# Show us your vintage CANADIAN MADE amplifiers...



## co-intelpro

I don't know about everyone else, but I feel as though us Canadians don't pay enough attention/homage to the rich history of guitar amplifier manufacturing we have in this fine country. 

I'm asking all the vintage Canadian amplifier owners/lovers to show us your amps. Show your patriotism by showing your vintage CANADIAN MADE amplifier! Keep the history alive.

I know this is close to another thread here, but the hope is this one will include more brands, because there are more than just Traynors out there...That said, please show us your Traynors, Garnets, Verlages, Worts, Pepcos, Johnsons, etc. etc...Tell us what you know about them too, if you can.


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## torndownunit

Here's my GC Amplifiers GC15. He's a builder from the Waterloo area. They carry his amps at Woodshed Music in Guelph. I don't have a larger photo uploaded anywhere, so I am just linking to the one on his site


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## PaulS

An early 70's Garnet Session Man... the Canadian Twin. 








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## shoretyus

PaulS said:


> An early 70's Garnet Session Man... the Canadian Twin.
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Better turn that sucker on and blow the dust bunnies off the grill cloth :smilie_flagge17:


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## co-intelpro

Here is my prized YBA-1. It is in pristine condition, and sounds gorgeous! A real rare amp these days, with its serial number in the 500's. It has a script logo, tube rectifier, 7027A power tubes. It sounds amazing.


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## james on bass

Not mine, but something my Uncle found 2 years ago when he was cleaning out his deceased Uncle's attic. Remembered that he was a bass player in the 60s & 70s. Had the amp re-tubed last year, but I didn't get a chance to play it at Christmas when I was up there. Played it a couple years ago after he had just found it, and it sounded okay. I'm sure it's got some awesome vintage mojo happening now that it's been freshened up.


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## I_cant_play

PaulS said:


> An early 70's Garnet Session Man... the Canadian Twin.
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So I've kind of been wondering. How does this amp compare to let's say a Traynor Mark III? I'm asking because the traynors seem to have a reputation for being a bit hard and bland sounding amps. Is this the same kind of idea or are they quite different from one another.


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## PaulS

At the moment this one is fitted with a pair of EL34's and has a nice marshall kind of bite to it. Far from bland this has a lot of nice tones going on. It has the nicest tremolo I've played on an amp. The only thing that might go good here would be a speaker upgrade but the ones in it do the job nicely, older Marsland I believe.


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## aC2rs

My first guitar amp a 1976 Sonax 730G. An entry level amp made by Yorkville Sound.










and the back










After 32 years it has never been serviced and still works well - though not used very often.


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## zontar

Here's my first amp--it was made by Garnet for the music school I went to.
The name plate is missing now, and the two speakers are shot. It had tremolo on in it as well. It was a decent first amp though. It was louder than it looks--and it's light & easy to move.

I also have a bass amp-same deal. It's a better amp--but quite bulky.

(The guitar is also from the music school--it was made by the Matsumoko factory in the mis 70's)


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## Mr Yerp

Love Canadian amps...







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## fraser

these have been seen on the forum before but here they are-

pine "paul" model 201









regal model 300









pepco riviera er30


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## davetcan

You may not recognize it but this is a '67 traynor YSR-1 tweaked a bit by Wild Bill and cosmetics by me.


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## bcmatt

davetcan said:


> You may not recognize it but this is a '67 traynor YSR-1 tweaked a bit by Wild Bill and cosmetics by me.


Hey Dave, Where did you get those plexi faceplates done?


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## davetcan

bcmatt said:


> Hey Dave, Where did you get those plexi faceplates done?


Vintone Circuits

http://www.vintone.com/

Great guy who does great work. I laid it out myself and sent him the drawing.


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## Yerffej

davetcan said:


> You may not recognize it but this is a '67 traynor YSR-1 tweaked a bit by Wild Bill and cosmetics by me.


I never understood why the grille clothes weren't mounted flush on some of these old traynors. My yba-3 has the same thing, ie. the grille cloth sticks out at the top near the controls, but mounts flush at the bottom. and it was designed that way!

I have currently the yba-3 with a big b cab (still on the bench, but I have high hopes.) its ones of the ones with 7027a's, and I'm redoing the power supply section and tidying some stuff up before I put kt-88's in it.
-funny story about this one though. I think it belonged to Doni Underhill (bass player of "Trooper" ). I was taking it apart and I found some of those little machine made labels inside the chassis and on the transformers. I got it used from a local guy.

also have a spare yc610 that I am selling.

the yba-4 is my main guitar amp, and I love it quite a bit. Might put it in a head box and go with a different cab this summer.

