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Jim Kelley

renderit

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Jan 19, 2009
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10,966
The Kelly sounds very cool! I think some parts sound like my Longhorn El Vaquero. Probably where the guy who makes them got his inspiration. You get your sound and layer on the dirt in any fashion you like. This is the only D type I have, but I play it quite a bit. You need an attenuator with this one (or the Torpedo). At 50W your boots will be standing in the middle of the room without you...

35712437873_1b5938a168_b.jpg



 
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Pellman73

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Aug 9, 2016
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1,762
I decided to pick on up last year, just before Suhr stopped making them. The variety of choices that Jim made of how he built the amps was pretty extreme: heads, cabs, integrated attenuators, reamping, rack mount, tolex, mouse fur... It's hard to know exactly what you'll get if you buy one on the internet, except that it'll kick butt! Yes, very loud, 60w from 4 6V6s. You used to be able to buy "Jim Kelley" approved quads or duos of 6V6s that were guaranteed by Fender or Groove Tubes to take the voltage he used. I'm not sure how reliable modern tubes would be.

And yes, like a tweed Deluxe or a Trainwreck, the amp is balanced to overdrive smoothly and at all stages, so you get that wonderful touch sensitivity. But if you want to preserve your hearing and still get crunch and sustain, you'll want the attenuator with it! Those are also getting hard to find...

Got one! Found it in germany.... paying out my nose for it but... gotta have the set.

this is not a vintage one, but rather the newer surh one which is a little different but I”d guess is just as good- maybe better.
 

Pellman73

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The Kelly sounds very cool! I think some parts sound like my Longhorn El Vaquero. Probably where the guy who makes them got his inspiration. You get your sound and layer on the dirt in any fashion you like. This is the only D type I have, but I play it quite a bit. You need an attenuator with this one (or the Torpedo). At 50W your boots will be standing in the middle of the room without you...

35712437873_1b5938a168_b.jpg




Hot damn that is one bad ass looking AND sounding amp. And we all know I’m a sucker for amps whos logos light up.

That’s probably the coolest looking amp I’ve ever seen. I think the tone matches up too. Really cool. Wow.
 

Pellman73

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I thought that was the same guy!

you are in Austin right? I’d guess you know this fella.... seems like a real pro
 

renderit

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Jan 19, 2009
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10,966
Nope. Don't know him. Love his playing though. I have a shitload of stuff he pimped over the years as well. Been pretty happy with 99% of it too. For me it started with his demo of this:


After I bought that I knew if I heard him play it it was my Kryptonite. I love his playing and I think this video was his best one. Hell, I bought the head, 2 speaker cab and waited 4 months for it. His TONE and the 'darkness' of what he does is very powerful to me. Lends an air of mystery I guess...
 

Pellman73

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Aug 9, 2016
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Really great fishing you will have a gas , Have a great fish Peter !

ok just got back from trip

here's the kelley w my not Pete Thorn display... just some tones. at 30 seconds I pull out the bass knob which is a mid boost. Gain is at like 9. I don't think this is all that loud really... compared to the matchless and the friedman. just playing a little bit through it I REALLY like it a lot. nice amount of chime, nice amount of grit, great touch sensitivity (if I can say that)... just like-- I don't know... hear for yourselves. I tried to do it with the gain up, then the mid boost, then more clean tones. I don't have the patience to do more than one take or decide what I"m gonna do... but I think you can hear it pretty well which is more the point than displaying my weekend warrior marginal guitar skills. Get a little tripped up... and this is through an iphone... and I suck... can I make any more excuses?

this is just amp (w the reverb).... into 2017 braz green lemon r9


perhaps more importantly-- I got on the Permit board... caught it on a fly I tied. an out of body experience

http://IMG_0747 by peter ellman, on Flickr
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,879
Very nice- Brown Fender on airplane glue- cool. Actually I never heard anyone play Highway Song before- i love that tune.

Here's my 'swing thought' when I attempt to make a video like this- " I wonder how long JB will laugh when he looks at this?"
Then I shut off the recording device.
 

Pellman73

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Very nice- Brown Fender on airplane glue- cool. Actually I never heard anyone play Highway Song before- i love that tune.

Here's my 'swing thought' when I attempt to make a video like this- " I wonder how long JB will laugh when he looks at this?"
Then I shut off the recording device.

Ha ha— yea I got a little tripped up on highway tune... but the fact that you recognized it means something! I probably should practice, Do a few takes, edit... plan.... then wait until the morning Double check... uh... when... my head is clearer before posting but I don’t.

Maybe I’ll learn some day
 

renderit

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Jan 19, 2009
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Sounds relatively......AWESOME! What speakers you using there? I think you got a winner. It sounds like one that would compliment my collection, it's in a place that none of mine are. The clarity on the mids instead of mud or just bypassing them is what makes it for me. I have a few which do that as well, just not in the 'brown tone' range. The closest I have to that is my Komet but not quite the same...
 

Pellman73

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Sounds relatively......AWESOME! What speakers you using there? I think you got a winner. It sounds like one that would compliment my collection, it's in a place that none of mine are. The clarity on the mids instead of mud or just bypassing them is what makes it for me. I have a few which do that as well, just not in the 'brown tone' range. The closest I have to that is my Komet but not quite the same...

Hey man thanks that means a lot!

the reverb is really good too...

i had it thru the matchless 2x12 with them there different speakers

corpse I’m gonna try and do a better thing w highway song.


I have the attenuator coming— from GERMANY.

ren right now I do have it thru the single closed back Mesa cab I have — its Not a thiele but sounds good... it’s loud thru that puppy

i love this amp.. so much the Friedman is in storage now and it’s kelly/matchless/Princeton in the music room and the champ and the Carr in the bedroom
 

Pellman73

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Aug 9, 2016
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its basically complete now mwa ha ha

I got the Attenuator to go w the kelley




this thing is so kick ass!

the original amps had kelley attenuators as did the new Surh ones--- trying to find either is very hard. I was able to track one down one of the Surh ones in germany and the pedal to go w it.

it works fantastically well for just some analog circuitry-- it is not powered.- I'd say its better than the Rivera Rockcrusher because it does not muffle the highs AT ALL-- it just takes the edge off and makes it so you can play it at lower levels.

can't really tell that the DBs are much different with the iphone recording compression but I did this mainly to show that at max attenuation it still sounds really clear and not killed or muddy (at least that was my goal to show that) .... plus it looks cool!


I can honestly say I think this might be my fave amp ever. I'm not sure I have the words to describe it but my brain just loves the sounds.

brain say "AMP GOOD"
 

DrRobert

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Jun 12, 2003
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6,050
I haven't tried the Kelley Attenuator with any other amps, but with the Kelley it's just perfect-really does act like a master volume! And with the original, 2 channel FACS, you can set it up to switch on with one channel, and not the other. So you get one master volume, power tube crunch channel and one straight up clean channel. Very cool! Add in 3 effects loops, the unusual EQ, pull shift knobs and you get an amp that was WAY ahead of its time.
 

Pellman73

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Aug 9, 2016
Messages
1,762
I haven't tried the Kelley Attenuator with any other amps, but with the Kelley it's just perfect-really does act like a master volume! And with the original, 2 channel FACS, you can set it up to switch on with one channel, and not the other. So you get one master volume, power tube crunch channel and one straight up clean channel. Very cool! Add in 3 effects loops, the unusual EQ, pull shift knobs and you get an amp that was WAY ahead of its time.


favorite amp ever
 
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