,
Andy
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 18 Sep 2018 11:49 pm
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| Cartwright Thompson wrote: |
| Who’s the guy playing the D’Angelico in the last photo? |
Joe Negri, apparently.
https://www.joenegri.com/
I'm wondering what band that is. LB on drums. I don't think that is Louis Bellson. |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 19 Sep 2018 12:51 am Must be right
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Mitch, you must be right.
When I looked at the file name for the photo I picked off the web it was this: A JOENEGRI_07-768x465
I never heard of him before*, but see in the photo you linked to he is now playing a Benedetto guitar.
*Not too surprising because I don't often listen to or follow jazz. Just fond of nice archtop guitars.
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 19 Sep 2018 6:08 am
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| The first one of those I ever saw was on the cover of a Dan Hicks album. I think it was "Where's the Money?" I've never seen one in the flesh, but I've always been interested in them. Let us know how it works for you. |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 19 Sep 2018 1:35 pm
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Have you ever watched Mr. Roger’s?
Joe was the postman |
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Rick Barnhart
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 19 Sep 2018 2:08 pm
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| Cartwright Thompson wrote: |
Have you ever watched Mr. Roger’s?
Joe was the postman |
I thought he was the handyman, in any case, here’s Joe Negri playing the theme from the Mr. Rogers show.
https://youtu.be/qQfNKd-neJ0
_________________
Clinesmith consoles D-8/6 5 pedal, D-8 3 pedal & A25 Frypan, Pettingill Teardrop, & P8 Deluxe. |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 19 Sep 2018 2:14 pm
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| Cartwright Thompson wrote: |
Have you ever watched Mr. Roger’s?
Joe was the postman |
Close, he wasn't the postman, but handy-man Negri on the show. I knew his name sounded familiar. Here he is playing his D'Angelico for Mr. Rogers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMs_YDf-EZs
Thanks for that rabbit hole, Cartwright. |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 19 Sep 2018 3:27 pm A very good player
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After that first post about Joe Negri I went to his web site and listened to the 4 videos he had posted there. He sure is a really good player. Wish I could play a guitar like that.
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 23 Oct 2018 3:52 pm
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As anyone who grew up in Pittsburgh can tell you, Joe Negri is a Pittsburgh institution. Great jazz player, he was on a lot of local kids shows in Pittsburgh when I was a kid, besides mr. rogers.
Everyone in Pittsburgh knows Joe. He is beloved.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Facebook group for you daily dose of Steel https://www.facebook.com/groups/steelguitarunionhall |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 23 Oct 2018 4:15 pm I liked his playing too much
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I liked his playing too much on those videos.
Had to stop listening so I wouldn't feel so bad about my own lacking skills!... 
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Darren Porter
From:
California, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2018 7:28 pm
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Is the tube complement on that 3x6SJ7, 2x6L6 plus a rectifier tube? That is a unique circuit if it's the one I think it is. I need to study that for a bit... never run across something like that. Should sound really nice with all those pentodes!
(sorry I'm one of those tube amp building geeks) |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 23 Oct 2018 7:55 pm Not sure?
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Hi Darren,
I bought it and had it shipped to my son's address in Oregon. I'm still in Saigon and won't get there to see or play through it until mid December so I have no idea which tubes they used. Hard waiting....
I'd bet there are geeks who will know the answer who may respond here.
Best wishes,
Andy
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 28 Oct 2018 8:10 pm
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It absolutely needs to b serviced by a professional amp tech before it's used at all. I would not even turn it on - most of the very expensive amp repairs I do are on newly purchased vintage amps that had never been properly serviced.
The tubes are no big deal - easily replaceable. But the electrolytic capacitors have a 15-20 year service life. They may WORK longer, but are time bombs. One can blow with no warning at all and destroy the power transformer - and THAT is not easily...or inexpensively...replaced.
On an amp that old every electrolytic cap should be replaced, all the voltages checked, other off-spec parts replaced *if* necessary - AFTER the power cord has been changed to a correctly-wired, grounded plug. About half the replacements I see are wired wrong because service was done by a guitar shop or some old TV/Radio repair place - and they rarely pay attention to the AC cord's polarity. That's why I suggest ONLY having a real amp tech do the work.
Should be a great amp when it's put into safe working order!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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