I have a ygm-3 that I want to redo after an ac15 a bit more.

I had a yba-2b, but I sold it recently. pretty nice, but it wasnt practical to have so many.

I also have a little pine type 5 watt amp, cant really comment as to where it came from. It has "made in canada" silk screened on it one volume, one tone, 3 identical inputs.

The yc610, ygm-3, and 5 watt one are for sale, you can message or email me if you're interested. I should get some pics up too, these threads are no good without them.


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## Mooh

Dave...That amp is a real inspiration! I have an amp or two which would look great with that treatment and allow me to install a larger speaker(s) too. Thanks for the ideas!

Peace, Mooh.


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## bolero

I always thought the grills stick out on the heads to protect the knobs/pots/switch....if you roll the head over onto it's face, you can see it. I could be wrong though


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## co-intelpro

Here's one I used to own...I still have the oversized 2x12 bass clef cab, but the head has been replaced with a Rebel Deluxe head (w/ Tremolo and Stinger Fuzz).


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## co-intelpro

Here's another Traynor. It's a '74 YRM-1 Traynor Reverb Master head and matching 4x10 cab. It's badgeless...but it don't need no stinking badges (actually I wouldn't mind replacing them, anybody got extras?). 

The head sounds great, but the speakers in the cab suck. I'll need to change them out right quick. Any suggestions? 

BTW, that's my Fender "California Series" Telecaster, w/ 70's Seth Lover in the neck.


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## co-intelpro

...and another Garnet...a 70's Garnet Herzog preamp.


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## Robboman

co-intelpro said:


> ...and another Garnet...a 70's Garnet Herzog preamp.


Schweeet!! Now there is one rare and very cool item. :bow:


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## PaulS

There sweet alright.... had one for a while in the 70's but when I downsized my gear at that time I let it go, along with a few other things I now wish I'd kept...:frown:


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## Spikezone

Wow, I was excited to see this thread posted-thought somebody out there might have a Garnet Pro like my old beloved, and much missed one, and I would get a glimpse of what I was so sadly pining for...WAHWAHWAH!
-Mikey


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## traynor_garnet

Here's a pic of some of the rarest Traynor stuff around. Alas, I now have none of it  

The picture includes (from bottom right):

1.) A Traynor Rotomaster Spinning Leslie
2.) A VERY early Bassmate. This was tube rectified and RARE.
3.) A YT-12 Cab.
4.) A very early tube rectified Bassmaster. Predates the "YBA-1" model designation.
5.) Another tube rectified Bassmaster head.

So why on earth would a sane person sell this stuff? Aside from the fact that the student lifestyle makes it hard to hand on to stuff sometimes everything in this pic has some drawbacks.

The Rotomaster was a great Leslie but it weights a ton and was so big it wouldn't fit in the car (it's very deep.).

The tube rectified bassmate was awesome but there was actually too much sag when cranked. Actually made it hard to play, but it did sound good a lower volumes.

The bassmasters sounded amazing but were so freakin loud you simply can't open them up unless you are playing BIG venues; no way you could open one up in a bar or basement. I may look into another one of these just to use as a clean amp.

So what do I have now? I have a very early YGM-1 Guitarmate (one of the first 50 made) and a cube shaped YBA-2 Bassmate (6V6s, no tube rectifier). I'll post a pic once I take one.


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## co-intelpro

Traynor Garnet...I think I remember when you sold those Traynors. I think I spoke to you about the YT-12. I almost bought one of those Leslie-roto thingys too from a local store here, but alas it was too impractical.

And I too have a guitar mate reverb...and we need to figure out how to get 'em sounding the best they can...:smile:


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## stu42

*Peters amps - my latest*

Here are some Peters amps I've owned. I still own the Black Custom Dual Channel (Gryphon and Halo pre-amps) and Green Single Channel (Polaris). The others are: JP-50 (blue), JP-10 (black), 3CP1 (paisley). They are all great amps in their own regard and I wish I could afford to keep them all.

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/messages/viewimage/12221383510-1201588781-33474/parm/7172564/page/1/15


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## CocoTone

james on bass said:


> Not mine, but something my Uncle found 2 years ago when he was cleaning out his deceased Uncle's attic. Remembered that he was a bass player in the 60s & 70s. Had the amp re-tubed last year, but I didn't get a chance to play it at Christmas when I was up there. Played it a couple years ago after he had just found it, and it sounded okay. I'm sure it's got some awesome vintage mojo happening now that it's been freshened up.



