Valco 51

2 input jacks , an on/off volume combo control , and a fuse holder on the back . The chassis is inverted and mounted at the top of the 11" X 12" X 6" cabinet , the tubes facing "down". Easier access to controls , a break through !

A 6sj7 , 6V6 , 5Y3 , set up , made grittier by a 6" X 9" speaker . These elliptical speakers are magic for Fender-ish guitars . I'm looking for a 2 X 6 X 9 rig next .

A 1955-56 era amp . My experience is it's fine one night and it " fails to answer the bell " the next . Just an example , this one has been flawless so far . Knock , knock on it's hardwood cabinet .

Get out your cap tester and soldering iron !

These old Valco amps are simple yet surprisingly effective .

McKinney guitars had Valco make this amp for them in about 1955 . It has an on/off volume control and a 1/4" mic. and an instument input with chassis mid ship controls facing back . A 6 " X 9 " ish Rola ,285533, is origional . Tube line up , back L to R , an NOS metal tube Sylvania 6sj7 , an NOS RCA metal tube 6V6GT , and an RCA 5Y3GT .

Honey sweet at 10 o clock , drives harmonic balance up from there to 5 o clock , to a rich slightly fuzzy tone . Very quet for an old amp .

How do you rate reliability for a 1950s amp . One day at a time !

Um , um , I knew this once .

These little limited control amps continue to amaze me with there range of tones . these elliptical speaker ones especially . The speaker looks thin but has no holes , I'll let it ride because it helps the break up at high volume .

Just one chicken head to twist , ladies and gentlemen , and it ranges from clean golden age jazz to nasty swamp boogie ! My example of this amp has an 8 " field coil Rola speaker that , when cranked , surprises all my pignose prone friends . Every guitar player should be confined to a year in the basement with one of these !

Very clean to high volume with 6SL7GT , a little more buzz ,a little more level , with Groove Tube Substitube and my funkiest 12AX7 .

Will not leave the premises with out a court order !

Everybody and their mom has a version of this amp , therefore , just ask mom .

We all start right here !

Circa 1950 (s/n X46262); tweed w/ black; single 10"; 5y3GT, 6SQ7, 6SC7, (2) 6V6GT; about 20W power output. Controls: 1 input (3 parallel jacks), 1 Volume control, 1 Tone control. Dimensions: 15"x15"x8". May have been the amp of choice for a lap steel at one time. Basic configuration similar to an old Fender Champ.

Very round sound at low settings; good for recording old style jazz, surprisingly quiet at idle. Wonderful Freddy King type sound at higher settings, very predictable breakover into a smooth distortion. Would make a great harmonica amp. Pretty loud for a 20 Watt amp.

I wouldn't take this on the the road just because of the vintage, but it's been working fine for almost 50 years! I plan to do a cap job on it soon.

N/A

Great small amp for recording or casual playing, just enough power to jam with considerate blusers and a drummer with ears. Wish it had reverb. Wish tubes weren't so expensive 'cause tone is everything. All other factors aside, I just really like old gear that was well made and can still kick, so that positively influences my overall rating.