Gretsch Lancer amplifier

Sombras · #1 07-30-2014, 11:37 AM

Hi all,

Sad to say that my father-in-law (Al) passed away last month. While back in Michigan to visit and help organize his things, I stumbled upon his 1957 Gretsch Lancer amplifier. It was dusty, scratched, and dinged up. Just about everything on it and in it was loose, but it was complete. My mother-in-law had no clue what to do with it. I asked her to let me buy it from her if and when she got around to unloading it and she just gave it to me, saying that I was probably the only person in the family who would appreciate it. I packed it up and shipped it to my home address.

I had spoken with Al a couple years back about his guitar-playing days. He had studied classical guitar as a kid in the 50s and always wanted to learn electric, but never had enough time. The best I could piece together, he hadn't touched the amp since the mid-60s, and most of the "road wear" came from its numerous moves and mis-handlings at his mother's house in Detroit. For all intents and purposes, it hadn't been plugged in and used for about 40 years.

It arrived yesterday. The first thing I did was plug it in and was immediately disappointed that it didn't work--forgetting that the tubes/valves would take some time to warm up. Well guess what--IT WORKS! It's noisy, and everything's loose, but my Strat still sounded great through it.

I'm taking it to my local amp guru for an official check-up. Very excited to have a vintage tube amp in my little music room, but more importantly I can't help but think of a great guy who was always there for us when I look at it.

Random1643 · #2 07-30-2014, 11:56 AM

Thanks for sharing an awesome story. Once it's fixed up, share some sounds!

The Growler · #3 07-30-2014, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Random1643

Thanks for sharing an awesome story. Once it's fixed up, share some sounds!

Agreed. Very cool!

JimLin · #4 07-31-2014, 03:29 PM

That's a great story ... And a nice amp

Sombras · #5 08-01-2014, 12:10 PM

Update: our local amp guru was quite puzzled over why I would call it a "Lancer", as he had never heard that name used with a Gretsch amp and had always that model with Gibson. The best we could come up with poring over his reference guides was that it is a 1957 Valco-made amp, Gretch branded, and probably called the "Compact" (5-6W). He was very impressed that all tubes were in good shape, and it even has what he thinks is the original fuse. It did need a good cleaning and one new capacitor ("So that you don't electrocute yourself!") and he undid some strange home-wiring my father-in-law had done in a misguided attempt to use it as a cabinet for a larger speaker.

I'm picking it up today and am really excited. It's a cool little amp!

Scootch · #6 08-01-2014, 12:12 PM

Pictures will be expected you know.

Bob Womack · #7 08-01-2014, 12:38 PM

If you got the Compact, you got one of the Supro amps that Jimmy Page liked, the 1606 Super, rebranded for Gretsch The Gretsch model number is probably 6150. Here's the dirty little secret: The Gretsch versions have nicer cabinets and hardware than the Supros but have the same circuits and speakers as the Supros, even though the Supros are considered collectable and cost five times as much as the Gretsches. Here is my 1963 6150T "Compact Tremolo:"

This model has a one-knob, "bias modulation" Trem and a tone control added and has a slightly different circuit from the 6150. Overall, I think the Compact (no-trem) sounds better. By the way, due to the design of the amp, it rolls off the high frequencies as the amp goes into distortion, largely eliminating the need for the tone control. It also has two different inputs I call "normal" and "thin." Play with them and see what you think. What everyone suggests is that if you play the thing wound up (and you'll want to) that you replace the speaker with a Weber repro and store away the original Jensen to protect it. The amp is a monster when played through a beefier speaker. I've written up a little more on my amp HERE if you are interested.

Bob

PS. Protect the amp from humidity or the control panel will rust.

Random1643 · #8 08-01-2014, 03:36 PM

+1 Pics will be expected. And sound files, of course.

Thanks for your insights, Bob W. Very interesting. And that's a beautiful amp.

Bob Womack · #9 08-02-2014, 07:50 AM

Thanks for your kind words, Random.

Bob

Sombras · #10 08-02-2014, 09:36 PM

Interesting post, Bob! Thanks for the info. That is a CLEAN little amp you found.

Well, if yours is the Compact, then I definitely don't have that. I *believe* it is model #6151. It's a three-tube ~5W amp with an 8" speaker. Definitely manufactured in 1957, according to the serial number. The "Electromatic Artist" came in the exact same box, but it had a 10" speaker. The jury's out on whether it was actually called the "Lancer"--some sites refer to a Gretsch Lancer (that may or may not look like this one, depending on year of manufacture), but none of the amp reference books at the local amp shop showed a Gretsch Lancer--only under Gibson.

Regardless, I love the little thing. Very warm, but clear tone. My Strat shimmers through it, and the Les Paul kind of barks. I'd like to think that my father-in-law would enjoy that it's being played again.

Here are some pics:

Bob Womack · #11 08-03-2014, 06:38 AM

Very pretty! With the three inputs it looks like it could be a version of the earliest 6150s with the tone control added. There were two versions of the 6150s and I've never been able to figure out if there was a better version.

Meanwhile, here is a video that compares the two:

Notice that this is a top-panel 6151. I've seen both. The guy in the video compares the 6151 to the early Fender Princeton.

Bob

Random1643 · #12 08-03-2014, 11:14 AM

Sombras, thanks for posting the pics. That's just a cool little amp! Plug in the Strat and a mic at your next gig; you can leave the PA at home. :-}

Sombras · #13 08-05-2014, 09:55 AM

Thanks, Random!

Bob, I'd seen that youtube video when I was researching this amp, but I lazily tuned out when I noticed that the 6151 amp he profiles didn't look like mine--not thinking that maybe they could have changed in appearance over the years. My amp does not have the model # painted or stamped inside the chassis, and it looks like the original paper label was torn out--I'm guessing when my father in law was soldering his add-on wiring back in the early 60s. But the steel serial # tab on the back conclusively dates the amp to 1957. The 1960 Model 1651 in the video is functionally identical to my 1957, cosmetic differences notwithstanding. His comments on the relationship between the speaker serial # and chassis serial # are spot on for my amp. At some point between '57 and '60 the instr/instr/mic inputs became bass/bass/treble, but beyond that and other styling differences, they appear to be essentially the same unit.

This vintage amp stuff can become addicting.