1987 Gallien-Krueger 200RCB Bass Amplifier Head

Vintage micro-sized amp, in excellent cosmetic and working condition

This is something that just fell into my lap yesterday, a killer little bass head with an on-board EQ and chorus. And of course, it's GK, one of the top names in bass amps.

I haven't messed around with this too much yet, having it for just over 24 hours, but it looks and sounds really clean. No noises whatsoever when pushing the knobs around and the chorus is right in line with 1987. This is a 100-watt amp, so it should be perfect for playing bars and small clubs, which is most likely what it will be used for from here on out.

Series II is listed on the back, but I haven't been able to find much information on this amp to know exactly what that means. I've read that this amp does contain many of the same parts as the 400RB from the same period, one of the top bass heads of all-time and still in production to this day.

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1990s Boss SE-50 Stereo Effects & SE-70 Super Effects Processors

The first rack mount multi-effects units from the top name in pedals are still favorites of gigging and recording musicians 20 years later

Released in 1990, the SE-50 Stereo Effects Processor immediately became a fixture on the rigs of the top players in the music world. James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica reportedly used the box to produce some of the sounds from their legendary Black Album in 1990-91 and Hammett had it atop his rack on the following tour.

When the SE-70 was released 3 years later, it improved on initial model and has since been used by acts as diverse as Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top to The Prodigy. The 70 is still the superior unit, it's not nearly as noisy as the 50 and the reverbs are definitely cleaner. One of the cooler effects on here is a Vocoder, which when used on vocals, creates that scattered, echoey sound that Tommy James got on Crimson and Clover. Kind of worth it for that alone.

These are still great to use on vocals and some interesting effects for guitars. Not really what you're looking for if you just want pure tone though. The distortions aren't nearly as good as the old pedals and you can get better delays and reverbs on newer, cheaper rack units. Still a great piece of gear for the gigging musician, I was able to pick up the Midi foot controller, so these units have the ability to store effects in presets and use the controller like a modern multi-effect stomp box.

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1974 Thomas Int'l Corp. Cry-Baby Wah Pedal

Vintage pedal, loaded with organ parts and made in Chicago, IL

This is the first effects piece that we've featured at SCGM, but it will be first of many to come here in the near future. This one is a very worn Cry-Baby Wah, pushing 40 years old and made before Dunlop purchased the rights and dominated the market.

I've never really played with many effects in my near 25 years as a player, but seeing all of the things that are flying around this area at a good price, no harm in picking up a few and seeing how it goes. Serious players love these older versions, because they're loaded with higher-quality parts and that usually makes for a warmer sound.

So far, I've been messing around with this pedal going through that Hohner Telecaster below, plugged directly into the recording deck and have mimicked everything from old school country western to euphoric Jimi-type sounds. Definitely money well-spent, if you're in the market for one, go older...

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1975 Yamaha FG-165S-1 Acoustic Guitar

Awesome Black Label dreadnought, sweet sunburst finish and dovetail pickguard, made in Taiwan

This is the 2nd Black Label Yamaha that I've been able to get my hands on within the last year and this one is a rare sunburst model in real good shape nearly 40 years later. As with the other two 70s FG Yamahas that we've featured, this one plays easy and has a nice low-end tone.

The sunburst finish and pickguard only add to the vintage vibe. There is some heavy wear on the face from hard playing and the finish is worn off a bit around the soundhole, but that's really it. Signs of heavy use, but no abuse. 

This one isn't as nice as the FG-200 that was featured a couple of months back or an FG-160-1 that we just picked up yesterday and will be featuring soon, but it was still a great find. Can't get enough of these old Yamaha, Takamine and Carlos acoustics. 

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1970s Hohner Telecaster Electric Guitar

Vintage Japanese import, real nice short scale copycat model

One of the few electric guitars to have made it's way into the showcase, this little Tele copy looks and plays great and sounds even better. I'm not sure exactly when it was made, but the gentleman that I acquired it from said it was 1978.

The body is real small and slim, loaded with a single P-90 style pickup. Whatever that pickup is, it gets the job done, especially on the clean channel. The sunburst finish still looks great, although there are a few nicks here on there, mostly around the edges.

Aside from the performance on the clean channel, the other that really stands out about this guitar is the neck. It feels great abd looks real nice with binding down the sides and what looks like a regular-size 22-fret neck (didn't measured it).

I had never played a Hohner electric before, so when I had the chance at this deal, I took it. It's a nice little guitar that could easily be used for recording and gigging, but the small size makes it a great beginner too.

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1980s Carvin X-60B Guitar Amplifier Head

Vintage mid-80s tube amp, in original and excellent condition

Like the Acoustic Control amps that we've featured here in the past, Carvin is another local So. Cal company that doesn't get the same respect as industry heavies Marshall and Ampeg, but longtime players know they deliver similar quality for roughly half the price. 

From what I've been able to find out about this particular head, it was made somewhere between 1984 and 1986. It has 2 channels, a 5-band EQ and on-board reverb. The clean channel sounds super sweet and there are only 2 of the 4 tube slots being used right now. The only visual flaw on this amp is one of the metal corner pieces is missing, but that is a cheap and easy fix.

This one becomes the undisputed top amp in my collection, it will be paired with the Sunn 412L cab that was posted here a few months back and should add to future recordings for lead guitars and clean channel tracks. I'll probably take it in to the local Carvin shop and have them go over it too.

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1973 Takamine Model No. F360 Acoustic Guitar

Sweet vintage Martin copy, a little beat up, but all original

These Takamine lawsuit models have been an interest of mine for a while and I've finally found a couple at good prices. As luck would have it, I've ended up with possibly some of the first and last of these Martin copies that the company made. 

Takamine experts state that 1984 was the year that the lawsuit was threatened, so 1984-85 should have been the cutoff. The first model that I picked up was a 1987. The history also shows that 1975 was the first year of major distribution to the US, so this one predates those models.

My first guess would be that both of these guitars were not only built in Japan, but also purchased there and then somehow made their way here to So. Cal.

This one does have some issues, the frets show major wear, the last owner said it was mainly used as a beach guitar, so the salt in the air probably caused the tarnishing. There is also some slight warping by the bridge, but I filed the saddle down real low and that helped the action alot. 

It stays in tune so far and there isn't any buzz, so it works for me.

Just set her up with some D'Addario Custom Light strings last night, plays and sounds great.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.