Pretty sure they were made in Japan, no??

CT.


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## Ripper

CocoTone said:


> Pretty sure they were made in Japan, no??
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> CT.


Nope, those Riveras were made in montreal if memory serves me correct. Those amps should say made in canada on the front of it somewhere


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## CocoTone

The Bassmate is gone, but the Guitarmate will always be in the fold.

CT.


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## james on bass

CocoTone said:


> Pretty sure they were made in Japan, no??
> 
> CT.


No. Made in Canada is printed just under the instrument inputs. Riviera was made by Pepco - either Toronto or Montreal. The interesting bass that was also found with the amp was made in Japan though.


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## fraser

yup another +1 for pepco=montreal-
not easy to see in this pic, but its there on the right side of mine- pepco ltd, montreal


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## popstudioguitar

*Paul amp - made by Pepco Montreal canada !*

Here is my Paul amp. 2x12" - reverb - tremolo. Still recapping this one. It's in mint condition....I love it !
Paul combo - pepco


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## jcayer

Here's mine: http://www.jcayer.com/bricolages/renoamp.htm

Pepco, Pine electronics company. Made in Montreal somewhere in the 60's I think .


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## Blues Jr

'73 YGM-3. Sweet tone.lofu


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## devnulljp

Hot on the heals of that YGM-3, here's mine. A '72, with a greenback.


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## Hamstrung

Here's my Keil amp.


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## Sundog Kid

Not to dredge this up, but I thought I'd post my mid to late 60's Canadian made guitar amp (Ive looked long and hard, haven't found another yet)

Good story to it as well...

Started dating my current girlfriend, and her dad found out that I played in a band. Told me he had this old heavy amp in his closet that he bought new, on clearance back in the 70's, maybe 60's.

Of course, what guitarist WOULDN'T go check it out. 

He pulls out this old amp, 4x12 cab. I look it over, its in pretty good condition. Solid state though. 

I ask him what hes planning on doing with it. 

"Give me $100, and it's paid for itself"

I'm thinking, $100 for a solid hardwood cabinet (they don't make them like they used to), why not?

I get it home, plug her in, and hola, this thing has some volume! Very warm for a SS head.

I look online to see if I can find any info on the brand. Nothing. Nodda. Zip. Zilch.

So I get OCD'ed, and take out a speaker. 

Inside the cab are 4 mint Celestion Greenbacks, circa mid 60's. I am one very happy boy 

VT (Vibration Technology)

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/01golfgl/GUITAR GEAR/?action=view&current=IMG_1537.jpg

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/01golfgl/GUITAR GEAR/?action=view&current=IMG_1538.jpg

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/01golfgl/GUITAR GEAR/?action=view&current=IMG_1539.jpg

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/01golfgl/GUITAR GEAR/?action=view&current=IMG_1540.jpg

I think I found out that the company was based in T.O., but that hasn't been confirmed. 

Only other thing I found was this very obscure magazine ad (on Ebay of course) and I bought it up asap!

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/01golfgl/GUITAR GEAR/?action=view&current=IMG_1541.jpg

I ran this cab with a Mesa F100 head, and it was ridiculously sexy. 

Would love to see other examples of this brand, if anyone gas some!


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## Johnny

Here's my PINE ELECTRONICS AMP Collection (before I thinned the herd):
Model 201 1x8" volume and tone








Model 201 PAUL 1x8" volume and tone








CORD 1x10" volume tone and tremolo KEEPER!








PAUL 2x8" model 207 volume tone and tremolo








Model 207 2x8" volume tone and tremolo KEEPER!








PAUL Bass Amp 1x15" volume tone and tremolo








2x12" volume tone tremolo and reverb








The PINE POSSE!


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## ed2000

Mr Yerp said:


> Love Canadian amps...
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Bottom amp, by Thorcraft...my first amp in '66. My friend had a Paul.


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## BEMUSofNrthAmra

co-intelpro said:


> Here is my prized YBA-1. It is in pristine condition, and sounds gorgeous! A real rare amp these days, with its serial number in the 500's. It has a script logo, tube rectifier, 7027A power tubes. It sounds amazing.


That's awesome. I see these for sale for under $800 all the time. I should pick one up.


