# Kent info please



## mud flies (Nov 24, 2008)

Hi everyone
Im new here and this is my first post.I cant post attachments but i will describe the amp i just got today. Ok it says Kent Music Amplifier. It also says A35.Dual inputs,an on-off tone control and a volume control.I actually found it in the garbage bin of a building im working on.I plugged it in at work and the light came on.I brought it home and plugged a guitar into it and was blown away.Low volume nice clean sound.Three quarters volume and it growls.Mmmmmm i like.its not very loud but wiil make a cool little practise amp for me.I have never seen a kent before so if anyone knows anything about this amp and company feel free to share your knowledge. Its very clean has obviously been taken care of.Any info would be appreciated. thanks:rockon2:


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## popstudioguitar (Nov 2, 2008)

*Csa*

Look for any CSA and some numbers (it could point out some manufacturers). Also the tube line up, type of tolex, design of the faceplate, a picture is worth a thousand words !

Lucky you for that catch !!!

:food-smiley-004:

Cheers !

Christian


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## famouspogs (Jun 9, 2006)

i have a friend who has a kent volume pedal, same company? any information about that either?


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## mud flies (Nov 24, 2008)

hi popstudioguitar
ok on the top plate where the controls are there is a csa with the numbers LR 21876 following.Also inside is a paper sticker with the tube line up 35w4,50c5, 12ax7. Kent model a35 serial 30294.Alas the posting rules say no attachments else id post some pics. The body is black and the grill is a goldish bronze color.The speaker has no writing on it,appears original and is about the size and shape of an automotive 6x9.Thats about all i got here.im interested in dating this amp just for personal curiousity and also where it was made.I thank you for your quick reply and any further info you may come up with.


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

That tube lineup suggests a line operated amp. You should have it recapped or isolated before you get a zap (or worse) 

There were tonnes with that lineup. Photobucket will host your pics.

Cheers!


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## mud flies (Nov 24, 2008)

hi geek
electrocuted?what the.... Man i played on this thing for two hours last night.Ok im not electrically inclined.Why would i get zapped?Im not doubting you i just would like to know a little.Is this a normal thing that happens to this type of "line up"? Is it a design, or a design flaw? Will it happen at anytime or is it when your standing on cement. I had that happen when i was younger from my dads amp.Bare feet and beer spilt onto cement.Bzzzzz. I will check out photobucket at your suggestion and await any further info you wish to share. Thanks


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

He means that the tubes get power direct from the AC plug, with no power transformer in between to isolate the voltages inside the amp from the ones that power your home. That's dangerous.

Count the transformers - do you see only one? That's the output transformer. If you see two, well, that's different. But it's common to see exactly this set of three tubes implemented without a power transformer.

I have an old "Vagabond" amp in the garage with exactly the same tube set (and no power transformer). I had it in pieces for ages, trying different caps and resistors to setup the preamp tubes, to get different sounds, etc. I even tried inserting a three-way tone stack in between the gain stages in the 12ax7. Learned a lot - lots of fun.

Eventually I smartened up and put it aside. There are ways to deal with the risk, if you're interested. Somebody offered me an isolation transformer a while back - Greco maybe? I didn't bother to follow it up, I just moved on to a different (and less dangerous) amp.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Greg Ellis said:


> He means that the tubes get power direct from the AC plug, with no power transformer in between to isolate the voltages inside the amp from the ones that power your home. That's dangerous.
> 
> Count the transformers - do you see only one? That's the output transformer. If you see two, well, that's different. But it's common to see exactly this set of three tubes implemented without a power transformer.
> 
> ...


Just so you know...it wasn't me that had the isolation transformer. Someone was trying to sell one quite a while ago. I'll see if I can find that thread as I don't think it was ever sold. IIRC the seller was in western Canada and the transformer was very heavy...making shipping very costly. The tranformer itself was of high quality, hardly used and was quite expensive when new.

These amps can be dangerous, as mentioned. However, Wild Bill (an amp tech that is a forum member) has often said that these amps were used by thousands of folks without incident. That being said, the caps can malfunction (as was aslo stated previously) and the potential for safety issues rises.

I was (electrically) "bitten" by one (no real harm done...just damaged ego)...so I'm biased towards having them modified to be safe.

Here is a link:

http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?p=132724&highlight=isolation#post132724

read this also:

http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=16129&highlight=isolation

You could send a PM to Traynor Garnet to see if he still has the iso transformer.

Cheers

Dave


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

greco said:


> I was (electrically) "bitten" by one (no real harm done...just damaged ego)...so I'm biased towards having them modified to be safe.


