IceCreamMan
post some pics please.
flatfourfan
speak with guidopimp, he's into Elks.............and not the furry types.
AlanRatcliffe
I'm not Knowledgeable about the Elks (Guys like Karel Mars and Matta could probably fill in the details). Seen a few, heard a few, but not enough to comment.
If you have good speakers in there already (and the benchmark is: if it sounds good, it is), changing speakers will change the character of the sound, but not necessarily make it sound better - just different.
LooneyAtTheGate
I have an Elk 8X2 cab for my Marshall head. It sounds great!
FenderBender
LooneyAtTheGate wrote:
I have an Elk 8X2 cab for my Marshall head. It sounds great!
How is your rig doing mate?
LooneyAtTheGate
Thanks to you its ROCKING!
What is your technical opnion of Elk amps?
FenderBender
LooneyAtTheGate wrote:
What is your technical opnion of Elk amps?
I have never had the opportunity to work or play on an Elk. They were built in Japan, so I reckon they would have been well designed and brilliantly built. Here is some info:
http://www.drtube.com/guitamp.htm#Elk
bottledtone
The Elk Twin Amp 45 here that I worked on, was completely filled with wire wound resistors!! from the little half watts and up. The only thing is that they used oil filled caps and those were leaky and had to be replaced. Elk amps can also suffer from "fender rot" where the whole component board can become conductive. Thats a big problem.
They can look like Fender, but are quite a bit different in circuitry ?
guidothepimmp
i got an elk.. not the furry type either.. the viking 50 with 2x12 cab.
it sounded good when i got it but seemed underpowered. i wanted to rod the thing but realised i was out of my depth.
took it to jp who totally recapped it and retubed it. he also fixed one or two issues from prior tinkering.
now its super quiet and has great cleans. jp put jj tubes in. the amp lacked some low end balls and the prognosis was the alnico drivers so i got some nice jensen c12q in there and WHOA.. low end thump galore..
so to answer your q the speaker and tube change made an already good amp better.
i run a tonebone for crunch and get plenty of grunt.
the ojtput is around the 30w mark.
jp reckons this is because of how the rverb was built into the circuit.
needleshy
i used to have a twin amp 60, was a very nice sounding amp, singing cleans, sounded pretty dang close to a twin reverb. good quality and i drov that amp an max volume alot without any issues and it never broke down on me once. i think that they are very good bang for the buck, i am pretty sad i sold mine, the original speaker that the cabs came out with are not my cup of coffee, never used it much as i ran it through some sweet Vin30's.
Therapy-
Hey guys.
Thanks a ton for all the feedback, advice and comments. I'll see how it goes as far as upgrading goes, but so far I think I'm on to a good thing, so 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' would be the savvy way to go.
Later
MikeM
Tubes can be compared to tyres on a car. Cheap ones won't perform well or last long. And no matter what, using them will wear them. Over time they will need to be replaced. Electrolytics have a lifespan of like 20 years before they start degrading fast.
TS10
Just bought an early 70s Elk FS-62 tube amp, on its way to me from Durban 8)
Very little info on this amp on the net, two 10' original Elk speakers and a tremelo, reverb & distortion channel is about all I can make out from the pics.
Cant wait!
TS10
Got the Elk amp delivered today, ripped off the packaging and fired it up. An early 70's Elk FS-62 tube amp,with two Elk 10' speakers and everything else entirely original at first glance.
So how does it sound? Wow! Blindfold me and I would swear it was a vintage Fender Twin Reverb, on which I believe it was modelled. Looks almost identical (will post pics soon). In any event, it sounds amazing ? I played my 70s reissue Japanese strat through this baby and the highs were shimmering, the mids defined and the low end is nice and fat but not muddy-sounding. Tremolo and reverb both sound authentic, especially the reverb.
Admittedly I have not cranked it or tried with pedals as yet (or my 1978 Ibanez Artist, which could be very cool) - had my 3 kids running around and wanting to get involved in the testing, so made it brief :? But all 4 channels work, there was a bit of scratchiness in 2 pots but nothing major.
Anyway, I am super stoked. I now own a 1965 Vox AC30 head & custom cab loaded with a pair of vintage Celestions, a 1980 Roland Bolt 60W tube amp, a mid 80s Roland Cube 60W in orange tolex and this latest acquisition ? All of these I have picked up over a period of time, most for really good prices.
Had a feeling about this amp, initial indications are it is a major keeper. Love that vintage Japanese gear, as you may have gathered :yup:
psyx
TS10 wrote:
Anyway, I am super stoked. I now own a 1965 Vox AC30 head & custom cab loaded with a pair of vintage Celestions, a 1980 Roland Bolt 60W tube amp, a mid 80s Roland Cube 60W in orange tolex and this latest acquisition ? All of these I have picked up over a period of time, most for really good prices.
Ive heard some good things about Roland bolt amps! Apparently their owners tend to modify them quite a bit!
TS10
psyx wrote:
TS10 wrote:
Anyway, I am super stoked. I now own a 1965 Vox AC30 head & custom cab loaded with a pair of vintage Celestions, a 1980 Roland Bolt 60W tube amp, a mid 80s Roland Cube 60W in orange tolex and this latest acquisition ? All of these I have picked up over a period of time, most for really good prices.
Ive heard some good things about Roland bolt amps! Apparently their owners tend to modify them quite a bit!
Havent modified mine but it probably could do with some new tubes...they are supposed to be Roland's take on the Mesa Boogie, and while I have never owned a Mesa the Bolt has a real growl to it, big and fat sounding.
psyx
Wouldn't mind stumbling onto one of those in a pawn shop some day(either a mesa or a bolt!)