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## jmaysen

Assistant Pro head 
Pro II branded Revolution II 45w combo loaded with Mercury Magnetics and Celestion. (this thing is amazing.....) 
Revolution I 18w combo
Revolution II about 35W combo

All of them have been recapped and tuned to perfection. 

For sale? well, no, but everything has a price


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## Jamrod

^^^ And with the original Garnet foot switch too... outstanding!


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## big frank

Wow. Memories with those Paul amps. Our Rhythm guitar player (mid 60's garage band) had a Paul amp; one of the most gutless pieces of crap on planet earth. Some of these were outright dangerous with no transformers. They may have had 3 or 4 inputs; but why? The output was like 8 watts.
The same Rhythm guitar friend snared a mint Regal Amp that was just about as powerful as his Paul a couple years back. Still a crappy sounding amp.

- - - Updated - - -

Just one more geezer memory. Our bass player had a Traynor Bass Mate combo with the 15 inch Marsland. 
We gigged the YMCA teen-town dances and he blew a speaker every other week. Luckily the music store had to replace the speaker for free under warranty.
Our band tuning half an octave lower than standard didn't help matters.


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## bzrkrage

Here's my little Symphonic MA8-1.
Montreal 1960's delight. The tremolo is why she's still on my recording list.
























Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk -& All Round Nice Guy.


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## Shooter177

Old yba-1 that I found in the dump(literally) it is awsome


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## zurn

Here's my 6V6 Traynor YBA-2A serial #49!


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## whywhyzed

My French Canadian Fraternal Twins (with Canadian Saxon custom 1X15 cabs):


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## Duffman

Hi there, just found this Forum and this thread caught my eye.
I still have a GBX I bought in 1970-71 from a Music shop in Yorkville Village.
It has a Guitar Driver and two Slave units - each has 4 x 10's reported at 80watts RMS each.
It is LOUD, I was in a band at the time and we had a few of these.
I may sell it as I have bought a Line 6 Spider Jam and I can carry that around.

Oh..that's a 1972 S.G. Deluxe I bought around the same time...still have it too.

Cheers
DuFf


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## loudtubeamps

A bit of GBX trivia.............those in the Scarborough area will be especially interested. 
Ahed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sweet gear ya' got there.............yup, loud suckers, to be sure!
Wasn't there Velcro on the head and cab to keep em' glued together?
Pretty sure Thundermug ran these back in the day.
Cheers, Doug


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## Duffman

Thanks
Yup...velcro on the Speaker cabs so the head would not slide off if pushed.
Lighthouse had a wall of these behind them, also Mainline I believe.
We found in large venues, the sound would project to the back of the Hall where other amps would drop off.
I remember Guy Beresford from Kalua and also I think his Dad from Sykes Music store on Lawrence Ave.at Birchmount.
I also remember Kalua when it was on Eglinton at Kennedy.
I bought my S.G. from Kalua on Kingston Rd.

Still have these (for those old Scarborough Hippies)


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## ForFoxSake

Keil 77T


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## bzrkrage

ForFoxSake said:


> Keil 77T


Man! Halloween '14, the last post. Back baby, back from the dead!











"Best mediocre guitarist in Calgary!"


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## Jimmy_D

bzrkrage said:


> Man! Halloween '14, the last post. Back baby, back from the dead!
> "Best mediocre guitarist in Calgary!"


But that's good though because it made some of us aware of it...


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## Rich Katsmith

fraser said:


> these have been seen on the forum before but here they are-
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the Paul model 201 looks a lot like one I have made by Pyramid Canada (Montreal I think) - It's at a friend's so I'll get a photo later


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## SteveAppleton77

Haha this thread keeps getting resurrected.
Well I’ll throw mine in too.
The first two pics are a tiny old solid state. A Briscoe. Vancouver made. I have absolutely no info on Briscoe other then they made organs back in the day.
It’s got two 8 inch speakers in this head looking like thing. Actually sounds pretty cool for a solid state.
The second is a Kent A-160. I’m pretty sure made by the same Montreal based company that did Symphonic, regent, Pepco and a few others. Runs two el84 and has a great sound. The last pic is what it looked like with the matching cab.

btw: if anyone has a matching cab for the Kent, I’d be happy to buy it!


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## MetalTele79

Traynor YBA-1 MOD1
Peters power/Slave amp
Trinity Plexi Mk II
JTM45 clone
Moratto TMB
The 2x12 and 2x10 are also made in Canada (but not the speakers)


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## SteveAppleton77

I’ve heard Trinity does nice amps!


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