Me too - I have a similar, older, deadly amp that I won't use until it gets modded. Been bitten once, gently, but it was enough.


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

greco said:


> Just so you know...it wasn't me that had the isolation transformer. Someone was trying to sell one quite a while ago. I'll see if I can find that thread as I don't think it was ever sold. IIRC the seller was in western Canada and the transformer was very heavy...making shipping very costly. The tranformer itself was of high quality, hardly used and was quite expensive when new.


Found it:

http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=15879

It was Traynor_Garnet.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Greg Ellis said:


> Found it:
> 
> http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=15879
> 
> It was Traynor_Garnet.


This is the same as the link I posted above.

Dave


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

greco said:


> This is the same as the link I posted above.
> 
> Dave


Doh!

The message I have entered is too short. Please lengthen my message to at least 10 letters.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Greg Ellis said:


> Doh!
> 
> The message I have entered is too short. Please lengthen my message to at least 10 letters.


doooooooooooh! (is that better?)


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

greco said:


> doooooooooooh! (is that better?)


For some reason, I read that as KHAAAAAAAAAAAN!
Maybe because it's Ricardo Montalban's birthday?


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

*walks in thread later*

I see you are in capable hands already :smile:

As you can see Mud Flies, we're a pretty fun bunch of :banana: 's here


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## mud flies (Nov 24, 2008)

Ok i get it.although i dont know alot about electricity (dammit jim im a steeplejack not an electrician) i get the point that i should prolly just screw this to the wall in my wreck room(for display purposes only).I have two other amps that i use.I just thought finding this one was a bit of a coup.Sounds like it would be exspensive to use it safely so i will cut the plug off it and use it for eye candy.Safety first.I would like to thank eveyone for their quick and useful responses.This seems like a nice friendly place.I like it here.Im gonna hang out for awhile and absorb some knowledge. Again, thanks everyone 


Stan


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

Or just take it to an amp tech and have them fix it up. Shouldn't be _too_ expensive to make it useable without the electric chair effect. Install a proper 3-prong plug and remove the death cap and you're golden.


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## Swampdawg (Sep 16, 2009)

http://s653.photobucket.com/albums/uu260/boristheox

I too have a Kent amp. I've had for over 20 years, I could use some information on it. It's A55, with 3 inputs, Grnd. Rev, toggle switch, a push -on/ speed switch for the tremolo, and naturally a power/tone control along with a volume. I do have a CSA # LR21876, and "Made in Canada"
is labeled. I've got photo's but can not upload them.

this is the only place i've come across, that has any information regarding Kent Amps.

Thanks


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy !!

Hope you can find some answers. 

Main thing is to make sure your amp is "safe" (or at least as safe as you want it to be). Did you read the threads that are linked earlier in this thread (re: safety, etc)? 


Is there a reason you can't upload your photos? You will need to have them hosted by photobucket (or similar) and then create a post with a link to them. This link will explain:

http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=613

If you don't have any luck, you can email them to me and I will post them for you.


I'm hope others will comment on Kent amps....

BTW...Please *don't* tell us about your local weather (especially from October to June)...LOL


Cheers

Dave





Swampdawg said:


> I too have a Kent amp. I've had for over 20 years, I could use some information on it. It's A55, with 3 inputs, Grnd. Rev, toggle switch, a push -on/ speed switch for the tremolo, and naturally a power/tone control along with a volume. I do have a CSA # LR21876, and "Made in Canada"
> is labeled. I've got photo's but can not upload them.
> 
> this is the only place i've come across, that has any information regarding Kent Amps.
> ...


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

hey there...check here...scroll down to "kent"...they also made crappy guitars in the 60's....

http://www.jedistar.com/jedistar_amp_dating_k.htm

there's a review of the kent a35 here...

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar+Amp/product/Kent/A35/10/1


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2009)

*'66 Kent A-160 amp*

Came across this ad in Kijiji for anyone
interested in old Kent amps.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

BTW guys, I still have the isolation transformer sitting here. Offer we a trade for it if you are interested.

These are fun little amps, but much more fun once made safer 

TG


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## Swampdawg (Sep 16, 2009)

greco said:


> Welcome to the forum. Enjoy !!
> 
> Hope you can find some answers.
> 
> ...


Thanks Dave
the amp used to be safe, i am just replacing speaker, I was able to upload images, and I will not talk about weather down here, esp. during Oct.-June. I have checked all other links posted here. So if anyone has or knows anything about the A55, would be grateful.

Mark


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